Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Fight

[Phoenix]

Market

"What are you doing?!" Shadrak snapped, his voice coming out as a strained whisper.

"Was there anything else either of you needed while I'm over here?" the shopkeeper asked. She finally had her eyes on a tome that didn't look 'silly' at least by her own standards, and also met the rest of her customer's needs. She picked it up and began thumbing through the pages.

[Ether]

"Teasing you." Angelica replied bluntly, giving Shadrak a dismissive wave and a smile.

"Mmm, I think I'm okay for the time being."

[Phoenix]

Market

"Why?" Shadrak stressed, "seriously, why?"

That was when the woman turned back to face them, a slightly bulky but ornate tome in her hands. "If this one's too big, I can keep looking, but it's got plenty of storing power and it'll make anyone using it look important." I hope I'm allowed to sell this ... She hadn't found anything inside that should make it too important to sell, but Nena knew there was a slightly chance it had some sentimental value to Marcus. He wasn't a mage like her two customers, so she doubted it. She offered the tome to the druid and then began covertly preparing a small attack spell in her offhand. She only intended to use it if he tried to take off without paying. She felt a bit of irony in that, instead of blasting a hole through Marcus' knee, now she was using her dark spells to help secure his shop while he recovered. Maybe that was why he'd decided to make her his assistant rather than what the druid may have had in mind.

[Ether]

"Because it's fun. Relax a bit Shadrak, it just means we're friends." Angelica retorted with a smirk, watching the shopkeep come back over with a dark tome.

"Well, you're the expert on these, whaddaya think?"

[Phoenix]

Market

Shadrak only wondered how Angelica treated her enemies for a split second before realizing it was the same treatment he gave them. It still didn't make the relentless teasing easier to deal with. Nena's return provided a momentary distraction and as well as an intriguing tome for Shadrak to look over. He figured as soon as he saw the thing that he couldn't afford it, but it wouldn't hurt to look it over. He knew he was going to be in near physical pain when she quoted him, though ...

"Seems about right," he said, noting its size. It would fit in the satchel, but he'd have to be careful about getting it out in a pinch. He supposed he didn't need to take it out during a fight, really. He could draw power from it as long as there weren't any major obstructions. "I'm honestly not sure if I can afford this, but it definitely fits the bill."

Nena shrugged. "There's no price marked for that one. I guess I'll let you have it for the price of the standard tomes since you said there's absolutely no denying my beauty, or whatever that comment was." Shadrak blushed. "Twenty gold and you're good to go." There, now her generosity was also absolutely undeniable. She'd even resisted the urge to do the old sales trick of asking them how much money they had and then adjusting her price based on that. Enough people fell for that in casual discussions to make it more than a little tempting here.

[Ether]

Well, Shadrak seemed satisfied with the tome, and a price had been quoted... if the tome was of good quality then it was a good price, all that was left was to see how the druid reacted to the given number.

"You heard the lovely lady, Shadrak. What do you think?"

[Phoenix]

Market

"Well ..." Shadrak hesitated, "it is a good price, but-" "It's not payday," Nena cut in. It didn't make sense that he would come shopping for a tome and not have at least some money ... so that likely meant he was expecting his friend to pay but hadn't informed her of that as early as he should have. Classic~

"Yeah, that's it," he admitted, letting his head down slightly. "I should have mentioned that earlier. My apologies." Nena twirled her finger in forward loops as if trying to speed up the druid's response. "I can pay you back, just ... not today. Maybe once we get to Kigen." Nena cocked her head at the mention of Kigen. She could think of one hundred thirty-seven reasons to go there during an Ursian-Neviskotian war.

[Ether]

"Fine, fine. I getcha." Angelica replied, patting Shadrak on the back as she fished out her coin purse, extracting twenty gold and placing it down on the counter, giving the shopkeep a slight smile.

"No more complaining about teasing though. Or about carrying bags."

[Phoenix]

Market

Shadrak winced, as if he'd been kicked in the shins. That was a high price to pay just for a tome ... though it'd be worth it not to have to settle for less than what he'd had. "Fine," he begrudgingly agreed. He'd just have to get better at enduring the teasing. There was nothing he could do about the bags beyond hoping they were light, though.

Nena made a sale, the druid got a new tome, and the other woman got a packmule. All was well in Nena's book. "A pleasure doing business with you," Nena smiled, forcing it slightly to seem more like a proper merchant. "I hope Kigen treats you well."

"Heh," not likely, Shadrak thought, "thanks." He carefully placed his new tome into his satchel and just as he was turning to face Angelica, a thought struck him. "By the way," he turned back toward the shopkeeper, "what's your name? I'm Shadrak." Angelica could introduce herself, he thought, with whatever alias she had in mind. He supposed he'd just have to play along.

"Nena," the woman replied simply.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Phoenix

[Xinnidy]

A young man stared towards the entrance to Urquium's port with a pout, spying from afar as he'd done for the past few days. There were as many soldiers that day as the one before --mayhaps more, he couldn't tell, he wouldn't dare go in and risk one of them to recognize his face. Bravery was not his forte. Come on, Thales, you need to find a way out of here yesterday... Wincing while fighting his thoughts, he turned away for what felt the hundredth time, taking an alleyway to avoid the daytime patrols.

Thales' luck went rotten, at least as far as he was concerned. Strapped without a gang, contacts, or an escape route, he decided it best to try to leave by sea, hitching a ride on any boat that would shut up about him for a few coins --his group wasn't the biggest around this area, by far--. What an awful twist of fate to find that Urquium was on high alert. As long as he didn't act suspicious, the odds he'd be recognized elsewhere in the city would be relatively low, but he wasn't taking chances with the docks. Set foot in there for too long and some jerk would be bound to find him suspicious. No chance.

"I'm the luckiest guy on Ursium~." He spoke under an exasperated sigh, walking past the alleyway. If he did manage to sneak past the town guard and leave the city at that point, he couldn't guess where his feet would take him before giving in, only that it was not nearly far enough. Another sigh followed, and Thales led himself out of the alleyway next to a butcher's storefront, reaching a hand to his pouch. His face briefly twisted to a frown at the realization he'd already burned over half his savings. If I can't find a gig or get out of here, I'm going to have to cut down on something. Even if his options were strapped, subsisting of salted jerky and seeds didn't sound any more appealing. Well, dire times indeed...

[Ether]

"Excellent~" Angelica replied as Shadrak agreed, waiting for the sale to conclude, before names began to be exchanged. Well, he had just given her clearance, after all...

"Oh Shad you sly dog you, sliding right in there with the names, what crazy ploy will this sly dog come up with next, who knows?" She half teased, half taunted.

[Phoenix]

Market

The test of endurance began a lot sooner than Shadrak would have liked, which was to say it began period. As for what he'd come up with, he'd considered just introducing Angelica by her real name since she was using that opening to mess with him some more. That seemed a bit mean, though ... and probably a bit risky. He was already starting to feel a little dumb for giving his own name, even though it wasn't the real one. It was close enough and the Ursian military might have been able to use it to find him or the group in general. He sighed figuring the best way to handle this was to try and be a little funny. "And this is Oh Shad, my friend."

Nena's demeanor was shattered in an instant. She burst into laughter on the spot, drawing a few curious glances. "Straight to the blasted gutter," was all she managed during her uncontrollable fit of laughter.

[CobyTheGoober]

"Hm? Oh, uh yeah-sure." Rolo was fine with walking, but he took to Greta's word, and hopped into the wagon. As he did, he found himself biting the lower side of his lip as he realized something. He was being too quiet. Even though everyone around him sort of intimidated him, he still had to try and speak up a bit. Because if he didn't, he'd probably be put in a position that would make him yearn for the trip back home. Rolo sat down, and he sighed and scratched his head.

[Toogee]

It made sense that Jam wanted something more open to wear; she'd be dancing, and tripping her legs up would be more than just a shoddy dance mistake if they were in another fight. "Er, uh, hi... Would you be able to help me find something? I don't dance, so... Anything you've got in my size. I'll be going with her. I know I'm... Kinda tall, though, so I hope that isn't much of an issue." Next to Jam, Eva probably looked like a giant, her near six feet overshadowing Jam's five easily... This was why she never bothered with clothes.

"Oh my..." The shopkeeper was looking over Eva. It wasn't so much height as build. She was clearly a warrior. In her experience, the shopkeeper found warriors to be less accepting of traditional feminine garb. Still, if Eva was interested in Kigenese garb, she'd start there.

"If you're interested in something more casual, I also carry yukata. They're made of lightweight material, perfect for the coming summer. Here, this one should be in your size."

The shopkeeper pulled out a pink yukata covered in a pink flower pattern. The outfit resembled a robe and came with a giant sash belt and a pair of wooden sandals. While the outfit allowed for walking, running would be difficult. Riding any sort of mount would be almost impossible without looking indecent.

"Yes, you will look like one of the residents in Kigen with this outfit. Pink is a very popular color among young women. You are fortunate that I have one left." In reality, she didn't get many tall women; the outfit was merely left over.

Meanwhile, Jam slipped away and started gathering randoms articles of clothing around the stall. While she wanted to have Kigen look, the dancer would put in her own style to suit her needs. She disappeared into a changing booth in the back.

[Ether]

Angelica wasn't exactly... enthralled by Shadrak's comedic stylings, but they appeared to do the trick for this Nena, who immediately broke out in laughter, seemingly unable to control herself. Cracking a smile, the adept gave Shadrak a discreet wink and thumbs up, waiting to see what was next.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh my?" That was never a good sign. It was always 'Oh...' or 'Oh my...' or 'Uhm...' with clothes shopping. Eva was tall and muscular. Women's clothing had trouble conforming to her properly, with everything that was out there, and she didn't quite care enough to afford a tailor. So when she was actually presented with something after the typical 'Oh my' her worries faded into a small smile.

That smile tried its best to stay as the outfit was revealed. Pink and flowers... Not exactly what she was accustomed to, but... Angelica had said something or other about getting her into more feminine clothing. This was a good place to start? Maybe? "Sure. I'll take it... Just gotta go find out if it fits, and all that." She took it and brought herself over to the changing rooms after Jam had, setting it all inside and taking a moment to remove her armor. She'd leave her clothes on, but all that leather underneath would probably get in the way of...

"How... Do you put this on, anyway?" There was a robe, that was simple enough. She slipped herself into that and nodded. "Okay... So... Why the sash?" This was... Going to be complicated, wasn't it?

"Jam... Jam!" Eva called out to the other stall, "would you be able to help me with this? I can't exactly... I got the robe on, but now I don't know what to do..." She could swing a sword, fight a duel, ride a wyvern, clash with a Neviskotian commander and talk to a dragon like they were casual friends... But she couldn't figure out how to put on a yukata.

[Phoenix]

Market

Straight to the gutter? Shadrak could only wonder what Nena had meant by that as Angelica showed her approval. He supposed everything would fall flat if he inquired about his own joke, so he said nothing, and gave Nena time to rein herself in. Eventually, some time after the novelty of her laughter wore off on the other merchants and shoppers around them, she sighed.

"I haven't actually laughed in years.," she said, sitting back down in her chair. "Dirty jokes are the best kind. They jab at the heart of human nature, and more importantly they keep the clergy at bay. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Shadrak forced a smile while his mind replayed the joke a few times. Only then did he see the depth. "Heh ... yeah, they do ..." he glanced at Angelica, trying to do so just long enough not to lock eyes. Almost involuntarily, his curious mind began cobbling together different aspects of her and Siv. What he wound up with after a split second of thought was more or less Angelica as a fallen. It was an interesting combination until he considered how much darker her teasing would be if she came from a culture like Siv's. "Oh Shad, the fun I'm going to have with you~" the mental image licked her lips, revealing one of her fangs as she grinned at him. Shadrak swatted away the mental image with invisible hands and came back to reality. "No, way," he murmured reflexively.

Wagon

Since there wasn't much reason to stay put, anymore, Greta headed over to the driver seat. She planned on waiting for the others to pile in before actually getting started, but when she noticed the commotion behind the wagon, she stopped her brief climb and circled around to the back to see what was going on. She arrived just in time to see Amon's eyes open. He looked calm, but out of it, and there was something different about his eyes. Greta would have to get much closer truly see the difference.

<"Amon, are you alright?"> Malik asked, not sure what to make of his fellow sancturan's expressionless face or his eyes. They weren't giving off a golden glow, or anything like what he'd expect when the emblem was involved. This time, the eyes themselves were physically different from before. The sclera, the white of his eyes seemed normal, but his irises had seemingly smoothed over and hardened into gemstones. His pupils likely couldn't grow or shrink anymore as a result, and revealed that the interior of his eyes had also changed slightly. The normal black of his pupils was a now reflective gold that could only truly stand out with light shined directly into them. <"What's going on?"> Malik helped Amon onto his feet. Amon didn't say anything at first.

"Hey, what's goin' on over here?" Greta asked. Joanna wondered if she shouldn't relay some of the conversation she'd overheard just before Amon came to.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Phoenix

[Ether]

Angelica couldn't help but giggle as Shadrak tried to piece together his own unintended joke, glancing over at her yet avoiding eye contact, and muttering something under his breath... she'd have to grill him on that little detail, later on.

"See, what'd I say? Shad you sly dog... though I think he'd prefer it if it was 'Oh Nena'..."

[Phoenix]

Market

"Stop calling me sly dog all the time," Shadrak demanded, too rattled to put much force behind it.

"I can make that 'Oh Nena' thing happen," the shopkeep casually offered. She was merciful enough, or perhaps prudent enough not to let the druid's thoughts wander for too long or get his hopes up too high. "You'd have to cancel your trip to Kigen, though. I won't be leaving Urquium for some time."

Was she serious? Shadrak squinted at her, trying to figure out both what she meant and whether or not she was serious. He immediately decided that regardless of what she was up to, he couldn't go along with it. He was on a mission and needed to help his friends and allies. Running off with a stranger who vaguely reminded him of Siv was beyond stupid ... though ... admittedly tempting in some sense. "I-I can't, sorry."

"Don't be," Nena held up her palm, "my intentions are most unholy," she smiled widely.

[Ether]

"Aww, but it's fun." Angelica replied with a smirk, watching the exchange between Shadrak and Nena as it happened. She wasn't sure if the shopkeep had picked up on the ease of teasing the poor druid, or had some sort of genuine interest, but it seemed that in the end, it didn't even matter.

"Well, it looks like this one was a no go, huh? Who knows, maybe we'll be lucky enough to meet again, if you're going to be in Urquium for a while yet... stranger things have happened, after all."

[scorri]

Lumi giggled at the look on Eva's face when the shopkeeper brought out the pink outfit. As Eva headed off to try it on, Lumi just glanced around at the stall until she heard Eva call out again. "I think Jam's just busy looking over the outfits, but I could try and help you if you want?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, could you, Lumi? I wanna try it on, but... It's got too many folds and ribbons and straps... Armor just clasps together, and shirts and pants are shirts and pants. This thing's... Complicated. Confusing. I might like wearing it, but I'm not liking putting it on." Eva pushed the door open for Lumi to come into the changing room long enough to give her a hand with this ridiculous thing.

[Toogee]

"Almost done, I'll be right there," Jam replied to Eva. She was still getting her new outfit just right. She left the stall with her new look, much to the chagrin of the shopkeeper.

Jam was wearing a long sleeve jacket similar to the kimino, though not nearly as complicated. It folded over itself to keep closed, similar to the dresses she was looking at before. She couldn't find any floral patterns for the jacket; white was the only color available that wasn't terribly drab. A matching undershirt kept the rough material of the jacket from bothering her. Jam paired the Kigen-style top with a pair of black leggings and matching leather slippers. Jam was happy with the compromises in style. The shopkeeper was not.

"What? This is not what a lady of Kigen would wear! What about the kimono? And where is your obi?"

"My what?"

"...Your belt," the shopkeeper sighed.

"Oh, I'm gonna use this scarf my friend Erion gave me," Jam happily replied. She proceeded to wrap the scarf around her waist, adjusting it to an acceptable length. After attaching her sword scabbard to the "belt" and slipping her tome into her jacket, the dancer felt her look was complete.

"And that uwagi is for men!"

"Well that would explain why I couldn't find any flower patterns..."

The shopkeeper buried her face into her hands. Jam had butchered thousands of years of tradition with her fusion of styles.

[scorri]

Lumi strolled into the changing room and glanced over the outfit. "Cute! I mean, not at all for me, but I bet the cute boys will be all over you in it. Now, wat's the problem? The belt thingy? Hmm, lemme look at it for a second." She picked it up, glanced it over for a second and then grinned. "Alright, lets just wrap this around you until it's at the length to tie into a bow at the back!"

[Nanami Touko]

"Boys, huh?" she asked, grinning a bit, but letting it fade. "Not really sure I want to pull any guys with this. Just been getting told I should try to wear some more feminine clothes... So, going to a new place, it's probably a good time to start. Maybe." It wasn't terribly constricting, but they hadn't put the belt on, so maybe that would change. "Er, I guess... I put the extra robe, er... Fold it over? Well it's out of the way, uh... S-Start wrapping, I, suppose." She didn't sound at all confident for putting this on, but maybe that would change after seeing what it looked like after. If she looked good in it, then it'd be worth the hassle, right?