Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[riariadne]

Valha felt a bit of regret momentarily before smiling once more. "Well, we can probably get the blankets and the sword too, right? We'd be preparin' for the trip to Felson 'n gettin' a weapon to help in case we get into trouble at the same time. I'm sure the boss will totally understand the whole situation once you explain it to her! It's the perfect solution." She turned to the boy, handing her own money over. "We're just good friends who work together, that's all! We'll take the Estoc 'n these blankets too, alright?"

[Xinnidy]

"Actually, what Vriska said makes sense, Raith. What did you wink for?" Maja took the mage girl's point, if only to help her inexperience with the matter. "Um, I really have no clue about how these signs work, you know. You're not... uh... nevermind." She looked away and back at her plate, giving attention to her breakfast as she probably should be doing to begin with.

It was until Lanos passed and talked at --from what Maja could gather,-- Vriska that she began to speak again. "Huh, never seen him calling out people like that, are you guys going to go spar or something?"

[Vestige]

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. You'd think I'd get a little more gratitude for savin' your ass from your thief pals but nope. Apparently a burnt hand is the best that can be offered. Worst. Decision. Ever," he huffed. He then turned his attention to Maja, and proceeded to plant his hand square onto his face. Never had he met anyone so dense in his life. "...Maja, just--just forget anything happened, okay? It wasn't a wink, I actually just had something in my eye," he said. Sheesh, where's Ingverd when you need him? Seems like the only guy who can take a joke around here.

-:-

Elsewhere, Ophelia had just finished her morning flight. The forestry near Ward was rather beautiful looking from above, it didn't hold a candle to the mountain tops back in Griberge, but it was close enough. She made her descent near the gates to the town, and saw a rather familiar face hanging around nearby. Frankly she didn't quite care much as to why Makin was out here by herself but she was getting rather bored and it seemed as though Raith was no where to be found. Ah well, looks like the half-snake would have to do for now, but just to be sure..."The boy, is he not with you?" she asked.

[Xinnidy]

Tch. Was it really, or is he lying? I hate it, it's like it's my fault for not getting it, but I was never taught this kind of stuff! How are people supposed to learn what these gestures mean in every situation? Must be awfully funny when you're not the one clueless. Shouldn't even have bothered waking him up. Maja sighed and returned to her breakfast, mood turning sour, but not visible aside from her completely shutting up. Her attention was back to her plate and only that.

[Nanami Touko]

Oh

Hilda watched Kendeall leave with a bit of wonder. I guess he didn't have enough. He seemed so disappointed, too... Alas.

Flying

"Oh, right!" Vriska exclaimed, her mood increasing greatly. "Lanos is going to let me ride him while he flies around. Hope he doesn't drop me! And sorry, Raith, I didn't wake up on any wrong sides, I just reeeeaally hate it when people play with my hair. Don't take it personally, still glad I'm not dragon food, or anything." She got up and poked Maja as she walked by. "Hey, uh, it was all just a joke, so don't worry too much about it. We get that you're just trying to help Kadin and all." Vriska made a rather large assumption that Maja was bothered, as she couldn't see any signs of it; she'd simply made it since she hadn't said anything to Raith after his small facepalm. "If either of you are really bored, you could always watch Lanos fly me around for a bit. Though it might not be as interesting for you, Raith, you fly all the time. Anyway, offer's there! Bye and all that."

Vriska hopped out of the inn door, and spotting Lanos, then poked him. "Hey. How's this gonna work?"

Choice Made

Ingverd shrugged, and threw on his own smile. Makin's not gonna be happy, but it's not like she can get much more upset than this morning. Turning back around, he pulled out enough gold to cover the balance. The good friends comment made him turn all his worries off. It was a nice thing to hear. "Yeah, kid. Stop asking so much, eh? You're gonna make us both feel awkward."

He stuck his tongue out at Ingverd, and nervously played with his hands. "Well, then... M-Maybe I can...g-g-get a kiss, for the great deal." Ingverd was taken quite aback by the boy's tenacity. "Just on the cheek, nothin' special..."

You are a man after my own heart, young one. Ingverd didn't think anything would come of it. He did appreciate the kid's drive, though.

Dragon Talk

A swooshing of wings and a large gust of wind later, and Makin was facing down a dragon. Ophelia, to be specific. Oh. Well... That sure is Ophelia. And she sure is still talking to me. Makin had thought that she may have dreamed the whole sequence up, but there it was, happening again. "<Uh, uhm... No? Is he not with you?>" Makin thought back, and remembered that Raith was half asleep at a table before she'd stormed out. "<No, I think he's back at the inn, probably still asleep. What about you? Just taking a morning flight?>" Oh, Gods, I'm having a casual conversation with a dragon...

Edited March 19, 2014 by I have opinions

[Baldrick]

After the ghost left, Joel wandered idly around the market, not really taking any of it in. Perhaps I just need to talk it out with someone. He made his way back to the inn, passing the young mage as he entered. Raith and Maja were seated at a table and not deep in conversation, so he sat himself down at a spare seat and stretched his legs out. "Hello, you two. What do you make of this situation?"

[Oersted]

Lanos turned around quickly once he'd been poked, a look between deciding whether to fight or take flight and surprise on his face; though it quickly disappeared once he saw it was Vriska who had poked him. "Please don't do that again," was all he had to say about it. That was... quicker than expected. Did their conversation go sour that quickly? "Well, I put some thought into it and I figured you'd hold onto to me like I was carrying you on my back like a normal person, except it's going to be entirely up to you to hold on. If you've got something better I'm open to suggestions."

[riariadne]

Valha was glad to see Ingverd smile back understandingly, but was totally caught off-guard by the kid's suggestion. "Hey now, don't be gettin' ahead of yourself there, mister! I appreciate the deal, but I wouldn't push it that far. Hmm..." Valha thought things over for a moment before speaking again. "Tell you what- I'll let you touch my feathers. You seemed interested in 'em before, yeah? They're fragile, 'n I really need 'em, so it's not somethin' silly, alright? I don't just go around lettin' just anyone do this! So you gotta be gentle. That an alright consolation prize for you?" Anticipating a positive response, she held out her right arm to him.

[Nanami Touko]

Free Ride

"Oh, sorry." She wondered why a poke was enough to get him startled, but if it was that bad, she wouldn't do it again. As he explained how she'd hold onto him, she walked behind him, took a deep breath, and jumped as high as she could onto his back. Hopefully he didn't fall over. She managed to grasp onto his chest over his shoulder, finally propping herself onto him without choking him. "Onward, steed!" She giggled.

Just a Touch

As sure as Ingverd was, he thought for a moment that Valha would proceed just to tease him. But she's not that kind of person, he thought. His suspicions were quickly confirmed and he released an internal sigh of relief. He still ended up being slightly jealous.

"Uhm... Alright." The young lad, a bit unsure, reached a hand out towards her wing, and proceeded to feel one of the feathers. It was quite soft to the touch, and it made him end up smiling. Though disappointed that the pretty lady didn't give him a kiss, he didn't regret selling the weapon. "They're lovely, miss... Thanks for stopping by." He smiled, but he eyes were going to bore a hole in the ground at this rate.

Geez, with how she acts to Lanos, and now this kid, she really will make a fine mother some day... Or she'll just dote over birdman. Either way, she's got a bit of a talent that I don't think she's noticed yet... Or she has, and just doesn't comment on it. Hmm... Ingverd was having plenty of fun musing over things whilst Valha entertained the boy. "Whenever you're ready to head back, let me know. I'll just be standing right here."

Edited March 20, 2014 by I have opinions

[riariadne]

Valha hummed quietly as the boy touched her feathers lightly, glad she was able to provide some closure to the matter. "Well, thanks for sellin' me stuff! 'N hey, cheer up. You'll find someone for you in time." She put her hand under his chin, tilting it up. "Have a little confidence in yourself, alright? You're a good kid." She took the sword and blankets, looking to Ingverd again. "I'm all set too. We should probably drop this stuff off at the inn, right? Anythin' else we should do, you think?"

[Oersted]

As Vriska apologized for poking him, Lanos felt he may have overreacted; however, he didn't have anytime to do anything about it as Vriska unexpectedly jumped onto his back and all his focus went into keeping himself upright until Vriska had secured herself. A little warning would've been nice... "I'm a Harpy, not a Centaur..." he mumbled to himself as he started flapping his wings. It was certainly harder than usual with Vriska on his back and because of that he didn't want to go too high into the air lest either she slip or he get too tired to fly. He settled on what he believed was somewhere between ten and fifteen feet off the ground. "So, is there anywhere you wanna go? Or should I just fly around in circles?"

Edited March 20, 2014 by Oersted

[Vestige]

Opehlia snorted. What kind of question was that? If Raith was with her, she wouldn't be asking his whereabouts in the first place. "<I see...Very well. And yes, a morning flight would be a good way to put it. Flying in battle and flying freely are two rather different experiences. I far prefer the latter but I daresay you wouldn't really understand the difference anyhow.>" She dug at the dirt beneath her, boredom overtaking her. "<And you? Are you here for a morning...walk?>"

-:-

"I think I'll pass thanks," he replied to Vriska's offer. "Anyhow," he said, getting up from the table, "I think I'll take my leave. Thanks for the food and all that Maja," he said unaware or unaffected by the girl's foul mood. Time to get some actual food. He ordered for himself a nice plate of just about everything the inn had to offer and set about devouring it piece by delicious piece. The quality wasn't the greatest but food was food. Maybe I'll go find Ophelia after this. Get some riding practice in or something.

[Xinnidy]

Maja said nothing much as the two left the table, she contemplated watching Vriska, but the old man from before seemed to have joined her table somewhere in the breakfast. "Hello." She said, in a somewhat bored, unamused tone. "I'll stay, I'm sure."

[algae]

Sonia realized that it'd be a good idea to try to find a backup weapon before the group left again and quietly slipped out of the inn. It can't be that hard to find a weapon shop here, can it? Hopefully there will still be some food left when I get back...

Luckily she found an armory quickly enough and headed inside.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Alg

[Nanami Touko]

Spar

The boy simply nodded with a bit of a silly grin on his face. Even if his father would eventually be upset for him selling the sword at a lower price, he felt it had been quite worth it.

Ingverd took the blankets, as it had been his job to purchase such things for everyone. The sword was Valha's, so he wasn't going to touch that. Even if he felt she might not be able to use it right, at least not yet. "Well, as lively as this town is, there isn't much in the way of sightseeing. It's mostly about trade. Not much else we could do... Unless you want to spar?" He smiled a wry smile. "My arm's still not feeling too good after that cut, so I figure a nice bit of exercise would fix it right up. Or at least work the muscles a bit. What d'you say? Think you can take little ol' me?" He threw the blankets under his left arm, stretching out the right one. Still hurt. Of course. "We can fight out in front of the inn, I've a few practice swords in my belongings." He wondered for a moment if they were supposed to have met someone here, but he couldn't quite put his mind to, shit. Lanos. Where is he?

Flight

Vriska smiled a wonderful smile. The feeling of flying and seeing the ground start to float away from her was incredibly exciting. "Wow! Wow, you're actually flying! I'm actually flying! This is amazing!" She started to laugh, her wide smile still present. At one point she almost lost her grip, smile shrinking slightly as she clung for dear life. "Right, okay, this is still kinda scary, but it's also really amazing. D-Didn't you say you were going to meet Valha and Ingverd at the market? Go there!" She pointed with her finger in the direction of it, waiting for her ride to continue onwards.

Snaketalk

"<I wouldn't know... But I would figure. Being able to stretch yourself and relax without worry. I get similar wants, just without the flying part.>" Makin felt oddly comfortable speaking to someone that wouldn't be able to retell anything to anyone else. "<A walk. Hah. No, I just... Exploded a bit, at the inn. Markus made me tell everyone my plans at Felson, and while I don't have a problem with them all knowing... Well, I feel like they might try to stop me, or try to shoulder some of it. It isn't their fight, you know? I don't mind people helping me, but...>" she threw her shoulders down a bit, "<to drag them into my own personal problems. I don't feel that's right.>" Makin made a sad smile at Ophelia, almost laughing. "<It's nice to be able to speak with you, as odd as it still is. I can tell you anything without worry of it spreading about. Not that you probably care, but still...>"

Weapons!

"Oh, hello," a rather bored shopkeep said, staring blankly at Sonia. "Any weapons catch your eyes? I've got the basics, here... Not much special." He sighed. "That damn market, always someone got something fancy and amazing. No one ever comes in here except for simple things. Maybe I should try to improve my craft..." He idly complained at Sonia, not really caring if she minded.

[riariadne]

"Sparrin'? You sure you're okay to?" Valha asked as he stretched. "I don't have a problem with it, but if we mess up it could end badly when you're already hurt, 'n then what happens? But if you're really that desperate to lose, I mean, be my guest." She smirked, twirling the estoc around. "Geez, this thing's a bit unwieldy, huh? I guess I need to work on that sorta stuff anyway."

[algae]

The market? Maybe I should have gone there... "Er... Hi. I'm looking for something simple, actually. " She looked over the weapons, trying to think of something to lighten the shopkeeper's mood, eventually stopping at a fairly plain iron sword. "Something like this. Sturdy, practical, reliable..." Good for someone who's never used anything more sword-like than a stick as a child? "How much would a weapon like this one cost?"

[Oersted]

Vriska was obviously enjoying the ride and it seemed to be contagious as Lanos felt himself smile, considering he hadn't expected to feel anything other than overexerted it was. He was even starting to adjust to the extra weight on his back. He felt Vriska's grip on him suddenly loosen and then quickly tighten. He reasoned she must've almost slipped and considered flying lower to the ground in case it happened again. On the other hand she seemed to have recovered and would probably focus more on holding on more. "Yeah, well it's also dangerous. Don't think I didn't feel that just now. If it happens again I'm landing then and there," Lanos said firmly, surprising himself by his own strictness. "Oh, you're right, I did say that didn't I..." Lanos mused to himself as he started towards the market. "Very well then, away we go."

It didn't take long for Lanos to spot Ingverd and Valha once they'd arrived at the market, Valha's attire and the aerial view probably helped. He landed a few feet in front of Ingverd, immediately kneeling so Vriska could climb off his back. His attention was quickly drawn to Valha's new sword. "Wow, that's a neat lookin' sword you've got Valha. It fits you."

[Nanami Touko]

Destined to Lose

Ingverd knew she was probably right, both in combination of his own arm not being in the best shape, and Valha herself being rather strong with a sword. "It'll be good practice for you, either way. Just trying to help out. Even if my arm's not doing so well, I can still swing a sword. You'll need some more practice to use that Estoc. They're a rather dextrous weapon." He made to leave, but Lanos landed in front of them, Vriska in tow. Ah, there he is. "Hey, Lanos. Looks like the rickshaw finally got here. What's it like carrying someone?" He quietly mused on if Valha would do something similar, figuring she'd be too prideful for such a task.

Simple

"Three hundred gold. It's just an iron sword..." Obviously buying something wasn't about to up his mood, but nothing much probably could.

Taxi

Vriska awkwardly nodded. She'd hoped he wouldn't have noticed her almost falling, but since he had, there wasn't much arguing she could do. She had little to no control over how he flew.

When they landed, and Lanos knelt for her to get off, Vriska laughed. "No way! I'm gonna enjoy this as long as I can. Fly us back! They look like they're done shopping, anyway." Vriska had obviously enjoyed that, and wanted a round two. She didn't quite care for the sword Valha had purchased; weapons like that had no meaning as long as when they were being used by her enemies, they were far away from her. She poked Lanos again, trying to get him to move, still a silly smile on her face. "Come on, come on! That really was great! Let's have it again!" Ingverd couldn't help but hold back a chuckle at the spectacle.

[riariadne]

"Huh, if you say so. I'm not opposed to it, just concerned. Wouldn't want your arm to be useless, it's important!" Valha waved at Lanos and Vriska as they landed close by, not really thinking how unnecessary waving was in the situation. "How's it goin', you two? Wow, that looks pretty uncomfortable. You alright, Lanos? Anyway, I just got this. It's pretty, isn't it? 'N it just sorta seemed good to have around for if anythin' bad happens. Stronger than the basic stuff I usually stick to, 'n lighter than those other two."

[Oersted]

"It's not as tiring as I thought it'd be, though it might be because Vriska is so light," Lanos responded as he waited for Vriska to climb off. However it seemed she had other ideas as she demanded a ride back to the inn. Lanos didn't really have a choice as he couldn't really pry her off of him, and even he did he had a feeling he'd be kicked for it. With a sigh he stood up grabbed hold of Vriska's legs, being careful not to scratch her, so that he was holding her piggyback style. "Yeah, fine I guess you can have a ride back, just not this second."

"It's not that uncomfortable, just unusual," he said to Valha. "Well it sure looks different than from the other ones. Say, how much did it cost you? It certainly doesn't look cheap."

[Nanami Touko]

Caring

"It's nice to know you care so much, but I'll live. Just, uh, make sure not to hit the arm. Don't want to risk anything." Today had been nothing but heartwarming for Ingverd, which was a bit of a different experience for him. All's well that ends well, I suppose. The sight of Lanos carrying Vriska was still incredibly amusing to him. He finally let out a chuckle, as he was unable to suppress it any longer. It didn't last long. "I guess I'll walk back, then, as you've all the luxury of flying. I doubt Valha wants to carry me. Have fun." He made way to the elevator, sighing as he stood near the lever, waiting for the birds to take flight. If they took flight. They seemed to be having a conversation, so he wondered if he should let them be for a bit.

Holding

Vriska made a small squeak as Lanos grabbed a hold of her legs. Though she knew it was to keep her propped up, it still felt a bit embarrassing. Though his hands are pretty soft... Save for the claws, but that's fine. It was weirdly comfortable, and she got to relax, while him and Valha continued to talk about her sword. "Take your time. I'm comfortable." She ended up slightly rubbing her head against his back before resting against it. "You're soft..."

[algae]

Sonia paid with a frown and an unintelligible grumble, leaving the armory in a somewhat worse mood than when she entered. It had passed by the time she made it back to the inn, though: she was more hungry than anything else, rushing straight for food as soon as she entered and re-entering a short while later with toast.

[MRDRHAWK]

As Kendeall headed back into the market towards the inn, he noticed Vriska huddling close to Lanos, and thought that they should be alone. ... Of course, where was the fun in that? "Oi, Lanos, get a room for you and the little girl, aye?" He called out, before sneaking back over to the inn so that he wouldn't attempt to kill him. ... Not just yet, anyway.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Mango Sentinel

[charlie_]

Angus had just ordered some toast and ate it quietly, listening to the harpies' and Ingverd's antics for a while. Honestly, he didn't remember when it happened, but he'd managed to fall asleep again. Apparently he hadn't been as awake as he'd hoped. Eventually his elbow slipped off the bar and he jolted awake again, and sighed. He probably should've just stayed in bed. Regardless, if he just stayed and sat here he'd probably just doze off again...

He glanced around and spotted Kendeall walking through the door and decided to talk to him. "Morning... you sleep okay?"

Edited March 22, 2014 by SB.