Xinnidy Posted October 5 Share Posted October 5 "Didn't care much about Islexia before. Now I have friends here. There's Clouded here I just can't save on my own, too." Üllr shrugged, taking a large bite of his fish again. "MnnNph..!" ...and gulp, "Can't punch everyone. Wouldn't be happy to, is all." "Thirds." He made no pause when Alphonse brought up the question. "...We'll catch up with that man for you." Üllr said it with a hunching conviction. There was no way Luthier was going to let this stain on his pride live, from the way he sounded like. I'll just have to get even stronger... somehow. Grandpa didn't teach me everything, I need to find the rest. "Oh... if you were working with her, my information's none the newer. Good to know she's still hanging." Giovanna leaned back some, exhaling a long sign. It explained a little of why Eva was so close to Lumina, at least. "I heard of the incident by the gates... though I can't say I know more than you do on that either. I was a bit too busy making sense of Kazran's inane plans at the time." A cynical smile as she spoke, "I won't waste more of your time. If you're finding help for that, we might cross paths again..." She took a look around as Lumina did. The arena was really winding down... "And if we do, I'll still be under this name. Until then." It seemed like Lumina meant to ask her identity, but got interrupted one too many times to keep it in mind. All the best for her, Giovanna wanted little of her previous life for now. At least until Islexia was behind her. "Well, well, what do we have here." Alma Faris had taken the time to check the bazaar afterwards, and just so happenned to spot a familiar face stumbling about the place. "Had fun out there, Sylmaria?" She approached cautiously, remembering to lower the half-mask again. "It's me. Sorry, hiding my identifiable traits." Hopefully she wasn't so ailed as to not recognize Giovanna's own face. "Looks like you and your friend need a bit of help right now." Her eyes darted around. "Water? Medicine? I've passed by some stalls that have those." "Iris..." Üllr had brought the two of them to the bazaar after the dinery. They were welp fed, in high spirits... and likely a little sleepy. After having said thanks for all the fish, Üllr thought it was time to treat Iris to something more. "Know you wanted to stop using that magic you did... want to learn something else?" Ever so slightly, his grip on her claw tightened, "Know you still want to help, we can figure out something you can fight with here." It was something on the back of his mind since the Luthier attack... now he had the money and was at the right place to help her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted October 6 Share Posted October 6 (edited) Thalia was comparatively more impressed by the bazaar’s offerings; it was hard not to be searching for ways to get ahead for her - unlike Coral’s rather effortless cleanup of arenas (this one excluded), the kitsune was always pressing her luck against the stronger challengers, it seemed. Not that she didn’t share their affinity for clothes and self-care (albeit in a different direction, much to the half-elf’s frequent chagrin), but the profits from one arena only led to the next. Or didn’t. Who knew, what with the whole maybe joining a mercenary company thing and all? If it meant more random sacks of gold dumped in the pair’s lap for no effort at all, Thalia found it somewhat hard to resist such an offer. “The festival was pretty fun, yeah. ‘Geh?’” She followed their gaze, spotting the kitsune from earlier behind a stall, giving her an awkward wave. I wonder what that sign’s about... well, whatever. She glanced around - there were a lot of the people who had been in the arena, spectators and fighters both; probably most from the Tigers. “Huh, I dunnoooo... I think that one stall’s the standout. With that bright blue kid runnin’ around. And the uh... head. I’m gonna look, and if I don’t find anything we can go buy something for my tails. It’s been soooo long since we’ve been somewhere that has Clouded products...” She wandered over, that dog lady who’d been yelling in the background as she spoke to Kise-Mikoto already greeting the stallkeepers, deciding instead to look right at the merchandise, trying to see if anything popped out... Laniva was at a somewhat elevated blush, even more so than she typically was when publicly wandering around with Syta wrapped around her side - here she was, her feats in a number of arena fights the talk of a not-insignificant part of the town, and in a half-torn dress. Whyyyy did I agree to this, too... a-at least there’s still the chainmail part of it... “Mm, yeah... Some of us were here on the last trip through town. There’s really a lot here...” She sighed, squeezing Syta back gently. “Mrah. You still haven’t showed me everything you can do yet, but you really can do a lot. I don’t think you’ve ever really explained how you know so much... does it just come naturally to you? It took a lot of training to get how to use swords as much as I already do...” She blinked, looking away, red as a summer sunset as Syta teased. “M-Mrahhh... A-A dress would be nice, anything to replace these... um, tatters...” As the Tigers began to flow into the bazaar, there was one additional shop set up that nobody had ever seen before, not a one of the Tigers - and certainly none of the other shopkeeps, either. The short stallkeep bounced around, her short summer kimono trailing just behind her figure as she waved and called out to passing-by shoppers. “Come and have a look~! Weapons, barely used, like new, perfect for mercenaries about to undertake a loooong journey! Hey, hey~, how about you? I’ll give you a special discount, just this once, just for the festival~!” Arrayed (only slightly haphazardly) on her quickly-constructed stall were a number of bows and a few simple iron weapons; well-maintained, signs of use, but she certainly wasn’t wrong when it came to her claims about their condition... “One night ooooonly~!” Edited October 6 by mcd900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted October 6 Share Posted October 6 Luckily, it seemed that she hadn't managed to entirely burn the bridge, with Lumina giving her a few words before they parted, with the blonde at least seeming open to talking later. It was certainly better than nothing, and while Lumina had said her practical knowledge wasn't of much interest, there were always things to learn from demonstration. As much as Roxanne might have dwelled on her bungling of the introduction, they had another destination in mind, and the bazaar would suffice to pry her mind away from it's own self-flagellation. She had managed to snag a rather nifty piece the last time, and considering she had been unable to afford yet another curiousity they had held prior, hopefully the second trip could prove just as interesting as the first. _______ While the bazaar itself wasn't all that different a sight from before, it was still impressive to see the place still bustling even as midnight struck. Granted, they were in the middle of festivities still, and the bulk of the visitors of the bazaar itself at this hour looked to be the Tigers, but it was still far more than one would have expected so deep into the evening. As for Roxanne herself, she had mostly lagged behind Alvira and Natalya on the way over. After her stellar performance, it had truly been the dragon's moment, and Roxanne had no intention of attempting to pry her attention away from her significant other. She might have been lacking in sense at times, but hopefully she wouldn't become quite so dire. Without conversation to anchor her focus, the sheep's eyes took to darting about the interior of the bazaar. A few things stood out immediately... for one, the merchants she had purchased from prior were indeed still around, and from a quick look at their spread, seemed to have somewhat differing stock from before. Their young child was also out and about... a little late for the little lady, but then, it was a special day. In addition, the fox merchant Kise had put down her shop... or had she? She... felt as powerful as always, and the wares looked familiar from when she had first looked at them, but the appearance of the fox herself was distinctly different. Had she taken time to visit a salon in town? Did they have establishments of that sort in Eslcas? Before Roxanne's curiousity could get the better of her, she was pulled from her musings by Koba, who was asking if she knew of any good merchants to approach for tomes. "Oh, Koba! Well, I just might have an idea, you see-" Roxanne began, fishing out the physic staff she had purchased from the bazaar the last time and giving it a twirl as she presented the healing implement to the goose with a wink. "Not a bad piece, right? I bought this here before we set out to Beacon. I'll show you who sold it to me, c'mon! They had a really cool tome too, but I couldn't afford it, and don't think I would have been able to use it properly... it was a Nebula! Isn't that crazy? I think I miiiiight be able to figure it out now though, you saw the Morning Star earlier with the Evokers, right? Well, it's about the same base level of difficulty. Different theory of course, but if I can handle that, then with a bit of research, I'm sure I could pull Nebula off too! After all, while Morning Star relies on a specific casting method in order to physically manifest mana into a form that can more easily bypass magical resistance, Nebula is pretty different. It foregoes a lot of the typical strengths of light magic in quick, pinpoint strikes, but by casting a wider net so to speak, as long as you have the control down you can operate at a higher effective range than regular magic while still doing significant damage! It's really cool, but it's not quite a siege spell like Purge. To try and pull that off, you need to loop all the way back around into pinpoint accuracy again, but with even more precise mana projection. It's fascinating how many ways you can branch off from basic theory! Ohh, I wonder if they still have it-" The sheep immediately began bombarding her unfortunate avian compatriot with her rambling, only concluding as she bounced up to the Latham's booth with Koba in tow, probably regretting his life's choices by now. "Hello again Mr. and Mrs. Latham! Hehe, you really sold me something good last time, so I wanted to see what you have in stock! Koba here too, he's a wind-user, but I'm sure you've got something around he could make use of, with all of the rarities you had before." Roxanne initiated, holding the physic staff in front of her with both hands as she idly rocked in place, shifting her weight back and forth from her heels to the ball of her foot as she swayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted October 7 Share Posted October 7 (edited) "Oh? And what will you do if I don't huh?" She was tempted to pinch and tug at his cheek again just to try to rile him up, but he had, intentionally or not, placed his hand there to thwart that thought. Her tail rolled idly with the slightest of annoyance showing in small flicks. "At least you can finally see everything for how it is..." She lightly huffed, watching him as he got up only to take a knee after easily giving into her demands. She wasn't quick enough to withdraw her claw to prevent him from kissing it as if he was some knight trying to woo his princess. "L-Let go you--" Her face flushed back to azure as he finished his offer, a scowl quickly taking to her face. "Y-You damn, pervert freak not-elf! Of course I don't want something like that!" She was strongly tempted to punch him, but decided instead to 'punish' him a different way. "You can apologize for suggesting that by buying me whatever the hell I want!" She "hmph"ed as she took her hand back, wandering towards the scent of food knowing he would follow. Mira had made sure to hold Sari accountable for being a pervert, dragging him around the foodstalls until she was full and then dragging him off to more than a few shops for a set of outfits she could call her own. It was a longshot that'd she'd ever even get another day for herself, unless Sari got the happy ending that he was deadset on pursuing, but it was 'punishment' for him being a pervert so she'd made him do it. Everything she'd purchased had to fit her current body as well which had also annoyed her, given that if by some miracle Sari succeeded she would not be keeping her original body after this pair of perverts had ruined it. Finally, after all that was done, she'd let him bring her to the bazaar. She hadn't expected that there would be so many of the Tigers present, especially not at this hour, but here they were. Only one of the dragons present could be considered on good terms with her other, and she seemed to be having a moment with Natalya, so she doubted any of them would see her and want to talk. For the better, really, she had no desire to interact with anyone other than Sari. "Whatever I want, huh? Maybe I should take everything you have, then..." She wasn't sure how serious she was with her threat, but if she could make him squirm even once tonight it would justify all her attempts. Perhaps, directly to his chagrin, she was drawn to the bands that the owners of the bazaar had on display. There was already one on her wrist, acquired or purchased at some point before she had started to awaken. She didn't know if Sari had purchased that one for her other, but a quick question to said other was all it took to find out that he had. With the prices listed she wasn't sure if it would 'take everything he had' like she had threatened, but if he had purchased once for her other it was only fair if he purchased one for her wasn't it? A quick glance revealed the owner's were currently busy with the sheep clouded, so she settled on drawing the not-elf's attention. "Maybe I'll make you get me one of these. What do you think about that?" Edited October 7 by Ursali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted October 7 Share Posted October 7 (edited) "Everything I have is already yours, Mira. Body and soul~" He winked at her continued attempts to rile him up, looking over the items for sale. He didn't much need a better weapon with the tools he had available, but these bands were interesting. There was a faint magic about them. He'd seen some of the other members of the Tigers wearing some, so perhaps they had some property he didn't quite understand? It was something to ask, at least, whenever the vendor was finished with Roxanne and their charming new dog acquaintance. "Maybe I'll get one to match you. What do you think about that?" He smirked as he stared down at her, leaning in and stealing a quick kiss against the top of her head. "Your attempts to rile me up are rather adorable, Mira. Maybe you're looking for something else? If you want me upset, I fear your current arsenal makes that impossible... You'd have to get rather extreme. Maybe you just want me to... tease you back?" he asked, his hand having snuck onto her tail, petting down it some. "Hopefully they do something great now that they aren't having someone breathe down their neck." Siorel almost forgot they were in Islexia, the place feeling rather like Hecatia or even Glacies with how many monsters were just idly walking about. The boisterous dog woman from before was present, and she certainly wasn't someone Siorel wanted to speak with, but she was around the table that the lizard was the most interested in, doing her best to skirt the dog with Cinaed and poke around at it. "So many little trinkets and bobbles... Is this knife made of glass?" She looked at the next table over and idly picked up the 'weapon', looking over it and through it. "Wow... You'd need some hefty control not to shatter this in just one slash or stab. Maybe that's the point...? Really train yourself with one..." The... doll head, was also curious, but there didn't seem to be a price tag near it. Maybe just miscellaneous junk? "We'll find something, Miria... ...? G-Gio?" Sylmaria hadn't expected her to have already dyed her hair. "Er... Y-Yes. I suppose... Miria was... We, er... Mmmm." She flushed and tugged her hand away from Miria's, embarrassed about many things at current. "We... decided to try the local, erm, drinks. It was... very good, but, very strong, all the same. We, we had something to eat with it, but... Perhaps, drank too much before letting the meal sink in. Ahem... I-If you've seen anywhere in the bazaar that could at least get us some water, that would be appreciated..." The rest of the place was teeming with items and even had a few extra active vendors. The fox... actually, Sylmaria didn't recognize that fox-- not her hair, anyway, but she held the same face. Was it something like Giovanna? Some sort of new look to change things up? Maybe protect herself...? And some other boisterous woman touting a rather... varied selection of slightly worn weaponry. Weird. "There's certainly a lot here... Once we've saved ourselves from... ourselves, I wouldn't mind looking around with you as well, Giovanna... If, you don't have other plans, and don't mind joining the both of us." Having stuffed herself with fish to the point of lethargy, Iris was hanging off of Ullr's back, legs wrapped around him, arms around his neck, hanging off the guy like a lizzer cape of sorts. She didn't have it in her to get back onto his shoulders, idly looking about the place. "Weeeeeelllllllllllllll... I'm still good with my hands. Punchin' and clawin'. I was thinking about light magic. Direct opposite to whatever they were planning with me and dark magic... and I still have an aptitude for magic, so it might not be that difficult? Was gonna ask the titty titan later on, but I always end up getting distracted. What about you, Ullr? You gotta have some wants, too. Can't just be here wanting to get me something, no?" She groaned and managed a burst of energy, hoisting herself up the wolf man and landing on top of his shoulders again, looking around the place with a claw over her eyes like she was blocking out the sun. "Plenty of things for sale... Ah! Sister spotted-- whoa, what an outfit! Aly, what the heck? And wow, Versaris is really putting the moves on her, look at that hand go... You should get more touchy feely with me, Ullr. Go for it and all that." She stuck her tongue out a bit, ruffling Ullr's hair some. "Lots of weapons and some magical feelin' trinkets. Pick somewhere to start?" "Geh, because that fox is around... She's dangerous, Thalia, even if her intentions with you are genuine. People that magically powerful tend not to have every screw tightened properly." They sighed, looking towards the table with the-- "!?!?" Upon double taking, it was just a doll's head, but it had certainly made Coral flinch, jumping close to Thalia before realizing, blushing, hard, and coughing to collect themselves. "Hahhh... Whatever you'd like, we'll get. Including hair products, especially for your tails... I still have half a bottle of that shampoo we picked up in Hecatia, so I'm fine, for now. Focus on yourself... We only have the gold your benefactor decided to grace us with... So choose carefully." It was certainly odd to not have to worry about having more gold the next day, but they did still have to talk to the woman with the dragon... Maybe I can take care of that while Thalia is looking things over. Mikoto returned Thalia's wave and then leaned back in the chair she'd retrieved, yawning a bit. "Mmm, I do wonder how Aegean is doing with finding Jeremiah... Hopefully she can get us to speak sooner than later." "Mmm? How? I just... I dunno. Did it. Spent all my youth picking up and trying different weapons and magic... It all clicked, after some effort. Dark magic was the trickiest, but even it worked, eventually... I'd say you're much better with a sword than me, so your effort wasn't wasted or anything... Just think of me as a, jack of all trades~ Master of none, kinda deal... Mmm, well, master of one," she teased, running a finger along Laniva's chin and grinning up at her. "Tatters? Hey now, it's still in one piece, at least... A war trophy, from your hard fought battle, heheh~ Looks like we'll have to get in line... People are already swarming the main vendor, there... Or, we could see if Mikoto-- wait, Mikoto?" Syta blinked, staring at the fox, clearly purple and much more modest than she'd been recently. "Huhhhh... Is, that was Renais was talking about...? Mmm, weird... Well, pick either, Lani, and we'll get to getting you some clothes before we get you something extra nice for being such a good girl." She reached her hand up and began to pet the cat, ready to ignore any protests. Edited October 7 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted October 7 Author Share Posted October 7 (edited) Jeremiah paused as Lucretia reached out and took the necklace almost immediately, eliciting the first real look of genuine surprise from the intelligence officer. Then it morphed into a soft smile as, he pulled his hand back, leaving the necklace in her hand. "Thank you, Lucretia, that means a lot." He breathed a sigh of relief that even he hadn't noticed that he was holding. "Honestly, I think you'll know exactly when you see either of them. They'll both be together, no matter what, and she'll look a lot like yourself. Long pink hair, and a powerful healer alongside a brown haired markswoman with the brightest smile you've ever seen." Lucretia then jabbed him about his question, and Jeremiah chuckled, "I imagine it would read like that, wouldn't it?" The teal came from her mother, but the pink--the critical aspect--was from her father. That was one strand of the web, but it wasn't as if pink hair was uncommon. The second strand came as she revealed her father's name, Kylian, that too, was a coincidence--assuming that he remembered Serena and Duncan's stories correctly. Then, finally, the knot. Her father had taken his wife's name, hardly an uncommon occurrence in Lufiria, but not so much outside of it. Usually it was determined by the status of the two, if a noblewoman and a peasant man married often the man took the woman's name. Though, Jeremiah already knew the circumstances by the time the name hit his ears, the second look of genuine surprise crosses his face. "...Levion? You're... sure about that? Ha... Haha." Jeremiah ran a hand through his hair, "Kylian Levion, what are the chances...? Well, I suppose that answers my questions, and why you look so much like Serena. Unbelievable." Jeremiah shook his head but the look of surprise didn't fade, "Serena told me about her older brother, not too much older than her. Kylian Levion, and in the aftermath of the collapse, he found a woman from Mura and took care of her after she was left for dead by her unit. They fell for one another, and... they disappeared after that. Spent some time in Lufiria, but he left a letter stating desire to take her back to Mura, and suddenly the two of them were gone. Never told them the woman's name, but... I have a pretty strong feeling that her name was Lucera Vale, your mother. So unless there are multiple Kylian Levions in the world, I believe that makes you Serena's niece, as well as Aegean's cousin." Kiri and Lili both glanced up at the... dog clouded who'd approached. Kiri tilted her head slightly, she was certain that she was a dog clouded, but there were unique traits that limited the kinds of dog that the woman could be. It was so incredibly rare for her to encounter a monster that she hadn't seen before thanks to her upbringing, so it was a treat whenever it did occur. More odd was that it happened here in Islexia. "Anything special? Certainly. We've a fair bit of magical artifacts, and weaponry about here. Though..." Kiri looked Laela over for a moment, before quietly nodding, "I do believe that none of the weapons on display would be of much use to you... so perhaps one of our bands." Kiri gestured over at a case with a multitude of each one, "Each one is imbued with magic designed to help people mature in various ways. All of them are 2000 gold each." Kiri gazed around as more people started to wander into the bazaar, a fair number of the other smaller sellers had closed up for the evening to enjoy the festivities, so most of them would be coming here, if they weren't just wandering around. Rather, that would have been the case if not for the... sudden new shop that had appeared in what had to have been the last hour or so. Kiri didn't recognize the brown haired woman, but her tone, and almost bubbly disposition made it seem as if she'd been here forever. Seemed to be a used weapon shop--quite a few of those weapons looked like they'd endured a sparse amount of use. Though, it was the other, also sudden, shop that caught Kiri's eye the most. Mostly because it was being run by what was obviously a Kitsune. Today alone she'd seen more kitsune than she'd seen in her entire life, directly, anyway. First the one with the mermaid, and now this one, bringing her total up to three. Lili, realizing that her mother's attention had suddenly been taken, broke away from her mother and looked up at Laela, "Come on, Mom's seen something, s-so she'll be a little bit..." Lili was surprisingly composed in her speech, the faintest bit of a stutter, but for a child who didn't look much more than seven, she spoke with eloquence. Barios smiled as the people started to funnel in, and what a unique cast it was. A tall tiger, multiple dragons, another feline, elves... it was almost like a market from back home, the myriad races of monster all coexisting without fear. The first one to make a direct approach was a repeat customer, the sheep to which they'd sold a physic staff, "Ah, good to see you back, and I hope that the staff served you well." Barios nodded over at Koba, "I surmise that you're both here looking for something interesting? Hmm..." Barios looked between the two of them, and then disappeared into the back returning with two tomes, one standardish looking, the other... a rather uncommon looking book and placed them on the counter. "For you, the selection hasn't really changed much, I apologize, but there is a Stella tome here. Difficult to find elsewhere. As for you... this one is rather unique, more of an assistance spell than something powerful. I'd not seen it before I'd acquired this one, so I can't say too much more on it." Barios looked past the two and blinked for a moment as his eyes fell on Thalia approaching. Barios turned to Kiri, whose attention had been grabbed by something around the corner that he couldn't see just yet. His first sight of a Kitsune was the one from hours ago, but now he'd had a second. This one was smaller, and had platinum blonde compared to the light pink one from before. He'd imagine that Kiri would be overjoyed at seeing a kitsune, but running the store came first--Kiri would catch on eventually. The kitsune's companion apparently didn't appreciate the head just resting there, jumping to her side as they gazed upon it. Barios wasn't entirely sure where that head had come from, or what it was supposed to be from, but the artistry on it was impressive so perhaps some artisan would come through and pick it up? For now, though, it did serve as some distant amusement. Edited Saturday at 03:23 PM by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 "Gio?" Miria repeated as Sylmaria shifted her tone and pulled away to this other, familiar-to-her person. She paused for a moment, before her brain clicked. "Oh! This is Gio? Hello." The girl waved, greeting this new, masked woman, her golden smile still refusing to dim. "We uh... y-yeah..." She gave a little laugh. She would've went to pat the dragon, but she left her be for now, looking down and wiping some dirt on her dress that we down under her knees, before coming back up and answering, "I uh, well, thought Sylmaria should come out and party. We got some sample wine, and um... Well, ahh..." She stopped, holding her head. It started to throb, but once it wore off, she continued, "We... partied too hard. Passed out. Sylm passed out on top of me so I assume she was comfy." And she followed with a laugh, with a returning throb. Stretching for a second, there was a 'crick' sound, barely audible from her back. "L-Like she said, we could use some water. And I..." And then the grumble returned as well. "...am starving." She saw Sylmaria's gaze, and she went to see where she was looking. Kise set up her stall again. "Wait..." Miria remembered that she had pink hair. Why was it purple now? Wait... Wasn't that what her hair was when she said she was Mikoto? She shook her head, it was something to ask later. This poor hungover cub had more important priorities at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 "None of your weapons will be good for me, huh? And these magical bands are two thousand? Shit, that's all I've got on me... Oh, sorry." Laela caught herself swearing in front of the child, covering her mouth for a second. Other than the loveydovey couple, she didn't much care that the others from the arena were showing up, or being wary of her. If they feared her that much, that was all she needed~ That cat, though... I'll get my rematch. For now, "alright, little merchant. Why don't you show me something that'll make me more robust, eh? Whichever of these funny little bands is gonna do that, and I'll give you the gold for it to give to your mama." She crouched down to Lili's height, smirking and ruffling the girl's hair. "Maybe throw in a tip if the service is good." She had some extra change for food and board, but if it would put a smile on the girl's face, she could toss her some pocket gold and forego one meal. Best that kids get to smile more than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 Jesse smiled as Jeremiah seemed to catch on to why she was asking for his time. “Thank you sir, and of course, take care of what you need.” Jesse hoped whatever his business was, it wouldn’t take all of his time left tonight. There was no guarantee they’d have time to talk in the morning, given that the Tigers were going straight towards their next battle come the morrow. “I’ll be at the bazaar with the other Tigers, and I’ll see if Miria wishes to join us too. Hope your engagements go smoothly. Jesse walked down the streets of Esclas with a number of skewers in her hand. She was understandably hungry, given how she had been participating in the arena and in her shroud. Thankfully there was more than enough food to replenish her reserves, and all of it tasty too. “Now, I shouldn’t be too far from the bazaar, Koba did say he was headed there.” From what Jesse knew, the shop was full of a variety of unique items and weapons, some of which played key roles in the fight at Beacon earlier that day. I’m not particularly looking to buy anything… but perhaps the owners might have an eye for appraisal. Jesse walked into the bazaar and was greeted with a lot of familiarity. It seemed that most of the Tigers ended up in the same place, and there were faces she recognized all over, and some just from earlier that day. “Now where could he be…” A quick scan showed Koba and Roxanne speaking to what Jesse assumed was the owner. “Ah good.” Jesse strolled in behind her two fellow Tigers, right as the shopkeeper had returned with some items for the two. “Good evening sir. Hi Roxy, do you mind if I tag along with you two for a moment? Koba here invited me earlier, so I hope I'm not interrupting anything.” Jesse gave Koba a soft hip bump as she moved up beside him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 "Yeah, we have to hope they can do something with the chance they've been given. It feels like there's finally a chance for some real change to happen in this world. There's something here, you know? If it can happen here, in Islexia, maybe... I know it sounds crazy, but maybe there's a real chance the world can change. Can become better. I want to hope it can at least." He sighed, shaking his head as he looked around them. It felt like he was back in Glacies, with how no one was even giving them a second glance. He wanted this to become a reality everywhere, but there was a lot of fighting ahead of them before they reached that point, he suspected. For now though, he would continue hoping. His musings were interrupted by their arrival at a stand full of interesting items and weapons. Looking around, he raised an eyebrow at the weapon Siorel was fiddling with. "Huh, yeah, that'd be something tricky to fight with. One wrong move... Still, it looks like it could do some serious damage if you land a good hit with it. I'd be interested to see it in action." Glancing around, he pointed to a couple more weapons. "Seems like they have a range of glass weapons. They must have some purpose, if there are that many of them. It might be good practice, if you're interested in buying it." He also spotted a couple of bands similar to the one around his arm, intriguing him. The two dancers had given him it as a thank you gift, and he couldn't deny it had a magical aura, but it did leave him wondering how these ones were similar or different. Perhaps they were a worthwhile investment. Koba walked alongside Roxi, a small smile on his face as she started talking and then didn't stop until they reached their destination. It was all interesting though, so he wasn't complaining. "Hello, sir, a pleasure to meet you. Any sort of interesting wind tome you have, yes I would be interested in seeing." The man quickly disappeared, and Koba turned to Roxi while they waited. "Those spells you were talking about, they seem really powerful and interesting. I don't know all that much about light magic, so it was interesting to hear about how the spells differ. It's nice to see that someone has unique magics like that here. Hopefully he has something interesting for me." Shortly after him saying that, the shopkeeper returned, with an interesting wind tome that Koba had never seen before. "Huh, that's... interesting. Do you mind?" He reached out a hand, waiting for permission before he picked it up, but even from the distance he could feel the magic in the tome. There was something there, he wanted to see more. It was a support spell, it seemed, but that might suit him well. As Tio had said, it wasn't always about the power behind a spell but how it was used. Perhaps this one was something that he could use to be more of a help to the Tigers. He was so focused on the spell that he jumped slightly when someone appeared next to him with a hip bump. "Oh! Jesse, hello. We were just shopping, I don't see any reason you can't join. I was just hoping to take a look at this spell here, it seems very different from any wind spell I've used before, so it's got my interest. It'll probably depend some on the cost as well... We'll see!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 The day had shifted to night before Renais knew it, a little past midnight in fact. Though between the chat with Syta at the arena and now Renais had kept herself busy with a quick errand or two, but she spent most of the day alone in her thoughts. It made her more anxious, more worried about her future. Kise was on her mind as a top priority, but she was worried that Kisara's words may not change anything. I shouldn't just give up but...I can't help but shake this feeling of dread that's crept on my back. The rose haired girl drifted through the bazaar as she was once again lost in anxiety. I don't know if I can change her mind, three centuries is such a large gap and I...I might not be good enough... She felt her body shake a little as she paced along, worried about what the future may bring. She lifted her eyes to scan the bazaar, and while she saw a lot of familiar faces she searched out a specific pair. She thanked her luck that she managed to spot out the cat and her girlfriend among the crowd, and with all haste she rushed to the duo. "Syta!" She called out. "There you are. I'm sorry to disturb you both again, but I wanted to follow up on that talk with Kisar-?" From the corner of her eyes she had spotted the kitsune on her mind, only she seemed a little different. Her hair was a different color again, purple. She dressed in a more conservative way too. "!" Her eyes widened by quite a lot, and before Syta could answer she rushed over to her partner's stall. "Ki...no, it's you isn't it? Mikoto?" Her hands trembled when she closed the gap between them. "Are you really back?" She could feel her tears well up again when she spoke out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 (edited) "Hmmmm..." Siorel spun the knife a few more times before nodding. "Spose I can get it, yeah. Maybe you can help me afford it if my pockets are light~ As for these bands..." She idly picked one up at random, comparing it to his free arm, glancing to the one he was already matching. "Dunno if you're a 'two bands' kinda guy... Might make the look clash? Unless, you don't care, and just wanna reap the magical benefits..." She spun the little band of fabric and magic around her finger, suddenly tossing it up and catching it. "They are magical, for the record. I'm sure you can feel it on your own... Wonder how they make these? A little magic item that makes you stronger, better... Mmnh, interesting little contraption. Maybe I should ask the merchants? Or Jeremiah, if they don't know, and just sell them... Figure I can't make it myself, but maybe later, who knows~" Syta was expecting Renais, about to tell her a few ground rules on the amulet, when she suddenly dashed off past her, to speak with Mikoto... "Well, geez..." The purple fox had hoped Renais would avoid the bazaar this late, having seen her there earlier, but fate would have them converse, it seemed. "I've been here the entire time, Renais... Do you truly not understand that Kise and I are one and the same? I am just a mask. Nothing more..." She felt a sigh building and bit it back, not wanting to let 'her' earlier frustrations bubble up to the surface, not so freely. I am a mask, so I must act it. Be patient. Do not feed into that feeling, not without cause. "I will be direct, Renais... I had no intentions of getting into this while attempting to play at being a merchant. In all honesty... I had hoped to avoid you for quite some time. I don't... know, if you fully understand what you've done wrong. If you'll allow me a moment to compose a question..." Mikoto slowly leaned forward, studying the girl and her face, trying to determine how much she could say before those forming tears became real. "You're still searching for your sister, yes? How would you feel if someone you cared for... Let us say, Aegean, approached you... And after sharing with her that you're so worried about your missing family, she told you not to bother anymore. To let it go and move on with your life. That there was another path for you to follow in the world... Would it not, hurt? To be told so bluntly to give up on something you'd been pushing for, determined to do, put so much effort into... I have spoken with Aegean about things. I will tell you the same that I have told her... I do not believe our being together is for the best, at the moment." She let that sigh leave her lips, sure that it would strike Renais in her heart, but it was almost karmic, to strike her after being struck, even if the cleric's words had been awkwardly fumbled intentions. "There is... no world, where I do not make Lufiria answer for at least, some of what it has done to myself, my people... I will do what I can to hold 'myself' back, until words can be exchanged with those that matter... But, between us, I have no need of any answers to what I've just said. Instead, I'm going to ask you one question, and I want you to answer it. Why did you deny me?" She held her gaze tight to Renais' eyes, searching for whatever her brain was thinking. "What has you caring for Lufiria so? And I do not mean its people. Not your family or friends, but the country itself, for there lies my ire. It will not be sated on the populace... It will be aimed at the very foundation of a nation that would attempt to erase an entire people for the actions of a few. What made you snap your decision to denying me, for that? For those who would okay such things? Please. Tell me." Edited October 9 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakezuGD Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 "Ahah, please don't feel like you have to spend all your money on me or something..." Though Alvira's excitement was palpable and kept Tasha's own excitement high, she couldn't help a blush from all of that direct praise. Sure, it felt good, but it didn't sit easy with her humble disposition! The same that her girlfriend had tried to get her to get rid of to an extent... Regardless, if the dragon really felt like splurging her rewards on her, she wasn't going to say no; she'd see soon enough how things would go with Alvira leading them back toward where Tasha had been a while ago. Alvira's wonder at the contents of the bazaar pulled a small laugh out of the tiger, having seen much of it herself already. Her amazement was understandable, though, considering Eslcas looked quite a bit more austere than it now was when they'd arrived - that was the power of a festival. The most distant of towns that lived day to day could come to life like no other when they decided it was time to party, and the people here certainly had reason to do so as things were. "I actually had something I wanted to ask of the people running that stall. I heard from the people who visited here with less of the glitz and volume of people that they have stuff that's hard to come by in Islexia, so I wanted to see if they had a gun I could modify," she answered, but with Vira's mood turning a little conflicted, she postponed speaking further of her ideas. All in all, what the dragon had to say was rather unsurprising, given they'd already talked about this before. Maybe Alvira was too caught in the moment to recall that they had, but with all the supernatural things surrounding her girlfriend, Tasha was prepared for it to be an eventuality rather than a possibility. There were things beyond the importance of one relationship that she had to do, and who was one tiger to argue against some kind of divine destiny? ...Well, she could argue plenty, especially if the divinity was called Mercuria, but that was different. "Come here," she said quickly yet softly, pulling Alvira into a gentle hug, tails mingling and all. "My answer's the same as it was when we talked before the mission against Kazran. I might not know what'll happen to you, but no matter how long we'll be apart, I'll be waiting for you. So don't worry... you know what you need to do, and I know what I need to do. Someday when both of our journeys come back together, we'll be able to do what we want instead of what we have to." She let her words hang with a kiss to Vira's head, paying no mind to anyone who might be looking at them weird, right in public as they were. Her girlfriend looked like she needed comfort, so to hell with anyone who thought that distasteful. Tasha's voice turned just the slightest bit coy as she gave her last reminder, though... "I hope you didn't forget about my other request too... That one's pretty important, if you ask me.~" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 The day began winding down to an end. With the arena shutting down, Alistar had made his way to the bazaar to re-unite with Syndra and Ryfia. He had met up with them a little after they had been finished shopping. "Well, I hope your little shopping trip turned out to be a success. I can't say my day was a total failure, but my arena showing left a lot to be desired." Ryfia chimed in after her partner had arrived at the bazaar and found her and Syndra. "Well we got what we came for, even though the owners did try to rip us off. Turns out they're Lufirians who had a run-in with Syndra's old man and grandpa way back in the day and well... it ended just as poorly for them as you could imagine. They lost two kids during the whole ordeal." "A rough ordeal to be certain, and one I wouldn't wish on anyone. You said 'tried' so I assume they corrected it in the end." Alistar's response ended while noticing Syndra was just staring off into the distance. "Mistress, what's wrong? Did it have anything to do with what the shopowners told you?" Syndra was lost in her own thoughts, so much so she almost didn't register that Alistar was talking to her, but she eventually snapped back into reality. "Oh, sorry Alistar. I'm just... tired. Every other day I'm back home I'm just reminded of the evils my father's inflicted on this land, and all its people who couldn't dare do anything about it except feel like the blame should fall to me for all things outside of my control when they don't even want to know the person they're throwing their vitriol at in the first place. All the stories, all the sorrows, all the weight being thrust upon me. And in the end it may not mean anything. These people may not ever accept me, and I understand that. I'm not doing this for fame or adoration from the masses, but it still doesn't mean I don't hurt just the same as anyone else does... ah!" Syndra's little speech was interrupted by Ryfia suddenly hugging her boss. She knew there weren't really words for when Syndra got like this, but she still had to be reminded there were people who cared. "Boss, I get it. And nothing I'm really about to say's gonna get you outta this funk, but you've gotta remember even though there're people out there who'll hate your guts for who your father is there are those that'll see you for who you are. I know you believe that, otherwise you wouldn't try so hard to prove it to everyone." Alistar mostly let the moment hang, seeing as Ryfia seemed to have it under control, and he shared her sentiments. He thought back to his conversation with Lucretia, and about planning for life without bodyguarding Syndra Belrose, but he knew now still wasn't the time to think about it. She still needed a pillar to lean on, and even if Ryfia seemed primed to take that role, it would be wrong for her to try and do it all by herself. There was a reason Syndra kept him around for as long as she had. "I concur with Ryfia on this, you needn't bare all this responsibility alone. We'll be there with you, even if the world turns on you itself. It's what we've sworn to do." Alistar then decided to change the subject. "We still have a little time left over, especially now that we're done with the arena, is there anything else you want to do, perhaps to take your mind off of things?" Syndra just let a little laugh after her friends went into their speeches. The two of them didn't see eye-to-eye all that often, but both of them seemed to be in agreement here. "Haha, sigh. If the both of you are saying the same thing in the same way it must be true. Thank you both, I'll get over it in time, I hope..." Then Syndra pondered Alistar's suggestion. The only real money they had right now belonged to Alistar, so it limited their options a little bit, but there was one shop that caught her eye. It looked far and away different from everything else in the bazaar, down to how everything seemed to be arranged, and her owner's stature. "Why don't we try there? That lady seems to be selling some weapons, but I've never seen her before. She wasn't here earlier..." Ryfia let go of the hug after Syndra seemed to calm down, and then pointed out a rather roughshod looking display. "Over there? I guess they just opened now. If you wanna check it out I'm fine with that..." Then Ryfia snapped her fingers and said. "Wait here, I'll go first. Maybe this one won't try ripping us off if they don't see us walk up together." Alistar shrugged at Ryfia's idea. It made sense, but at this point it probably wouldn't have meant anything. "I get where you're coming from, but is that really necessary? If that happens we'll just walk away, I'm sure there's all manner of things in the Tigers' convoy we could use instead." Syndra shook her head. And just like that they're back to not agreeing. I wouldn't have it any other way I suppose... "Both of your suggestions are reasonable. Let's just see what they're selling. It's not like I have much money left after the spending it at the Latham's anyway..." Syndra and her retainers then walked over to the kimono lady's stall. "Hello miss, what is that you're selling here tonight?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 "It did, yes. Everyone came back in good health... well, everyone we left with..." Roxanne replied, face sinking for just a moment before brightening back up. No staff that the man could have sold would have done anything about the pirate's prior defeat at the hands of Kazran, so it wasn't something worth dwelling on at present. As Barios stepped back to grab some of his oddities, the pair were approached by another of the Tigers, Jesse to be exact. It seems she had made a prior commitment with Koba. "Why would I mind, Jesse? The more the merrier, hehe. I'm sorry to have kept him from you... and yeah, they really do have quite the variety to them, Koba. A skilled mage can make magic take so many different shapes to varying degrees of efficacy. A lot of these spells are less... standard issue? How should I put this?" Roxanne pondered for a moment, before pointing at the Divine tome sitting among the Latham's standard inventory. "Like this Divine spell. It is more... conventional, in terms of what you would expect from light magic. It's a fairly high level variation, so it isn't any easier to cast than say, the Morning Star or Nebula spells, but it's more of an extended branch of a basic light spell, compared to something like those that are tuned with unique effects in mind. Whereas something like-" Roxanne stopped as the shopkeep returned, placing a pair of tomes in front of then. The wind spell he presented to Koba certainly seemed unique, and Roxanne herself couldn't identify it from memory, but what immediately drew her attention proper was the other book. "-something like a Stella spell! Is super difficult to cast, even more than any of those! And super interesting!" Roxanne managed to somehow segue her prior thought despite her focus being wrenched away in an instant, reserving all of her willpower to not grab and start flipping through the advanced spellbook that she had yet to purchase, and likely couldn't afford. Instead she simply stared at it with wide and sparkling eyes, her hands grabbing at the air between her fingers instead, and a faint yet vaguely discernable wagging motion beneath her cloak. "So I said that Morning Star bypasses magical resistance, right? It does that by manifesting mana in a physical form, so if you were wearing armour, that would still protect you. Stella is different though! Heehee... it's so cool. It doesn't pack much of a punch, you basically only end up attacking with your own magical output unlike most advanced spells. But! And this is the coolest part! It completely shreds through magical resistance! It isn't stopped by barriers or armour or anything, you essentially apply your own mana directly into the target. Like, if I cast this spell on you, and on someone like Tio, it would do the same amount of damage even though her ability to resist magic is through the roof! It's almost like a secret weapon sort of spell!" Roxanne nerded out for a bit longer, with her now expanded audience. An experienced merchant like Barios surely knew what he had, especially if it was kept out back, but Koba and Jesse were going to get a lesson whether they liked it or not. "Haha... I'm almost afraid to ask what you're asking... I got a good paycheck but that's one insane tome..." Roxanne added sheepishly, as she continued to look at the book with entranced eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 "I, hey... I know we talked about this before, but... Now it's actually set in stone. Once they have who they need from this Celia situation, they're going to leave for Lufiria, and... I'll be going with them. I'll be back as soon as possible, and there's no world where I'd ever forget that, alright? I'll ask whoever I can... No matter h-how embarrassing it is." She felt her cheeks turning to match her hair some, quickly hugging Tasha and squeezing tight, before turning back to the tables. "Hahhh... Okay. Let's see..." There was a lot for sale, a lot that she didn't recognize, a lot that she could put her mind to understanding, and... "Whoa." That was one heck of a gun, Alvira glancing at Tasha then back at the rifle. "Er, excuse me!" She waved towards the man and woman running the stall, understanding that they were handling people, but, still, better to have them understand they were waiting in line. "Nothing here's really speaking to me, Tasha, but... You could get some pretty hefty use out of that gun, right? Not that you don't already, but if the people we're fighting are gonna get stronger, we can't let ourselves rest, right? And since I'm not seeing anything that I want... What say we put my winnings towards that gun for you, huh~?" Alvira smiled and flapped her wings gently. She still had some gold, so if she wanted something else, she could pick it up, no worries. Gotta give back for all you've done for me and more, Tasha... I'll give you that happy family. I'll give you everything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Gean wandered the streets of Eslcas alone, which was sad but ultimately for the best. Gean needed some time to collect herself. It helped that she was on the look for someone, the act of searching for Jeremiah allowed her to see all the happy faces about, and the results of the Tigers good work was a small comfort. I guess this is my last bit of comfort for now, who knows what lion's den we'll be entering when we go to save this Pashmina lady. In truth however, that thought was only a distraction. The real thing on her mind was still the possibility of Mikoto and her uncle not seeing eye to eye. You cannot affect this change... So do as we have discussed, and find those who can. It was hard to not feel helpless as Mikoto’s words echoed in her mind. Well this is the second time I've felt this way since starting this journey, though this might feel worse that back in the Serdio Mountains. This was the path I chose though, and we're not running away. I can't run away. There was a somber smile on Gean's face as she proceeded through the crowds. By this point, she had knocked a number of locations off her list of where Jeremiah might be, the arena, castle, and a number of areas near the main entrance. By now she was a fair distance from most of the crowd, or what parts of the town were still awake, it was well into the night at this point. Gean was now inside a park, a place she hadn't noticed when the Tiger's first arrived at Eslcas. The quiet of this part was almost a stark contrast to the rest of the town, as if this one place was removed from the rest of the world. Fitting then, that seated on a bench in this one place was the one person Gean was searching for. Jeremiah was his usual self, even amongst a festival her uncle was still in work mode, tackling something in his head. Gean walked up next to him and gently leaned on him. “And what are you doing here by yourself? You of all people should enjoy a celebration while you can.” There was a sigh from Gean’s lips after her jest, it would do her no good to delay the real reason she was here talking to Jeremiah. “Uncle, I… I need to talk to you about kitsune, though you probably know why already.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 (edited) Giovanna couldn't help a raised brow. "Drinks, huh? Never saw you enjoying those back then." It was quickly confirmed by Miria the kind of disaster that this drinking adventure was, eliciting a chuckle from Giovanna. "Heheh, well met, Miria. I'll take your word that she was comfy, at least." To think Sylmaria was warming up to someone else this soon was a bit surreal, but Giovanna was more than glad for it. "Thanks for taking care of her this afternoon... and I think I'll be joining you then." Their attention had moved on to the foxwoman with a stall, and Giovanna couldn't blame them for noticing the similarities --it didn't escape hers either. "Seen something that interests you over there? The prices are a bit on the high side for my current budget, but we can check it out. Personally, I was going to look there." She turned her head towards Kiri and Barios' stall. "I saw some magical trinkets while I was looking around, though they seem a bit occupied now." "Light... we can look for that." Üllr wasn't complaining about Iris' weight, so used to carrying her around, always amused as she decided on a new way to hang off his back. "...I, don't know what I want." He didn't think long about his own needs, he was fed and could fight. Having money to expend on himself further than that was still something to get used to. "Hrm. Something to fight better...? Can't cast magic like you, don't need new weapon... maybe there's something else?" He sighed, thinking on his predicament until Iris' ruffling of his hair broke the train of thought. "Ah..." He was a little flustered at her following words, a tightened grip on her thighs following. "Mmm... sorry." He seemed a bit apologetic, and looked at Aly and Versaris with a different feeling of curiosity. "Should go trinkets. Think that might help." Continuing to carry the energetic creature, he made for a slightly busy stall, with a lot of trinket looking things on sale. "Hmm... excuse me..." He tried to get the mother's attention. Another customer seemed to be there, a wolf-like woman, though she seemed preocupied now. Familiarization (June 12th, prior to the attack on the Keep) Spoiler Chris was bound to meet Bella eventually, with both of them planning to tag along the Tigers. Figured it was best to do it now while they still had time to prepare –not talking at all until they left would be painfully awkward, especially since they worked on similar fields. "Uh… hello…?" Chris knocked on the door to her lab, a place he'd learned of a short while ago. He wasn't too concerned about lacking topics of conversation, rather worried that Bella's flirty nature could make things… awkward. A short moment later, the door opened, and behind it stood the tall beauty herself, wearing the same dress she always did. “So you did come around! I’m glad I wasn’t too… intimidating, for you.~ Come on in, we can talk while I continue preparing some potions.” Bella’s soft, inviting smile beckoned Chris inside, her turning back around to face her lab table. She had to get a large amount of stock ready for her departure, so that the castle had a large surplus of necessary medicine in the likely event that they needed to spend a lot fighting Kazran’s forces, and thus her cauldrons were bubbling practically every moment she was present. Within the room was a small desk and chairs for meetings, two large cast iron cauldrons for bulk production of potions, and a heavy-duty lab table with all sorts of glasswork flasks and tubing atop for reagent refining and mixing as well as finishing smaller quantities. One door was on each side of the lab, the one on the left leading to ingredient storage, and the other leading to potion storage, currently open with full crates of healing potions visible along the back wall. “Being the castle’s apothecary means I have a lot of work to do before an outing like this. Basic healing potions at least take comparatively little effort to make,” she explained, lightly stirring one cauldron’s contents with a glass ladle. "Ah! Hello, yes, it's me." Despite Chris knowing her tangentially, meeting Bella firsthand was always a bit of a trip. She did the rumors of her being endowed justice, and was a tad more approachable than Chris expected for a skilled apothecary –the gods know how many in Glacies were eccentric individuals. "Thank you, it didn't seem right to just leave things like that when you spoke to me… basic healing potions, huh?" At least it looked manageable, considering they'd be the first thing somebody in her field had to learn. Chris entered as welcome, eyes darting around the laboratory, before settling on the cauldron, and its mixer. "Yeah, the knight will need a lot. I'm guessing we don't need to worry as much about the mercenaries, though, with all the healers they have." He leaned forward, a curious eye at the bubbling pot. "Well, since I'm here, I can help out a bit. I got my preparations done, so I figured… why not? We never really got to talk before." “Basic indeed. I could easily create something more potent, but the amount of work involved isn’t worth it for your average soldier when it’ll save their life just as well,” Bella replied to the idle echoing of her statement, taking the ladle out and squatting down with a hand on the desk for balance, checking that the flame was at the right intensity. “I’ll offer my expertise to the mercenaries just as well, but since they don’t pay for my living, I’ll make them shell out for the cost of ingredients and work.~ I do make stronger potions than your average medicine lady, after all.” She stood up and went over to the second cauldron, both of them looking to be in about the same phase of preparation due to an almost identical color, mixing that one with its own ladle. “If you’d like to help, it’s very simple. I’ve used pre-infused water in the cauldrons to improve the absorption ratio from the drakeweed extract, so you won’t have to use magic, just keep mixing at a slow and smooth rate until you can see the marker line inside the cauldron. I’ve inscribed a reference point into both to make it a more mechanical job, since this is the most common thing I do.” The witch gestured briefly toward the ladle she’d set down earlier, its padded leather grip insulating it from the heated glass body. “Ah, I’m sure. If it’s the right potency to handle most situations, best to keep to it, yeah?” It was all sound, and Chris was impressed with Bella’s way of expediting the process with markers. With little hesitation, he grabbed the ladle’s leather grip, trying out that circular motion –keeping it on the slow side, as she suggested. “Since you already infused the water, you could have an assistant or two do it! Do you always work alone on these commissions?” It seemed that with enough training she could leave Eslcas in the care of competent enough people to keep the worse of her leave away. “Oh! And what other potions do you do? For those that are stronger than average, I’m sure the mercenaries could fork the price.” Learning of a field like hers was taking the edge off of Chris’, slowly back to his chatty self. “And give someone an opportunity to poison the Gaffneys? Either you’re much more green than was my impression, or you trust they’d be able to weed out any potential avenue to attack them more than I even trust myself,” Bella replied to the first question, not answering directly but leaving only one reasonable conclusion. “Unless you want to be my assistant, of course.~ A random low-skilled hire is one thing, but a fellow mage I trust far more considering where we are. Since you’re already interested in learning and everything…~” A small teasing lilt came out, the woman peeking at Chris from underneath her big hat while she stirred. To her, that was business as usual - always keep them guessing what your angle is and your next move will be much more effective.~ “Ah… I suppose they don’t.” It came as a slow realization, but with the ease he and other Clouded had getting a shot here in Eslcas, it wasn’t exactly the tightest security. “If you don’t already know somebody trustworthy, it wouldn’t be a good idea to look for someone so soon before leaving… for all the good that Lord Owen does to us, he sure doesn’t look after himself, huh?” Sighing, Chris continued to watch the pot stirring pace set by Bella, trying to commit it to memory. “Ahaha, well, if it’s something like that, maybe I could. It’s not all that hard, after all~...” Dealing with her teasing nature was still something he wasn’t used to, but it wasn’t all that dangerous right now –in a funny sense of dangerous. “But.. I’d really like to put more work into testing the heavy platform on the field, if I manage to field it, and we take Kazran down… I’d like to keep testing it, but I also hope I don’t need to. Not in Eslcas, At least.” It was a really precarious situation with the neighboring lands, after all, but Chris really did hope that Eslcas would find some peace at last, for all it represented… “Hard, hm…?~” Suppressing her urge to ask about other things that might be hard, Bella tipped her hat with a small smirk, letting that particular tease go for now, before sighing a little to refocus on what the boy was actually saying. The ‘heavy platform’ he’d been working on certainly looked impressive, and should it have enough power to rival regular siege equipment, was a very valuable piece of kit for their forces. “We’ll both have to hope, then. I’m not exactly a fan of Nicolas, but if he thinks Owen is getting too big for his britches once Kazran is dealt with, no amount of mercenaries is going to save us from his army… and at that point, there’s nobody left to contest the bastard’s title for full control of Islexia.” She took a closer look at her cauldron, starting to see the line on the far end, and stopped the fire underneath from heating it further by inserting a spacer lid. “About done for this one, so yours should be soon as well. There’s a steel lid next to the cauldron, put that on the ring between the bottom of the cauldron and the fire to stop the mixture from boiling, and keep stirring until it’s no longer bubbling.” “Ah… hm…” Letting that sudden remark go by with a faint blush, Chris’ ears drooped a little at Bella’s words on Owen’s situation, fearing he’d have to agree with them. “It’s true. Unlike Kazran, there’s not much we can do about that, I hope Owen understands that. He probably does. Still…” Eslcas’ future was still stifled, even if they achieved victory, after all… the environment was just suffocating. It was enough to draw a sigh. “Seeing these as small steps is probably more realistic, I guess…” “Ah! Lid, alright, I get that much!” Chris bent over to grab the lid while still keeping the ladle on hand, dextrous enough of a cat Clouded to keep his balance and a hand on the ladle as he moved the lid under the cauldron. “There~ Now to keep it from burning…” Bella thought she was fully prepared for everything, but as she leaned over to make sure Chris was doing the thing correct, she caught a glimpse of something not quite intended for her eyes, courtesy of the skirt the catboy wore. It was her turn to blush, for a moment only able to blink in surprise, only just managing to gather herself quick enough for her own mixing to not be interrupted too badly, straightening up and taking a rapid but deep breath. Going back to the previous topic was a necessity now, or her thoughts would be sullied for the rest of Chris’s visit. “Ahem… Islexia’s disease runs much too deep for a victory here to solve the problem. Kazran, even Nicolas, they’re both just symptoms of the culture we’ve had since well before the Collapse, and it’s in their interest to keep things going the direction they have been.” Sufficiently calmed down, the witch continued stirring her pot until it had cooled down enough, sighing gently with a vacant look in her eyes. “If it wasn’t for our shortsighted, superstitious culture, Islexia could be the alliance’s leading authority on alchemy. Our conditions are perfect for it… the need to extract usefulness out of everything that does grow here is all the demand we’d need.” “...Yeah. You’re right.” Blissfully unaware, Chris continued mixing the pot, looking back at Bella a moment later to check if he was still meant to keep the pace. “It wouldn’t be that easy even if they went away… but at least places like here would be better off, I think.” There was a soft smile as she spoke of alchemy, something that was clearly a passion of hers. “Hahah, Islexia as a leader of one of the sciences.What a thought… it would be cool, though. Shows that one day, if things do change, there’s groundwork for better things already.” He turned back to focus on his cauldron, tail wagging. “You really do like alchemy, huh, Ms. Bella?” Good, she hadn’t alerted Chris to his little slip-up. And with the discussion being where it was, she didn’t need to try to keep those thoughts away… there were other, much more pressing ones that came to mind from such a question, drawing a sigh from Bella. “I do… but it’s not just because it happens to be a passion I’ve been lucky enough to be educated in.” She stirred a few more times to check the consistency, set down her ladle on the desk, and walked past the cat toward the bottle storage, pausing next to him for a brief moment before she’d grab a crate of vials. “It’s what I have left of my parents.” “It was…” Chris took a moment to process what Bella just conveyed, turning around to notice her closer, picking up that crate. “Oh. I see. Uh…” He felt awkward, unsure if it would be proper to keep that discussion over. “Small wonder you’re the castle’s alchemist, then. Yeah… sorry if I poked something personal.” Awkward, he’d prefer her teasing to having made a gaffe like that. Hopefully this wouldn’t be a big deal as it felt on his mind. “Uh… is it ready?” With Bella picking up the crate, Chris looked back to his cauldron. Bella put on a smile for the catboy, chuckling ever so slightly. “You don’t have to apologize. I might not wear all that much, but I like to think one of the things I do is my heart on my sleeve. I had to be a spineless yes-woman for so long until I left for Glacies, I simply can’t be bothered to hide things anymore~” As briefly dejected as she sounded from her earlier thought, the witch wasn’t one to stay that way, setting the crate down between them on the work desk. “Mine is done, yours might be a little more. Getting it stored while it’s still hot but not boiling is important, since it’ll effectively sterilize the glass in case of impurities.” She followed her explanation by pulling out a pair of metal funnels and two pairs of heavy gloves from the desk drawers, putting the other set on Chris’s side. “Uncork, put the funnel in, use the ladle to transfer, re-cork once it’s filled up to the neck. The vials get very hot very quickly, so don’t forget the gloves when handling them,” Bella instructed further, donning one of her own pair and getting to work. “Ah, mmm, well, I think going to Glacies was a great idea! I couldn’t imagine a yes-man Bella, not when you’re so… bold.” Catching his slip up with a light bite of his inner cheek and a light blush, Chris went for his gloves, forcing a nod. “Alright, funnel into vials while hot but not boiling, I can do that.” He returned to mixing his cauldron. “I went to Glacies too… I ran out of funds there, though. A couple years ago I wouldn’t believe me if you said I’d got a job somewhere in Islexia.” He chuckled. “Boldness has little to do with it, I’m afraid. After I lost my parents in the Collapse, I was forced to get by under the newly established warlords’ rule until I could find a way out of the country,” Bella replied calmly, used to recounting the story in her head, if not necessarily to other people. “I suppose I was lucky to not get this figure until much later. Knowing the kinds of people Kazran and the Belroses are, I’d be stuck as their eye candy for as long as they had eyes for me.” She rolled her eyes in turn, getting vials on her own side filled up at a reasonable pace. “Even then, I had to absorb all the knowledge left behind in my mother’s notes to have a chance at getting out of here. A Glacian academy wouldn’t accept anyone out of pity, or so I was told, so I worked and worked and worked until I could remember the names and effects of every Islexian reagent off hand.” “Ah…” Chris understood that Islexia’s situation after the Collapse was dire, but he hadn’t lived through it. “Yeah… you had to do what you could to survive here, right…” It took some sinking in, Chris avoiding his gaze a little following the gaffe. “It shows you had what it takes to get accepted, then. My family helped me enroll there instead… and I didn’t make it to the end.” He… wasn’t helping his case, feeling even more inadequate around her. “But I still have my dreams. Couldn’t have figured out as much about runes if I hadn’t– still, I’m pretty impressed you had every reagent memorized. Still got them?” Just an amused aside, “Glad you found your way to Eslcas after that, then. The better option in the alliance… and gods know Lord Owen needed it.” “I knew I wanted to come back instead of staying there, even if it was a generally terrible choice for my safety, and Eslcas was the only place I could see myself working with a clean conscience in,” Bella replied, not really minding Chris’s verbal stumbling all that much. She knew he didn’t mean any harm by it; he was just curious and ever so slightly whelmed by her presence. “I’m not the type to hold a grudge, and I’d rather remember people by all the good about them, even if we’ve had our disagreements. But there are some people I can’t forgive, or forget.” She didn’t have to name who she meant, given she felt like every remaining decent Islexian felt the same way. But with her own gripes out of the way, she could lend her ear to Chris’s instead, still working away at getting everything bottled. “Academics aren’t everything, you know. Just like me, you were studying a rare field within magic, no? The fact you’ve come up with something like that magically propelled siege platform tells me you were - and are - plenty qualified.” “I see…” People she couldn’t forgive… that stuck in Chris’ mind, but it made sense –some people were just like that, at the end of the day. Especially in the context of Islexia. “...You’re a good person, Bella.” Considering how much she wanted to focus on the good of people regardless, it compelled the sentence out of Chris. “Ah… eheh, thank you. It’s nice to hear, really.” His bumbling smile was only belied by his wagging tail –he was genuinely happy to hear the words of compliment from someone. “It’s a really unexplored field… but it has a basis on the past. Learning that ancient mages used runic magic was fascinating… and of course, knowing I could craft more applications out of it than elemental magic made me hooked… ah!” Chris almost forgot to keep looking at the cauldron, before dividing his attention again. “But… yeah, I could talk about it until the cows go home… I’m sure you understand, anyways, alchemy is pretty fascinating on its own~.” Slowly as they spoke, the cauldrons emptied where they ought to go - even if Chris was a little distracted - and their little assistant session was coming to a close. The boy was sincere, incredibly so, which only made Bella think more about things… she was, for lack of a better way to say it, very weak to that type of person. Yet he didn’t come across as naïve either, which tended to be the main issue. “I’m glad you think so. Both about me, and what I decided to pursue~” She began moving the filled vials into their storage crates, simply happy that she’d actually gotten some company to talk with while doing this routine job of hers. “Don’t provoke me into an in-depth discussion of my topic, or you’ll start seeing plants in your dreams. I suppose we’re similar in that way, hm?” “Of course. I would never think less of somebody who’s pursuing a field like we do.” Chris turned to watch as Bella did her routine, managing a chuckle at her final tease. “Oh, knowing how I sound when I get on with my discussions, I can only imagine. Better leave those for another day.” Having gotten comfortable, his tail wagged idly as he continued to stir the cauldron at the usual rhythm. The conversation was slowing down, and he’d gotten more comfortable around Bella. The rest of the afternoon would pass by fast… ...The afternoon had moved quite fast. Faster than Chris had expected, he'd found himself in Bella's room after the bath, quite a lot more exhausted than when he was there... and not entirely sure he was cleaner. "Um... B-Bella? Eh... thank you." As clarity hit, he was like a deer in headlights, face beet red as he covered himself in sheets. "Oh, I should, get you something right? I'm sorry. I'm very not used to... uhh, water, food? Definitely food. The stalls must still be open out there..." Edited Sunday at 03:13 AM by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted Saturday at 03:22 PM Author Share Posted Saturday at 03:22 PM Family Across Continents Spoiler Course I'm sure... Why do you--" Jeremiah explained in short order, and the explanation fit far too well with what she knew of her parents and their past. She took a half step back, staggering some, unable to find the words for a moment... "I... Whaaa...?" She used her staff to stabilize herself, taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, shaking her head a little bit. "How, that... That's, surely this is a coincidence...? I, that... would mean I'm Lufirian? Partly. And... Hah? Related to someone as... fantastical as your wife...? You can't be serious, Jeremiah. You're just trying to pump me up for all my help. C'mon now..." "Unless you're telling me a fib about your father's name, then I'm not. There would be other ways for me to pump you up for your help." Admittedly, if he wasn't the one saying it, he would have sided with Lucretia--the sheer coincidence of this occurrence was so unlikely that it might as well have not been a coincideration. However, magic was hard to lie about--the similarities in magic, appearance, disposition even were so uncanny that there was no other way around it. "That would mean you are half Lufirian, yes, and as fantastical as she may be, she is another woman just like yourself. Though she'd say otherwise." Jeremiah shook his head, "Unfortunately, aside from this connection, and what I've felt with your magic. I can't really prove it to--" Jeremiah paused, and then looked at the necklace in Lucretia's hand, "...But perhaps I can strengthen my case. Lucretia, focus your magic into that necklace for me, if you would. I'll explain in a moment." "Hahhh..." She wasn't sure what to make of this, not at all... It didn't change her goals, but... It certainly added Lufiria as a stop on her destination list. "You're really serious about this... Alright. I don't have much, but..." She focused on the trinket she'd been provide, putting what little magic she had into it, glancing down at it and double taking between the necklace and Jeremiah, waiting for whatever was meant to occur to start occurring. As Lucretia placed her magic into the necklace, it shimmered brightly, a familiar pink light emanated from the item washing over Lucretia like a warm summer breeze. Jeremiah then smiled, the same light that had occurred when Aegean had been harmed back in the underground--reacting to the other necklace that she had, filled with Serena's magic. "That at least tells me that I wasn't just feeling things... but does that magic feel familiar to you at all... your father's perhaps?" Jeremiah ran a hand through his hair, "That necklace is a gift that was given to me by Serena; it's a magical artifact filled with her magic, that's released only when the conditions are met, but... it resonates like any other when magic with a similar profile is placed in it. So... the fact that is is resonating at least lends more credence to what I'm saying. And... Of course I'm serious about this, as I'm sure you'll come to know, I'm always very serious when it comes to matter of familial ties." Lucretia let out a long sigh. "So... What, does this all mean, for me? If anything... I'm not sure... Mmm... I can't... Well... Ahhhhhh..." She let her shoulders drop, taking a deep breath. "I could drop everything and head to Lufiria. See if I can make my way into the country. Meet this estranged family... I won't, because you've asked me to help the Tigers with your daughters, but... Goodness, what a surprise you've thrown upon me, Jeremiah." She put her fists on her hips and huffed, everything jiggling ever so slightly. "Anyone else I should watch out for beyond your kids, Jeremiah? Make sure you don't miss anything... I'll do what I have to, but you owe me meeting your wife after this... My cousin... Gosh, that means Aegean is my cousin, good Gods, what do I even say to her...?" "I don't think you'd have to drop anything for that." Jeremiah pointed at the still shimmering necklace, "You show that to Catherine and Tica, and assuming things proceed mostly amiably, I'm sure they'd have no problem taking you back with them." Jeremiah then ran his hand through his hair again, a slightly sheepish look on his face, "This isn't exactly all sunshine and rainbows for me, either. To think that I'd encounter a niece-in-law, around the same time that I'd find family that I haven't seen in almost eleven years. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are." Jeremiah sighed, and then met Lucretia's gaze, "Yourself. Not that I need to tell you that. I've made it a habit of mine to try not to involve people in things like this, but I don't quite have a choice. You are my best option currently, and now I find that you're family as well? That makes it even more difficult to ask you into harm's way, potentially." Jeremiah then shrugged, "You can think on that for a time... I need to find and speak with Aegean later tonight, and warn her also of the threat, so I can at least ease her into that. Though, knowing Aegean, she'll take it in stride, with a grin and a laugh. Rest assured, though, I do owe you meeting Serena, and a Noire always follows through on their promises~" "Hah, I meant any other important people, you silly. Of course I'll look out for myself~ I always have. Not about to stop, no matter how surprising this news is." She shook her head and bounced back as much as she could, all smiles again. "I'll make sure to take you up on that the next time we meet, Jeremiah... Jerry~" She stuck her tongue out at him and blew a small raspberry, giggling as she suddenly dashed past him to head into the festival now that the arena was over. "Better watch out, though~! If I really am just like your wife, you better not get caught in a room alone with the two of us." She winked, bounced, and went on her way, necklace clutched tight in her hand. Okay, Lucy... one more thing to add to your to-do list, but at least this one has a happy ending. Jeremiah chuckled as she finally called him Jeremiah, before immediately shortening it to Jerry. She dashed past him, and in true Levion fashion, threatened him if he was ever alone with her and Serena. As she sauntered away, Jeremiah sighed, and ran a hand through her hair, "The worst part is that she doesn't even know how similar she is... and that arguably makes the threat worse." Jeremiah chuckled to himself, "What an unbelievable turn of events..." And they could get even more fantastical with what happens in the future... I'll have to make sure that whatever games are being played in the background don't come to fruition... So I'll have to start clearing my board of questions. Jeremiah turned towards the park, and started making his way out. That starts with Versaris, and Aegean... and then the Kitsune. Jeremiah sat in the park mulling over the multitudes of information that he had been gleaning since his arrival in Islexia. The Tigers harboring so many folk of importance was one that was expected, thanks to Versaris's letter, but what came of this chase was so much more than he could have expected. The attacks on intelligence branches would have already been more than enough; intelligence officers were often far better trained than that of the alliance countries, so for some entity to have such success with targeting them meant that a larger power had to be at play here. The obvious call was the Underground, contrary to belief, they spanned the continent, no member of the alliance did not have their tendrils sunk into their skin. Yet, there was that name that continued to pop up, 'Noctua'. Information on them was limited, it wasn't even possible to say that they were one in the same, but Noctua was far more troubling than the underground had proven to be. The name had come up in the highest circles of intelligence due to their kidnapping of rare monsters. They were almost definitely implicated in an attack back during the Collapse that completely destroyed an enclave, but until he had taken the reins of the organization, Noctua had been a shadowy, inexplicable force. If they were to be tied with what was happening now, what was that to mean? Lucille and the Asteria were well known for their meticulous work--Anna had a lot to do with that--so for Lucille to make such a grand mistake was unlikely. But then that left the issue being as betrayed from the inside, and even that should have been impossible. There was a link somewhere that was missing, a way in which someone knew what the plan was to be. Lucille's journey wasn't even mentioned to most, but given the timing and haphazard nature of things... someone had to have known. Now that brought them to the other members of the Asteria being about, Catherine, Anna, and Tica, with whoever else they'd brought with them--Lati had said that there were others. Jeremiah didn't look over at the footsteps approaching him, they were familiar, soft and measured, and the fact that she hadn't called out to him was more than enough to know who then was leaning on his shoulder. "I've been enjoying the festival... not often that I get some time to myself. Then again, I think you should be the one celebrating. Considering that the Tigers defeated Kazran, and simultaneously installed a clouded sympathetic leader in the region. I'd say you've gone above and beyond what was asked of you." Jeremiah looked over at Gean and smiled, but the sigh that left her lips made clear that she wasn't just here to spend a couple moments, "...The kitsune, huh? So I assume that this has something to do with Kise, then?" He'd mulled over it, wondering if his feeling had been correct, and if it had, to what end would she have tried to strike? There really could only be one answer. "I admit, I have found it odd that a kitsune was out here, just wandering about... but I'll have time for my own questions, so... what are you trying to figure out, Aegean?" Barios chuckled as he watched Roxanne launch into an extended explanation of Light Magic, and it's various tomes. For a moment, he almost saw Kiri doing the same thing. It was a common occurrence years ago--Kiri could talk for hours on end about Light Magic, and various properties and tomes. It was almost embarrassing to remember that she'd originally caught his eyes by lovingly over-explaining a Cosmo tome, however... those days were much rarer now in the aftermath of all that happened. Her love of magic hadn't disappeared, but it was considerably more muted, as was she. "Aha... it is rather uncommon tome, so it is rather expensive. 6000 gold, rather difficult to part with. Though... I suppose, a small discount could be in order for the refresher on light magic." Barios grinned at Roxanne, before handing the tome to Koba, "If you would like to see it for yourself, I wouldn't mind." Lili flinched a bit as Laela ruffled her hair, but then smiled and nodded her head, "Okay! I can do that!" Lili gently took Laela's hand and guided her over to the box of bands before scanning them. Robust was a more difficult word... so Lili instead looked for the brightest band of the bunch, and pulled it out, "There, I think it's this one!" What the young girl pulled out of the case was a Thief's band, and held it up to Laela, "I think it's this one!" But before she could hand it to Laela, Kiri walked over and touched Lili on the head, "Robust, dear." Kiri looked at Laela with a genuine smile before turning back to Lili, "Robust means a bit more... durable, sort of like the table downstairs--we've had it forever, and it's survived all of our moving, so it's a rather robust table." Lili bobbed her head, looked at the band, and then her face lit up. She took the band back, and then pulled out a different band, with a reddish glow to it, "This one?" Kiri smiled, and nodded, "Yes, that one. You can continue to handle this one, dear." She tapped the ice blue haired girl on the head, before moving along, to the dragon and tiger, noticing that the dragon was holding the voucher from the arena. But before she could wander off to that, a blue wolf waved as well, and he was closer, "Oh, yes, is there something you see that you may be interested in?" Kiri glanced back over at the Kitsune, the time wasn't right to be gawking, nor to ask the burning question in her mind, but... to see Kitsune here in Islexia... her parents would have been overjoyed at the sight. Were they still alive, of course. For now though, it was best to-- "Huh...?" She blinked as a third kitsune now was in her line of sight, and this one was smaller than the other two, twin tailed instead of the six that the other had. What is... going on here? Kiri shook her head, at least she'd get time with this one eventually, seeing as she was frequenting the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted Saturday at 05:00 PM Share Posted Saturday at 05:00 PM "Hmph..." Was all she had to say to his ceaseless advance through her taunts, crossing her arms. She was determined to find a way under his skin without sabotaging the one branch of support she had, which meant threats against her other were off the table even if she knew they would work. There had to be something that would work, even if she couldn't find it now. With the day already at it ends she doubted she would have time to find it, silently swearing instead that if she got another day it would be devoted to making Sari squirm by nearly any means necessary. "Do what you want... I was asking cause it's your gold I'm threatening to spend. Hmp- Hey!" She huffed as he kissed her head. "As if I would want something like tha--!?" A surprised yelp cut off the rest of what she had been going to say, the sudden hand on her tail, trailing down it, nearly made her jump out of her skin! Without anything other than the sudden movement of her tail as a warning she whipped it into the not-elf's back with a loud whapp! How Alriana had managed against such an incorrigible pervert was lost on the original, and he only seemed to be getting worse with time! "Wh-What the hell is wrong with you!? You damn, stupid, not-elf pervert!" In her outrage she had forgotten they were in public, surrounded by many of the Tigers, of which a least a few of them knew that Alriana rarely, if ever, raised her voice to the not-elf. It was too late to do anything about it, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted Sunday at 01:19 AM Share Posted Sunday at 01:19 AM "Ah no...I know you're both one in the same, I just...fell into old habits." She shifted slightly, she felt the tension in the air. Her voice was serious, deadly serious. The cleric felt her heart skip a beat or two as she continued. She followed her words intently, until she had reached the point of splitting up. "!" Her eyes shot wide open, and the skips turned up to a rapid pace. "...mm." She took a moment to compose herself, she couldn't crumble without expressing herself. No, no. Please hold it together Renais. This is too important to buckle under...you have to prove yourself. The turned her head to the side slightly and sighed to herself, then she turned to meet her gaze once more. "M-Mikoto...Kise, I've done a lot of thinking, and I wanted to talk to Kisara for more insight, but even now I understand. Your duty is important to you, it's something you've strived for three centuries. I truly didn't mean to hurt you like this. If I was told to stop looking for my sister it would hurt me too, it would very deeply..." She took another moment to process, she held her own hand to stop from shaking. She held eye contact. "I may be a Lufirian, but I have no memories of Lufiria. No matter how hard I try the fog won't lift, so I have no personal love toward the nation that I know of. The best I have is my relationship with some of the natives. I just...panicked. You made it clear that you won't harm the people, but I'm afraid this path may lead to your grave, that someone may misunderstand your intent and aim to challenge you. You're very strong, Mikoto. Stronger than a lot of warriors and mages I've known, but Luthier taught me that there's always the threat of someone stronger...I don't want you to do this alone." She looked aside for a moment as her eyes narrowed. "I completely fumbled my words when I wanted to help you, and in doing so I harmed you in the process. I cannot apologize enough for it, to someone who has given me the world...you deserve so much better, you deserve the closure you seek." The more she talked with the kitsune the more pressure she felt. She felt a small strain on her back, and the tears in the corners of her eyes formed once more. She gripped her hand so tight it almost left a mark. Reality hit her like lightning. "I've neglected you for so long, I can understand your frustration. Why you avoided me, and I can understand why you would want to separate from me...words cannot describe how sorry I am." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted Sunday at 02:57 AM Share Posted Sunday at 02:57 AM (edited) "Mmm... Your apology is noted, but as I told Aegean, words mean little. With how fearful you are, being involved with me will not bode well for you. It was Kise's idea in the first place, one that she pestered me over for quite some time... I should have stopped her and saved you the trouble." She sighed and shook her head. "Thank you for sharing your feelings on Lufiria, but this sticking point with Luthier, you continue to return to it. It is rather frustrating... Who is responsible for him getting the upper hand on me in the first place?" She narrowed her eyes for a moment before sighing. "I will do it alone because it is clear that neither of you are willing to join me. Even if you did, at the moment, I would spend more time keeping you safe than achieving anything. Perhaps were you able to defend yourself, perhaps were you able to bolster myself or Aegean in a meaningful way... You are a healer, Renais. Your place is here, with plenty of guards and people to heal." She turned her head away from the girl, waving her off with a hand. "Speak with Kisara if you wish. If you want me to believe my actions are a mistake, that I am acting too quickly, or responding too harshly, then prove me wrong and take action on the issue. Aegean already is... I'm rather impressed with her sudden drive. It was like something clicked~ Maybe she finally realized... just how heavy it is, the path the Tigers are walking down. When it comes to rest on your shoulders, will you buckle? Will you run? Can you handle the imminent collision that this group faces while trying to understand my pain, my drive, my motivations? Frankly... I don't think you have it in you for both." There was nothing else she had to add. Renais had shown them that she understood her mistake, and she regretted it, truly... but that regret was nothing but words. Only actions could prove her sincerity, and there was no obligation for her to prove them, now. I will be stunned if she attempts to follow the path Aegean is walking along... Desperate woman, truly trying to put a stop to this, to me, and for what? A country that abandoned you as well? Hahh... Always wishing to avoid bloodshed, these humans. Sometimes, killing is the only way to accomplish change... But I have already agreed to attempt words first. I will see her conviction through... What of your conviction, Renais? Sylm nodded slowly, covering her eyes with a hand for a moment, trying to ignore the headache. "Yes, let us... see to these magical trinkets, and I will ask the vendors if they have some water on hand. Miria is rather hungry, but this does not appear to be a place of nourishment, and the outdoors are far too loud... I suppose the both of us will have to do our best for the moment." Sylm gently patted Miria on the head, before following along with Giovanna towards the stall, eyeing the people already purchasing things. "It's... quite the selection. Hmm... What were you hoping to find, Giovanna? You as well, Miria... I don't mind if, some of the gold I received goes towards purchases for either of you." She still didn't feel as though she'd earned the gold she was given, having done Kazran's deeds for so long. It would be better spent on people like Giovanna or Miria, that much she had decided. "Just speak up, and... ask, either of them if they have any water I can purchase. Maybe some sort of jerky... or, ration. Hahh..." "Of course, Ullr... I trust you will. No need to apologize~" In the perfect position to do so, Iris pet his hair, probably to his chagrin, as they were approached by the vendor lady, Iris waving at her atop his shoulders, all smiles. "Hey there pretty lady! I'm Iris, he's Ullr. I have no idea what he wants, so feel free to prod and poke him for an answer. Iiii am looking for a bargain bin, basic, beginner level light tome~ Fancy myself getting into casting that funny searing magic, so if you have one, please furnish me with one, good merchant~" She smiled all confident, puffing up her chest some, tail wagging as it draped down Ullr's back. "And anything else you recommend, we're all filthy rich because we... Killed, that, warlord. That's right~! You're looking at the group that took out Kazran, and Ullr here," she ruffled his hair again, "was front and center. I'm so proud of him~" "Kghh!" Sari was almost knocked over, having to use the table to prop himself up, it and the items on it bouncing a bit with the full impact of Mira's tail. "Hah... Hahahah~!" It had hurt, sure, but it was definitely far too funny and far too cute a reaction. "Goodness, Mira, it was just your tail~ So damn cute... Fine, fine. I'll keep those things to myself until we're in private, but you'd best be prepared for all that pent up energy~" He raised an eyebrow at him, unbothered by the presence of the other Tigers. If any of them asked, he would explain, not going to shy away from any of this. She wasn't a secret to keep between the two of them until things could be figured out. "My apologies," he offered Barios and Kiri, smiling brightly, feeling rather refreshed despite the dull throbbing in his back. "Got a bit too familiar with my hands... She's shy, and, well... The atmosphere of the celebrations gets to us all, I suppose~ Mira, before I get any other ideas... Is there anything you see that you'd like?" There were a few bands, she'd already mentioned those, but there were also several knives that felt like they could fit her well. "I'll help if you need it. Just ask~" Laela felt her entire day softening, watching the little girl do her best to provide for a customer. She'd gotten the wrong item at first, it seemed, her mother gently correcting her. "So cute..." She took out her gold while they figured out which band was the right one for her request, placing out the requested two thousand for them as she was handed the one with the faint red to it. "Magic stuff is always super cool. Good work, darlin'." She had to resist the urge to join her mother in patting her hair, not wanting to get too overly familiar with this stranger's child... it was just adorable to watch, so she fed herself on those feelings before anything else. "You're gonna be a great merchant one day, just like your mama, aren't you?" There was a sudden impact from the couple nearby, the elf recoiling in pain, seemingly having been struck by the lizard's tail. She couldn't help herself, snorting a laugh, stopping the rest from following. "Serves you right for being so damn cocky~" She didn't bother whispering it, not caring if either of them heard it... but there was a certain jovial tone to her words, unable to fully take a shot in the moments. Damn kids... Always too cute. Not a cool weakness to have, Laela... Edited Sunday at 03:35 AM by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted Sunday at 07:33 AM Share Posted Sunday at 07:33 AM “Hahh... gawds, Coral, I know, it’s just... when was the last time someone was nearly that nice to us? Miss, um... what was her name - Aegean? - doesn’t count, we met her at the same time... wha--” Thalia straightened up as Coral jumped close to her, their rare brief moment of being startled catching her more off guard than the contents of the table, though it also left her briefly stunned. “Who’d just go and sell something like that? Gawds, people have weird tastes...” Not that it bothers the kid... she sure seems energetic. Maybe that’s what it’s like growing up like... that, though. The kitsune sighed, her tails bristling at the mention of hair products. “Mm, that’d be nice... go through so much of it so fast and everything.” She huffed. It was quite the chore keeping everything properly preened... “I know, I know, gawds... Maybe we can get an advance on our pay if we’re going to get hired or something. I thought it was a whole pile of gold compared to what we normally get from arenas, but the things at this stall are kind of expensive...” She hung her shoulders for a moment, then perked back up slightly, approaching the bazaar stall more closely - it definitely had the feeling of being family-run and all, though it was quite the selection for ‘family-owned’ - if anything, she’d have expected more trifling trinkets and stuff the kind of quality... well, the kind of quality that short brown-haired girl was selling. (Used.) She waved, somewhat aimlessly, hoping to catch one of the shopkeeps’ attention, at least - there were quite the number of people here. Her soon-to-be fellow mercenaries, Thalia assumed. “Um, hi there. Wow, this is a pretty wide selection... can I ask about that axe there?” The woman - the mother? - looked free, so she angled her wave more in her direction... “You just did it, huh... That’s kind of amazing, Syta. I mean, even if it took me so many years to get good with swords, just picking up anything and being ready at the word go is-- m-mrow?!” Laniva blinked and blushed, Syta’s meaning everything but lost on her. She froze up for a moment, trapped somewhere between her own embarrassment and love; settling to squirm. “S-Syta, gosh...” The cat sighed, mumbling quietly just for Syta to hear. “T-There are a lot of people around...” Her ears twitched as Syta went right for them, especially after her last remark about a little something extra... Her tail flopped around, a telltale sign of her feelings as Syta continued to tease her about the dress. Mrahh... with how she’s been today I wonder if she’s looking at the rips more than the dress, gosh... “Huh? Oh, it is Mikoto. Hmm...” She pondered it for a moment, straightening up to hide a little of her embarrassment as Renais stopped by for the briefest of moments. “Um, well, if she doesn’t know either, I guess it is news...” She glanced over at Mikoto’s stall, shrugging slightly. “It... looks like they’re having a pretty serious talk, so maybe let’s go see what the busy stall has. It has to be interesting, or else everyone wouldn’t be swarming it... I think the Tigers are usually pretty good about shopping judgment.” Ai waved up at her newfound customers-to-be with a bright smile. “Hello, hello~! Oh, just some odds and ends from battlefields, allllll~ over the world. Every item has its own story~” There were three of them; there was something in the way they carried themselves that gave her just a little inkling that the one speaking to her was ‘in charge’, though more importantly from the way they walked she was getting hints of something else - maybe it was that little thing called class, but what it meant for her was gold (probably). “Hmhm~, well, for starters... here’s a couple of bows, if that’s your kind of thing. I heard that these are former mercenaries’ best partners, taken well care of and sold off after a loooong and successful career, um... mercenary-ing. And over here,” she gestured to the other side of her stall, “are some tomes. I’m not really a book magic type, more of a...” - she continued with a snap of her fingers instead of words, a little burst of bright colors popping between them - “--kinda girl, and all. This one’s an Elflux - brand new like off a library shelf! - and here’s a couple staffs, too.” If I can get these mercenaries to buy their own stuff, it’ll be the best one I’ve ever pulled yet~. With the festival, it was almost too easy to nab some of their supplies... just gotta hope they don’t recognize it. It looked like some of this stuff was starting to get dusty, though... “Sooooo~, anything catch your eye? I don’t make any of my things too expensive, I know some of them are used and all. And I’m not the type to go selling half-used vulneraries for every last coin, so I’m sure we can make a deal~” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted Tuesday at 03:02 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 03:02 AM "Absolutely~" Miria gave a little salute to Gio in response of her thanks. "It was fun. My head hurts, but I think it was worth the fun time." Her hand went from her salute to immediately rubbing her head. It was then Gio invited the duo along to go look at trinkets, the dragon noting this wasn't the best place for food. Miria gave a shy laugh as her head was pat. Sylmaria made a good point, there was no food around. At least from what they could see. "I guess, yeah. You're right though, I'll survive with some water. Food can come later." At least, she'd do her best to put food in the back of her mind for Sylm and Gio. She followed along with the duo as they reached one of the stalls. Miria almost immediately started turning on her old trader skills when she approached at started looking at things. She could tell the value of a gem pretty easily, but she wasn't sure what a lot of these things were actually useful for. The trader life she lived was a lot more for cool-to-look-at things than anything magical. She missed Sylm's question, as she looked however. The table had a lot of neat things, but... the thing that caught her eye was the head casually sitting there. She went to grab at, and look at it, but... she stopped. It'd be a little rude if I just picked it up without saying anything. Waiting a moment, till one of the shopkeepers were free, the girl called out, "E-Excuse me. What can you tell me about... the head?" She'd seen old statuette heads, but if that's what it was, what was the reason it sat there at the table? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted Tuesday at 10:39 PM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 10:39 PM (edited) Barios jumped when he heard something hit one of their tables, looking over at Versaris and... a white lizard? Barios blinked, unsure of what he was looking at for once. Today really was proving to be an interesting evening, Kitsune and now whatever this tailed woman was, along with the number of other folk showing up. The man chuckled as Versaris apologized for the sudden jump, "It is an evening for celebrations, though, I would appreciate it if we could keep the words civil." Barios looked at Mira, and then pointed at Lili, "My daughter is about, and I'm not about to explain certain terms to her if I can avoid it for the time being." While Roxanne and Koba continued to mull things over, another group, consisting of two humans, and what looked to be a dragon approached, with one of the humans speaking up about the head that was on display. "Excuse me," Barios wandered over to Miria, "Ah, this head..." Barios tilted his own, and wondered what exactly he was going to say about it. "Err, I... wish I could tell you more, honestly." He scratched his head, "It was simply... given to us, not too long ago. It's of rather impressive make, but I don't know what it would go to. It's... an interesting item, but... I don't quite know enough to say more on it." Finally, the woman of the hour, even if she didn't know it stepped forward, asking about one of their axes, "Ah, one of our axes, hmm? This one?" Barios walked over and pointed at unusual red tinted axe. "It's quite an uncommon one, but, it oddly matches a kitsune, such as yourself." Barios looked her over, "Ah, sorry, I'm just rather in awe that a Kitsune would be here of all places--are you with this group?" Lili smiled, the woman was really, really nice. There had been times where clouded people had been rather taciturn or hostile towards her. Her mother told her why, but she'd never really completely understood it. She was just like her wasn't she? Sure, she had a tail, and bigger ears, but her eyes were the same as hers. "Yeah! I want to be as good as my mom and dad! Both in selling stuff and magic! Momma is really, really good at--" The child jumped as the whack happened, and the table thudded. Kiri's hand was on Lili's shoulder immediately, gazing over at Versaris and Mira, as the man apologized for the start. Kiri gingerly released Lili's shoulder before turning back to Ullr and Iris. "Sorry about that," Kiri then blinked as the white lizard with the long, golden tail spoke up well before her wolf friend asking for... a basic light tome? "...Huh, I admit, not a lot of people have asked for those. You're in luck, we have a handful, but normally people would have gone to the spell shops around. Eslcas has a fairly decent one, but they do get a bit of their inventory from us. I can go and find you one for 500 gold, no reason to charge anything special for a tome you could find there." Kiri raised an eyebrow when she happily relayed that she and her friend were a part of the force that dealt with Kazran, "Are you now? That means special thanks are in order... He's been a problem for Eslcas for years." Kiri pondered a moment, before disappearing into the back, exchanging a glance with Barios about the thud. He'd handled it, but she was never a fan of such events, especially while Lili was about. A moment later, Kiri returned with a light tome, and placed it in front of Iris. "It's not much, but I don't think I'd be pleased with myself if I made you pay for this after being a part of history. You can use your gold on something else if anything catches your eye~" Edited Wednesday at 12:19 AM by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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