Sasha had been focused on the fight and so hadn't noticed Revan casting his spell and was caught off guard as the magic blew them back out of their cover. When she recovered, her jaw dropped in amazement as the huge tree grew out of the ground. For a moment she forgot that she was in the middle of a fight. Then, the tree began tearing off the edge of the cliff and she found herself scrambling backwards to avoid being pulled off with it. Before she could get to her feet, Sasha was lifted into the air. She grinned at him, "You know I thought this earlier, but you're pretty cute." She reached out and touched his chest from her dangling position, "And these pecs! Did you make these with mag - Woah!"
Sasha found herself cut off as he suddenly brought her closer. She frowned at the collar at his neck. Ah, so that's what this was. After their little chat, the man threw her to the side as easily as he had picked her up. She broke her fall with her Sopia tentacles. Maybe you shouldn't injure the people you want to help you, she thought. "Willow, I think I could use a heal." Sasha watched as the eight remaining men edged closer. She wouldn't have time to explain the conversation she had had with the wolf-man. Sasha quickly drew herself a throwing knife and a small spider near her ankle using her blood as she stood up. Then using her magic, she conjured about 15 small spiders and sent them towards their attackers. As they drew close, the spiders exploded. The explosions were relatively small, but it was enough to startle them. Taking advantage of the confusion, Sasha threw the knife at one of the attackers and thrust her left palm towards another. The knife struck the man in the throat, killing him. From her left palm she conjured a a cylinder straight out from her black circle tattoo, knocking another one of the attackers back.
Mentions: None
Interactions: @TheQueensGuard, @Hecatty *BZZT*"Please return--" *BZZT* "we can confirm it is safe--" *BZZT* "--ing about." *BZZT* "They seem quite adamant about having us return to our rooms," Sylvie said, showing no intention of leaving.
A few seconds after the announcement, the back-door of the carriage slid open, with a large figure squeezing through. The man was in a tight-fitting attendant uniform, with two pairs of arms, similarly to the woman who was accompanying the silent old man earlier. The man loudly cleared his throat before speaking up. "'Scuse me, sirs and madams," he said. "We'll be needin' you to clear out, as the conductor said. Head t'yer rooms."
Theo turned to Jacques and Arturo. "Hey, did you hear that? Was that Omen?" he asked, listening for more. The distant voice continued, but quieter than before. He broke into a brisk jog toward the voice. "Sounds like they're fine!"
It was sudden and unexpected - Willow much too focused on picking off someone else to realize what was happening. The ground burst beneath them, sending them skyward and out of the mist. Her wings had been too sore for an immediate emergency flight but she forced them to flap to lessen the damage on her as she crashed onto the ground again. She watched as the tree grew taller and taller until the cliff couldn't support the growth of the tree and sent it tumbling down.
Willow managed to fly herself to a relatively safer location, away from the group who had decided to attack them. She took a deep breath to collect herself as she made a motion with her hands and a bow materialized onto it. She grabbed hold of it and quickly aimed at the group, only to hesitate as Sasha was still being lifted by that wolf-man. But once Sasha was put down, Willow pulled back the string of the bow with every intention to shoot the wolf-man who had turned his back on them.
Sasha's voice came to her first. "Aazuris." Willow muttered to herself as she thrust her hand towards Sasha. A warm light would envelop the woman, her wounds and soreness would practically disappear in a fraction of a second. Once that was over, Sasha had conjured spiders that exploded before jumping into action. Willow turned back to the group. One was picked off. She pulled back the string once more and an arrow appeared on it. The man Sasha had stunned became her target and she released. The translucent arrow flew and hit its aim, striking the man right between his eyes.
The summoned bird from earlier flew past Willow and stretched out its talons, ripping through one of the men's faces, leaving him in agony as the bird soared upwards once again.
Jacques winced as Arturo began to remedy his broken arm with a sling. He wasn't going to be able to use it for a while, but it should end up fine. Especially since that one kid from earlier was a healer, if he wasn't mistaken. He nodded at their idea and followed behind them, snapping his fingers and watching the sparks that he was creating. Fire had become a source of safety for him, instead of a source of fear like most people.
When Theo heard a voice, Jacques perked up. So they were alive. That's good. The young boy had immediately burst into a jog to head towards them and Jacques picked up his face. However, a loud crash had followed - like something big had been broken. It wasn't as loud as the airship, but...
"Theo, wait!" Jacques called out as he went after him. Something was wrong.
"We should all go then!" Winona interjected after a moment of silence on her part. Normally she'd 'let her elders talk' but the idea of having a traveling group took away from her manners. If Nito traveled with companions in the tales, then she'd surely be on the right path doing the same. Winona's emerald gaze jumped between Kade and Sylvie. Trying to judge whether her suggestion was met with an equal amount of enthusiasm on their part. "Yes? It's going to be super great, I promise!"
As she uttered her promise, the girl bounced up from her seat. "We could become heroes! Real heroes like- like Nito, and-" While continuously rambling on and on about their collective future, she took her staff in hand. Other rather, in two hands at the base. Swinging it fervently. "-Hyaa! Just, heh, just like that we'll fight on and on until-" It took the appearance of the attendant before Winona managed to curb her excitement. Immediately shifting to a more reserved demeanor; prompted by the attendant's rather serious appearance.
At the request of the attendant, Winona flung her backpack over her shoulder. Stumbling at the weight before regaining balance and adjusting the straps. Now with her staff in hand, and her belongings strapped in, she turned to her assumed companions. "Let's go!" She exclaimed as if this relocation was already part of their 'quest'. Only shifting her gaze to the attendant once to reassure herself the man wasn't disapproving of her volume.
Modern Fiction, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Historic/Period. I'm quite versatile and open. More prone to original content than fandoms, though base inspiration is welcome.
The three ragged men pushed onwards through the forest, running on nothing but adrenaline at this point. Art was worried they might not find the others. Some part of his brain wanted to know why he cared. It shouldn't matter to him if he never sees these mostly-strangers again, but he felt keenly that six was better than three when your government and its thugs were likely hunting you down.
A distant rumble brought their collective attentions together. Theo quickly jumped into gear, following the sound without a second glance. Art went last after Jacques, the templar's voice burdened with concern.
More voices could be heard the further they went. It wasn't long, couldn't have been more than a few hundred paces before the three of them reached a clearing. Art about took a step past the treeline when he recognized the commotion as a fight and his lizard-brain instincts jumped him back behind a tree trunk for cover before he could even evaluate whether or not it was too late for that.
His pulse fluttered and his throat felt suddenly dry. He didn't dare poke his head around to look at the aggressors, but from where they were, he could see to the other side Omen, Sasha, and Willow putting up a fight.
Art looked to Theo and Jacques, "Have they seen us?" He didn't even have an inkling who 'they were - hoping it was nothing to do with breaking out of Sunderlake, but not knowing if random thugs were worse.
"We could become heroes! Real heroes like- like Nito, and-" Winona said, before grabbing her staff, and swinging it around. "Hyaa! Just, heh, just like that we'll fight on and on until-" Sylvie was watching with a smile, right up until they were interrupted by the large, four-armed man. As Winona excitedly got up and headed to the front of the carriage, the door slid open with the old man who had left with his companion, Erica, and Eldhi standing in the doorway. His face went completely pale the moment he saw the man in the opposite doorway. After a few seconds, the old man quickly turned on his heel, shut the door, and started rapidly walking away, frantically looking back.
Just as the man in uniform took a heavy step into the carriage, Sylvie got up as well. "Thank you, ser," she said to the man. "I'm sure we can each find our own way back now." The man impatiently tapped his fingers on her legs, trying to see the old man from the small window of the door behind Winona. "I'm sure ya can. So go on," he growled, standing still. After a few moments, Sylvie walked up behind Winona. "Let's go on that quest then, shall we?" she said, smiling.
The old man opened the door to Winona's room, walked in, and slammed the sliding door closed.
???, Near the fight between Revan and the escapees, 09:55 - Theo Russell
As they got closer to the voices, Theo realized what Jacques meant when he called after him. The young man slowed his pace as they got near the clearing, and the strangers surrounding their friends came into view. He stayed in the open for a moment, before Arturo's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Have they seen us?"
He took a swift step behind another tree, across from Arturo. "I don't think so. I'll check," Theo said. He reached his head around the tree to check. The moment he did, he came in direct eye contact with one of the bandits, who quickly raised his gun. His eyes shot wide open and he ducked back in, just before the bandit pulled the trigger, the bullet whizzing past his head. He turned to Jacques and Arturo with an apologetic look. "I think they might've seen us."
Reducing the numbers by 2 gave Sasha a quick moment to speak with Willow and Omen. She quickly relayed the conversation she had had with the leader, "The wolf-man over there, he's got some sort of collar. He's not doing this because he wants to. If we can get rid of the goons I think he'll stop attacking."
As they were talking, Sasha heard a gun go off and instinctively ducked. Except they weren't shooting at them. They were shooting behind them. The circle of men surrounding them quickly turned into a circle defending attacks from both sides, "Someone's here! Theo's group must have found us! This fight is over!"
The knowledge that they had backup gave her renewed energy and she whooped while charging out again towards the bandits. They were clearly a little shaken with the direction the battle was going now. It was now 6 on 6. The fight would be over soon. Then Sasha could find some food and pass out for the next 30 years.
"R-Rev! There's more of 'em!", one of the men shouted, stating the obvious. Revan grimaced as he glanced up the hill to spot more of what he could only assume to be this group's friends, given the direction they were coming out of the forest coincided with where he assumed the other half of the wreck seemed to have fell. 'Well, looks like the kid gloves are off...', he thought, as his men began to panic. If they had any abilities like the three before him, this fight was definitely over, whether or not he went all out... not that he wanted to kill these people anyway, but given the unfortunate timing of their friends' arrival, he might be compelled to whether he wanted to or not.
"Rev, do something, dammit!", the voice of a shaken-sounding man behind him called out. A sharp tinge of regret shot through him as he heard the power word for his lovely little necklace get shouted out, followed by "Kill 'em, Rev!"
Well, that was it. He could only hope that these guys were worth their salt enough to not get torn apart by him before this situation could be resolved. The once dull silver binding around his neck glowed bright gold, and the familiar feeling of his whole body feeling like it was on fire erupted throughout him. It'd only end if he complied. Every inch of his flesh screamed out at him in pain, ordering him to do whatever it took to make it stop. When clear minded, he used to wonder if it was even possible to will yourself to withstand it, but now he couldn't think of anything more than the command. Kill them, rip them apart. An easy task. One swipe of his claws would be all it took to make these soft little creatures' insides spill out. He had to do it. He wanted to do it, he needed to do it... The world before him turned white as his mind failed him and his body obeyed.
Those on the outside would see him roar in pain, clutching the instrument of his torture for just a moment before the real battle began. Not between his men and them, but a battle for survival for all who stood before him, one he could only hope would end in his freedom, and wouldn't end in the regrettable deaths of those he hoped would ally with him. The men behind him were forgotten as he began his attack. In a state like this, he wasn't in the presence of mind to use tactics and tricks like he had before. Instead, he immediately used the most powerful brute-force option he had at his disposal. His normally honorable beast form.
His joints cracked as he squeezed his hands into fists, and called upon the power of the beast-half inside him, the markings on his skin glowing as blood began to drip from fresh cuts his sharp nails had dug into his palms. The light intensified, and he dropped to his hands and knees for a moment as the transformation quickly took place, a bright flash of light erupting from his markings. Where once his humanoid form had stood, there was now a large wolf-like beast, bigger than even a large horse, standing before them, ears flattened as it bared it's fangs at the group. Three thick, fluffy tails rose from behind it as it growled, ready to strike.
The men behind him seemed to have gained at least a little bit of resolve upon seeing their trump-card put on such a formidable display, and turned to address the newly arrived help from the woods, leaving Revan to go on the attack at the three on the cliff-side, Sasha having the unfortunate distinction of drawing his ire first due to being in such close proximity as he charged, ready to destroy her and her friends with his teeth and claws.
"A collar?" Willow repeated, looking over to the man that had seemed to enter a sort of trance. He was gripping it earlier, as if he wanted to rip it off and she brushed her hands against her own neck. She remembered the feeling of being collared, even if it was only for a short time. It had restricted her magic - she could only imagine the pain he was undergoing from that. "I'll try to take it off." She told Sasha, keeping her eyes on the hulking figure of Revan. Her wings spread out as the bow in her hands disappeared.
She ducked down instinctively at the gunshot. Sasha mentioned that it must have been Theo and the others. Willow breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were alive, if it was indeed them. But there was no time to worry about them now. The faster they can get to the wolf man and rip off his collar, maybe there would be a chance for him to actually just leave or something.
"What-" He couldn't complete the sentence as a gunshot rang through the field. Jacques huffed. Fine, if that's the case, then it looks like it will be their fight. He looked out for a moment, retreating back quickly as another shot was released. He couldn't very well use any of his close weaponry considering his broken arm, but he didn't need to. "Get down you two. I'll distract them."
He stood up again and snapped his fingers. In an instant, five glowing fire spears appeared around him and launched towards the bandits. Because of how quick the events were, he hadn't been able to aim properly. Four of the spears exploded on the ground near the intended targets - blowing dirt up. One of them, however, connected with the bandit - searing through the bandit's flesh and practically setting him on magical fire. Without missing another beat, he dove for cover to prepare his next attack.
Without another thought, Willow charged towards the wolf man, using her wings to get closer to his height. She reached out to grab the collar and to perch on his back but the wolf man suddenly dodged to the right. He swiped one of his claws against her and she managed to beat her wings just enough to be able to dodge it. She landed a few feet behind her, ready for another launch.
Behind the tree he was hiding, Theo tore off the left sleeve of his prisoner's garbs, and quickly ran his index finger through it. Just as Jacques shot his flaming spears, Theo came out of hiding and flung the piece of cloth he ripped off as hard as he could toward Revan. Strangely enough, the thing flew with the momentum of a thrown rock, rather than that of a piece of cloth. Just as it reached right in front of Revan, Theo appeared right next to it. Before Theo could do anything, however, Revan's claw came swinging back from attacking Willow. The claw appeared to have hit Theo, but just as the attack seemed to land, he vanished, re-emerging near Willow and Sasha. "Hah… Glad to see you're all doing fine! Trouble always seems to find you, eh?"
Sasha grinned at Theo, "I think you're just always late to the party." She dodged another swipe from Revan, "In case you couldn't hear from over there we're trying to get that collar off this doggie here." Sasha waited until Revan came closer and then made an attempt to grab onto his fur so she could climb on his back. She managed to get a grip but was shaken off and thrown to the side. After being thrown, Revan came charging at her and she just barely managed to roll out of his way and back on her feet.
"Just stop for a second geez!" Willow called out to the wolf man, running her hand through her hair and looking at Theo and Sasha. Between the three of them, surely, they would be able to get it off, right? "Going in again." She muttered as she used the same tactic - heading straight towards her and just as they were about to clash, she flew upwards and reached for at least his shoulders but he got out of the way. He turned around quickly to grab her instead but she flew sideways and took a couple of steps back.
Sasha crouched and prepared to make another attempt. As Revan ran past her in an attempt to get at Willow she jumped up and managed to get a good grip on his fur. Revan attempted to shake her off, but Sasha soon got a grip with her other hand and climbed up closer to her neck. Then, she carefully transferred her hands from his fur to the collar and pulled. The collar came off surprisingly easy; she had actually put too much force behind the pull and almost fell off. "Well that wasn't too hard."
Finally, freedom, clarity… the agony of the restraint's control faded in mere moments as it was broken. The roaring, thrashing beast stopped, bowing low to take a deep breath and get a hold of himself. He could feel the weight of one of them on his back, presumably the girl he'd picked up earlier, if his count of the number of individuals present was correct. He exhaled, and stood proud once more, the three tails behind him waving happily. "Thank you so much… I am in your debt. Now, to do something I have been waiting for for a long time…", he said, turning to look at the remaining few individuals who he had been working with. For the moment, they still seemed preoccupied with individuals from the second group who'd come from the forest, no doubt feeling confident that their slave was doing his best to eradicate the threat behind them. They'd never see it coming…
If his current face was capable of being more expressive, one might call his expression an evil smile, as he quickly set about decimating what was left of "his" little raiding party. One crushing slap of his mighty paw, and one of the thugs' heads caved in, his neck cracking in a satisfying manner as his body ragdolled out in front of the group. As one turned around to react, a second swipe cut his face to ribbons, both flesh and bone cleaved by the strength of his blow, coupled with the sharpness of his claws. Sweet sounds of their terror filled his ears as his blood rushed, this long-bottled-up anger finally being sated by the deaths of his former "comrades".
He howled back at them before biting the closest one, the victim's head and neck fully captured between his sharp teeth. One shake of his head sent the body sprawling to the ground without its head as he spat it out and tackled his next victim, easily caving in his chest and crushing his arm with his weight and the force of his tackle. He didn't stop there, slashing at him as he was trapped beneath the beast, making sure the deed was done as the final bandit tried to run away. He looked up from the once-identifiable mess he'd made on the dirt and charged the fleeing man. "You were foolish to think you could escape me!", he cackled, easily catching up to the last one and barreling into him from behind, savagely tearing at him the same way he had the last one, till naught but shredded flesh and cloth remained.
Once he was satisfied with the eviscerated state of his target, he turned to face the group that had been assisting him, and in another brilliant flash of light, the man they'd met at the start of this mess was now standing before them once more, plus one girl sitting on his shoulders. He beamed at the tired and beaten group from across the row of corpses, genuinely happy to be free once more. "Thanks again, I doubt there is anything I could do to repay you this kindness… I made to kill you and you still stayed your hand…", he glanced over himself, finding no injuries. "Though it seems you are all tired, and I'm sure hurt from recent events… Mayhaps hungry as well, yes?", he asked, before reaching up to gently pluck the woman sitting on his shoulders off and sit her on the ground. "I might be able to do something about that…"
He walked to an area of dirt clear of corpses and began to work his magic. In but a few minutes, the clearing had become populated with a variety of flora. Juicy berry bushes, fruit-bearing trees, and a couple melon-vines had all sprouted from naught but dirt and grass. He looked back to them and folded his arms. "It may not be appealing to have just fruit, but alas, I know of no magic that can produce cooked meat from the ground. It is my hope that this proves enough to whet your appetites until other arrangements can be made… if… any of you are injured, I will do my best to help mend your wounds as well. I know little of the medicines of this land, but I am not without knowledge of remedies of the earth.", he explained, and with that, reached up to grab an apple and plopped on the ground. "Come, tell me about yourselves…", he offered, as he took a bite of the fruit he'd procured.
---
Once the group had had their fill and gotten their injuries treated enough to carry on, Revan revealed that he had a place they could stay, for the time being. Even if they weren't very reticent to reveal their story to a stranger, it didn't take a master of mysteries to see that their current attire meant they were on the run. If Revan was familiar with anything from his tenure here in Montacier (whether he liked it or not) it was laying low to let the "heat" cool off. As such, the illustrious group that had not too long ago owned him had plenty of safe houses tucked away in town… it paid to be in-the-know about these things.
Once his newfound friends had procured fresh clothes from those who… didn't need them anymore, and their equipment and money, he eagerly led them to town, and more specifically, to the safe house. It was… somewhat cozy, perhaps too cozy for a group of this size, but he couldn't reliably ensure their safety, and he knew that the closest (more appropriate) one was currently occupied… so, they would have to make due with this for the time being. He ushered them in, then ducked in himself, and apologized for the accommodations before shutting the door and taking a seat in on the floor, letting the rest of the group take the fair number of chairs that occupied the main room.
"You should know while you stay here, this is a safe house owned by a criminal organization called Morphi. You should be safe here, though, as there should be no reason why this particular safe house would need to be used… I know it's cramped, but I assure you there were no better options I could think of for… individuals like yourselves.", he explained, a sincere look on his face as he sat cross-legged, his tails curled over onto his lap. "Now, if you will do me the kindness of hearing me out. You don't have to agree, I know you all seem to have your own problems. You just met me, and you're not obligated to do this, especially after saving my sorry tail…", he scratched his head. "But… I've seen what you're capable of, and I'd like you to help me stand up to them. There are more of my kin out there who've been captured and treated this way, and many more will be enslaved if they continue to operate here… I was a chief, back home. I was supposed to look after my people after my father got captured, but… well, you saw where that led. I've been under their thumb for a while now, and there's no taking back the awful things I've done for them. But I'd gladly die to pay them back.", his eyes swept over the group with an unshakable conviction present in his face. "In a couple days their leader will return here, for a festival that should be happening soon… I plan to try to take her out then. You all needn't give me any answers until the day of the festival… you've done enough for me already. But until then, I promise you will be safe here. It's the least I can do.", he stated. With that, he got up and gave them a nod. "I'm going to stand watch for a while. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable.", he added, turning to the door, and stepping out to leave them to their peace.
Anthea Ferreira Location : The Black Cat, a hotel near the centre of the Cotton Harbour.
Anthea was more than a little tired by the time she finally arrived at a hotel that seemed to have rooms left available. Travelling was always such a hassle. There was the constant weariness of everyone being a possible assassin, a half-sibling, a fellow Templar, or someone on the 'capture' list, which were all equally troublesome options that made moving through crowds tiresome, particularly in merchant cities like Montacier. To make matters worse, someone had even dared to try robbing her! She'd been able to spot the suspicious behaviour ahead of time, but even so... Maybe she should've brought a guard along, but that would probably only make her stand out more. Not like her choice of attire wasn't already making her stand out more than anything else that existed between heaven and earth could make her stand out.
It wasn't all bad though. She quite enjoyed being distracted by half a dozen sales of materials that she figured she could turn into drone parts or use for a new Clockworker experiment. If only she'd brought a mule (whether that be in the form of an animal or of a person), she probably would've blown through at least half her yearly budged in a day's time. One shop even seemed to have a type of crystal that she'd been dying to get her hands on, but it was priced highly enough to buy your own castle for the same price, so she'd had to wave goodbye to all the scientific breakthroughs she envisioned achieving with such a crystal at her disposal. It was the sad fate of all under-budgeted researchers.
She eventually made her way to the Black Cat. Sadly enough, a technologically challenged staff member of the hotel spotted her drones, and deemed them too suspicious to go without questioning. As such, Anthea had to defend bringing them in. "Like I said. These are merely for research purposes. I'm not going to blow anything up." They weren't convinced yet, so Anthea tried again. "I'm a Clockworker researcher with the Templars, you can check my credentials to confirm it. I just can't let these drones get out of my sight, as they are too valuable to risk getting them stolen." She provided them with some formal documents to back up her claim, but at this rate, she really hoped the staff had at least learned to read.
Luckily enough, the latter seemed to be the case, even though they still had the audacity to ask her what she was doing here. "I'm going to visit a fellow Templar researcher soon. That's all you need to know." Did she just make herself sound really suspicious? She probably did. At times like this, she wished she could've just taken this to be a leisurely vacation. Being forced in a position to deliver actual results while having used her entire search as a excuse for getting a break was far from ideal. She probably wouldn't have time for a walk on the beach at this rate.
"You're welc - Waahh!" Sasha quickly grabbed back on to Revan's fur and squeezed her thighs. A part of her wished she had learned how to ride a horse. Maybe that would have made this easier. Another part of her wished that she could see what was going on properly. It kind of sucked to not have the satisfaction of seeing the bandits being ripped apart properly. Next thing she knew, she was suddenly on the man's shoulders and being put on the ground. "That was equally parts terrifying and exhilarating." She took a moment to think. "10/10 I'd do it again."
When Revan made the fruit tree, Sasha didn't even wait for him to finish talking. Just walked past him and started eating. Then, she laid down and took a well-deserved nap.
________
They had managed to get into the city relatively easily. Luckily they had all been able to find clothes that were a close enough match in size from the bandits. Most of them were bloody. They had attempted to wash it as best they could in the nearby river, but most of them would would probably stil turn heads. It was better than walking into town wearing prison garb though. Revan knew of a nearby safe house, and seeing as they were all wanted criminals, they followed him without complaint. It was small, but Sasha didn't mind. She was used to being in close quarters with others on the ship. She only half listened to Revan. She had been too busy counting her money. The six of them had split the money equally among themselves. Sasha had though, also secretly looted all their valuables before anyone else had gotten to them. "So, I'm thinking of going into town and buying some new clothes and other necessities. Anyone want to come with?" In addition to clothes, she needed to go to the pawn shop to trade in the valuables she had taken. And she desperately needed ink, brushes, and paper. Depending on how long they were staying town she might even be able to commission them to make her a new belt like the one she had lost in the prison.
An hour after the train had first stopped, another announcement finally buzzed through the carriages. "Please be seated, and stay-- *BZZT* "--ou are. The train will be moving sh--" *BZZT* "--ly." Before long, the train started moving again, accompanied by several small airships floating around it. In less than half an hour, the train slowed to a halt at the station, letting out a tired hiss as the doors floated open. The large, ornate station was unusually empty, except for the heavy presence of armed soldiers, checking everyone who left the train. At the exit of the carriage where Sylvie and Winona had moved to stood a tall, pinkish man with a sharp jawline. He had what seemed like a rolled up bit of paper in his mouth, with very sparse dark purple smoke coming out of the tip. He looked at Sylvie and Winona as they got off the train, then down at the clipboard in his hand, and back at the two passengers. He put the clipboard down under his arm. "... and then you two must be Lady Odiyola, and Lady Nito. For you two, and Professor Gutiérrez, and Lady Aubel..." he said, gesturing to the young woman and old man standing near the exit. "I will be helping you with your stay in Montacier, until we can get to the bottom of the incident on board. I'm Inspector Murphy, with the Montacier authorities." He gave a small bow.
Stepping out of the stationary train, Winona carefully adjusted the rim of her hat to block out some of the sunlight obstructing her view. With an unobstructed view, it became easy to see something wasn't quite right. The railway platform was dotted with far too many armed soldiers, and far too little civilians. Something was going on, but not something that was an immediate priority. As her feet made landfall on the solid ground, she shifted her weight back and forth a few times. Giving the ground a few inquisitive taps with the bottom of her staff for additional confirmation. Solid ground! The verification improved her mood tenfold, at least. Beaming with glee as her attention was pulled towards the man addressing them. "Yes sir! Winona Sera Nito!" She sounded back with a bow of her own, confirming her identity. "We're here on a-" she paused, producing a confused expression, "-what incident?" Her gaze shifted a few times between Sylvie and Inspector Murphy. Hoping either of them would be able to fill in the blanks.
Erica stepped out of the train shortly after the others, listening to the inspector explain the situation. Given the circumstances, she couldn't fault him or these soldiers for taking charge of the situation here, after all, she'd been in direct contact with the individuals who had made the attack on the train. Still, whether it was reasonable or not, the prospect of being forced to stay here at all brought an uncharacteristically sour look to her face for a few moments, before she returned to her usual calm smile. To stay here at all would be quite the bother, considering she had planned on getting off the train much later down the line. She was far too close to home, and it seemed she'd be staying here for a few days at least, and perhaps become a witness to a case… the thought of all those obstructions to her freedom was quite depressing indeed. At least they didn't truly know who she was yet… she'd managed to introduce herself to the arriving force before they took care of the situation and she was sent back aboard the train to wait… but she was certain it wouldn't be long before they were all scrutinized a little more closely and the investigators would want to know why she'd… lied. A fate she very much wished to avoid. So, with some resignation, she nodded to the inspector, and spoke up. "Indeed, I would quite like to see our accommodations… I'm sure you understand that today has been a particularly stressful one. Not how I had imagined it'd go at all, I'm afraid… I'm a bit tired after it all.", she explained, giving a slight nod to the inspector, before waiting for their directions.
Sylvie shrugged at Winona's question, with a similar look of confusion on her face. The man looked to Winona and offered an amiable, but somewhat forced smile, showing his teeth biting on the wrapped bit of paper in his mouth. "It seems there were some very bad men on that train," he said slowly. "But not to worry, we will find them and for their crimes their heads will--uh… ache quite poorly, when they realize what they did was wrong." He cleared his throat, clearly proud of his last second maneuver. He turned to Erica and took a puff smoke before continuing. "Of course. I will accompany you to your lodgings. For you, Lady Aubel, Lady Nito, and Lady Odiyola, we've arranged a wonderful hotel by the docks. And for Professor Gutiérrez, we've arranged lodgings at the Montacier Academy." Inspector Murphy gestured to the stairs that led away from the train. "This way, if you would." From the front of the carriage, some military men had already unloaded their belongings, and waited expectantly for the group.
The inspector's response to her question made a dumbfounded expression appear on Winona's face. Not because she didn't understand, but rather from how the words were delivered. For a person in a leading position, he sure didn't explain things clearly. Though she'd never voice that opinion for fear of being rude. However, that's what caused internal conflict. How was she going to 'translate' this man's explanation to the others without being insulting?
It took a second of careful consideration before Winona gasped and slowly crept closer to Sylvie. Using her elbow to nudge her companion's side in hopes of drawing attention. Wholly convinced she was the only one seeing through the inspector's convoluted speech patterns, she tried to convey what was actually going on through a series of far more confusing gestures. Finishing by pressing a finger against one side of her neck and pulling it across to the other side.
Concluding her 'act', she turned towards Erica with the intent of repeating the same gestures to her. However, before she could do so the conversation seemed to move on. Rather, it finished entirely with a gesture towards the stairs. Seeing no other way to quickly get the decoded message across, Winona took off in the proposed direction. Keeping a watchful eye out for an opportunity to convey the 'decoded message', and looking rather tense as a result.
Erica's expression turned from one of amusement to… bemusement, when she watched the child of the group start to make all sorts of hand-signs to one of their fellow passengers. Perhaps casting a spell? Trying to relay some sort of code? Whatever the case, she seemed quite intent on… making gestures. Erica simply shrugged and let her be, a bit too drained to try to make heads or tails of Winona's gesturing as she focused on following the inspector's lead to wherever it was they would be staying for the time being. Tonight, she'd get some rest, then tomorrow hopefully she would try to find a way out of this mess… as much as she wished to aid the law, throwing her escape away to play witness to a case that seemed… rather open and shut was not in her list of things to-do. Hopefully that would not make her a criminal as well.
Once they left the station, inspector Murphy led Winona, Erica, and Sylvie on a motor carriage. At that point, the professor had already split off from the group. On their way downhill to the port, inspector Murphy pointed out some landmarks every now and then. After about 40 minutes, they arrived at the port, along with a few other vehicles. Inspector Murphy pointed to a grand building. "I will be by tomorrow to check in on everyone from the train tomorrow," Murphy said. "In the meantime, please take a rest. And welcome to Montacier."
I will get a post up before long to help everyone see what's going on in the city. In the meantime, everyone at the hotel ( Erica, Anthea, Sylvie, Temperance, Winona, Justine ) can meet, if you'd like. Otherwise, you could wait for me to post in the next few days. Welcome to Montacier! Here's to a fun arc :))
I am online all the time, my sleeping schedule is fixing itself good enough. (The Online all the time might change. Since I need to start working Part Time Jobs.)
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It felt like time was slowly going as she was relaxing on a bench in the Black Cat Hotel's lobby. She did already get a room within the hotel but wasn't really that tired. There she was starring at her contract by the Templar Knights, which told her that she had to meet one of their own in Montacier. She was frustrated but finally looked at the finer details of the contract, which said Anthea Ferreira's name on it. Maybe, it cannot be a coincidence but that's the person whom Ashley talked about in her letter. Odd, should've looked at the contract more thoroughly. But I was busy when I accepted the contract with wanting something to make me feel alive... She thought, while sighed in annoyance at not really paying much attention to the Templar Knights giving her the contract.
Justine put the contract back where she gotten it, which was in a small pouch. She bought it at one of the stores in this city of trade. If anything, she felt like she was ripped off by the person whom sold her it. She looked around the hotel's lobby, and noticed a purple haired, very tall woman with drones. It was odd for once but was taken aback by the commotion that had happened with the staff and the woman. As such, she remembered Ashley described her, her profession in the Templar Knights and her name. She just sighed at this entire thing, her charge just walked right into the front door of this hotel. At times, she felt like people just love to inconvenience her but it would be better to introduce herself to Anthea. She got up from the bench, that she was sitting at, annoyed mostly at how much more beautiful Anthea is compared to her. As such, she walked elegantly towards Anthea with a slight smile on her face.
She waited patiently for Anthea and the staff member in question to stop talking, so she can introduce herself. It felt like whatever Anthea is here for is definitely Templar Knight business, which was reassuring. As such, she cleared her throat to get Anthea's attention after she finished with talking to the staff. "This is quite surprising to meet you, Anthea. After all the stuff Ashley said about you. I'm Justine Ferra, it is nice to meet you." Did she sound convincing enough? She hopefully did because its a bit odd to chat to an important Clockwork Researcher within the Templar Knights. "If you are wondering, I had a contract to meet up with you by the Templar Knights. Weirdly, Ashley never told me why she was assigned somewhere else within the Templars." She took a moment to think, which she felt as if she wanted to say something else but decided not to. It wasn't the right time at this moment to ask Anthea about how she wears that outfit since it feels so overwhelmingly ridiculous.
It took her a second to hear as if a motor carriage arrived outside of the Hotel. She had always enjoyed riding in a motor carriage, it's fun nonetheless. Though she had wondered who arrived since she likes arguing with people. It gave her a bit of nostalgia remembering arguing with some people at the Royal Academy. She sighed and hopefully waited for the people to enter the building so she could greet them in her own way. Hopefully I can get some fun of my own. Since I am heavily bored right now. She thought about the whole situation and gave out a sigh of boredom.
Anthea Ferreira Location : The Black Cat, a hotel near the centre of the Cotton Harbour. Interactions : Justine "Red" Ferra@Holy R. Enigma
As Anthea was getting mildly frustrated from dealing with the staff, she spotted someone approaching her. It was a short (although by Anthea's standards, almost anyone is short) and fairly cute looking girl. Anthea figured this girl probably wanted to talk to the staff as well, so she politely stepped aside to give her a go at the misery of trying to talk to someone as dense as this staff member had been. Oddly enough, however, the girl tried to get her attention instead...
Although a bit weary, for assassins were an ever-present threat in the mind of someone like her, she listened to what the girl had to say. Things clicked into place when the name Ashley was mentioned. "Ah, yes, Ashley's been quite helpful at times." She left the 'at times' part open for interpretation. The next part of the claim, however, made her instinctively take a step back. Her mind was racing to conclusions. 'Did they sent her to bring me back? I've only been gone for a few days though... Wait. Don't tell me they've figured out that I was just using an excuse to get a few days out of the workshop... I really don't want to go straight back to work. Should I make a run for it?' She debated her chances, but realized that those were slim. If they were sending someone after her, they probably wouldn't sent someone completely incompetent, and it took complete incompetence on her opponent's side to give Anthea to have a shot at escaping. Besides (roll 3 on intimidation), Justine looked nothing like the kind of intimidating person they'd sent after her for such a job. So maybe she wasn't going to try to take her back after all?
Anthea relaxed a bit, but some scepticism remained. The first thing she needed was to get a look at the contract, so that she could figure out the details and abuse use them. "That's odd. I haven't heard a single thing about such an arrangement! Would you mind showing me that contact?" Anthea wondered if she'd be handed over an actual contract, or if it'd be some fake excuse to get her to trust this potentially Anthea-napper. In either scenario, she'd learn some more. Heck, maybe she would even be able to identify the handwriting. If this was written be a certain someone... She just hoped it wasn't him. Not all her superiors were fun to work with, to which that person was a living testament.
After sitting through an excruciating 40 minutes of impromptu sightseeing, Winona had yet to find her opportunity to convey the meaning of the inspector's words to Erica. Normally she'd hang on the lips of anyone talking history, but the 'critical' information she'd previously deduced was denying distraction. Only once the carriage halted was she able to shift her attention to the inspector speaking up. Winona's eyes carefully followed the man's gesture. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the hotel. A building that grandiose had to belong to somebody incredibly important!
From that moment on, the inspector's parting words fell on deaf ears. "Thanks for the ride!" Her response sounded disconnected from the inspector's explanation. An automatic reply triggered by years of being taught politeness towards her elders. Yet, it was clear she took no interest in what the inspector had said. Her full, undivided attention was claimed by the grand building. Without a second hesitation, she abandoned her company and bolted through the front door. Drawn towards the place like a moth to a flame. Only halting her rushed pace once the interior of the lobby came into view. Marble and art as far as her sparkling eyes could see. Why'd they put all these treasures out for everyone to see? Unless- Unless it was a decoy! To hide the real, real treasures!
The imaginative nature of her mind immediately kicked into overdrive. Her gut told her this place had secrets, and thus she had to start a thorough investigation. A realization that composed her excited darting from artwork to artwork. Directing her gaze at the few people already present in the lobby. People knew more than paintings, and it seemed like at least one of them had to know more; the lady in the fancy attire. Winona didn't care much for fashion, nor did she understand it, and since she didn't understand the lady's choice of attire either, it had to be fashion! Hence, the lady was fancy. Just like the building they were in. They had to have a connection in some way. Another victory for deductive reasoning!
Convinced by her own 'logic', she approached the lady. Only to realize she was about to interfere in what seemed to be an important conversation. Maybe this wasn't the best moment to start asking questions. After all, she couldn't just interject while her elders were speaking. Yet, on the other hand, she had to know. Plagued with indecisiveness, she remained close and awkwardly glanced at the paintings she'd already inspected. Hoping the ongoing conversation would conclude soon.
I am online all the time, my sleeping schedule is fixing itself good enough. (The Online all the time might change. Since I need to start working Part Time Jobs.)
Writing Levels
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Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Magical, Fantasy, Modern, Post-Apocalyptic Themes, Alternate Universe, Alternate Reality, Horror and Any Anime Fandom
It took her a bit off guard, when she heard at times about Ashley, it gave her a confused look on her face. She couldn't really figure out what that meant since, it was an odd thing to say about her younger sister. Although, it is reassuring Ashley had been trying her hardest in the Templar Knights, which did make her smile while still having a bit of confusion set in. "I'm happy that Ashley could be helpful to your duties, then. Anthea, which is always nice to hear." She responded kindly towards Anthea. It's mostly because she adores her younger sister much and wouldn't want to disappoint her. If anything, she enjoys hearing news of good things about Ashley over anything bad.
Justine did notice Anthea relaxed, as if she had been worried about something. It felt a bit odd but some Templar Knights were odder than others, which included the one who gave her that contract. As she heard, Anthea's question about the contract; in the back of her mind it gave her slight unease. The one thing that would probably help this situation more would be giving Anthea the contract. "Sure, I can give you the Templar Knight Contract." She gave out a small slightly frustrated sigh. It specifically took her a few seconds to open the pouch, which had the contract within it. She handed the Templar Knight contract to Anthea with a smile. Besides, after that she shut her small pouch, which she got the contract from. Hopefully I won't regret giving Anthea that contract... She thought about Anthea's motive in wanting the contract. Justine noticed something in the corner of her eye, which felt a bit odder than most. Her eyes saw a young girl near them and raised one of her eyebrows wondering about what the child wanted.
After a moment, she gave a kind smile towards the young girl in question, which looked like she wanted to ask a question to at least Anthea or her. "What brings you here? Little Girl." She tried to get the attention of the young girl, with her voice. Justine wondered silently in her mind, this child was apart of the motor carriage, which stopped outside of the building. It took her a split second to remember she should introduce herself to the young girl. "I am sorry but I should probably introduce myself, its Justine Ferra." She responded additionally, with a genuine smile on her face. It reassured her that this child is at least polite enough to wait on a conversation. Aww, she's so cute… kinda reminds me of Ashley when she was 14 years old. I'm a bit impressed she's so polite too. She thought a bit impressed about how polite this little girl is. So maybe, she had nothing to worry about if unease is unfounded with Anthea's motive.
As Anthea accepted the contract, she was eager to read through it. It seemed pretty legit, but it was a legal mumbo jumbo you wouldn't believe existed between heaven and earth. Except she was holding it. Honestly, it said both everything and nothing at the exact same time. 'The details regarding the Templar Knight seem legit enough, so she's probably really sent by them.' The lines about having Justine help her with anything she'd need was more than a bit odd, but hey, free workers were always welcome. The one thing that baffled Anthea more than anything, however, was the paradox of the contract being binding by virtue of the idea that Justine 'gets to feel alive' as a result. The very nature of a contract was that it couldn't be easily broken, yet Justine could just be like 'nah, I don't feel alive' and the contract would be void. That... That just baffled Anthea.
Was this some sort of joke by her fellow Templars? Did they want her to see what she'd do? Were they expecting her to somehow make this girl feel alive? Turning on the overdrive on her scouting drone and having Justine chase it through-out the city would be a neat experiment that'd probably do such a thing... Anthea had so many questions that she figured she wouldn't ask any of them. After all; with such an odd contract, there was only one logical conclusion. This girl was sent to keep an eye on her, and they had done a terrible job disguising that with a fake contract. She handed back the contract with an "Alright, thanks." Somehow, she actually made it sound like she didn't highly suspect Justine of being sent there to keep an eye on her (deception roll of 15).
Anthea was a bit surprised by a kid approaching them. She wasn't exactly eager to help lost kids find their parents, nor did she want kids pestering her about her drones, thinking of the intricate machinery as mere toys. Her normal strategy relied on the classical 'don't pay it any attention and maybe it'll go away' act. Justine just had to go and ruin it. Wait? Why did Anthea care? She didn't, was the answer. She could just let Justine handle the kid, oh, and maybe slip away while she did so? That'd be an idea. Then again... not her speciality. Instead, she figured she'd just wait it out for a bit.
The sound of a voice encouraged Winona to shift her attention away from the surrounding art. It seemed her patience had been rewarded. Though she had mixed feelings about the way she'd been addressed. Especially after looking over the person for a moment. The lady wasn't that much taller than her. 'Little girl', psh. Her pride sufficiently dented, Winona gave her a look of disapproval. "I'm Winona Sera Nito," she responded, a huffy undertone to her voice, "and I-"
She paused for a moment. Her attention shifting to the more fancily dressed lady she'd meant to 'interrogate'. She hadn't said a thing thus far and that struck her as odd. Was she being ignored, or was the lady who'd addressed her speaking in her stead? Winona fell silent, trying to recall how conversations like these were supposed to be handled. "Ah-!" It took a moment of pondering before Winona adjusted her posture. Standing tall, shoulders back, head level. "I want to talk to.. her highness?" She gestured, assuming the lady's title based on the way she dressed. "Please?"
Justine had been a bit distracted in her thoughts about the cute young girl in question. It took her to realize that Anthea handed her the contract back to her. She felt a bit weird about what Anthea had said. "No problem, Anthea." She responded with a smile towards Anthea. It felt nothing was unusual about Anthea, the fact that eccentric individuals do exist everywhere (Insight roll of 14.) She opened her pouch back up and put the contract back into it and closed it. As if, the only biggest thing that she wondered about the little girl's objectives. It took her a bit off guard, when the child said her name, which felt like something she remembered or knew in particular the last name. Wasn't the Kingdom of Aepia in a civil war right now? She had one specific idea, hopefully the little girl would enjoy it. "You have a beautiful name, Winny. Also, isn't your family one of the noble houses within Aepia?" She asked towards Winona. It was a question, which she had a feeling Winona probably answers anyways.
She didn't really understand why Anthea didn't want to chat to Winona. Odd, I wonder what Anthea is thinking about ignoring Winny... She thought for a bit, which made her sigh a bit. It took her a bit by surprise when the little girl said what she said specifically about Anthea. She couldn't really understand what that meant, Anthea is a Templar Knight unless she's one of the hundreds of kids that the King has. "Umm, Uhh… What… This feels like I've bitten a bit more off than I can understand…" She responded with an utter confusion in her tone of voice. It took her a bit to ponder what Winona had said previously. As if, anything else could happen that was worse than this shock to her system. "Err… you can talk to her Winny. It would be better if she had some input in my confusion..." She spoke in response to her please inquiry.
Despite trying to appear 'busy' doing... well, doing absolutely nothing whatsoever, Anthea could quite easily tell what the two were talking about. She managed to feign disinterest a lot better than usually (performance roll 16) while listening in on them. 'Her highness... that's a title I haven't heard since... wait did I ever get addressed as such to begin with?' It was pretty amusing to say the least. It almost made her want to act more princess-like, something she rarely did. She was a researcher first and foremost, after all, Templar second, princess third, noblewoman fourth... There was quite a long row of things she was, now that she was thinking about it.
Although Anthea had absolutely no clue who this kid was, Justine seemed to recognize the name. It seemed like Justine was left quite puzzled by Winona's revelations, or something along those lines. Anyhow, Anthea figured she'd better interfere. Crouching down a bit to be a tad bit closer to eye-level, she replied to Winona. "Sure, you can talk to me." She then came up with a nice little ploy. "I'm Anthea Ferreira, 176th in line to the throne." As she said the latter part, she gave a teasing wink towards Justine suggesting a 'surely your contract mentioned that' comment that was otherwise left unspoken. Whether that message came across or whether Justine would be left puzzled probably relied on her insight.
At first, it was 'little girl' and now 'Winny'. The more Winona listened to the answers Justine was providing, the more it hurt her pride. If she thought her name was beautiful, why didn't she just use it? Repeating the pet name in her head only made the situation worst. Eventually forcing her to pull the brim of her hat down to hide her burning cheeks from sight. "You're not tall either.." She muttered, deciding to be petty and not give an answer to Justine's simple question as a 'punishment' for denting her pride.
At least Justine gave her permission to speak with Anthea, who'd been quiet so far. A sign that strengthened her belief that the two were in some way connected. Peeking out from the slit between her hat and the collar of her clothes, she watched Anthea crouch down before giving her permission to speak. Coming out of hiding, like a turtle from its shell, she adjusted her hat back to normal. Giving Anthea a good look-over as she introduced herself. She was royalty after all! Winona quickly bowed before her and then flung her backpack around. Dropping it down in front of her feet. As she dug through the contents, the bag began producing a variety of noises. Not all of them immediately identifiable. "I have a question," she spoke, voice muffled from being face-deep in her bag, "one second, please!"
Within a few moments, Winona pulled a timeworn tome from her backpack and opened it up to a page with a single image displayed on it. "I'm looking fo-" Her eyes widened for a moment, quickly placing her hand over the vaguely heart-shaped doodle on the page. "I'm looking for books about him, Grandmaster Nito, do you have any here?" She asked, still under the impression Anthea owned this place.
It was a bit odd to say the least, which she never was this dumbfounded in her life. She was always the most astute in her studies and what not. At least, she did notice that Anthea was trying to feign disinterest with her observation (Insight roll 16.) It gave her a bit of an odd look towards Anthea, which was obviously on her face. She was like, really are you seriously doing this now or something to that effect. Methinks, I should've actually paid attention to my siblings about reading things a bit more thoroughly. She thought with a bit of a frustrated look on her face. It couldn't get much worse than this, she supposed.
Justine felt a bit insulted with what exactly Winona had said to her, like she hurt the girl's pride. It kinda made her a bit more frustrated but sighed. "...I'm sorry, Winona. Guess I should be more careful with nicknames." She responded to Winona's insult towards her. Her frustration was reaching the boiling point but not enough to do anything to Winona nor Anthea since the latter is whom she has to protect. It caused her to sigh deeply with regret. Only Ashley only really likes nicknames… forget that everyone is… different. She thought with a look of not really enjoying being an emotional punching bag. Although, when Anthea spoke to Winona specifically, it gave her a bigger shock about her being 176th in line to the throne. She gasped slightly at the specific wink that Anthea gave her. As if, anything was the worst thing ever the suggestion was received loud and clear (Insight Roll of 13.)
She played her hands too easily when giving Anthea the contract, which she didn't even read thoroughly. It was plain as day on her face, she was blushing at her utter stupidity of not doing the correct thing. "D-Damn it, this doesn't feel like my day at all. I am terribly sorry for not properly introducing you, Princess." She responded utterly embarrassed and has a slight feeling that Anthea is going to use this. It was a bit annoying, frustrating and utterly her fault for not reading that at all. Her family treats all of the King's children as equals even though some are very very far from becoming the next King or Queen of the country. If it wasn't for her embarrassment she would've heard what Winona was talking to Anthea. She was completely distracted from the conversation at hand of all things because of what exactly Anthea did and said. Hopefully no one will think this is cute or anything… Because I'm not cute or anything... She thought still with her face red as bright as her eyes. It was much harder for her to hide her facial features from other people since her cloak wasn't made like that.
Anthea was pretty confused when the kid told her she had a question, but immediately asked her to wait up afterwards. Things were clear when she started to dig through her bag. 'She's going to try selling me something, isn't she?' Anthea mentally prepared herself to deny any offer that'd follow, but truth be told, the tome that came out of her backpack was looking pretty interesting. It turned out it wasn't for sale though. Anthea had to dig deep through her memory to make some connections, as the name 'Nito' had previously gone unnoticed, but it felt like she was glossing over something... "Hmmm... Ah, right!" Suddenly it clicked. "He's one of the big-shots in Necromancy, isn't he? I'm pretty sure I came across some of his writings in my research." She sighed. "I'd love to be able to ask a man like him if he knows what ties a soul to a body. I bet it'd further my Clockworker research tremendously." She then realized she wasn't answering the actual question. Instead, she'd drifted off into thought. Wait. What was the question again? Ah, right, the kid was showing her the image, so she was probably looking for the man. "I've got no clue where he might be though."
As for Justine... "Ah, relax, I was just teasing you~ I'm a researcher first and foremost." It'd be annoying if too many people knew she was 'only' 175 lives away from becoming the queen of this country, after all. Or rather, people would probably assume she had wealth and riches to hand out to whomever buttered up to her. That said, Anthea was a bit relieved. If this girl they'd sent to watch her was made to blush as easily as this, she'd probably be easy to play around with~ Anthea would be happy to abuse any weakness she could find! She didn't exactly sign up for this escort, after all.
Winona's eyes lit up once Anthea began speaking about Nito, and how his writings were a part of her research. She eagerly nodded along with the woman's words. At least up until she began focusing more on the connection to her research, rather than the man himself. When Anthea finished by explaining she didn't know about the whereabouts of Nito, Winona's level of excitement had dropped significantly. "Oh." Her tone of voice reflected the sudden disappointment that had washed over her. Like opening a present and finding nothing within.
Maybe her deductive skills had led her astray? Yet, this place had art depicting the Sealing of the Old God. In her mind, it seemed impossible a place would display art like this without having a connection to it. Her House would never display depictions of something they didn't worship.
Winona's eyes idly lingered on the two women before her, as her mind pondered over the next step to take. Concluding shortly after that she'd do some more 'fieldwork' before starting another interrogation. "Thank you for answering, your highness and lady Ferra." She said, bowing once more before stuffing her tome into the backpack and hoisting it onto her back again. With her belongings gathered, she darted off. Following the trail of paintings to the ornate stairs at the end of the lobby and making her way upstairs. Determined to find the hidden truths of the hotel.
Justine being lost in thought, blushing heavily made her kinda miss the conversation that Anthea and Winona were having. She was trying to focus on thinking of ways to refocus herself a bit. It was always frustrating to hear people call her cute, which annoyed her a bit much. As such, all it came in perspective when Anthea addressed her. It gave her one of those looks as if she's been played like a fiddle by someone who's really good at teasing people. "S-Should've known that. That was quite mean of you, don't you think, Anthea?" It reminded her of the time she spent at home teasing Johnathan and Ashley. Maybe, escorting Anthea was a good thing even though she should've listened to her siblings. She felt a bit better, which definitely helped her relax and slowly stopped blushing so heavily.
As such, she heard Winona thank them for answering their questions. As if, she wasn't really paying attention to the conversation in the first place. "No problem, Winona. Hopefully you can find whatever you seek." It took her a few moments to realize that Winona's backpack sounded as if it was extremely full or something. She was a bit flabbergasted that Winona could carry something that looked as heavy as her backpack with ease. As such, she watched Winona leave the group and go upstairs. It made her giggle slightly since Winona is definitely searching for something. As such, she really needed somewhere else to relax, which made her remember she has her own hotel room. It would be better than dealing with anymore teasing by Anthea anyways. "Anthea it was a pleasure to meet you. I do hope the staff doesn't trouble you anymore. Because they were annoying." She spoke with emphasis on the staff, as she was also annoyed by them. As such, she graciously bowed to Anthea for this chance meeting. It was plain as day, this conversation was a wild one. With that she walked away from Anthea and went up the same stairs that Winona took to her hotel room. Determined to take a bath from the annoyances of today's meeting.
Disappointment washed over Winona's face, as she learned that Anthea didn't know where Grandmaster Nito was at, but Anthea had only the truth to offer. She waved the kid goodbye as she ran off. 'Quite an odd kid, that one...' She wondered if she should've called for guards or something, so that they could find this kid's parents. Was it wise to let her run around? Well... The hotel staff would probably handle her, so the problem would solve itself. That was the excuse Anthea decided on to stop worrying about it.
As for Justine, Anthea shrugged at the mention of her being mean. "I'd recommend you to consider it a warning, one to read more carefully before signing something~" Truth be told, Anthea had no idea what to think about Justine. Between the weird contract, the fear of having to deal with someone sent to watch her every move, and Justine being a bit odd all around, this proved to be interesting and tiring in equal measures.
As for the staff. "Eh, I'm sure things will be worked out." Anthea wasn't quite sure what Justine was trying to get at by calling out the staff this blatantly, but figured it was best to go along with it. She watched as Justine left, wondering if Justine was so overconfident in her ability to track Anthea down again that she was more than willing to let her out of sight like this. In either case, Anthea figured it was about time to head to her room herself. If the staff tried stopping her again, she could now tell them to go catch a kid that was running wild with a big enough bag to steal half the valuables in the hotel. Surely that'd keep them more occupied than some drones.
With the summer solstice approaching, the sunset had started getting later and later. The streets of Montacier were full to the brim, lit up in a warm, orange light. After another day of strange occurrences, and uncanny coincidences, the city's people were out and about, doing their business as if it were any other day. Three parties had arrived to the city that day, each less expected than the last: The customers of the Beaureve Needle who were stranded in this city after their train was visited by some unwanted guests, the former prisoners from the now destroyed Sunderlake Island, and the company of the Templar general and researcher, Prince Léonard Thibault.
After a long day's rest, people from each group took to the streets to relax, sightsee, or get provisions. Willow, Theo, and Sasha decided to go and see if they could get a new change of clothes, wearing what clean clothes they could find in the hideout Revan had led them to. At the same time those three were walking into the shopping district from the north west (4), the current guests of the prestigious Black Cat Hotel arrived by the first bridge on the river, having taken the long road around for a nice walk by the sea (5).
"It feels a bit surreal," Theo piped up at the entrance of the clothes shop. "Just a couple of days ago, I didn't think we'd ever get off that island. But now that we are out, I'm not..." His voice trailed off as if he suddenly realized something. He turned to Willow and Sasha, scratching the bandage he put on his cheek to cover his green birthmark. "Did either of you pick up any money?"
Near the riverbank, the gigantic library loomed over a largely open courtyard where some restaurants had set up some tables, across from the clothes shop the polymorphs were at, a famous blacksmith's weapon shop, and a few farmers' stands.
Montacier, Ivy Inn, at Ivy End - 20:45 June 9th, 1532
At the famous Ivy Pub by Ivy End, they were having a relatively calm evening. All but one of the tables in the spacious pub were full, but there hadn't been any big fights just yet. There was a fairly large group of people gathered in one corner, and some Templar men, in uniform but unarmoured, and completely drunk, sat on the far corner. On most other tables, there was a radiating sense of tension and unease. Both of these parties were rather well known in these parts. The Templars had a strong presence in Montacier, due to the fact that the most influential family connected to the church lived in Montacier: the Thibault family. And across the pub were members of another influential family in Montacier: the Beaureve family. As the rest of the escapees from Sunderlake Prison, and the outstanding mercenaries staying at a nearby inn made their way to the pub, with only the one table left empty, right in the center of the pub.
How nice it felt to actually get some rest. There was nothing like unwinding her sore muscles, especially after so many hours of travel. That was the first thing Rai'jah felt when she set foot upon Montacier. It wasn't like she was going to stay for long, despite the sheer beauty of the large city. Deep in the heart, she needed to keep moving, no matter how much she wanted to remain in a place and actually be able to be at peace. She found herself thinking as she wandered the streets, and for a moment, she wondered if she would ever be at peace. If she would ever be able to settle down and live out the rest of her days without a worry in her heart or mind. Unlikely, she thought tiredly, finding that the greatsword on her back was becoming heavier and heavier as she aimlessly wandered the streets. They'll probably catch up to me sooner or later if I chose to stay in such a big city.
Her sharp eyes caught something shiny as she passed by a random market stall at the end of a street. It was a necklace, bejeweled with deep garnets and rubies. Rai'jah stepped closer, which earned her a shady glance from the stallkeeper. Of course. She really didn't see the type of person to be able to afford such a thing, right? After all, she was just a very shabby looking sellsword with some weird feet and a tail. Oh, and horns. That was another thing. She wondered why she couldn't look as pretty as royalty. Then maybe she could have at least tried the necklace on. She pouted, huffed, and turned away. There were probably prettier things further down the road.
"There might be a couple of things that are cheaper and just as pretty," Rai'jah mumbled to herself with another roll of her eyes. This shopping district looked huge; she was bound to find something that would catch her eye. Her long, taloned feet carried her down the road at a quick pace, and the more shops she saw, the more her soured mood improved. Ooh, there was so much to look at. Candied apples, shiny rings, and such pretty dresses. She wondered if she would be able to fit in one, or if she could get one tailored to her size... how did they measure that anyway? Bust, waist, hips--
Rai'jah had been walking so quickly that she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. She had been so careless that she collided with someone on the road, and she flinched, glancing down at the person. "E-excuse me! Are you alright? I didn't mean to bump into you, it's just, well... you're easily overlookable?"
