Xinnidy Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 "Hmm... not quite just that, but this can wait." So Krystal didn't know the group was headed towards Lufiria. That was what Giovanna understood from the reports that trickled down among Kazran's connections with the underground. The group needed passage through Islexia eastwards, and the only sensible destination would be there. It was something that would be certainly a mark others could use against Eslcas in the future. That was topic best discussed away from those who needn't be roped into the politics of it all. For now, Giovanna had a chance to indulge her persona once more. "Alma. Alma Faris. It's good to meet you, Mr. Dwight. Though you might know me from a past life..." It was just as fun as the first time... But Krystal would probably have some words if she kept this charade here. She also felt a bit owed to explain to a former comrade-in-arms, as he fired his own question. "We have. It's me, Giovanna Kastille. Long story short, don't wanna deal with the aftermath of Kazran's idiocy. For now, anyways." She sighed, "Don't want to go back, don't want to be scouted by some Belrose sycophants, and don't want to be hunted by warlords with grudges towards our old boss, so this made sense." "Yeah, we're part of them." Üllr answered the man, easing his grip and adjusting for Iris to drop off. He... didn't understand half the things she said to the bartender, looking at him for some sign of confirmation. "Uh, we'll have the drinks you choose, yeah." Hopefully that was enough, he followed Iris to the assigned table, on his two feet, sitting across. "Raw can leave people sick." Seemed like Iris didn't understand that... maybe it didn't affect her? Üllr could get away with eating some things raw, but not most fish. His grandfather couldn't eat most raw meat at all, so... "Maybe not you. You can eat raw fine. ...Is there stuff you can't eat?" It was a funny curiosity, Iris didn't seem to have a poor reaction to any type of food he saw her eat, but surely she'd know what would be poisonous to her. "Campfire... is fine, but I think this will taste better." Üllr understood that they used more seasoning and better treatment... but he didn't have an overall idea of their quality in his mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 (edited) Ryfia and Syndra had both left the arena before the next rounds had started, and had made their way towards the bazaar. Ryfia was still annoyed though at how the conversation ended, partly at herself for escalating things even more then they were. "I really let Eva get under my skin there. Still, why'd you just let her say all that shit about you? I get where some of it came from, but it's not like everything wrong with this place is your fault." "I'm used to it by now, no matter where I go there's someone who just hears my last name and decides to bury me with over a half-centuries worth of injustices, deserved or not. It's not as if I had a say in who I was born to, much less an actual ability to deter the way my father wants to run Islexia. Being told so often why I sit out and do nothing, like any of them are willing to tell Nicolas Belrose of all people 'no'." Syndra sighed and slumped her shoulders a little. "Everything Eva said was most probably true, but what could I do about it there? Words aren't going to reverse everything that's happened to your kind, only actions can; and even then I don't think I could do what she wants. Nothing would please me more then to ice Jalen myself if I got the chance, but there's more to this than just what I or she wants. I'm not acting as myself, I'm acting as a member of the Iron Tigers, who are acting under the orders of the Glacian government." "And because of that we can't kill that bastard because you're worried it might break out into an actual war between the two countries? Hmm..." Ryfia scratched her head. She wasn't really about any of this political junk, but she was aware enough to know that was the likeliest outcome since the two countries really hated each other. "So why didn't you bring that part up to her? Did you just think she'd have seen at as an excuse?" "Do you want to go back and ask her? Legitimate or not it could just be easily seen as 'the Belroses looking after their own'. I mean you heard her. All we do is stab others in the back. Apparently the fact the same thing happened to me is irrelevant to her. Let's just move on from it. Honestly, it's encounters like that one that make me wish you had taken me up on my offer for you to go free and not have to-" "No. We're not doing this again boss. I stayed here through all the bullshit your brothers and your pops were saying because of you, alright? If I didn't believe in you and what you want to achieve then I would've left when you gave me the chance. I mean look at what you have done so far right? You got way stronger with your magic, helped remove one of the biggest bastards in Eastern Islexia, and soon we're going to re-unite the Celea sisters. And if that Serdio chick is the real deal just think about it; there's her, the Gaffneys, the Celeas, and you! A new age alliance for a new age Islexia; isn't that what you said you wanted to do?" "Yes, but-" "No buts! I know for a fact that I want to help you make this place better, and this is the best opportunity we've had to get that done in years. When it comes to Jalen we'll figure that out when we get there, I know Pasha certainly has more then a few things she'd wanna do to that bastard, and so do I. In fact, you might have to keep me held back in case I see him." "If that happens I'm more then willing to let you get your pound of flesh from him Ryfia. After all... the only thing I'm not certain we can do is kill him. I didn't say anything about beating the hell out of him." Ryfia lit up at that notion. "Eheheh good. Cause I've got about sixteen years worth of receipts to give him." Ryfia then noticed they had arrived outside the bazaar as they'd been conversing. "Ooh look Syndra! We made it! Where do we wanna stop off at first?" Syndra looked around as Ryfia had done upon reaching the bazaar, and set her eyes on one particular vendor in particular. "How about this one over there?" Syndra headed off towards one of the shops; Ryfia following right behind her boss. As Syndra opened the door, she was greeted by both Renais and her Commander also visiting the shop. "Oh. Commander; Dame Renais, what a coincidence, you're shopping here as well?" Alistar had just finished being knocked around by the next group of challengers. Frankly, it was beginning to frustrate him that he wasn't capable of stopping any of them from reaching Laniva. Perhaps it was in part due to the conversation he was a part of before the next rounds started. He didn't see eye-to-eye with Ryfia on many things, but he didn't think she was wrong for trying to stand up for their mistress, nor did he think Eva was wrong for speaking her mind. In his own mind he thought it best to let things play out, regardless of how each side felt, they both were going to end up having to work together unless things truly broke down. While there was a break in between challengers, Alistar went off to go find the woman who was in charge of organizing the arena, Lucretia, as Syndra had pointed out before. "Ah, excuse me, Lucretia? My thanks again for helping organize all this. I was just curious, how did you end up getting involved with the Iron Tigers in the first place?" Edited August 29 by Billy12510 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 (edited) Laniva let out a quiet noise as Syta latched onto her, hugging her arm so tightly to her chest that she could hear Kisara... who had no hesitation about getting in a couple snippy remarks at Syta's expense. "I-I'm fine, Syta, don't worry. I just, um... I got caught off guard. You and Kisara together are a little strong, and--" The cat squirmed at Kisara's last remark, turning just as red as Syta, tail flicking here and there aimlessly. "--mrrh...! K-Kisara... really, come on..." She pouted for a moment - the first time in recent memory that she had, it felt like - then gently took Syta's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm okay. I really didn't expect that, though. You two can really do a lot together." A pause, thoughtful, then something flitted across her mind, and there was a brief huff. "R-Really, though, I can't believe I'm fighting so much in this dress... mrahh, o-of all the days for you to find out about it..." Laniva inspected herself, running a hand along the fabric. "It's a bit of a mess now... still, I know we're using practice weapons and everything, but I'm surprised it's not all torn up or anything..." She looked up at Syta, giving her hand a little squeeze. "I bet you would've been happy to take me shopping for a replacement, though." She quit her mumbling as Jesse walked over, offering her compliments to the both of them for their performances in the arena; she dipped her head in appreciation. "Ah... mm. Thanks. This is... something I like to do, I think, so I'm glad I'm putting up a good performance. And, um... yes, everything's fine. Syta was just a little worried about how hard she thought she'd hit me, and all..." Thalia squirmed just a little longer as Gean spoke to Kise, the other kitsune finally letting her free of that oppressively wholesome embrace; she sat back next to Coral on the challenger's bench, having turned to face her properly now. "Comments about being a 'runt' aside, um... they've, helped me a little, so..." Her face betrayed a momentary gentleness instead of her habitual scowl, hands briefly making a 'lay off' gesture where her words seemed not to suffice. "A-Anyways. L-Last few decades. I'm noooowhere close to thirty, so yeah." Speaking of age, wow. She looks pretty good for over three hundred. That's so many tails... and she's like, big. So it's not a kitsune thing... damn it. "Hikari Kise..." Thalia blinked for a moment, tails swaying opposite, idle. "U-Uh, call you m-mom? I... I dunno about that." Her eyes darted away, briefly. "Um, I guess I'm happy that you're happy...? And, sure, I'm not the best at magic, so that'd be nice, actually... I don't know how long we're staying in town or anything, though. We kind of need to get going soon probably, we don't have a lot of gold left... That blond girl did pretty good. Coral usually sweeps arenas like this..." She bit her lip, thoughtfully. I probably shouldn't have said that. She, uh, seems nice, but now we're probably gonna have to accept help from strangers... awkwaaaard. She's totally gonna offer, she wants me to call her mom... A change of subject was in order. "How many more... I don't know, actually. My father was a kitsune, but I didn't know him at all, not even when I was a kid. Could be zero. Could be a lot. Um, sorry if that's disappointing to hear...?" Edited August 29 by mcd900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 Koba shuffled his feet, a slight red tinging his tan cheeks. "Well, I... It wasn't what I was looking for, exactly, but when I saw it, I guessed it was important. So I wanted to save it from that place. Something happy like that... It didn't belong there." He shook his head, embarrassed that he'd admitted that level of sentiment and was glad when M quickly moved on, heading out to show her daughter the festival. "Ah, uhm, have fun!" He waved goodbye to her before glancing over at the Evokers, Alvira and Roxanne. It seemed like they were maybe in a place where he could join their conversation. Hopefully at least. He didn't want to interrupt anything important, but he also wanted to check on Roxi. He hesitated and then settled for shuffling a little closer, hoping to overhear enough to see if he could join in or if he should wai tuntil later. If nothing else, they would probably notice him and tell him if he needed to leave. Cin chuckled as Siorel downplayed her achievements, before showing off a fancy spin of her knife. "Hmm, so because you had help doing something, it means you don't deserve all the credit for putting in the effort? For developing your skills? I'll agree that Jeremiah is strong, I wouldn't mind learning more from him myself, though I doubt he'd be able to help me too much more, given how different our fighting styles seem to be... That one session with him helped more than I imagined though so perhaps... Ah, the point is, you did this. He guided, but a teacher can't teach someone that doesn't want it and if the effort isn't there, the teaching is wasted. So come on, accept the compliment." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, a content smile on his face. "I look forward to seeing how you've improved all your talents, not just your knife work, though... Selfishly I wouldn't mind you staying out of battles either. One less thing for me to worry about. Still, it will be nice to have someone watching my back, especially someone as quick as you. Hmm, maybe we can do some training ourselves, try and work out some battle tactics so that we can support each other better, work to make sure we both make it out of a battle safe..." He pulled himself out of the thought before he started going too far down that path, not wanting to get caught up in the weeds in that exact moment. It was something he could put more thought into later. For now, he wanted to focus on the here and now. "Mmm, I always need more training. That never stops, not if I want to be able to help keep all of the Tigers alive and whole. I see your point though. I'm better at these sorts of duels when I control the rules of engagement. Being a defender, it starts me off all wrong." He sighed, seeing the wisdom in her words. "Very well, I'll do my best to not linger on it too long then, ok? But only because you put it so well. As for Syta and her prize... we'll see. Depending on who all decides to fight, we may see someone else claim that. Lani will be hard to beat, but someone determined enough just might be able to do it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 (edited) "Whaaaat? Yer not gonna fuckin', backwash int' the damn bottle... S'fine if there's some spice on the lip, whatever. I'm, so deep in it i's not like I'd taste it, anyway..." Sylm huffed, unable to formulate a proper response to the girl's claims-- not that she would've fared better if she wasn't at all drunk. "Ghhrhn... You're jus'... Dumb. But thas, fine... It's f-fine if yer dumb... Hahhn... I am, happy... Okay?" Sylm glared at her, but she wasn't angry about what was said. "I'm, alive. An', so is Giovanna... An' Kazran's, dead... I'm, plenny happy... Jus'... Can't, get over... Everything so quickly. Ughn..." She flopped against the bench and stared up into that beautiful sky once more. "I's... just how it is, Miria..." She did what she could to rein in her slurred speech, huffing a little. "You... might have, parts of yerself that yer, unhappy with, stuff y'can... Work on, but... No matter how hh, hard I work, I'm always... gonna be this." A claw reached for the sky and her eyes landed on the black scales as they crept from her skin and into the leathery half of her appendage. "Always... An' i's buried in here. Buried in here that this is bad. I'm... goin' in circles, all I'm... I'm sayin' is that... You can try to help, all you want, but... It won't, work sometimes. Half the time. Most of the time... I's just... How i's gonna be, until I can accept stuff... So... Don't force yourself. That's all." "Gio, you're such a dweeb sometimes." Krystal rolled her eyes in a rather playful way, sighing. "That's right~ All that beautiful hair, gone, dyed this... I mean, it's pretty too, this lavender, so I guess it's not a downgrade or anything? Side grade? I gotta question the mask though, your face can't be that well known... And wearing a mask is just gonna make people ask questions. Goofy. Hahhh... As long as you're happy, I guess. Right, Sara?" Krystal couldn't stop scratching the receptive wyvern, giggling a bit. "What do I want? What else, Dwight? Fish... It's the best thing they have around here. I guess I could demand some sheep or something, but it's probably imported, on ice, old... Nahhhhhhh, eat fresh. And a nice salad! Of whatever they have, cabbage or something. Gotta fill up without all the fat~ Meanwhile, I, am going to stay here." Krystal collapsed onto the hay next to the wyvern, sighing and closing her eyes. "So cozy... This is the life~" "Whaaaaaaaaaaaat, you guys can get sick from raw food? I cooked stuff cuz it ended up tasting better, but I mean, if I had to I just ate whatever raw... I can't remember a time that anything I ate made me sick... Geez, that's so unfortunate. I guess I'll have to be the Tigers' official poison tester, ahah~!" Iris chirped her amusement over the concept and went right back to swaying, claws idly patting the seats, looking for stuff to do. Ullr wasn't much of a talker, and the place was bustling, so they wouldn't be getting their food right away... "Mmmmnnmmmmnmmmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmn... What do you think is gonna happen once we're done escorting the titty titans to their envoy? Are we just gonna waddle back to Glacies? We're neck deep in Islexia... Maybe... we should do more while we're here? Can we even? How strong is this Nicolas guy? Hrm. These are usually the big thoughts left to the smart folks... Ah, well, I'm sure Versaris and Natalya know best~" "Mmm... If you think it's too damaged for you to keep wearing, I would be happy to get you a new one. I'm sure there's someone in Eslcas that knows how to sew a mean dress..." Syta smiled over the thought as Jesse approached, nodding along with Laniva's words. "Y-Yeah. I just felt like I went too hard on her... Was worried I'd actually hurt her, but, Laniva's made of way sterner stuff~ I should've trusted her to take it. Won't make that mistake twice... And I'm sure if there's ever a next time, she's gonna be on her guard way more than today. I don't think I'll ever beat her again... But it was nice, this time~" Syta was all smiled again, hugging herself against the cat, a greedy hand reaching up and scritching her ear. "So cute~ So strong~ My Laniva~" PDA wasn't a problem in her mind, it seemed. Ughn... I do all that for you and I don't receive so much as a thanks-- Thank you, Kisara, for helping me to be strong. I wouldn't be half what I am without you... Even for something as mundane as this, it means a lot to have you helping at my side. I'm never going to treat you like a weapon, or take you for granted... Promise. MMrrhhghnn... How am I meant to chide you when you say all of that!? Grhn, go hug your cat, bah! Eheh~ Happily. "Oh, you need gold? You can have whatever that Owen fellow gave me for being on the boat or whatever... I've got so much gold in my coffers that I don't know what to do with it all, mhmhmhmhm~" She was certainly somewhat smug about that, reaching into a portal-- a fiery blue portal that had appeared from nowhere, pulling out both a small sack of gold and a fan. She tossed the money Thalia's way and then unfolded the hand fan, idly waving it at herself. "There~ Now you'll both have enough to stay, hmm? Take care of yourselves?" Coral stared at the sudden offer like they were living in some bizarro world... It wasn't an insignificant amount of gold either, with how much noise it made as it reached Thalia's lap. "Uh... How, much were you given?" "Ugh, counting coins... I haven't done that in so long... Some, three thousand, ish? Ohhh, I don't know the exact amount; I'm sure it's enough, and that's what matters... I could give you more... Mmmnnn... No, no, best I don't spoil you until you've earned it, hihihi~" She's just casually giving us three thousand gold...? What the hell? I'm... this woman is crazy. Coral wasn't going to tell Thalia to give it back, sighing to try and make any sense of all of this. "Right... What, exactly do you want to teach her?" "This." As suddenly as the fan had appeared, in her other, an orb of dark magic, a flux spell, so perfectly and swiftly crafted. She gently pushed the oscillating sphere towards the fox, letting it rest in front of her face. "Cast your own and compare, if you'd like... Control is the hardest part of dark magic. Gravity is a natural force of life, so, exerting your will over it can be quite tricky... I imagine that's why you took to the arena with your axe? Hmm? I can ensure you improve as a kitsune should. Might even sprout another tail, if you're lucky... It would be wonderful to see~" "I... I see." Strong, smothering, almost desperate to keep us around... She's, far too dangerous, but I feel like she'll bite my head off if I try to deny her. Hahhh... Troublesome. "Okay, okay~ I'll take the compliment... Just like you will, big guy~" She sighed and idly drew circles in his arm, nodding along about Syta's 'winnings'. "You think someone else can beat her and actually hit Versaris? Jeremiah didn't go easy on me when he was helping me... and if he taught that boy, I can't imagine anyone's just going to walk up and put their weapon into him. I figured the lizard at his side had the best chance, but even she couldn't get past that cat, and Syta blew her shot... Who else do you think has a chance?" She hadn't fought with the Tigers in quite some time, unable to really place who had a chance against Versaris. Even seeing him against Syta, with whatever had empowered her, it was one quick flick of his wrist, then, she was down... He was just, like that, and it seemed like he hadn't lost his edge the entire time they'd been travelling. If anything, it was sharper. "Scary fella... Glad he's on our side, honestly." Edited August 29 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 Cin considered the question, glancing over at Sari and Aly. He would have agreed with Siorel, that Aly had the best chance against Sari, but Lani posed a problem that the lizard's knives had been unable to beat. To do well against her, magic was the best bet, but most of their mages would fall before they even reached her. "Hmm, Alvira might have a shot at reaching Sari, she's powerful enough I think but I'm not sure if she would have any more luck hitting him. The best shot... You haven't met Roxanne, have you? She joined up with us here and is a powerful light user. She's even got some fancy armor and tools to help her be even stronger. She's my bet, assuming she's recovered fully." He shook his head. "Back at the fight, she did something... There was a corridor of men who weren't ready to give up, they were going to set the place on fire and kill anyone they could on the way out and she... She overloaded her magic and managed to wipe them out. The blast was so strong I felt it through multiple walls. I'm pretty sure some of the people left on the boat felt it. So yeah. I'm backing her to win." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 "Six years..." She growled, her fury stoked only that much higher with a quantifiable amount of time stolen. Her fists clenched to the point that her claws threatened to dig into her own palms, stopped only by Versaris' own hands clasping onto hers. She wanted to scream, to embrace the Beast inside and rage against the world that had allowed this to happen to her until her fire was extinguished with either Grelbiria's or her own blood. "..." But she didn't, staring at the not-elf as a host of conflicting emotions played across her face. He was the only thing stopping her, his willingness to accept and love her equally as much as he did Alriana wasn't something she could so easily toss aside. From the moment she'd awoken she'd planned and plotted to put herself in control of her own body so she could carry out her revenge and snuff out the tag-along who had been forced to steal her everything. She'd have shifted the blame onto her creator to ensure Versaris didn't abandon her once she'd taken back her life and dragged him into hell with her. However, Versaris offered her a path she'd never though possible, had already devoted himself to it and her. It quelled the fiery rage inside her, at least for now. Her clenched fists slowly relaxed; she knew Versaris' word to be true and it was impossible to lie to herself when her other would not shut up whenever she tried. "How... How are you like this?" He was too good to be true, in every sense of it. If it wasn't for her other relentlessly insisting otherwise, if she hadn't witnessed how he treated her other, she wouldn't believe it. "We... We can do all that, if you want..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 (edited) "What the heck, if she's that strong, is there gonna be anything of Versaris left? Though, I imagine if he feels something like that coming, he's gonna get out of the way... We'll just have to see how she does if she shows up at all~" Siorel smirked and then took a seat next to Cinaed, yawning some. "Geez, though, haven't fought seriously like that for a while... Training with Jeremiah was all trying to hit him while he dodged... having to dodge counters back really put me on edge~ Hahh... Still not good at getting hit. At least the tail doesn't get in the way of knife throwing... Still slides in during the dancing at times~" She smirked and shrugged, wondering if she'd ever get the unruly appendage to fully agree with her. "How? It's..." It was difficult to explain in terms that Mira would understand-- or so he assumed. Alriana hadn't followed it before, either. "... The two of you, are... Beings created and raised for a purpose. To do someone else's bidding and follow their orders... And you, broke away from that. Whether it was a plan going awry, or a stroke of luck, or, maybe this is all part of Grelbiria's plan and she's going to return with some nasty idea-- whatever the case... Being able to cast aside that fate and live free, is... beautiful. And I know, I'm sure to even people fluent in this language, that doesn't make much sense. To me... it, just is. I was born into a similar life. Every member of the Didarion family is raised to spy, and kill, and be a machine in Lufiria's governmental cogs... When you live your life surrounded by 'family' that pushes you to do the same, become the same, follow the rules... It's, suffocating. If I hadn't met Alriana, I'd still be that cog, spinning to their wants. So I want, to keep her safe. I want to keep you safe, Mira. I want to protect the freedom that fate has seen fit to grant the both of you... If that means I have to fight the world or even people that have cared about me to see it through... I will. I will see this through to a happy ending, or die trying. If it kills me, I'll die doing what I believed in..." He sighed, he hadn't meant to get so serious about things, but he really wanted Mira to understand... this wasn't some flight of fancy. Her and Alriana, they were the same. Both wronged by the same people and left with this sliver, this chance at existing normally. He wouldn't let anyone that take. Not Grelbiria, not Jeremiah, not Lufiria... It was theirs and he would make sure of it. "Now," he said, smiling and trying to loosen some of that serious air, "I do want to do all of that~ We could even skip the fighting, if you want? Or are you that eager to put a fist in my face, huh?" Edited August 30 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 "Ha, Versaris might surprise you but no, that was an extreme act that temporarily burnt her out. She wouldn't be able to recreate it easily and especially wouldn't do it for something like this. She still has plenty of skill though, so it should be an interesting combat." He looked out over the arena, a peace he hadn't felt in a while settling in his chest. He knew it was temporary, but he would enjoy it while he could. "Hmm, that makes sense that he would focus on that. Him hitting you would be too easy, same as him hitting me. He's really is a good trainer... Focus on the hitting and let you practice dodging against more normal people. I wouldn't worry too hard. You'll get there the more you practice, but also we can help to protect you from getting hit." He smirked slightly as she started complaining about her tail, shaking his head. It really did seem to have a mind of its own some times. "Hmm, I think your tail just reflects you and your personality. Not going to let anyone tell you what to do. I like that about you though, so I hope you and your tail don't change too much." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 (edited) "Well, I think I've earned some whimsy after everything, Krystal." Turning, Giovanna stuck out her tongue for a split second, "I'm glad you think it's a sidegrade, at least. Didn't want to harm my hair too much when dying, so I'll take it I didn't mess it up." With the topic of food brought up, Gio paused ever slightly, "No, I'm sure you can find some fresh sheep... it just won't be cheap. The river helps, even if we haven't made it easy for them. Erm, but fish is good, yeah." She wondered where Sylm were at this point. Probably enjoying the festival with one of the Tigers, to think of this outcome just a couple days ago... "Huh?!" Owen coughed, suddenly, by virtue of luck, had been taking an excursion through the streets and stands set up for the festival --the day had brought reason enough to celebrate that gracing the streets for furhter morale felt warranted. Of course, his plan to give his populace a further morale boost would have a pin on it for right now, after what had been well in shouting distance. "Ahem! It's good to see you, girls." He approached the mercenary trio, holding back some fluster with quick nods, then settling his focus on Amera. "I hope you're enjoying the day... erm, do lend some caution with what you say in public..." "Yeah... it's bad to eat raw because we can get very sick." Sitting at the table, Üllr tilted his head at Iris' following question. A good thought exercise. "Hm. I don't know. Islexia isn't very safe for Clouded, so I think we could find work. Don't think we have people other than Owen that will hire us though." But maybe that'd be enough. It was a good cause, for all Üllr understood. "I doubt we'd go to a place like Mura. Too far." He sighed, thinking of home was bound to happen. "Nicolas... I don't know. If he's stronger than Kazran, he's a challenge. We have very strong people too, though. I think we can catch up." Of course, manpower was just one facet of war, but that would be a matter for the others. He trusted the planners in the Tigers. Edited September 1 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 "No, you... you're right. I mustn't allow myself to get worked up on what-ifs. Thank you for keeping me grounded, Tio. I have a ways to go before I can approach researchers of such caliber the both of you share." Roxanne bowed her head swiftly in Tio's direction following her efficient course correction, further considering what the woman had to say. She hadn't heard of the attack on Axios Hall because it was both recent, and the spread of such information was being withheld. Especially the involvement of the Princess, which Roxanne quickly nodded in agreement to. If word got out that she had been involved in such a thing... hoo boy. "The Festival of Deliverance... I have heard tell of course, but I haven't experienced it. If you think that it could aid in the search however, that is quite fortuitous. What would the festivities comprise?" Roxanne inquired, as Alvira took the spotlight for a moment. Her determination was clear to see, and while Tio was a tad apprehensive, the lack of an outright denial of the dragon's request brought a smile to Roxanne's face. There was clearly more beyond the surface that the sheep was not aware of, if mention of Alvira's heritage being a potential problem was any indication, but Alvira could explain such things on her own timeline if she felt the need. The dragon's actions so far had spoken for themselves in the time she had known Alvira... whatever her bloodline might have held would put no damper on Roxanne's intent to support her. "You have my full blessing, Alvira. Not that you would need it, but... your resolve is clear. I only hope that things regarding your passage work out... and perhaps I won't even find her before you've returned, if she truly is buried in the heart of the Hecatian mountains." The sheep finally added, unfortunately not able to do much for Alvira past voicing her support. Whether whatever hung over her head was more than the Evokers were willing to carry across the sands would only be told by time, after all. Turning her vision back for a moment with a slight twitch of her ears as the sound of M's voice stopped and then slowly faded, Roxanne caught a glimpse of her former Captain and her daughter departing properly, with Koba standing nearby somewhat awkwardly. Giving the goose a small wave before turning back towards the Evokers and Alvira, Roxanne was just glad that they had made some proper headway already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 (edited) "So that's why, huh..." He was similar to herself and Alriana, or so he claimed; though, she didn't have much reason to doubt him at this point. His interactions with her other had led him to see himself in her, though unshackled with a predetermined purpose like he was. And now, he wanted to protect their ability to choose their own purpose. From anyone else, she'd have trampled these feelings, discarded them as bait to make her lower her guard to get her to buy into false promises; however, she'd already resigned herself to accepting the not-elf and his promises. She huffed, folding her arms as stated he'd die trying, scowling. "Just so you know, if you die, we're probably following you into the grave. So if you don't want that to happen, you'd better make it happen, got it?" She kept the scowl that had formed on her face as he tried to lighten the mood, huffing once again. "Maybe you deserve a fist in the face. Ever think about that, huh?" Her tail flicked and rolled behind her, staring at him. He hadn't fallen for any of her provocations before, but surely if she kept throwing them out he would eventually fall for one, right? Ember took her seat at Seila's urging, watching as the mage poured the three of them healthy first glass. She shot her a smirk, determined to rib her back for earlier. "Make sure you don't get lost in your cups before the food comes out~" Though as she had taken the moment to tease the mage, and not secure the second bottle, Sylmaria had snatched it and beat a hasty retreat with Miria; as far as the hellhound was concerned that was far out of her range of being responsible. "Welp, guess there's nothing we can do. They'll just have to learn about hangovers the hard way. To be younger and stupider, eh?" She brought her drink to her lips, downing half the pour immediately, licking her lips and sighing in agreement with Amera. Free drink and food was a near cure all for most of her worries. "Ahhh..." "I'll have the spicy dish then if you've already got some made up, boss~ If the pup can handle it, then there's no way it cam out spice me." Order placed Ember had planned to sit back and relax, however an unexpected guest was nearby. Speak of the devil, am I right? Given that his attention seemed fully focused on Amera, it was only reasonable to assume he had overheard her excited shouting. "How about you sit and share some food and drink with us, Owen? There's plenty to share~" There was no 'lord' to leave her lips, a slight smirk to her face. Perhaps it was considered poor manners to do so when he was actively chiding Amera to watch what she said, but she wasn't going to add a title after how their night before the battle had been spent. Edited September 1 by Ursali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 Miria nodded, with a small sigh. She was starting to feel embarassed, realizing she wasn't even on the bench. Carefully, the cub got herself back on the bench, and processed what she was told. It was hard doing that, with all the alcohol running through her veins. "Sorry." Was her first response. "Iiii-I know, it won't always help, I just... will try anyway. Thaztss just how I'm." She kept her smile. "If... y-yoou know, you ever thing aim beein real annoying about it, just... tell me, ogay?" The girl was lightheaded, and she impulsively grabbed the wine and took a huge drink for herself, not worrying about backwash. She placed it back down, and watched the dragon, then looked at the night sky herself. "I'll... try to tone myself down. I waszn train to... f-force you to be better I'm just... Mmm... I don’t know, I jusz shaw someone I wannd to help. Even if only a lill." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakezuGD Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 (edited) Those were names that Elisa, too, had heard of, even if mostly tangentially to Tio's research. She herself was more of a forward-looking researcher rather than one interested in history, but this was exactly within her wife's expertise, her starting to rattle off what knowledge she had regarding the subject. As the group went on, however, and the topic shifted to that of the True Dragons, the strawberry blonde did have some extra insight regarding them, considering how closely entwined with developments in elemental magic they were, from a time far before people used spellbooks like nowadays, keeping in mind to speak of it once the conundrum that Alvira sprang on them had been worked through, giving a small wave and a smile to M and Jane as they briefly thanked the group. "If you're determined to do it, I don't think it'll be an issue for us to get you across the Sands, but like Tio said, the problem is getting you back. You'd more or less have to go by ship if you didn't want to take a much riskier trip back into Islexia with all of the issues that brings with itself," Elisa noted, and given the mission they were on to begin with, she felt she didn't need to say why going by ship would be its own kind of problem. She continued with a determined smile of her own: "Still, I've practically touched your problems as closely as one could, and I want to give that bastard what for almost as much as you do. If getting you to that spear brings all of us closer to that, you won't be hearing any disagreements from me." Looking to Roxanne, the younger Evoker had her own part to add. "I, too, highly doubt that Hecatia is actively keeping them in any way. As far as I'm aware, not even the Saint herself is as magically versed as she would like to be, and in that sense we and many Lufirians are much higher authorities than she is, despite her status as leader of the Alliance. Even though we have to prioritize our mission, I'd very dearly want to help you with this new voice-in-the-head problem too, for a very good reason." Elisa fixed her hair a little, flicking it behind her shoulders with a small shake of the head before proceeding. "You see, from what I've come across, those myths about the True Dragons are a little closer to truth than you might think, but at the same time, they aren't as dissimilar from 'normal' dragons as the description you gave would imply. They're related to a discipline of magic that's been lost to time for ages now, runic magic -- which isn't the same kind you might see people these days using to empower objects -- and one that I've been trying to find leads on resurrecting. What little theory remains regarding it says that it could be used to draw mana for spells out of ambient air instead of having to use one's own circuits, which would drastically reduce if not entirely remove the physical burden that mediumless casting involves. As we've seen, though, that's not the only way to sidestep that issue." A nod to Alvira, whose inexhaustible ice came courtesy of her link to Mercuria... "Besides your issue, I've also figured out a way to cast magic without causing fatigue to myself, which is to fashion the spell into the shape of a spear and remain in contact with it to reabsorb the expended mana once the impact is delivered. It's only usable in close combat, so if you're not also proficient with melee weapons, it's of very limited use, but it's made it possible for me to train for as long as I want to." "Yeah, like she said, I'm her boss. You can thank the Gaffneys hiring us for this whole party," Tasha replied with a grin, taking the chance to flex their achievement to the merchants. They deserved that much, right? What she didn't expect, however, was Renais's sudden question. They didn't speak that often if it wasn't about the practicalities of being the Tigers' primary healer, but something about the way she presented the issue told the tiger this was a 'right now' kind of problem. "Oh, uh, sure? I don't know how much help I'll be, but you know me, I'll look out for all of my girls... and boys, as much as I can." Swiftly, she turned back to the merchants, and gave a small bow. "Sorry about this, I'll be back for my business after." Right as they were about to leave for somewhere quieter, Syndra showed up in the shop, with an unfamiliar face in tow. Must've been one of her retainers, considering they'd been part of the earlier briefing and following the woman so closely. "I'm going to soon, don't know whether she's already done. A bit of girl talk's gonna happen first, so you go on ahead and get to your business, yeah? Kinda surprised you're just out and about here though, considering." The tiger didn't give that line of thought any more time than that, prioritizing the matter with Renais. Leading the pinkette out with her to a less crowded part of the streets, Tasha leaned against a wall, idly crossing her arms. "So, what's the matter? I doubt you'd be asking me for this kinda advice if it wasn't serious in some way, yeah? I've, only been in a relationship for just this past month myself..." A somewhat sheepish smile found its way on her face, still not quite sure how things happened the way they did. With the dust settling on the most recent round of competition at the arena, the combatants all went to take a break with their friends and otherwise. Ferid's eyes were glued to Versaris and Alriana, however, feeling like the lizard-like girl had a different air about her mannerisms from the last time he saw her. Strange. Her whole existence is, but people don't just change overnight like that. Versaris, though... Whenever that man was around this strange girl, his whole image seemed to do a 180. Amusing in its own way, but that at least had a much easier explanation. Maybe the wolf would have to grill him for answers, once they faced off in the course of the arena fighting... which was rapidly approaching, as he was only a bite or two from finishing the meal in his hand. Cleaning up a little, Ferid leisurely strolled over to the challenger side of the arena and picked up a lance for himself, turning his attention to the pink-haired woman taking care of keeping the fighters healed -- Lucretia, if he recalled correctly, his one visible green eye glimmering gently. The man speaking with her was one of the fighters he would be going up against, a mere formality on the way to Versaris, as far as the wolf was concerned, and not worth delaying getting to business over. "Go round up the fighters and tell them someone wants to fight. I want to see what they can do." He gave a brief glance to the other man, knowing they were to cross blades in a moment... Having recruited the cat she'd spent the last moments before disembarking with to help with unloading her potion stock back into the castle, Bella and Chris had just finished up getting things back to where they ought to be, the festivities outside already well underway. Though she knew he would want to take care of the problem with his platform, given he hadn't managed to quite fix it by the time they left the ship, this was a good opportunity for them to unwind a little, and for Chris, especially before he'd ask Owen about future plans, should he choose to. "That's the last crate, I believe. Thanks for the help~" Without missing a beat, even if she was sweaty from the physical labor, the witch gave her 'assistant' a couple shoulder rubs, placing herself perhaps a little close for comfort. "I know you've got work to do yourself, still... but we both could use a bath after that. How about we let the mercenaries have their moment and get away from the town's bustle? Surely, the castle baths are still running...~" Edited September 1 by JakezuGD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 "Mrowr, a-ah, Syta..." She was already back to all smiles and hugs, and Laniva squirmed in her embrace. As ever, Syta was taking every opportunity she could get for some pets and scritches, her ear flicking under her hand. She was blushing seriously, now; it felt almost as if she'd been embarrassed since the second they'd gotten back to Eslcas... "I-I guess it would be nice, to go shopping. You weren't with me when I got this one, and all." The cat slipped an arm back around Syta, returning the hug shyly. "Mrrr... mrahh..." As much as all this affection did make her happy, the public part of it - especially in this dress - made her want to go bury her face in something; looking around it seemed as if the only option was the one excitedly petting her, and her tail flicked, evaluating her own embarrassment before settling on sweeping her up into her arms in a big hug. "W-We'll go shopping later, okay? Mrahh." "Yeah, we kinda--" Thalia's eyes went wide for a moment as a sack of gold landed in her lap. "--do...?!" She peeked inside the sack, the vague three thousand-ish gold figure that Kise had come up with seeming correct just at an initial glance. "W-Whoa, um... t-thank you..." She doesn't care about this much gold...? I mean, she's like, old, but that doesn't make you stop caring about gold... it sounds like she has more though. Maybe she just has so much, and that's why she doesn't care?! Gods... She set the bag of gold down on the bench between her and Coral, not about to let it slip from her lap, giving them a glance. She always trusted them with their gold; even if they were wont to make perhaps slightly excessive purchases for their own vanity, it was admittedly pretty justified by the effectiveness... They had a rather particular look on their face - no doubt sharing some of her own concern for... well, the situation as a whole. She returned her gaze back to Kise as she drew forth her dark magic and presented it. "Wow, that's a really... clean cast, I guess is the word." Kise's capability for dark magic was immediately apparent; basic as a flux spell was, even Thalia knew enough to understand the fine control that the bigger Kitsune was showing in her own cast. "Yeah. Axes are easier than dark magic for me, and tomes can be expensive... and it's definitely easier than swords too. Hahh... alright, here goes, I guess..." The smaller kitsune took a tome from her belt, focusing on casting - her own dark orb shuddered forth, something of a far cry from Kise's own as it undulated and spun. "That's the best I can do. It's not great, I know..." The witch laughed at the cat's eagerness for fish, joining her in partaking of their first glasses of wine as Amera leaned into her. "Mmh... that does smell good. It's going to be a fun night, huh~?" She leaned back into Amera, huffing with a smirk at Ember's teasing. "I plan to be lost in my cups later in the night, Ember, dear. And--" She paused, blinking as Sylmaria nabbed the second bottle off the table, sighing. "Oops. Well, I hope they can handle that between the two of them. I know we could, but..." Seila sighed, feeling rather similarly to Ember; while she'd fought alongside the Tigers now, she wasn't yet so familiar with their members that she was going to attempt to corral them, especially not when she had quite the night to look forward to. "Ah well, there's plenty of people there to take care of them when they wake up rough tomorrow..." She shrugged, returning to the thought of food and drink at Amera's suggestion. "A second bottle is just the start. And hey, if there are a couple gaps in our memory we can all fill it in together, right~?" Seila looked up, nodding appreciatively to Lezard as he explained, her free hand idly reaching up to give Amera some fluffy scritches. "Thanks~, I'll have the one with the herbs, then. That one looked quite nice..." She glanced over to the other two. "Don't worry, I'll let you try some, okay?" The witch sat back with her glass, letting her dress do some of the talking for her as she relaxed with her wine... but not for long, as a surprise appearance made his way onto the scene. "Oh? Lord Owen~. Always a pleasure; and yes, we're having a wonderful time." She smiled a little at his flustered gentle protest, giving the cat a little bap on the head in reply. "We'll make sure she behaves~" Probably. Seila raised an eyebrow at Ember's suggestion, smirking slightly. "Ooh, that's a good idea... What better way to celebrate victory than with the people, right~?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 (edited) Tio stared at Alvira for a moment longer, fruitlessly, she knew that when Alvira said that she was going to do something that she was deadly serious about it. Her opinion had come to matter a bit more in the woman's eyes, but Alvira would walk right around her if she expressed further concern. The best way to keep someone safe sometimes was to be right there with them until she couldn't. Tio sighed, "Sounds like there's an accord at least--we'll have to explain that to the commander when we get the chance. It's not so much strength that is in question, Alvira, but I'll worry about it as time comes. If you're absolutely sure, then it falls on Elisa and I to make sure that you get there safely, and then after that... the pieces will have to fall where they may." The older Evoker then smiled, "Not to mention, I share Elisa's reasoning--if this can help you to find and deal with Mercuria, then you'll have my support as long as I can give it." Mercuria had pushed things too far as far as she was concerned, and while they hadn't lost to the spirit, they hadn't necessarily won either, and Tio hated leaving things unfinished. Especially when it has to deal with someone as stuck up, and bothersome as you are, Mercuria... Tio listened intently as Elisa continued on about the link between Runic Magic, one of Elisa's personal studies, and the True Dragons. They'd come up a number of times in her own research, but Elisa was by far the better versed on them due to her focus on runic magic. The ability to use magic without exertion would be a remarkable boon, and the many styles of magic that used to exist sounded as if they had myriad uses. Trying to revive them had been at the foremost of the pair's research since they had begun their work, but it was difficult, painstaking work, and a lot of exploring ruins. Roxanne then thanked her, and Elisa for the course correction on her musings, and latched onto the important nugget of possibility. "The Festival of Deliverance... There are a lot of things involved. While it's something that all of the countries have celebrated for hundreds of years, the Festival itself came into being after Saint Veras of Hecatia took control during the Hecatian Civil War, and then reformed the Axios Alliance--the alliance of the six tribes who had defeated the Holy Lufirian Empire. Held in Hecatia, where the heart of the Holy Lufirian Empire had been, it spans twelve days from August 14th, the rebirth of the Axios Alliance, to the 26th, the day the Axios Record came to an end, and the continent was freed. It's quite the celebration, people from all over the continent come to partake, as well as the royalty and nobility from each nation. It's difficult to pin that what the festival entails because, well, there's so much. It's best thought of as an exchange of culture between the nations, celebrating the continent that has been formed in the wake of the defeat of the Holy Lufirian Empire." Tio crossed her arms, and let her head sway back and forth, "Though, after the Islexian Collapse, there have been five more days added to the Festival, and those days are used for a summit between all of the Alliance members." Tio frowned, "Often times, it's just the countries talking about their prospective futures, and hashing out trade agreements, but... it is also where the countries lay out plans and concerns as to Lufiria's threat. The Axios Alliance was devised in order to defeat them over a millennia ago. You can imagine that Glacies is thought of very well in those proceedings." Tio sighed, and then looked over at Alvira before she blinked, and then looked back at Roxanne. Both Alvira and Roxanne were the only two from the tigers that could use light magic, and--if she were being honest--the only two of the group who might have been able to conjure something approximating what she felt that night. "Say, it had slipped my mind until this moment... but it is rather fortunate that the two of you are here, actually. The... night of the assault. Perhaps it was my own anxieties, but I felt a faint magical disturbance from the direction of the castle. Normally, I would be able to rule it out as simple magical use nearby but... while it was faint, I don't mistake my spells... What I felt was a spell more approximating that of a Gamma Ray. Do... either one of you know anything about that?" Jane turned and looked at Koba before her eyes lit up as she saw the picture in the man's hand. It was one of the few that M had of anyone, and it was Jane's favorite of the bunch. Where the bird had found it was irrelevant to her, and to her mom, the fact that it was back was all that mattered. Jane fidgeted a little, but found a small smile, "T-t-thank you, biiird." M hoisted her a bit higher, and then mentioned something sweet, "Yay!" M probably could have said anything, and it would have ended the same way, with Jane clinging to her mother, and that small smile growing every second. "Alma Faris, is it?" The name didn't ring any bells to him, but her voice did, her form did, even the playful mention that they had known each other in a past life seemed to spur recollection, but he couldn't be sure why. Then it did. As she quickly dispensed with the fake name, and revealed that the lavender haired woman in front of him was actually his former superior, Giovanna Kastille. Suddenly, it made sense why the recollection of her got stronger and stronger as his eyes traveled down her-- Ahem. Dwight blinked for a moment, taking in her reasoning, and then realizing that Krystal had picked up on it immediately--was he the only one who didn't get it? "A-ah... My apologies for not recognizing you, or maybe, that's good?" The man scratched his head before sighing, "I understand, certainly... for me, I don't think anyone would recognize me, and Sara as anything but the rank and file. You are, were, nobility, and the only reason that Kazran could get anything done, so I can imagine... that there would be people after you, for one reason or another." The man nodded, saluted once, and then let his hand fall from his head, "If that's what it takes, Miss Faris, then may Serdio's knife protect you." There was a moment of wonder. What was he going to do now? Would he stay here, or move further on? Perhaps heading to Hecatia, and trying to find some work ahead? He wasn't a bad messenger by any means... "Fish, hmm?" Dwight smiled, "The streets have been full of the scent of well cooked fish, so I'm sure that I'll find something. I could try for the sheep, but... a little out of season, and considering that we had been basically siegeing the place..." Dwight watched as Krystal flopped onto one of the bales of hay next to Sara, "Well, if you're going to stay here, Krystal, I'll head out and see what I can find. It's the least I can do." Dwight looked at Sara, "And you, behave. I know I don't have to tell you that, but I'm gonna anyway." The wyvern flapped her wings, and then did as Krystal did--got comfortable. While the two conversed, Alphonse swiftly returned from the back, before making his way over holding the two drinks for the pair, as well as a pitcher of the drink that he'd poured into the glasses. On top of that, the man came out with some dried meat alongside these odd looking balls of bread, and placed it all on the table. "Right, we're working on your Salmon in the back, in the meanwhile, here's your drinks, and hors d'oeuvres." The man chucked, it had been a long while since he heard someone use that term, and if he were honest, the woman in front of him was not the person he expected it from. Speaking of things he didn't expect, there was the faint feel of magic from her. It wasn't present in the same way with the blue wolf--he looked out of depth when she'd requested what she request--so the girl definitely had an affinity for it. Interesting... I suppose that makes sense with everything... "Since you both are with the mercenaries, that means it'll all be on the house. The entire town is buzzing like it hasn't in years. Normally, you'd get all types in here moaning and groaning about everything going on outside, and today," The man held his hands out, gesturing to the largely empty restaurant, "Everyone's out perusing the stands and just having a good time... I might have joined him in another couple minutes, ha." Lumina listened as Eva vented her frustrations. There was nothing she could, or would disagree with. Syndra's confidence was... offputting to say the least. She had done expertly well in the arena, that much was undeniable, but the arena was far, far different from the field. She'd seen it from Zeit--genuinely an excellent fighter in an arena context, but he didn't command the same sort of respect and camaraderie that the other fighters did. It was pride, an unwilling to connect with people beyond his fighting talent, and it was present within Syndra. Yet... she would have acted that way with Pashmina, and Pashmina hated that sort of attitude more than she did. So... there had to be more there, right? Eva pulled her in tight as she seemed to exhaust the flame of rage that burned inside, and then pivoted to what they were going to do after the arena drew to a close, "I can't imagine that this will go on for too much longer, considering how--" Lumina twitched, and then she crossed her arms, "...Thank you for reminding me that I've done very little aside from provide sport for the others." Lumina audibly huffed, and then sighed, "...Depending on what you have in mind, I think I'll take you up on that. I don't expect that I'll find another victory in this setting with how... strong everyone here has been. Even the one I won, I shouldn't have--it was a lapse in focus on her end, and provided I get a chance to strike... I can always win. Perhaps I should take it as a compliment that most people have seen fit to not even allow me to fight them. Perhaps they know that I would make quick work of them. Except for the elf... He reminds me of Vidar, but superior with his blade in every way... I don't think even if I had a chance to strike at him I'd get anywhere close. I guess when you're that strong being that brazen comes naturally..." Lumina wondered how exactly someone like him became so proficient and deadly, but she wasn't going to get anywhere speculating, she'd have to ask directly at some point. Barios smiled, and then lowered his head in Tasha's direction after she explained her affiliation, and their accolade, "Then we have you all to thank for quite a bit. Kazran, and his men had been wearing us all down rather thin, but with him gone..." It was then that Barios's eyes caught the sight of someone remarkable. The shade of hair was unmistakable. It was the same as Elliot's, and thus Nicolas Belrose, and so... the woman walking was likely a Belrose. There had been some talk around town of a Belrose being within the walls, but to actually see them in the flesh. Barios kept his smile as she walked up, Kiri was not so steadfast, a frown now on her face as she watched both Renais and Natalya depart, left only with the Belrose to contend with. How unfortunate... I'd hoped the only place I'd have to encounter a Belrose was when we all returned to hell together... Kiri sighed, nothing to do but to do business... as well as one could with a Belrose anyway. "Is there anything we can help you with?" Lezard nodded, and but a moment later returned with two more of the golden seared fish, along with the dark sauced fish, and placed each in front of the trio of women. Only to pause after placing then plates down, and finishing with a deep bow, "Lord Owen, it's a pleasure to see you alive and well, and at our humble stall~" He hadn't entirely over heard everything that the women were talking about, but one might hazard a guess. "Is there anything I might help you with?" "Hmmmm? Oh, Ferid, right? Haven't seen much of you around the Tigers, but hey, if you wanna take your shot... Go, right, ahead~" Lucretia gave him a hefty wink and a 'readjusting' (on purpose) of her top, clearing her throat. "Everyone~ New challenger~! And one that's going to rock a few worlds! Do your best, everyone~" At Lucretia's call, the arena fighters once again assembled, except, this man was different. There was an air of focus about him. He dispatched Lumina, as most everyone had done, with relative ease. Cinead was similar, though, as people were starting to understand--the man was choosing to allow all of his opponents to strike first, almost as if he were gauging their strength. All of his opponents struck--Lumina's light seared, but he batted her aside. Cinead's first fist connect, but he quickly sidestepped the second, before laying into the fist-fighting dragon. Jesse lance pierced his hide, but his lance pierced further, and faster. Evangeline, on the other hand, had seen more than enough, and the moment she walked out into the arena, she hefted her sword, step, step, jog, sprint, and the swing was strong enough that Ferid seemed to be knocked off of his feet for the first time. To which he stood up, and did the same to Evangeline, except she didn't rise from his blows. Alistar struck as well, but Ferid decided one strike was all he needed for him. Lani had met her match, try as she might, her greatsword did not fare well against Ferid's trained spear, and he slid by her, battering her with a flurry of blows. Then, Versaris. Only one person had made it to the elf before this moment, and he had effortlessly dodged the attack. Would it be more of the same? Many waited for Versaris to strike first, only Ferid did instead, switching his entire process, dashing in. Perhaps the surprise that everyone else felt at the change in tactic was shared by Versaris as Ferid's spear dispelled the so far perfect record of Versaris, knocking him to the ground. Only this time, it was Versaris's turn to stand up, and with a flash of Versaris's blade, Ferid found his eyes pointed towards the sky. The cheers of the crowd were steadily growing with each passing combatant, slowly, slowly it seemed, perhaps there was a Tiger, or someone who could provide the breakthrough... Edited September 1 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 (edited) Kise seemed to be on a different page than the rest of them. “I see, well your use of the word might not be the commonly understood meaning, love. That aside, you’re incredibly serious about this Kise.” Though Mom in the first encounter might be pushing it. Gean looked on at how quickly Kise gave away the gold they earned from Owen, and how eager she was to teach Thalia magic. The younger kitsune was evidently less adept at magic, taking to axes much like Gean herself. There was… some connection here, even if Thalia and Coral both were still pretty wary of them. Maybe Gean could help. “Are you two mercenaries? I’m a part of a group right now, and if she’s insistent on you two staying, I’d be down to put a word in with our boss. Would be some consistent work, though we’re currently headed towards some big dangers.” It was only fair that Gean gave them warning, potentially getting into fights with the Belrose would give most people caution. “We could also talk to the Lord here, I’m sure Eslcas could use more people.” Kise would more than likely ask for the to come along, but Gean wanted to be considerate. There was also the consideration of Tasha to think about, the Tigers were getting pretty big at this point. Things should be fine for now though, right? Jesse rolled her eyes with a smile, Syta was worried over her fight with Laniva, but all of that worry was gone and the two were back to being lovebirds. “Well then, it seems like everything is back to normal.” Jesse looked over at Lani’s dress, it had definitely gone through its paces. “Good luck with dress hunting later. Maybe the bazaar might have something. Since it looks like Syta is gonna win the prize, you could get something else with your money. Maybe Lani can fight off everyone else to make sure her girlfriend wins~” The festive mood was seeping into Jesse, and she felt the need to tease. Speaking of teasing, I wonder where Koba is. Hope he’s doing well after the battle. The avian clouded was one of the people chosen to storm the castle, and Jesse hadn’t spoken with him since the group's return. Hopefully he was doing well. “Well Lani, it seems that our break is over.” Jesse looked over towards Lucretia, and it seemed that their next challenger was approaching, someone Jesse hadn’t seen since their arrival at Eslcas. So even Sir Ferid wishes to join in on the action. Edited September 2 by Bluemask 96 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 (edited) Eva smirked. "You sure you know what you're agreeing to, hun? We'll talk more in a minute, because I got somethin' to say about your thoughts, but it doesn't look like we're getting a break. Gonna take some stress out on this guy..." Syta couldn't help herself, but it felt a bit different now, petting Lani's ears, holding her so close... She was so small, so shy, when she was like this. It was such a gap between how she carried herself in combat, such a stark contrast... It made her heart beat fast, seeing this proud warrior brought low by something as simple as affectionate pets. She smiled slowly, hands idly petting and rubbing her ears with reckless abandon. "Yes... I think I know exactly what I'd like to get Lani as a gift for being just, so, cute~" Ohhhh, Syta... This isn't like you... But... Mmmn, I wanted her to toss me aside, show me that strength, but, I... We, won... And now look at her. So demure. So adorable. So soft... A good kitty like her needs a nice collar... "Hey, I'm not going to try to die... I'd like to live out a long, healthy, happy life with the both of you. I'll do my best to make sure it happens." He wasn't worried about right now. The trouble wasn't right now... Islexia, Nicolas, everything to do with the Escaflowne and Lucille, those troubles weren't what would stop him, or them, or anyone in the Tigers. Lufiria won't accept you as easily as I will, Mira. I'll make them see. I'll make them all see... I can, and will, do this. "I can't say I've ever thought I deserved to get punched-- not in the face, but... If it'll make you feel better, feel free. I can take it~ And perhaps when you're done letting out all those frustrations, you wouldn't mind getting close and spending some... quality time, together?" He raised his eyebrows at her and smirked, resting his chin against his hand as he sat, hoping for her face to go through the motions of processing that. Mira or Aly, this was still the woman he fell in love with, and her mannerisms hadn't changed~ "Ah... Looks like socking it to me will have to wait. I'll be right back... I have a feeling I'll be participating in this one." "I wish it didn't reflect me when I wanted it to." She stuck her tongue out at Cinaed and then down at her tail, the appendage wriggling a little almost as if it was in response to their conversation. "Unruly dweeb~ Hahhh... If you're so sure about Versaris, let's see how he does against Ferid. Guess the ol' wolf couldn't hold himself back from testing some of us..." Wonder what he's been up to, honestly. He's... kinda just been following us. Never told me what he was up to when he picked me up, but... If he's still here and no one's upset about it, surely it's a good thing? Hmmm... Curious fella. It was something of a bloodbath, Ferid running the gauntlet through so many of them, a few of the Tigers and Evangeline getting in solid blows, but the wolf was too much for any of them to handle. Even Versaris, talented as he was, couldn't escape the man's grasp, taking a hefty blow that cut through his defences, finding it in him to return the favor all the same. Brought to panting, Lucretia went about fixing everyone up, Versaris' perfectly neat and clean shirt finally damaged by this ordeal. "Well! Color me surprised... That was quite the strike, Ferid. Still haven't lost, but that does put you in the lead, if you were looking to collect the prize..." Versaris picked himself up and began to head back towards Mira, unsure of why the man wanted to challenge them all, but proud of himself for winning all the same. Just the Evokers and that damn fox above me, it seems... How do I catch up? What has to change? I'm moving as fast as I can... No. No, that's it. That's what has to change. These are not my limits, and I have to stop believing they are. I'm not moving as fast as I can. I can go faster. I must be better... "Sorry, Mira... Looks like someone else got to punch me first~" He shrugged, before his hand returned to the cut on his close along his side, sighing. "The worst part of combat... These eventually get damaged, one way or another..." Eva huffed as she wandered back to Lumina's side, feeling brazen, immediately hoisting the woman up and then into her lap, hugging around her stomach and holding her close. "That's better... hahh, now, like I was thinking after you finished beating yourself up. Lumina, who gives a single fuck if you're shit at this kind of fighting? Yeah yeah, blah blah, it's been my life for the past several years, and? It's not your life anymore. Your magic? Is nuts. You lay fuckers out with a flick of your wrist, who cares if you can't take a hit? You know what I think it is? You still think you're alone. Let me remind you," she squeezed her tighter, leaning over her shoulder, "I'm not going anywhere, hun~ You're stuck with this big dumb dragon who's only good at taking punches... How about that~ Someone to get hit for you, so you can do what you're so great at. So lose, today. Take notes on it. Work on yourself. Whatever you need... And know that the next time you fight, it'll be with someone at your side. Don't think for a second you're not as good as everyone else here." Her grip only tightened, needing the comfort as much as she thought Lumina did. It was no issue crossing the Sands with them, then. Tasha would understand, and if she didn't... Alvira would go through with this anyway. She had to. This was her fate, nothing could change her mind on that. Elisa's research and comments on magic were intriguing, though... "So... you think she's probably telling the truth? Hrmm... I suppose we'll find out once Roxanne gets into that cave and cracks her open... I'd like to be there, but I can't be in two places at once. When you're done, if I don't come back first, bring her to Lufiria. I want to verify her claims in person... One thing at a time." Elisa's comment on her ability to maintain magic was curious, especially in regards to a spear. "Elisa, magic aside, you're good with lances, yes? Would you be willing to train me when you have free time? There... aren't exactly many wielders in the Tigers, for whatever reason, so it would be difficult to learn from them. I can't fight my way to this spear and then just... Lug it around like a magical paper weight. If I'm going to get it... I want to know how to swing it. Properly. I might be a mage, but I'm not worthless when it comes to weapons, so it shouldn't be difficult to pick the damn thing up... Just a matter of learning the proper form. Is that something you'd be willing to help me with? ... I realize the both of you have gone above and beyond to help me with so much already, so... call me greedy if you like, but I can't think of anyone better to ask. As, for that moment, at castle Serdio?" Alvira pointed at Roxanne. "That was her. No way I can cast light magic like that yet. Do appreciate your confidence in me, though~" Kise's spell dropped and she quickly scurried over to Thalia's side, leaning into her as she held her cast. Her hands gripped onto the kitsune's wrists, lightly, gently, certainly guiding her, moving her arms in the slightest motions, and as she did... The flux spell began to stabilize ever so slightly, Kise's face lighting up. "Look~! Look, look. With the proper motions, the cast becomes that much stronger... The rest is your imagination, and your magical power. Time will work on the latter... The former will be up to you. I've cast Flux so often that I can imagine the perfect form of it without even thinking~ It simply... happens. But you. You'll have to put every little flicker of your brain to use imagining what it looks like. How it forms. How it holds its shape... Maybe you can imagine it enclosing upon your enemies~ Ehihihihi~ That certainly helps me." While Kise was once again absconding with Thalia, the other woman was at least trying to be cordial. Coral sighed and turned her way. "Danger isn't a problem. I can handle myself and Thalia isn't a pushover, even if she's being called a runt... If you're going to offer us work so your... girlfriend, doesn't end up stalking us and dragging us back either way, who are we to refuse~?" They smiled wryly and leaned their head into their hand, sighing. "I suppose mercenary work in full is better than wandering the world and fighting arena after arena... Eventually, we'd run out. At least this way we'll get warm beds again~" That seemed to perk up their spirits, smiling properly and sitting up, crossing their legs under their dress. "Once again, it's nice to meet you. My name is Coral Durandal, and as the most beautiful member of your group, please don't ask me to do anything involving heavy lifting or cleaning~ Unless it's cleaning up someone's look. I can handle that." They winked. "'S long as you can handle me yellin' at you when you get too annoying... Then thas... Fine. Mmrhnnn..." Sylmaria felt the grasp of sleep coming for her as she watched the clouds move slowly across the red and orange sky, stars faintly beginning to appear through the color as night approached. "Mmnn..." Miria had climbed back into the bench, so Sylm let gravity take her, leaning against the ever so slightly taller woman, letting out another sigh. "Is... not gonna be fast. Or, painless... 'm still gonna, try. This is a se-second, chance at life. Gotta take it. Can't squander it... Can't..." She let out another sigh and closed her eyes, yawning quietly. "So tired... Too many, thoughts... Been tired, for so long..." "So we're just gonna stick around Islexia and clean up all its problems? Makes me wonder if it's really that easy... Surely, someone could've come along and done it, huh? I mean... I know Big Cat's working for the Evokers on that Queen Lady's orders, but we're still an unaffiliated mercenary group or whatever. That sounds smart so it must be right... Anyway, that means, we're not, like, doing this for any other country? I guess? It tips power away from Islexia, but... Fuck 'em?" She shrugged, unsure if things were more complicated than she was understanding. She swayed and swayed and swayed until she let gravity take her over, scrambling under the table and up in to Ullr's lap, plopping her back against his chest and continuing her swaying. "Figure someone would've done it by now if it were so simple, but given this Nicolas fella is still alive, getting close to him must be a real trial... but, the Tigers are getting pretty huge. Lotta people. Might be what they call an army? Or a very feisty militia... Either way... If we do stick around here and help clean up Islexia, I hope we get to stick it to Mr. Belrose. Gettin' real tired of being treated like a second class citizen just because I've got a funny tail..." If you're going to be fighting, you-- Oh! My! Gosh! Look. Listen. Ears open. We're done. I'm never touching a dark tome again, you can stuff trying to put these violent thoughts into my head. I am ON, ULLR'S, LAP, and that is WAY more important than anything you could have to say, so shush, shush! Shoosh! Go away! We're not friends-- never were! I'm not listening! You're so annoying~! Get gone outta my head, la la la~! ... "Hahhh... Finally." Iris didn't elaborate on what she meant as the food arrived, crawling back under the table into her seat and smiling wide. "It's FREE!? Oh, heck, I'm about to eat this whole place! Get another fish on the grill, please! I can easily put back five, so we're gonna be here for a while~!" "Mrawrrrhnnn, yeah, we'll take a bottle back to the room later and get lost for a while, we all know what's up~" On a night like this one with all inhibitions lost, whatever they got up to, they certainly wouldn't remember most of it when they were done. It was good that Owen had shown up now, then, Amera about to sit down next to Seila, following her petting, but... she couldn't pass this up. "Behave? Me? Tonight~? Perish the thought... Surely, Lord Owen..." Amera had hopped up and slunk over towards Owen, slowly walking circles around him, all smiles, "surely, you don't regret sleeping with our good friend Ember, here... Surely she wasn't too hot for you? Too much for you to handle? She certainly seemed quite satisfied when we saw her the next day... Does the little lord, take responsibility, for these sorts of things? Hmmm~? We'll be sticking with the Tigers; they're quite the mercenary group, quite the pack of accepting folks, but... When we're done with things here, when it's all calmed down... Will you still be thinking of her? How it felt? Will you want... Another taste~?" Her tail brushed under his chin as she finished, sticking her tongue out at him and swiftly retreating to Seila's side. "But, of course, I'll behave! Now~ So sit, sit, come drink, forget about things for one night. The Gods know you need it more than most here, mrahahah~" Marigold had been about to cajole Kieran over his comments, but the show in front of her was enough to pause her words. "Well. Guess the lord's been up to some fun, at least... And I don't think I'm gonna have to overpower you to do anything-- Kieran, what's this 'bit'? Huh? You just gonna act like you're not enjoying yourself all night? Don't make me force some wine into you, get you to be honest about how you really feel... Or do I have to do something more extreme? You're not that much taller than me. I can reach~" She wiggled her eyebrows and hoped this would be enough to get him to quit being so weird. Edited September 6 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 Elisa's comments on True Dragons were certainly interesting... Runic magic, what a peculiar idea. Given no one had bothered to look at her notebook even at this point, Roxanne finally gave in to the urge to pull it back towards herself, crack it open, and begin scrawling onto the next open spot. Everything that had been discussed, Amaranthe, the Festival, the ruins... Runic magic... "Miz said that, if I freed her, she would teach me to become a master of anima magic. If this runic magic is how she would cast by default, then presumably her intention would be to... teach that method, to me. If it bypasses the user's circuits... do you think that it could fix me?" The sheep asked somewhat shyly. In the middle of such enlightening and potentially revolutionary topics, it felt almost trite to ask of her own shortcomings, and yet... this was what she had been set out to do from the beginning. If she could learn to cast from the ambient mana, would it stop her circuits from getting tangled and interrupting her casting? It sounded like a plausible theory... While she was waiting on thoughts on the matter, Roxanne nodded along as Elisa's mention of her flaming spear technique. It made sense, by condensing the mana into such a form, it could be re-integrated without as much loss to the atmosphere... or perhaps any with enough skill, if Elisa's words were to be taken at face value. Generating a blade of light had always been her most stable form of casting once she had learned to do it, and one of the few things she could manage without access to her conduits. Granted, in her case the handle of the blade was a conduit in of itself, but the concepts seemed at least tangentially linked. Roxanne continued jotting down the points of the conversation as Tio began to explain the finer details of the Festival of Deliverance. From it's history to the dates involved, it seemed the main point in regards to her search was the coalescing of people, as well as the summit. So many minds from across the continent all arriving at the same place, right on top of the approximate location of Miz'Githon's seal. "A summit... high-ranking officials from across the continent... presumably, assuming you aren't waylaid in Lufiria, this is where I would re-unite with the two of you as well, compare notes... and even if not, I'm certain a delegation of Glacian mages that I could confer with, so long as they had some proof of our association..." Roxanne mused, assuming that was what Tio was hinting at, certain the Evoker would correct her, were her assertions off-base. Then, of course, came the other topic of the day. Roxanne had intended to ask the pair about this after things had been settled, but things had progressed there without her input. Some of the things said though, the sheep immediately flushed red, hiding her face behind her book. Tio had felt it? A spell cast in Serdio and she had felt it from Eslcas? Tio was a magical genius, but the idea that she had managed something of that magnitude... and a Gamma Ray? She had said Gamma Ray, hadn't she? That was... that was surely impossible... "Err, umm... I... that is, you see..." Roxanne began, for how useless of a 'beginning' you could call such an eclectic assortment of stammering. Trying to center herself, Roxanne took a deep breath, still pink in the face as she exhaled, fidgeting and shuffling in place seemingly unavoidable, but she could at least try to get her thoughts together. "Err, yes. As Alvira said, I was the one who cast that. You really... you felt it from here? And you said, it was a Gamma Ray? I... I've never cast above a Shine, surely you're... no, no, you can't be mistaken, can you? Haha, I umm... I intended to ask you about that, actually. Ahh... to spare you the finer details, I found myself in a rather life or death situation... at minimum Miria and Koba--" Roxanne gestured to the goose standing nearby as she shook her head, the words flowing managing to calm her nerves just a bit. "--would have perished. Perhaps I might have survived long enough for reinforcements to arrive, but they... no. Mmm... I just... put everything that I could draw out, into my conduits. Let the mana flow as it wanted, take whatever shape it saw fit. I wiped out an entire squad of men, destroyed the East hall of Serdio keep... left the stonework warped and molten. I've never... felt that much magic. Produced... that much magic. I had no idea WHAT I had cast, but a Gamma Ray...?" Roxanne shook her head, not in dismissal, but rather disbelief. That was the pinnacle of Light Magic, a technique known only to true masters of the craft. Anyone with any amount of study in the area knew of it, of course, but to make use of it, even accidentally? "If you say that is what you felt, than it must be the case, but I can't believe that I was capable of such a thing. I couldn't cast, or feel my magic, for... must have been at least twelve hours. Even after, I felt a burn run through my veins as my circuits cried out in protest. I'd like to ask you to look at them, if I could trouble you. At this point, my casting has returned-" Roxanne asked, twirling her finger to start her conduits moving, loosing a few volleys into the air as a demonstration that she wasn't simply putting on airs. "-With little change aside from a lingering dull ache in my circuits. But I worry, still. I know that casting above one's means can be of dire consequence, even if in this instance it was necessary. If you could tell me... what damage, if any, might remain. Given the opportunity to be examined by a master of the art, it would seem a waste to not diagnose it fully, if only to calm my lingering doubts. If this was the extent of the damage, I would be overjoyed. But I do not wish to assume it so, and then be blindsided later." Roxanne finally concluded, clapping her hands together as she bowed forward towards the pair of Evokers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 Koba had been inching closer as members of the group had acknowledged him and he was finally close enough to hear Roxanne talk about her saving him and Miria and her circuits. "O-oh, that's why I'm here, actually. Roxi, I wanted to ask you if you were doing better... and thank you again. What you did, it was so impressive and it saved my life. I just hope that you're fully recovered. If your circuits were permanently damaged because you were saving me, and others but me, I don't know... I could never repay that. I already can't repay you just for saving my life so." He realized he was rambling and shut up, but his mind kept racing. It had been something else, to see Roxi so willing to risk her ability to cast and, realistically, her life, to save him and Miria. To overcast like that, it risked burning yourself out and if the rebound was hard enough... She hadn't hesitated though. He wanted to be like that. He wanted to stop being so scared, hiding behind others, sneaking around while they fought. He wanted to be stronger, to find a way to fight and help the other Tigers. He looked away, almost embarrassed at the thoughts. He wasn't strong, it was hard to imagine he would ever be as strong as any of the women standing near him, but he wanted it. He wanted to be better. There was an ache in his stomach when he thought about the gap between him and others and he couldn't help but long to close it. Roxi had showed him that it was possible, possible to push past those limits he thought he had, to do something he never thought he could do. He just had to be willing to try. He had to risk but he could do it. There had to be a way. "Mmm, I like that it's unpredictable in its antics, just like you~" He grinned and gave Siorel a kiss before standing up and stretching. "Right then, time to go get beat up again. Make sure you cheer for me when he knocks me on my rear, darling." He waved and wandered off to the arena, looking over at the wolf challenging them all. He had no doubts about the outcome of the match, but he would at least give it his best. A short time later, he sat watching as Sari ended the fight in a single hit but not before taking a hit of his own, something no one else had managed as of yet. Ferid was a fierce competitor to be sure, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling that there had been a chance there. If the fight had gone slightly differently, a slight variation in the flow, there had been a chance that he could have beaten the wolf. Maybe it was his imagination, but maybe not. It was like Siorel had said, this wasn't his normal way of fighting. He was stronger than the arena was making it seem. He flexed a hand and nodded. There was room to improve, but that would never chance. There would always been room to improve, the same as in any area of his life. That didn't mean he wasn't strong now though. More practice would never go amiss, and he had a few people in mind to ask for some sparring, but he could also be proud of where he was now. And speaking of where he was now, he could enjoy the here and now and worry about the future later. He headed back over to Siorel, smiling as he did. "So, did you enjoy seeing me get knocked into the dirt again? Not a bad fight though. A few different moves and I might have landed the finishing blow. He's sneaky though, letting us move first to get a sense of our fighting styles and not giving us the same chance. Ah well, I still enjoyed it. This was a good idea, to have us fight the challengers. The crowd is really starting to get into it. I think Esclas needed something like this, you know? Something to remind them that there's a life worth living and they can do more than just survive. There's a future for them where they can thrive. They just need to grab onto it. With Owen and his sister in charge, I think they really have a chance. I hope they don't lose out on the chance." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 "Of couurze, I'm not afffbraid of been annoin, I-I aaahm anwae..." Good lord, I shouldn't have drank so much, huh... Miria tried to stay functioning but that function also started to wane. Then, the dragon leaned against her, and it gave her a small spook. But... she looked so tired. "Hereee," Miria reached her hand around Sylmaria, pulling her into a half hug, trying to help make her more comfy. "Yo-you-you gaht a whoole life ahead, you c-can take your time all you need..." Miria smile as she drunkly looked around and watched the people celebrate. "Sleep if you gottaaa, zweep is a go-goood th-thhiIIing to cevwate wib--" Miria was also starting to lose her focus, like she was trying to sleep too, but she forced herself awake. She yawned, and began to slow rock, whether or not it was intentional. "I-I nevrr drang'd beforr, thss--" She paused, losing track of what she was trying to say, and chose not to finish it. She just sat and enjoyed her time with her friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 (edited) Gean smiled at Kise’s instruction, and the enthusiasm she put into teaching Thalia how to properly cast her magic. It was almost enough to make Gean forget about the hatred from their conversation on the ship… until there was a comment about picturing their enemies. “Oh boy, this is gonna be a trip. Kise, is this how the rest of the night is going to go? It's up to you.” Gean was happy for her girlfriend, but she also wanted to still have their date, this was the second derailment so far. I still wanna talk to her about her past, and that I'm gonna confront uncle… Coral then chose to speak to Gean, and gave their wishes to travel. “Well if you're ok with possibly fighting the Belrose family, welcome to the Iron Tigers. I'll keep an eye out for our boss. Her name's Natalya, but most of us just called her Tasha.” Gean figured Tasha would be out and about, maybe with Alvira. There was a likely chance she'd bump into her, probably here at the arena. “She's a big Tiger Lady, so we can't miss her.” Coral then another introduction, this one filled with confidence. Gean chuckled, and extended a hand out. “Aegean Levion, but you can call me Gean. Beauty is probably in our top five of things this group brings to the table, so I'm sure you'll fit right in. Pleasure to have you Coral.” Edited September 4 by Bluemask 96 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 (edited) "Much appreciated, commander. Thank you." The cleric briefly bowed to the shopkeeping duo before she turned and noticed Syndra. "Ah, briefly yes. I've got a lot to do though. Keep safe Syndra." Renais was a little surprised she was out, and she wasn't sure who her new friend was. But Renais remembered that Syndra was smart, she trusted that she'll be fine. After a quick nod and a smile the rose haired girl followed the leading tiger. Once they got to a quieter part of town, Renais stood before Tasha and craned her head slightly to meet her eyes. "Aaah, that's right. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's only been around a month since we left Glacies. Time is quite fickle..." She put her hands behind her back and huffed. "Well, even if it's just been a short amount of time I'll take whatever experience I can get. Have you and Alvira ever disagreed or fought before? Has she ever been upset with you? Kise has been upset with me, I know why but...it's complicated." Renais turned her eyes to the side as her eyes narrowed, she pushed back against her welling emotions. "But I still want her to know how much she means to me, I'm just not sure how to go about that, or if she'll even care for my attempt." Her reds turned back to Tasha's own eyes. "What do you think you would do if you were in my shoes?" Edited September 5 by TheRoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 Before he could get a response, Alistar had to get prepared for another challenger, this time a lone wolfman. When they eventually got to him, Alistar managed to get a hit in, but nothing more than that. Another loss to add to the list of them he was receiving today. It wasn't all negative however; Alistar did get to see Versaris; the man at the end of the gauntlet in action again, taking the challenger down in one strike, albeit not before taking one himself. It was still an impressive showing all its own. It led Alistar to think about his own style a bit, and how much he relied on precision. It was a style wasn't translating into anything in this arena, but that just meant he still had a lot to improve on. Now that there was a lull in the action again, Alistar tried to re-strike up a conversation with Lucretia. "Sorry about that, duty called. If you don't mind me asking again, how did you end up traveling with the Iron Tigers? It appeared that Renais and Natalya had some other matter to discuss before shopping, which was fine for Syndra, as their meeting had been a more chance occurrence than anything else. “Sure thing Commander. Take your time.” Somehow though, it was the shopowners that caught Syndra’s eye. Their demeanor seemed to change slightly when she and Ryfia walked in. Syndra walked more towards the counter and said. “I’m here to shop, I’m looking for anima magic tomes, as for my friend…” Ryfia had eyed a little display of armbands and walked towards it. “Ooh what do these bands do? I haven’t seen any like them before.” Syndra turned towards her friend and rolled up her sleeve. "I have one of those, as well as a few of the other Tigers. There's some level of magic in them that's helped them become stronger." Ryfia took in the explanation and looked back at the display. "Ooh okay gotcha. In that case..." Ryfia then picked up a Soldier Band and walked towards the counter. "How much is this?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 (edited) "No apologies indeed, not recognizing me means it's working good enough. No discourtesy taken." Giovanna kept a smirk while reassuring Dwight. "I'll leave you and Krystal to your fish. I could use some fresh air now, unburdened by the fate that brought me here." She gave a final glance towards the flopped clouded, and Sara --who had been a good girl, all things considered. "May Serdio's knife protect you as well, Sir Dwight. I hope you'll be finding stable work soon, as well." Giovanna certainly had been stalling her own decision to speak with the Tigers, speaking of... it was a certainty that she'd ask, with Sylmaria already integrated, but she couldn't bring herself to do it just yet. Let it sink in a little more... "See you later, Krystal." The city itself was as lively as expected. With all the stands set up... it really made Esclas' hopes for the future apparent, and was a true mark of what she had done. That the blood of one man spilled would mean the future of so many... made sense, when you put in the context of the warlords and the power they held. Life and power were so important, and yet so trivial... It didn't feel so bad, being a Kingslayer. Giovanna found her way to the 'arena' set up by the Tigers, a curious little event. She didn't think herself strong enough to match all of them --not in duels outside the battlefield, for sure--, but it was a fun thought experiment for the now. Besides, it seemed like the little competition had been lively enough to draw unfamiliar faces. "Hmm... what's all this..." It couldn't hurt to make an attempt. "I... don't know. I don't know where the Tigers are going after that. I think Islexia, unless we get stuff to do where we go." Üllr paused, thinking whether it could be that easy... he had no idea how politics worked in a scale further than a tribe's daily conflicts and the tension between humans and Clouded, so the best he could envision were those on a bigger scale. "I don't think people will be very mad at us for dealing with bad people here. Could be wrong, I guess. Nobody's stopped this until we came here..." Üllr held Iris a bit closer as she sat on his lap, "I hope we can stick to him too." Her sentiments there were wholly shared. "Hmm? Wait, really...?" As Iris dashed out of his lap and the waiter greeted them with meat and drinks, Üllr's mouth couldn't help watering. "Uhhh, what she said. It does look good. Thank you..." Some humans could be kind, if they recognized their efforts. "People were dealing with bad times... Should be good for your place that we got rid of that man." He was a bit proud to be involved, at least. And more than happy to be taking that dried meat. "Mmph!" "Oh, well met, Lezard. I was merely paying a visit to the town, and now I'm meeting those acquaintances here--" Before he could finish, Amera came on the offensive. "Uh?! A-Amera, please!" Owen's face became a deeper red as she circled him, bringing on the heat with her questioning, caught off-guard by her merciless teasing. "I--I'd never mean to disrespect Ember, goodness. I'm just-- you know..." He cleared his throat, his protests were getting nowhere. "...I'll miss all of you for certain. You've done a lot to hold the fort, and I certainly hope you thought of your time here... as worthwhile." He gave an almost apologetic look as he glanced towards Ember, taking a seat after an epic, internal conflict against mild reluctance and social norms. A tale to never be written in any books... "Haaah... haha..." He chuckled to himself, a little convincing that there wasn't anything wrong in this situation, much as the diplomatic image screamed... "Thank you for the invitation. I think I'll be taking a drink as well. Lezard, if you would?" He certainly needed a strong one right about now... Chris took his time unloading what he could from the boat. Both his equipment as well as utilities for Bella, who had him tag along all the while. He couldn't complain about the company. "You're welcome, Bella. Uff!" Setting the last crate down, he wiped his brow, managing to work up a little sweat from the lifting and lugging. "Mmm--Ah?!" Suddenly, Chris could feel hands on his shoulders, rubbing his soreness with tender hands. "Ahhh... u-uh..." He was already blushing, aware of how thick she was laying it. "I-I don't kn... mmm... Yeah, I could use a break." His tail wagged, and he returned a sheepish smile. Chris was getting a bit sore from it all, and a bath sounded really nice... not that Bella wasn't a very convincing woman, but the little things to rationalize it helped, since Bella being... so much, was a very evident factor. Edited September 7 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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