Masquerade Part 2.2: Klaatu, Barada... Necktie

[Bluedoom]

The tundra region wasn't too kind to Ferdinand, although he didn't feel the cold as much as the others. His torso still was human, and had less fur than the rest of his body. He grumbled as the group trudged on. "Ah, this won't do! I should've bought better clothes for this trip but...I spent it all on gambling. Where can I hope for my fortunes to change? I hope we don't fight anyone in this weather... that would be miserable!" he muttered to himself as he walked towards the area where Isabelle was planning to start a fire.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Bluedoom

[Sandalphon]

Vesta trotted grumpily. The weather wasn't anything she hadn't handled before but it was a departure from the vaguely temperate climate that had proceeded it. She hated winter and the cold and everything it stood for.

If I ever ascend to godlihood you bet that the first thing I'm gettin' rid of is effin' winter and cold. (The second thing will be wasps). She thought to herself.

She spotted Miss Isabelle starting the works to make a fire. She figured that would be a pretty good place to park her carcass for a while.

"At least there ain't snow on the ground yet," she muttered to herself as she fluffed up her soft, downy coat a little more.

[Xinnidy]

"Ah, I see." It seemed that they would still have ways to go through the tundra before they'd reach the castle, which would probably be worst for their more affected members. "I wonder if we have enough firewood and supplies now..." Before trailing off to the thought for long, Maja was surprised by Raith calling her name, and quickly burst to her own laughter at the scene. "Ahaha, oh, no! Don't lose hope, Raith, your sacrifice won't be in vain!"

[Nanami Touko]

Acting

Why was it that when Makin did something, Raith did the last thing she'd been expecting in response? Between his breaking into laughter and Maja's very real reaction, she couldn't help but laugh, finally cracking a wide smile in the chilling weather. The vile beast kept her smile, and turned the wry expression towards Raith. "Foolish human, to think you could come to close to my lair without suffering the consequences. You'll be trapped here, forever!" She laughed at herself now, finally sighing and resting her head against Raith's chest, all curled up around him. "...I love you." She blushed and closed her eyes. Something here felt right, and she was really enjoying it. Maybe this tundra won't be so bad. Sure it's cold, but I'm surrounded by warm people, in more ways than one. I've just gotta keep my spirits up, and I'm sure I can put up with it for a while... Just keep that sauna in mind. And spend a day in it when we get back. Easy.

Frosty Birds

It seemed that it wasn't just Valha that was cold. Lanos seemed to be dealing with it a bit better, though probably because he wasn't all harpy. Either way, there was suddenly an adorable bird in his lap, covered in vests and blankets. He figured that resting his head gently on hers and giving her a hug wouldn't be unappreciated in the cold. "I'd be rather surprised if we saw any other birds here. I'm fairly sure there isn't a bird that enjoys cold weather." Perhaps Ingverd had never seen a penguin. "How are you dealing with the cold, Sonia? I mean, you're human, so it can't be that bad, but surely it's not comfortable. We've only been in warm weather this entire time."

Firestarters

Isabelle gave a bored look to Meredith, and then looked out over the... Vast, flat, treeless lands. "If there's nothing left in the wagon, I hope you're joking. There might be another log or two if you want to go and look. We'll have to make this fire worth it, it'll probably be our last... Unless we want to burn the wagon-- no, I'm not even going to entertain that joke." At least that friendly horse from Felson had trotted over to the fire, so Isabelle would have someone to bother once it got going.

Alicia, who had started messing with a flint, noticed Ferdinand's complaining, and smirked. "Well, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to a fight right now. Might warm up our bones, get the blood pumping, you know? I think the group could use something like that." Oh, hey, a spark! Oh, but... It fizzled. She really hoped one of the mages would toss a ball onto the wood, already. Jump start this mess.

Edited April 18, 2015 by I have opinions

[eclipse]

"Huh. Last fire for a while. I have an idea!" Before waiting for any sort of sensible thought/answer, Meredith ran off to her own supplies. She dug out a few letters she'd started to write, each being ruined by ink blots, making most of the writing illegible. She dashed back, paper in tow. "This ought to help, right?" she asked Isabelle enthusiastically, proffing the scratch paper.

[charlie_]

"Sleeping is good, I agree." His reply came as a strange mixture between a yawn and a laugh. "But I dunno, I think it'll be interesting to see what's in there. Nobody has seen the "mysterious, unexplored castle" and lived to tell the tale, right? There's something exciting about going to new places to me, especially when you know barely anyone else has been there before. Exploring uncharted territories and all that. Maybe I'm just weird though." he laughed.

[riariadne]

"Hmmf..." Valha curled herself against her newfound pillow, wrapping her arms around him. "Y-you sure I can't sleep? You're really n-not discouragin' me, right now. A nice, warm, big elfy pillow, just for me... so nice to have in the frozen snowland." The harpy closed her eyes and slumped against him, humming quietly as she begun to drift off. "This is g-good..."

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall groaned; he still wasn't in the mood for this nerd's shit today. Or in general, really, but especially today. "Alright, smartass, how about you conjure me up something to actually catch? I can't well make a sustainable fire for us all without kindling." The axeman grumbled. Yeah, cold really made him pissy.

Of course, said pissiness made it so he didn't initially catch the fact that, hey, look, someone else did it for him! "...Never mind then. Screw you, lazy nerd! I'm gonna go do a thing." Kendeall shot back at Vriska as he got up and made his way to the kindling that Isabelle had ready. Perfect. "You, ah, may wanna stand back." Kendeall quickly warned Isabelle as he began chanting his Fire spell, trying to limit the flow of magic within him to avoid setting more things on fire than he had to.

... Briefly, he considered using the nerd girl as kindling, but set that thought aside. She may have been a stuck-up brat, but she really was helping him with his magic, and he wasn't that heartless.

Yet.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Blackhawk Stinger

[Vestige]

"W-wait... forever? As in the forever until I die, kind of forever? Well... if it's for the sake of my comrades, I suppose there are worse fates out there," he teased, giving a wink to Maja, and nestling himself closer to Makin. Months ago, this would have been nothing more than an idle fantasy. But here he was, laying in a wooden wagon at the mouth of the tundra, wrapped in the arms (and tail) of a ravishing naga. ...Not quite the ideal scenario, now that he gave it some thought, but such was the life of a mercenary. There really were worse fates out there. "Y'know," he began to say, "I always believed my--" He shook his head and dismissed the thought. No need to say anything with so many people around. "Ah well, never mind," he chuckled.

[algae]

"Well, if you need any more blankets or anything... " Lucky for them, the wagon would keep (most of) the wind out. And Ingverd, at least, didn't seem bothered by it. "The cold's not so bad. At least it's not raining, right? We can still get a fire going if it gets worse." Snow couldn't possibly be as bad as rain, could it? ...Or Ingverd and Valha could use one another for warmth. Sonia couldn't help but smile at how comfortable they were with one another. "That's one way to beat the cold. Maybe there would be more birds down here if they could do the same?" Joking aside, it must be nice...

[Xinnidy]

"It is good, thought rather awkward when you feel as if you slept for ages when in reality it was a few hours, every time. I hope this feeling will go away with time." Kadin let out a sigh, mulling over the mercenary's words while he continued to look at the distance --something to drink would go well with the situation, he mentally noted. "You probably have the better mindset. Then again, it would be why you joined Makin's group, correct? Whereas I follow the group because they offer me help, and there is too much in Felson that will stay in my mind, but I can understand the anticipation." Thinking over, Kadin did grow a faint smirk. "If you think about it, the Council seems to put a lot of stock in whatever might be inside, considering they would hire mercenaries to try and reveal what lies inside. There will be something eye-catching there, if not many, for sure."

------------------------

Maja's laughter turned into less pronounced giggling. "Haha, such a brave martyr." Makin and Raith suddenly seemed really close, turning the scene a tad awkward for their one audience. Uh... did I miss something? "Um, is it uncomfortable to be all wrapped up like that?" Maja idly asked the first thing she could think of. That certainly did not seem like an everyday resting position, for sure.

[Nanami Touko]

Until Death

"Was that a proposal?" she joked, chuckling menacingly, as if that was almost a threat instead of a joke. But still, until Raith died... She wouldn't live too much longer than him, after that, given their ages. It wouldn't be all that bad. Not some tragic story of a human and a half elf, or anything like that. Can't they live until they're one hundred and fifty, or something? Ludicrous, really... Who would want to live for that long? Makin shook her head gently at the thought, listening to Raith-- until he cut himself off, hey! That produced a pout. "Hey, don't do that. Tell me. Raaaaaith."

Maja asked a question, so Makin's prodding for an answer would have to be set off for a moment, but she hoped he didn't think he was off scot free. She'd get an answer! "I hope he's comfortable. I'm actually starting to warm up, and I have no plans on getting out of this wagon unless I'm forced to. He could've kept his distance, so it's his own fault for teasing a snake~" She poked the end of her tail up and wagged it, chuckling. "I mean, if you're curious, Maja, I'm sure there's enough room. I could always use more heat... No, seriously, if I could I'd wrap all of you up, this is the best I've felt since the temperature started dropping." She practically melted after that, entirely slumped against Raith's chest, keeping the larger part of her tail up against his back to make sure he had enough support for all that naga.

No Sleeping

Ingverd blushed. He was getting used to this affection, but it was still a bit embarrassing, with people watching. That feeling went away when Valha started trying to sleep again. He sighed, and gently pinched her cheek. "Hey. Come on, this is serious. What if something happens and you're asleep, eh? Besides, I might not be able to sit here the entire time. No sleep. Wait until night fall, at least." He still smiled, but this bird was incorrigible. At least Sonia could provide alive and awake conversation. But he had to whisper what he said next, lest he anger the vile beast at the head of the wagon. "I think boss stole the rest of them, if you haven't seen her."

Ingverd hadn't seen her for a bit, actually, glancing over his shoulder and-- "Hmmph!" He covered his mouth in an instant, stifling the laughter at the scene that poor Raith was stuck in. It was far too amusing. Come on, collect yourself, it's alrighihihahaha oh my gosh the poor guy... He shook his head and tried to remain quiet, though that smile was rather telling. "Yeah, no rain. Hopefully no snow, at least not for a while... And maybe there would be, but I don't think it'd be very conducive to functioning, if they were hugging each other all the time." It was an amusing thought, if nothing else.

Oh My God

The audacity on this idiot! Vriska glared daggers straight through that empty skull Ken held on his head and shook with frustration. The cold was bad enough, now she had to put up with an incompetent and his inability to control simple magic! The insult was the last straw, Vriska groaning out a shout. "I HOPE YOU DIE!" She stamped her foot and stormed off to the wagon, ignoring everything happening at the front, shoving herself past Sonia at the back, and throwing herself at Lanos with a scowl. Stupid Ken stupid insults what did I ever do to him Him dammit I just UGH... Her mental tirade didn't end there but repetition is not the spice of life.

Ingverd watched Vriska, but refrained from commenting. He figured if she was upset, he didn't actually know anything about her, and any advice or attempts to help would just be generic, rather unhelpful things. Lanos seems close to her. He can help, I'm sure.

Kindling

"Huh?" Something to help? It had better be the wood. These eccentric mercenaries and their ideas, all the time. Isabelle held her hands on her hips and gently tapped her foot as she waited for Meredith to come back over, a little bit pleased with the results. "No wood, though. Well, it'll make good kindling for the fire to get started, but seriously, get those logs. I want this fire to be good. If it's getting any colder, I want to remember what being warm feels like." Like Ingverd, she wasn't entirely bothered by the cold-- yet. But yet wouldn't last forever. She took the letters, gave them a curious once over, and handed them to Alicia, not wanting to get her fingers dirty with stuffing them under the logs.

And with perfect timing, Kendeall had shown up. "Good, go set those letters on fire, hmm? That'll get it started." Isabelle stepped out of the way, as Alicia finished tucking them into a nice spot under their little pyramid of logs.

"Thanks, Ken. Always handy to have a mage or two around, huh?" Alicia had picked up on that shout, though, and really wondered what was going on, but Vriska had already run off, so there wouldn't be any mediating right now. It was a bit disappointing, that there was such a relationship in a group that otherwise felt rather tight knit.

Isabelle couldn't care less. She just wanted the fire started. Well, there was one thing. "What are those letters anyway, Meredith?"

[eclipse]

"I write to my parents on a regular basis," Meredith replied, taking no time to think about the ramifications of such a statement. "But I won't send anything that's full of ink blots! Mom really hates it when my letters are illegible, and Dad doesn't want me to waste ink and paper like that." She thought back to the last reply she'd received. Don't you DARE get yourself arrested or fired! We're not sending you any money or bailing your out! Love, Dad "They always worry about me, but I'm not sure how I'll get any letters to them from this tundra! It's not like there's a messenger service out here!"

[Xinnidy]

Maja was impressed at how much the boss was comfortable around Raith and had basically sunk onto his chest. Okay... there's definitely something I missed, right? "Guess it's sort of his fault, poor Raith." A soft giggle escaping her, Maja subsequently stopped in her tracks at Makin's suggestion. "Wow, uh... that... that must feel amazing for you then, boss!" Dodge dodge dodge dodge--"Oh! But Raith might feel even less comfortable, right? The poor guy's had enough." Genius.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Xinnidy

[Oersted]

Lanos sighed and set down his book as he watched the exchange between Kendeall and Vriska, both of them were out of line, especially Vriska at the end, but... What the hell is with Kendeall and picking on her? He's old enough to be more mature than that I'd think..." As Vriska stormed towards him he tried to readjust his position but only made it as far as rolling onto his stomach before she promptly threw herself at him, letting out a quiet "ack" when she landed on him.

He pushed himself up so that he was sitting and so that Vriska was on his lap; the move cost him his blankets but he didn't care (yet). Using Vriska's own advice given to him before, he wrapped his arms around the teenage mage. He didn't say anything, letting his actions speak for him.

[Vestige]

"A proposal? Pfft. Come on now, that'd be a pretty laughable proposal, even for me," he said, dismissing the question at once. After all, who was going to propose to the monster that captured them, and threatened to keep them confined for all eternity? On the subject of marriage and proposals though... Ah, actually I think I'd rather not. Some memories were best left buried. "And, it's nothing, really," he said, "but I'll be sure to stand quite a ways away next time I have any, ah, suggestions," he added, his lips curling into a bit of a devious smile. Given his current situation though, he made sure not to appear too conniving. He was still at the mercy of the beast, after all.

"She was the one sulking and everything, I was just making an honest suggestion!" he tried to explain, turning to Maja now. She however, didn't seem all too convinced. He began to formulate more evidence to argue for his innocence, but was taken aback by the offer Makin had proposed. Contrary to what one would assume, Raith wasn't feeling to keen on having his body be pressed up against a woman he barely knew. That would just be all sorts of awkward... And he also couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealously at the thought of Makin coiling herself around just anyone, or in this case, "everyone". All things considered, he seemed to have picked up on the fact that Maja wasn't feeling too keen on the idea. Who could blame her? "If you're that desperate for some more heat, I'm telling you we should just call Vriska over and have her--" He winced at the sound of a very booming, and very irritated, "I HOPE YOU DIE!" no doubt coming from Vriska. He wasn't sure what the situation was, but he somehow figured it must have been spurned by Kendeall. At least, if the "performance" he had witnessed in front of the inn at Felson was any indication.

"Er, maybe now's not the best time," he said, laughing nervously. All the better, all things considered. He had somewhat forgotten that, if Makin had agreed to be set on fire, he'd end up part of the pyre now. Amidst all the shouting, he could almost swear he could hear someone trying to restrain their laughter. He felt like he was missing out on some joke. But maybe he was just imagining things. How odd...

[Xinnidy]

Releasing her breath in relief that she'd be let off the hook from a rather awkward situation, Maja could continue to revel in her amusement and giggle. "I don't know, telling a sulking and sick maiden that they should set themselves on fire seems pretty mean to me. You should follow your word and keep your distance in case they turn out to be a vile beast in disguise again." The situation just kept on giving.

Unfortunately the mood got awkward once more when Vriska came rushing from outside the wagon, her rather loaded shout of frustration snatched Maja's attention, locking eyes to her as she was held by a comforting Lanos. Whoa, what happened? At least Lanos is already there, I hope it's nothing serious...

[charlie_]

The archer nodded. "You're probably still getting used to time affecting you, huh?" Well, at least losing track of time while sleeping was better than not being able to sleep at all. It was a definite improvement over Kadin's previous state, anyway. "I think it'll get better as time goes on though. I wouldn't worry about it. And yeah, that's kind of why I joined up. It means that I can go and see lots of places and have enough gold to support myself. And I've gotten to like the people here too so I dunno. I'm pretty happy here now." He shrugged slightly.

Kadin bringing up the council however made him think. "Do you think the council knows what's inside of there? If they'd been, why did they not just take whatever's in there themselves instead of sending us to look around in it? It's kind of weird when you think about it..." Actually, it was really weird. Maybe he should've asked Cedric about it... if he hadn't been too busy trying to sneak around his manor house when they'd first met anyway. He was so lost in thought, he didn't hear Vriska's yelling from outside and only noticed her when she'd thrown herself at Lanos, leaving the archer to shoot a confused glance at Kadin, before looking back at Vriska to see what happened next.

[Vestige]

The picture Maja was painting made Makin seem like some innocent, and delicate flower, wilting with the weather. You could not get farther from the truth on that. It was a good thing they weren't back in Felson. He was certain Makin would have no qualms sending him through another bout at the arena. He shuddered at the thought. "Mean?! Pssh. I'm not mean. I'm like, the nicest guy I know," he grinned, seeming quite pleased with himself. A complete lie, to be sure. "Besides, we're both healers, right? What's the worst that could happen? Maybe a few charred scales, here and there. I'm sure she'd be fine," he said, patting Makin's tail. "That said though, I think you're right Maja. I've run into enough beasts for one lifetime. And just this one, has proven to be quite a handful already," he laughed.

[riariadne]

Valha sighed and began to slip into sleep against her so-called elfy pillow, until said pillow woke her up. "Hey! Aww, c'mon," she whined, growling lightly and poking the elf's nose. "F-fiiine... no rest for the weary, I see... I'll be k-keepin' th-this in mind, Ingverd," she teased.

It seemed her rest wouldn't have lasted long anyway, as Vriska shouted and threw herself at Lanos. "W-what's goin' on n-now?" the little harpy mumbled. "We're supposed to be a team... s-save it for anythin' we might run into later or somethin'. You don't have to l-like everyone but that doesn't mean we're not expected to work together."

[Nanami Touko]

Handful

"I dunno... You've had some laughable ideas, maybe this fits right in line with how you think?" She joked, and he joked, but something seemed a little off. Nothing worth digging into, unlike something else. "Raith, come on... Just whisper it to me, or something." She brought her own voice down, so Maja wouldn't pick it up. "If we're going to be together, we can tell each other anything, right? I mean... I know it's only been a few weeks, so if you're not comfortable with everything yet, I... Suppose I would understand." Her smile faded a bit, but it was for selfish reasons, so she did her best to jump back into the conversation and bring it back. "This poor guy's had enough when I say. He's my heat pad, I'll do what I want with him." She was kidding, rather obviously, and maybe Raith or Maja could make some quip from that.

Or they didn't need anymore ammo. They seemed to be doing pretty well on their own, with all their mockery. Vriska had shouted something, so Makin simply agreed with him when he said never mind, rather than ask about it. The girl wasn't her favorite, and she wasn't in much of a state to intervene on anything. But these two! The joke of being set on fire was being discussed in further detail, and apparently, much to her very slight annoyance, Makin was quite the handful. "Quite the handful, eh? I think that's enough out of you," She stuck her tongue out to dismiss his verbal prods, but then leaned on up and shut him up, quite literally, with a kiss... Though, maybe it would've been a good idea to explain to the group, at some point, that they were together. Hmm. Slipped her mind~

Emotions Are Hard

"Shut up," Vriska mumbled out at Valha from her new pillow. She figured the bird wouldn't understand, dealing with someone who hated you for no reason. Whatever. She didn't have to justify herself to the shivering mass of feathers, so she opted not to try and do so.

Ingverd wasn't the most appreciative of that. "Vriska, listen, she just means that you shouldn't fight with the group. If someone's being rude to you, don't give them the satisfaction and be rude back." There was that generalized advice he'd been thinking of earlier, and he realized it didn't sound the most helpful. Maybe Vriska was young enough that it'd sit.

"You shut up too," was all he got back, as she tugged herself off of Lanos to give him some space, instead of abusing her right to hug, or something. She sighed. "I just... I get that I'm not the most likeable person. But all I did was act smug, and Ken's been on my ass over nothing else since. Like. I haven't even spoken to him after that, and he's still being a complete asshole. I don't get it..."

Well, there was something to work on, at least. "Maybe apologize for that? I mean... It sounds like he needs to grow up a bit, if that's the whole story, but it wouldn't hurt to suck up your pride and apologize first. If he apologizes back, everything's smoothed over, you move on, and no more fighting. And it he doesn't, then he's not worth worrying over." It was as simple as that in his head, but he didn't know how Vriska would take it.

She didn't tell him to simply shut up again, right away. She looked like she was... Actually thinking it over. Huh.

Start The Fire

"Is your writing really poor, or something?" Isabelle couldn't get why there would be so many ink blots on a letter to family like that, unless Meredith was only good at fighting. That might've been the case. "You're right about that much. No one could be paid enough to come all the way out-- oh wait~" She scoffed at the irony of the situation, or at least the partial irony, but no matter. "Start the fire already, Ken," she barked, getting irritated that there wasn't a warm pile of wood and paper near her already.

[Vestige]

"Laughable ideas? Well, you're definitely right about that," he replied, playfully prodding Makin in the chest. And despite his best efforts to assure her that his earlier comment hadn't been anything bearing much importance, Makin remained undeterred. He brought his voice down to a comparable level, "Trust me, it's really nothing that important. But I wouldn't want to keep you from your sleep because of it, so I'll tell you later, alright? Maybe tonight. I just don't really feel like saying anything right now because... y'know," he flicked his eyes over towards Maja, hoping Makin would get the meaning. It wasn't just Maja he was being cautious about though; he'd just rather not have anyone overhearing things they didn't need to be. Comrades in arms they may be, but he wasn't unfamiliar with people having ulterior motives.

No sooner had he quelled the snake's burning curiosity, did he find himself having to quell other desires. He decided to indulge her advances for a moment, but he was met with a problem. It soon dawned on him that they were in fact, not in one of their own rooms back at the inn, but rather, sitting in the wagon amidst quite the company. And with Maja, no doubt, claiming front row seats to a stage she was no longer an acting on. He tore away from her, feeling the "heat" all the way to his ears, which were no doubt, tinted red. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't even know what to say. Certainly, he wasn't very comfortable taking "his own medicine" as it were. Very much the handful! VERY, VERY MUCH! It seemed as though the 'tide of battle' had finally swung into Makin's favor.

[eclipse]

Meredith was only partially certain that the other woman meant ill towards her. But if she was only partially certain, then she should give her the benefit of the doubt - or so her father told her. "Alas, I haven't mastered the art of writing through gloves and mittens! And when I do keep my hands bare, I shiver so much that the ink gets all over the words! But I suppose someone like you wouldn't be bothered in the least by this weather." Had Meredith thought her words out more carefully, perhaps she would've realized that saying such things to someone who was demanding a fire was. . .tasteless.

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall grumbled and happily released the spell, hoping he hadn't overdone it. After he was satisfied enough with his work, he plopped down by the fire and began to heat up - and, ironically, cool down. "Oh, yeah... That's good stuff. Say, anyone catch what the nerd was yelling earlier? I wasn't really paying attention." The axeman inquired to Isabelle and Alicia, though he suspected Meredith may know too. If she was paying attention, that is.

[algae]

"Aw, but if you sleep through it, you might miss-" Whatever response Sonia had planned was interrupted by someone shoving past her, briefly taking her off balance. "Hey-" It wasn't until she fully recovered that she noticed a visibly upset Vriska in the wagon. Calm down, calm down, you did dumb things when you were her age, anger won't help her any more than it did you... "Ingverd's right, though. See if you can change his mind about you, and if that doesn't work, just avoid him. No need to give him any bait, right?" Not that she expected either of them to be the type of person to let something like that go, especially not if they were still at it after... However long it had been. What are they even fighting about, anyway?

There went any hope of finding an extra space in the wagon, though.