Fire Emblem: Wretched Whispers, Act 2: Warpath

[charlie_]

Warming Up

"I'm interested." Norman replied to the giant, stretching his arms slightly. He hadn't really done much in his first showing with the Hollows, so it would be good to get in some combat practice - and the boxing didn't really count. He wanted to get in some practice first though, so he made his way to the barracks and looked around for a trainer.

Rise and Shine

Calden on the other hand wasn't really too bothered about whatever Sheikah had to say, and took his time getting up before heading downstairs, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. He came just in time to hear about food being served, which he was thankful for. "Breakfast would be good, yes." he said, yawning widely. He'd managed to get most of his restocking done yesterday, which meant that he could take things at a slower pace today. Lazing around after breakfast for a while didn't sound like a bad idea...

Edited January 11, 2015 by SB.

[riariadne]

Not Quite Over

"Yeah, go Taima!" Sheikah shouted as her fellow mercenary won her circuit once again, clapping and cheering with the rest of those who were gathered.

Mac shook Taima's hand after their intense bout, exiting while the crowd cheered after such an intense start to the day. As with Ivan yesterday, the man in the red helmet came down from the stands, saluting Taima. "You, you've challenged our two highest available circuits to the public, haven't you? I've watched with interest. My name is Captain Douglas Jay Falcon, owner of the ring," he introduced himself. "I'm an experienced fighter in my own right, and I like to give strong visitors a chance at going up against me personally. Even if you lose, you'll get your pay just fine, but if you win there'll be even more in it for you. If you're not up for it, that's fine too, but otherwise head to the corner and come on!"

Morning Merriment

"An even better turnout than expected. Much thanks to all of you," Vacheres told the gathered group, smiling. "I knew it was a good idea to ask all of you to join."

"Alright, I'll get something whipped up," Cara told the few waiting on her, starting to mix up some pancakes but glancing at Celestia hesitantly every once in a while. Finally, she spoke up to the templar, "I can't help but think you're really familiar for some reason... did you know Isaiah? What's your name?"

[scorri]

Hesitating slightly, Taima nodded. "Alright then, seems like fun." She grinned at him and moved back to the corner. The bell rang and the two of them moved in, slowly circling for a few seconds. They both threw a few feints before charging forward. Taima slammed her fist into the man's side but was knocked backwards into the ropes, barely blocking what would likely have been the knock out punch, but still left her reeling. She rolled away, throwing a blind punch as she did, hitting significantly more solidly than she expected and knocking the man back and his punches wide. They circled each other again, throwing a few feints that didn't land, before Taima managed to charge forward and slam the other man in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Panting and barely standing, she limped back to her corner, hoping against hope that he wouldn't get up. 7, 8, 9, 10! She grinned, collapsing into her corner. She'd done it.

[Bluedoom]

"I see you're quite easy going...I suppose working as a mercenary is better than being helpless and stuck in a war-torn area. I'll need to warn you though: you need to be ready to swing your weapon at bizarre creatures and even the undead. Our group has been unfortunate enough to be involved with contracts that dictate us to eradicate these...things. It would be terribly sad to seem them digging their claws into the flesh of any of us...Oh! I got sidetracked, but I'm going to the magic shop to get some things ready for the tournament...Care to join? The armoury is close to that... I think you might get a new fancy weapon there!" Wolfgang replied to Orpheus.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Bluedoom

[eclipse]

(OOC: If this makes no sense, sorry)

Peter whistled to himself as he saw a familiar face knock out opponents, one after the other. She'd have to be tough, after all the beatings she took on the battlefield. Never thought she'd be a brawler on top of it! Unsure of where Taima would exit from, Peter scanned the area. Another familiar face popped up in the stands. Well I'll be. . .

"Hey, boss," Peter yelled, making his way towards Sheikah. "You wouldn't happen to know where Taima's gonna exit from, would you?"

[Oersted]

Lugos wondered just who the guest was and how important they were if he had to be woken up for them as he got ready. When he came downstairs he was surprised to find that Vacheres was apparently the important guest. "This tournament seems interesting, you can count me in. But a question, for those of us with mounts do we have to participate with them?" The question was important in his eyes, he'd rather not put Kralle in harm's way for mere sport when he didn't need the maneuverability flight gave him.

[Ether]

"Oh, it was alright. I took some time to do a little reading, it was peaceful." Celestia replied to Melanie with a little smile, giving a little gesture to wave the thought that she'd been a bother as company. Before the conversation could continue, however, the barkeep, Cara, spoke to her, apparently recognizing her, or at least knowing someone who looked similar. That aside, Isaiah? The name didn't ring a bell... she had heard it recently, specifically here in this place, but before that, nothing came to her.

"Ah, my name is Celestia. Celestia Elianne... I don't know any Isaiahs, though. Sorry." Celestia replied, shaking her head slightly.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ben, eef you say so. I..." Mel caught herself and shook her head somewhat. I need to stop zis beating myself up. Eef she sinks I was not a bozzer, zen I was not. C'est simple. She nodded through her internal monologue and took the gesture at face value. Though, it seemed the inn keeper had some business with Celestia. That meant their shopping would have to wait, but whatever was happening would hopefully make up for that. "Eh, eef you do not mind me asking, miss, who ees zis Isaiah?" Mel didn't think the name was familiar either, but it was a rather cool sounding name!

Edited January 12, 2015 by I have opinions

[riariadne]

Victory

Sheikah and most of the rest of the crowd were on their feet after the stunning match between the Captain and Taima, who saluted after his defeat and exited smiling. She suddenly became aware of the presence of one of her coworkers that had previously escaped her notice during the fights. "Oh, hey Peter," she greeted him after a brief moment of surprise. "Uh, the entrance is right near the big guy who was at the front of the ring. What's up? You need her for something?"

Uncertainty

"Well, we can't very much make you bring your mounts to the event, can we? If you'd prefer to fight unmounted then that's up to you," Vacheres answered. "Being able to adapt like that is perfectly fine if it's within your skills to do so."

"Oh... sorry for troubling you," Cara apologized, returning to working on breakfast. "You just looked kinda like someone he knew... I got my hopes up a little." She went silent again until Melanie asked who the Isaiah in question was. "He was my brother, but... he died a year ago, working for your boss. I still miss him dearly, of course, so I thought miss Celestia here was someone who had been in the company before, or a similar situation along those lines."

Edited January 12, 2015 by Reinfleche

[Ether]

"It's not any trouble, really... I'm sorry I wasn't who you were looking for." Celestia replied with a light bow, taking the new information in... no wonder there had been some conflict between Cara and Sheikah, if that was the case.

"It must be difficult, having her come here now, huh?"

[Nanami Touko]

"O-Oh, em, désolé. I did not mean to enter into votre business..." Mel shrunk a little, trying not to seem too awkward after hearing that. Prying into personal history had not been her objective, but hearing about their boss being the one he'd died under, well... it made it that level of awkward that she was shrinking over. So much so that she ended up swatting Celestia's arm after her question. "Ben, Celestia, we should not be asking about sings like zat... Between ze two of us, we should know zat ze past ees private..." She frowned slightly and folded her arms, in a rare moment of maturity. Franchement, zat ees zis woman's business...

Edited January 12, 2015 by I have opinions

[scorri]

Slowly pushing herself to her feet, Taima grinned and saluted the crowd. Exiting the ring, she made her way over to the room where she'd stored her equipment, storing the lances in their holders and replacing her purse onto her belt where it belonged. Stretching, she grinned. Now that was more like it. She was nice and loosened up, wide awake, and, thanks to those healers, barely sore. She headed out to the table where she collected her reward and waited for Sheikah. As she placed the coin in her purse, she noticed there was a small, stylized shield within the coins as well. Frowning, she inspected it carefully, before realizing it was a pin of sorts. With a slight shrug, she pinned it onto her sleeve, figuring that maybe it was some sort of magical item. With that settled, she started to look around to see if she could find her boss.

[Oersted]

"Fair enough." If Lugos was going to participate in the tournament, and have a chance of winning, he needed to get some sort of edge over the others since he wouldn't have Kralle to back him up. Though before he could leave he remembered Vacheres had said something about a magical axe yesterday. "Oh, do you have that axe you mentioned yesterday with you?"

[riariadne]

Celebratory

"Oh, there she is!" Sheikah piped up, waving at the armor knight from the stadiums and running to see her. "Haha, you were awesome out there! Way to go, Taima. Ahh, I don't think I'm up for another run today myself. Hey, Peter wanted to talk to you, though. Anything in particular you know about?"

Days Past

"Huh, not your fault... you wouldn't have known that, and I can't really get mad at you for being who you are," Cara told the two young women before her. "Mmm... Celestia is right, though, it was hard for me. Yesterday, I had a bit of an outburst when I saw her here, but... it was childish of me. I just don't want to move on from a brutal loss and blamed her for it. Oh well... I'll probably try and have it in me to say something to her soon, I guess." The woman returned to her cooking, putting several pancakes on a plate on the bar. "Help yourselves, if you'd like. And, thank you both for talking with me about this." Cara wandered off into the back room for a moment, returning with a scroll. "This was Isaiah's... I know you're not who I was thinking of, but I don't really have any reason to keep holding onto this. It's time to let go a little."

Promises Kept

"Of course. Here you are." Vacheres reached into a bag nearby, withdrawing the weapon in question and handing it to Lugos. "I brought many others as well, in case any of your other comrades are in need of some. I would advise that they take them before the tournament or seek me out after, however, as I can't give it to them during the event, being a host."

Edited January 14, 2015 by Reinfleche

[Ether]

Cara didn't seem bothered by Celestia's, admittedly, looking back, tactless statement, and the conversation continued with little more of it than being elbowed in the rib by Melanie for her wording. After a short while, breakfast was placed in front of them, before the barkeep went to fetch something out back, returning with a scroll, that was promptly offered to her. Accepting it after a moment's pause, Celestia bowed to Cara.

"Thank you... it means a lot." The templar replied somewhat sheepishly, before turning back to look up at the barkeep again from her bow.

"Listen... ah, sorry for being so presumptuous, there... I just... I know how you must feel, I think. At least on some level... monsters killed my family, and even now... whenever I see one, even though I know that no monster out here could have been there... just seeing that thing, standing there, knowing that even if it didn't kill them itself, that it was of the same ilk, that it might even have the same master. Seeing that thing, that reminds you so strongly of that loss, it makes your blood boil, your every pore seethe with rage and hate... I'm sure the feelings aren't quite the same... the circumstances are different, after all. But... I don't think you need to be ashamed of your reaction. People might call it childish, or immature, to act in such a way, but... sometimes there's just too much, to keep it all inside. If I'm wrong, well... I'll apologize again, I suppose, but... that you're willing to try and put it behind you... you're really strong. I hope I can be that strong, one day."

[Nanami Touko]

As much as Melanie didn't think it was, exactly, right to listen to all of this, she really wanted food, and this innkeeper didn't seem very bothered, sharing her story. So Mel sat there, and waited for food, trying not to speak up while she was talking. Even when she finished, Mel hadn't really an answer to all that had been said. Did she have to have one, though? It felt like, well, she didn't really know... Like, having a stranger answer to all your problems, would that really fix a lot? Then again, she'd just met Celestia, and what she'd said to help Mel's outburst earlier, that had helped. Maybe eet juste matters zat you 'ear zese sings... Mel sighed to herself, rather quietly. She'd been formulating what to say, when Celestia spoke up.

"I, ehm... I do not sink eizzer of you are wrong," she said, at length, after Celestia had finished. "I... Ben, peu importe, eef you are bose talking about zis, zen I will join een. I 'ave... A bit of a different viewpoint, je pense. Eh, not ze viewpoint, ben, ze attitude? Anyway..." She put a finger on her chin and took another moment to herself, trying to organize the words. "For me... I 'ad my famille killed by ze bandits, ze ones 'oo were going around killing all ze, ehm, 'dark' magique users." She shivered. "Eet, 'appened a while ago. I 'ave pretty much... I do not sink 'gotten over eet' would be ze right way to say eet. But, I 'ave come to terms wis eet. I do not feel ze anger zat ze two of you feel, ben, I used to, so I feel zat, I agree wis Celestia. Eet ees fine to act like zat, when you lose somesing so importante to you. But..." she smiled a little bit, "I aussi agree zat eet would be better to try and put eet past you. Eet will not be easy, of course, ben, you will probablement feel better about eet."

Mel smiled her carefree smile, and then looked to Celestia. "Donc, what ees ze scroll? Dîtes-moi, dîtes-moi~ I am sure eet ees somesing wonderful!" Maybe there was some solace in knowing that there were lots of people who had these losses in their life, these people that were doing their best to get over them. It made Mel's own loss feel that much more bearable.

[scorri]

"Oh, heh, hey boss. Thanks." She rubbed the back of her head, trying not to blush. "Ah, Peter? No, can't think of a reason why he'd want to talk to me. Unless he wanted to find out about the arena... I dunno. Guess I can talk to him then head back to the inn. Get some food before the tournament and all. You joining it?"

[eclipse]

"Ah, there you are!" Peter exclaimed, relieved that he didn't have to wander around looking for Taima. "Saw your match, and wanted to congratulate you, that's all. As for the tournament. . .depends on whether or not there's an entry fee. Used up all my money on training and upgrading my weapons." Truth be told, Peter had no idea what the tournament was about, but as long as it wasn't something like dancing, he'd be fine.

[scorri]

"Huh? Oh, did you miss the announcement? Yeah, there's a tournament being held. There's an entry fee but you can earn it back if you make it through the first round. I could lend you the money if you need it? Pretty sure you'll be able to make it through at least the first round." She shrugged, not wanting to pressure him into something that he didn't want to do. "But yeah. You know, weapons and that sort of thing. They're short on people cause of the war, so they invited us to join."

[eclipse]

Peter didn't like the idea of borrowing money, but if he won. . .

"Heh, how can I turn down an offer like that? Thank you. . .and I intend on gettin' enough to pay you back! You gonna join too?" He shot a sheepish grin towards the two women. An' I thought doing too much shoppin' was a lady's thing.

[Percivalé]

"Hn?" Vale turned to look at the woman who approached him. His expression was still groggy; the night did not treat him well, but it didn't worry him so much as it annoyed him. He shrugged with a yawn and stared at Sierra with sleepy eyes and a half-smile. "Hey. I'm always carrying it around, you know." He stifled a chuckle. "Name's Vale. What's yours?" He felt himself slouching and straightened up his posture. A small thread of his hair trailed off the back of his tunic to the ground.

[scorri]

"Of course! Came here as a bit of a warm up, though it ended up being harder than I expected..." She laughed and shrugged. "Still, nothing's going to keep me out of this. It'll be too useful. Getting a chance to hone my skills and what not. Also just have some honest, clean fighting without the whole killing part coming into it. It'll be nice to have some fun, you know?"

[eclipse]

"Yeah. Wonder how the others will fare? What if we have to face each other in the tournament?" Peter let his thoughts out, not really caring how he sounded at the moment. Darn woman's excitement is getting to me, and the boss seems pleased, as well. This is the oddest job I've taken. . .but I'm glad I took it. Don't think I'm ever going to meet a bunch of guys like this again. "Bah, I sound like an old man, worrying over details that haven't happened yet."

[scorri]

"Eh, we face each other, we face each other. At least it'll give us a chance to test each other's offensive capabilities." Taima shrugged. "I wouldn't mind facing some of our group. At least I know they'll put up a good fight." She grinned, clearly looking forward to some challenging bouts.

[eclipse]

Peter couldn't help but chuckle at Taima's sentiments. "If the fighting we've done is any indication, it'll be a good show. So, you think they'll pay double if we make it interesting?" He returned her grin, silently wondering what weird twist of fate had led him to this bunch. In any other group, fighting amongst ourselves would be the end of us. And yet here I am, lookin' forward to a scuffle. Hmm, wonder who I'd have a chance against?