Map & Compass, Pt 2 - IC

[ERode]

It was nice to feel civilized again.

After a good long sweat at the sauna, where Fa Leng was able to wash off all the dirt that had built up under his scales during his three days on the road, the denizen had been pleased to find out all the other services that Montacier attendants offered too. The neck massage did wonders for him, working away the soreness of a neck that couldn't stretch backwards, and the fact that they had scented scale oils were wonderful too, a small pleasure that he usually didn't encounter in the smaller cities his work took him through. Though his fellow scaled brethren weren't a complete oddity, only major settlements carried stock for them, sadly.

Well, it was still better than Ithya, where he had to make it himself.

Warmed to the core and enjoying the evening breeze, Fa Leng carried with him the aroma of lavender and citrus as he strolled through the streets, leaning back slightly to allow his nose to catch the scents of neighboring pubs more easily. His blue scales gleamed warmly in the lights of the night, and his meaty tail lifted itself just above the ground to avoid dirtying it. The Ivy Pub caught his eye as he crossed the road. The innkeeper had mentioned that, hadn't he? Good place, popular and raucous at night. A smarter denizen would leave the best for last, but Fa Leng was the type to eat his favorite foods first. Without hesitation, he pushed open the doors, noting with approval they were indeed large enough to fit any frame, no matter how much it diverged from the skinny, skinned humanoids that denizens usually were.

There was only one table left in the pub, and Fa Leng bee-lined for the center, his blunted talons digging into, but not scoring, the floorboards. He turned one of the chairs sideways to accommodate for his tail, and dropped onto it with a thump, upper arms unfolding and stretching backwards. Plenty of stares, direct or indirect, came his way, but he'd been in Enia for a fair few years now, and the attention was simply…enjoyable. Crossing his legs to preserve his modesty, Fa Leng tilted his head to one of the waitress and said, in a voice of a breathing mountain, "Recommendations, missus?"

 

[Hecatty]

It'd taken a while to search the Black Cat before Winona had found something worthwhile. As she wandered the bustling streets of Montacier's shopping district, she kept a slip of paper clutched within her hand. Preventing even the slimmest chance the wind might rip the 'clue' from her fingers. The scribbling on the slip had guided her here so far, looking for the next location of her scavenger hunt. Yet it didn't provide any direction to said location. All she could gather from it was that she needed to find some sort of armory – maybe a blacksmith – since it mentioned today's date to pick up an order. How strange.

Yet, that wasn't the strangest thing about this slip. Something far weirder about it had been plaguing her thoughts while she'd been busy closing in on her destination. Why had this slip of highly important information been so poorly protected? It'd just been sitting in the third-floor hallway of the Black Cat. Guarded only by an unattended bag. Maybe it had been an attempt to hide it in plain sight? She'd heard of that tactic before, but this time it clearly didn't work out for them. Whoever 'they' were.

She scoffed at the idea that somebody had tried to hide this in such a manner. What an amateur. Her smirk grew, a feeling of pride welling up within as suddenly she stopped in the middle of the courtyard. Noting the library and making a mental note to visit there later, before focusing in on the building that'd made her stop in the first place. After taking in the place for a moment, she looked down at the slip in her hand; comparing the two. Winona's face lit up as childlike glee washed over her. This was the place, and subsequently 'proof' that this slip of paper hadn't led her astray. The thought that she'd simply stolen the receipt for someone's order not once crossing her thrilled mind as she approached the blacksmith's weapon shop.

Location: Montacier, Shopping district by the river, Courtyard
Mentions: -
Interactions: -

 

[Holy R. Enigma]

Justine Ferra​

Interacting with : Luminosity​

Mentions : Elvario​

Location : Shopping District​

As such, Justine was definitely much more relaxed after the bath she took four hours prior to going back to the Shopping District. It was needed specifically because of the conversation she had with Anthea and Winona. After all, she was still remembering what Anthea said before she left, it was definitely true. Should've read that contract or listened to that Templar Knight… God, why am I such a mess? Oh that's right… I want to feel alive. Hopefully shopping will get my mind off of things... She thought, with a hopeful smile in buying something will get her mind off her problems at this moment. It was always a pleasure to see the luxurious cities in Enia, they definitely have a charm to them. As if, anything bad was going to happen right it isn't like no one is not paying attention to their surroundings. I have a slight feeling in the pit of my stomach, I jinxed myself by thinking that. It was a big city after all but it was definitely busier in the evening hours.

The sound of the river by the bank really made her feel as if she was back home. It was the one thing she enjoyed since, there is a river that passes by the Ferra Estate. She was eyeing the massive library, which was definitely a great sight. If she felt like it she could go in there, but she was more interested in buying something for herself, material in value. Knowledge is useful but would the Library even have what she would want to know about. Mom, why did you kill yourself? With that look on your face... She thought a bit distracted, with a sad look on her face. As if she remembered bad happened during her childhood, which is still eating her up inside. It took her a bit to remember exactly where she wanted to go in the shopping district. Was one of the clothes stores, the more fancier one though. This caused her to walk a bit faster.

As such, Justine wasn't really paying attention to where she was walking or going for that matter. Her gut feeling in the pit of her stomach was getting to her a bit much. As if, she could've seen this coming a mile away, she would have tried to dodge what happened next. It was when she was bumped into by a six inch taller dragon denizen, which came close in making her fall. She sighed in annoyance by the fact she did jinx herself, which made her a bit angry. The Dragon Denizen's voice was different to what she usually hears, in terms of the accent. "Y-Yes, I'm alright. Would be better if you had a better understanding of your surroundings but being six inches taller than me isn't saying much… I really wasn't paying attention to my surroundings either." Her tone of voice was very annoyed and slightly angry at the dragon denizen bumping into her. If it wasn't for her lack of attention, she wouldn't be basically telling the dragon denizen sorry in a backhanded way. She's apart of a long historic Noble House in the Kingdom, it's a bit annoying nonetheless. "I guess I should introduce myself, my name is Justine Ferra. What is yours, Dragon Lady?" She questioned the Dragon Denizen and gave the best description she could say to her. Nonetheless, she hoped no one in the group would laugh at her lack of attention as much as the Dragon Lady's. If it wasn't for this interruption she would be going towards the more fancier clothes store. She gave out a sigh at this whole thing and was a bit frustrated at the chance meeting. It made her think about what Anthea would probably say about this as well.

 

[Reanimator Buns]

Temperance
​

The train ride was without much concern. Nothing of interest happened, and those on the train seemed to be none of her concern. At most there were a few who would likely be her companions in a few hours. Many of them were also here seeking contracts from the families and the Templar. Working with others was not her typical choice, but she had manage to do so with success in the past. Her specialities in locking down a foe proved immensely valuable.

But for now there was no time for work. Which left her with nothing to do. Alcohol was never something she partook in. Her name excluded, she never wished to be caught out of her right mind. Her lucidity was perhaps the thing she cared for the most. More than her life and her work or any person. So long as she was aware of what she was doing, she was alive.

Left with little else, she found herself tending to her gear. Strapped own, she took her manacles and hooks and ropes. Each set of restraints was thoroughly checked for rust or stripped ribs. Each knot was tied and retied and retied again until perfected. Her club was polished and covered in a fresh coat of wax. And once she had finished, she placed her gear against the table and once again systematically followed the same process.

Check for Rust

Tie knots

Wax club

Again and again. What else was she to do. The day was far too old. No noble would entertain the business of a manhunter at this current hour unless in dire straights. At which point they would find her. She looked over and noticed the massive scaled figure who quickly claimed the last remaining table for himself. He seemed refined. The scent he carried with him and his manner of speech. He clearly wasn't a simple barbarian. He was perhaps the most interesting individual thus far. For now she would wait and see what else would happen. Untill then...

Rust

Knots

Wax.

 

[Elvario]

Anthea Ferreira

Location : The Black Cat, a hotel near the centre of the Cotton Harbour.

Interactions:
Justine "Red" Ferra @Holy R. Enigma
Rai'jah @Luminosity
​

Anthea was fairly frustrated. She'd been tinkering with her drones for a bit longer than she should have, so when she woke up, she was rather grumpy and unladylike. Luckily enough, she was able to walk it off during a walk along the beach. Sadly enough though, there was another source of frustration. She hadn't managed to figure out how to get in contact with the Templar she wanted to meet regarding Arturo's location. Now that a certain girl was sent to keep an eye on her, she couldn't slack off too much. Well, that's what she thought, but honestly, if they sent Justine to keep watch on what she'd been doing, they'd sent an utter amateur. The only logical conclusion was that Justine was just waiting for Anthea to let her guard down so that her true intentions for this 'research' trip would be revealed. Well, two can play that game!

Anthea had decided to invest some time in resource hunting. After all, there was one specific problem she wished to solve. She wanted to carry around more than three explosive drones. Ideally, she'd fix something that'd let her carpet-bomb an entire building, but there was one big issue with all of that. How would she carry around many explosive devices without becoming a ticking time-bomb herself? She'd rather not have pieces of Anthea fly all over the streets due to one of the drones malfunctioning at random. Having only three of them severely reduced that risk and allowed her to carry them in pockets specifically designed to prevent the explosive parts from going 'boom' when they weren't supposed to do so. However, she figured there was a chance that finding another explosive material might work out equally well. If she could find something that only exploded under very specific conditions, she'd be able to carry a bunch of drones with little risk.

All in all, she had a paragraph worth of excuses to go shopping~ She was distracted from that shopping spree (if you can call checking out all sorts of random minerals, metals, fluids and books a shopping spree) when she noticed Justine had somehow ended up talking to a rather interesting looking lass. 'Did she already sign another contract?' Anthea decided to go for the non-subtle way of barging in on a conversation, namely by literally doing so. She hadn't picked up on what lead to this conversation, but she did pick up that they were doing introductions... Oh~ That gave her a very fun idea. "Ah, pardon my intrusion, my name is Anthea Ferreira, this girl's employer, of sorts. Please don't tell me that she is being a bother. She seems to have a tendency for it, I fear, for which I must humbly apologise."

If they wanted to use some odd contract as an excuse to have Justine watch her, she'd turn that against them by using the contract as an excuse to bully Justine have some fun of her own. Then again, Anthea was legitimately interested in this woman. She wondered if dragon scales made good drone or Clockworker materials. "Although I must also apologise for myself, as I cannot help myself from wondering what a woman of such foreign beauty is looking for in a place like this."

 

[Flame]

Revan
Ivy Pub​

It'd been a long an unexpectedly fortuitous day... Revan took a break from his watching of the safe house now that most of the individuals under his care had saw it fit to leave for the time being, presumably to stock up. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest decision for them, but he believed in individual freedom, so he raised no fuss as he watched them leave... He himself went out for a drink, one of many habits he'd picked up since he'd been forced to live here. He'd not known the splendors of a good strong drink back home, and his discovery of this, among other things, made him wonder if he would really go back home after this business here was said and done. Not to mention how he would get home, or even if there was any home left to return to... he'd been gone years now, and his "master's" cruel trade hadn't stopped since. He had seen plenty of his kind pass under her care, though they were all bound to other places... Perhaps killing her and just returning wouldn't be the best choice... there would likely still be slaves just like him out there... yes, perhaps he could set about the business of finding and freeing them.

Whatever the case, now was not the time for such deep thought, it was a time for celebration, though, the empty table at the center of the bar he'd entered looked rather out of place surrounded by packed tables... Usually he sat at one of these tables with members of his crew, but... no longer. He confidently passed by the full tables, and pulled out a seat, taking his spot at the table and quickly ordering himself something to drink (with some food at the side, of course) as he took in the atmosphere and watched other patrons. Everything felt so different now that he didn't have that shitty piece of metal around his neck... the cool night air, the buzz of the town, the soft lights all around... and it wasn't just that the festival would be soon, no, he'd experienced this in prior years too, he was sure it was the feel of freedom that made all these things... special now. Before, he'd been so occupied with keeping up the act, or looking for opportunities that he hadn't taken the time to really appreciate the beauty of little things like this... even a place like this, with none of the charm of his home, could be beautiful sometimes, couldn't it? As his order was placed before him and he began to dig in, he once more thanked the gods that he was alive, for the first time in years.

Erica Aubel
Montacier Shopping District​

Meanwhile, Erica had spent the rest of the day until the evening trying to relax and collect herself due to... all that had happened today. She'd only really managed to worry herself even more, however, and as the sun faded and the lights across the city began to come alive, she decided it might be best to get some fresh air, take a walk, and empty her mind... at this rate she'd be up all night, and she'd be too tired tomorrow to figure out what she'd do about all this... so she put her jacket on and headed downstairs, notifying the guards (as she'd been instructed to) that she'd be heading out for a little while to the market nearby... It didn't seem like they were suspicious of her (naturally, given the circumstances) so no escort seemed to be needed, thankfully. With that out of the way, she wasted no time leaving the hotel and walking out into the night.

Walking around like this had a different feel from that of her home. Of course she'd been offered some level of freedom in leaving home, else she would not have been able to plan to travel on the train today, but... usually she was provided a guard of some sort, something she'd been lucky not to have arranged this time... for someone so low in the line of succession as she, her family still treated her as, well... a prized possession to be guarded. Could it have been that she was their only son? Or simply that they still had some vain hope that somehow all the others in the line of succession would simply vanish? She couldn't honestly say. Whatever the reason, it was only now, a few cities away with no guards that even under these circumstances, she felt she could rest easy. She didn't need to pretend to be what others wanted her to be, even if she was "pretending" to be someone else.

So, she breathed easy as she casually strolled through the market, admiring the decorations that had been put up for some sort of coming celebration of sorts, and absentmindedly took a look at what the various stores had to offer. It occurred to her that looking at some dresses might be nice, and so she made for such a store, knowing that she'd only be doing looking... but at least she could imagine what it would be like once she completed her transmutation study, right? For now, she could only admire their beauty and hope that one day she'd get the chance to buy clothes from a shop like this... thinking about that alone was enough to send her mind wandering away from the worries of today, and relieve her of her stress.

 

[Itari]

In the end Willow and Theo accompanied Sasha to the market while the others went to grab drinks.

"Did either of you pick up any money?"

Sasha grinned and held up a fat coin purse, "I looted all the bodies. There's quite a bit in here but I got their valuables, too if we run out. Should be able to get quite a bit from a pawn shop, so you and Willow can buy whatever you want." She gestured at a store, "There's the clothes store."

There was only one other person in the shop: a well dressed woman with brown hair who was browsing the stores dress section. Sasha gave her a friendly smile as she passed and went to find the store owner. She commissioned a belt to made. The last one had been confiscated at the prison. She had another one on the ship, but who knew when she'd get back. The belt was specially made to hold bottles of ink, brushes, and scrolls of paper that could quickly rolled out. Luckily the owner told her it would be doable and to return in 3 days.

Then she bought some new clothes to change into: a plain white tunic with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, brown trousers held up with some suspenders and tucked into short black boots. She noticed the other woman in the shop still staring at the dresses and walked up to her, "Want one? I'll buy it for you." She flashed her a mischievous grin. "Not my money so pick out whatever you want."

Interactions: @Sketching101 @Flame
Mentions: @Polaris North

 

[Sketching101]

Montacier, Clothes shop at the shopping district courtyard - 20:50
June 15th, 1532​

Mentions: None
Interactions: @ItariChan , @Polaris North, @Flame
"That's probably enough to get some clothes, right?" Theo thought out loud, before following his companions inside. He spent a while in the changing room, with a bunch of red coats and cloaks. While he was in there, a large, towering gentleman and a girl in her mid-teens walked into the store. Eventually, he walked out with his old clothes, and the other clothes he brought into the dressing room, folded, in his hands. He placed the pile down, and walked by the counter. "Hey, Sasha, you've got this, right?" he said, already backing up out of the shop. The shopkeeper looked Theo up and down just before he left the shop and added something on top of the cost of Sasha's belt before accepting her commission.

New Gear, minus the sword and scooter

Right after Sasha offered to buy something for Erica, another voice piped up. "Well, well, well, who would have thought that a daughter of house Aubel would be in such need of charity!" The young, smug, feminine voice seemed to come from nowhere. A moment later, the door of the changing room slid open, revealing a face only too familiar to Erica. "Yuck. You're a spitting image of your brother. Our brother, I suppose." The young woman was the princess from house Beaureve, one of the two large houses from Montacier. The previous heir of the house had been a formidable competitor for the throne, but was jailed as a polymorph almost two decades ago at the Templar prison on Sunderlake Island. She started and finished her studies at the Royal Academy a lot younger than most people. Though she clearly knew about Erica's presence somehow, she didn't seem to recognize her old classmate.

Montacier, Blacksmith at the shopping district courtyard - 20:55
June 15th, 1532​

Mentions: None
Interactions: @Hecatty
Theo walked out of the clothes shop and started walking by the shops on the north side of the courtyard. He came to a halt after a couple of doors, having spotted the anvil and hammer sign above the entrance. He lowered his gaze at the door, but hesitated as he noticed something small on the edge of his periphery. A giddy little girl. He walked in after her, looking around.

The blacksmith was about to ask the girl if she was lost, before Theo walked in soon after. He turned back to reading his newspaper, having assumed the two strangers were siblings. "Anythin' I can help you with?" he blurted out without raising his eyes from the paper. Theo kept looking around, assuming the man was talking to the girl, seeing how she was the first to walk in.

 

[Hecatty]

Lost in her own fantasy world, and blinded by the subsequent excitement, Winona failed to notice the other person taking interest in the store. Instead darting ahead through the door. Getting herself startled by the sudden ring of a bell announcing a potential customer had entered. Or, what her overactive mind assumed it to be; a trap! Brandishing her staff, she pointed the curved end at the wholly unimpressed blacksmith. In an instance, all the pieces had fallen into place. The slip of paper had been left unguarded because the destination was the trap!

Yet, why was the 'guardian' of this place so uninterested in taking her – the trespasser – on then? For a moment uncertainty took hold of her as she inspected her surroundings. Come to think of it, this place didn't really look like a treasure trove.

"Anthin' I can help you with?"

"Eh?"

The blacksmith's voice didn't sound like he was particularly interested in conversation, but he did ask if he could assist in some way. Which was enough, for now, to compel Winona to lower her guard and approach the man. "Do you know something about this, sir?" she asked as she presented the slip of paper, "It said to go here-"

"Damn cook can't run an errant himself now?" the man interjected before Winona could finish.

"An errant? Oh, yes sir!" This man had the same odd way of speaking as the inspector from before, but an errant was pretty much the same thing as a quest. Which she was definitely on! It seemed like she was on the right path still. Within a few moments, the blacksmith presented Winona with the order mentioned on the slip; a sizable cast-iron skillet. Holding the hefty skillet in her hand, she was for once dumbfounded. Not even her imaginative mind could puzzle together how this item fit into her quest. Though, even if she couldn't see it yet, her path hadn't betrayed her thus far. This had to be right, in some way. "Thank you, sir!" She responded politely before dropping her bag to the floor and stuffing the skillet inside. ( Added to CS )

Location: Montacier, Shopping district by the river, Blacksmith
Mentions: @Sketching101
Interactions: -

 

[ERode]

As the waitress strode over, the gleam of dull steel drew Fa Leng's gaze. The denizen shifted his head slightly, his right eye catching the table upon which a woman with a hard gaze sat. Of all the places to clean one's gear, she chose a pub to do so? His eyes closed into narrow slits. Bold one, that bounty hunter. Wouldn't be surprised if he met her on the job, nabbing some poor sap. It was always somewhat off-putting, to see even denizens being treated as commodities, but while some part of his Ithyan blood rebelled against such crass notions, it was more intriguing, why one would take such hateful work.

Warranted a nod, at least. To her industrious nature, if not her impeccable morality.

Fa Leng hadn't time to muse for long though; another denizen approached with speed, the swiftness of his gait something that could be felt as he sat himself at Fa Leng's table. The waitress, poor woman, looked confused for a moment, but that changed quickly once the long-haired man started ordering, having not even glanced in Fa Leng's direction all the while. Rare that, but never was a son of Eishandar one to be turned off by a new experience. With an impressive shrug of his upper arms, he said, "I'll have that as well, missus. Thank you."

The food came quick, sliced or spooned off whatever roasts or stews the Ivy Pub had prepared previously, and the mead, acidic with a curiously salty bite, was a joy too. Portside cities always had their particular tastes, a medley of imports and exports, and the spices in this particular case…hm, could this new flavor be due to Aepian culinary influence? Fa Leng's tail slapped against the floorboards a couple of times, and he took a big swig of the mug, careful to ensure nothing spilled out from the side of his mouth. A decent snack, but he couldn't even call this an appetizer yet. After three days of flavorless meats, the blue-scaled contractor was feeling gluttonous.

"Stranger," he said, angling his head sideways to get a better look at the beastman. "It's rare to see someone my size 'round these parts, rarer for someone to invite themselves to another's table with nary a word. You've a name?"

As he spoke, Fa Leng's upper arms unfolded again, one raising up to call the waitress over.
@Flame @Reanimator Spuds

 

[Flame]

Erica Aubel
Montacier Clothes Shop​

Erica's reverie was broken by the presence of a woman in somewhat unkempt dress, not at all matching with her offer to pay for such an expensive dress... She seemed like any ordinary commoner in clothes like that, but the mischievous air about her and her mention about who's money it was tipped her off that there was more that met the eye here. Regardless, this stranger was being very nice, so she didn't let her suspicions get in the way of their conversation... after all, she was already tied up in one mess, and nobody's life was in danger here.

"Ah, if only money were the source of my woes.", she replied with a small laugh, and folded her hands on her lap as she turned to face this stranger, giving her a polite bow. "While I appreciate the kind offer... I'll have to decline. I really only came to look... you know?", she explained, giving Sasha a serene smile despite the flush on her cheeks from the embarrassment of the matter. It might seem strange to a woman like her that she would only be coming to look at dresses when it seemed she very much wanted one, and an in-depth explanation wasn't something she felt like giving to a stranger.

Her smile was broken, though, as she heard the smug claim of a somewhat familiar sounding voice. With a raise of her eyebrows, she turned to look at the one who'd spoke. Ah, it was only natural that a princess from house Beaureve would be here in Montacier she supposed, but that Erica would stumble into her here of all places was a strange coincidence indeed. How quickly she'd discerned her as a member of house Aubel was alarming as well, certainly more so than her jab at her wealth. Still, it was obvious this girl didn't actually know who she was at all... if she knew of house Aubel as well as she pretended to, she ought to know they'd only had one son... Her claims to the contrary (in line with Erica's story) tipped her off that she must be apprised of what had happened on the train, given that was the only source this information could have come from... Though given her family's status here in Montacier, that wasn't exactly a difficult feat for someone like her.

"Ah yes, I am indeed in need of some charity now, I suppose...", she replied slowly, looking down at the smug princess with the same even smile. "I would like to ask a favor of you... would you do me the pleasure of making yourself scarce? If you've something against my brother, then perhaps that's something you ought to keep to yourself... Behaving in this manner in public is unbecoming of royalty... not that I care, particularly. 'Tis my brother who is in competition for the throne with you, not I. I simply wish to live in peace. If you've got no business with me, then I would ask that you leave me be. As I'm sure you know, I've dealt with more than enough annoyances today, and my patience for such vexatious nonsense has unfortunately run dry.", she sighed, as if the presence of a member of house Beaureve was an annoyance, rather than an honor. She'd been taught to treat those higher up in the ladder of succession to her with care, but Erica didn't intend to play the game of succession any longer, and so had no desire to put up with this behavior.

Revan
The Ivy Pub
​

It didn't take long for the mountain of a man at the table beside him to pipe up. To be honest, he'd been so happy about how things were going, and just... appreciating the air around him that he... actually hadn't noticed him sitting there at first. Revan laughed heartily in response to being addressed, and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, sorry, sorry, I guess I was just so beside myself that I'd not noticed the pub had installed a statue at the center table.", he replied with a grin. "I kid, my name's Revan. Something tells me you aren't from around here either.", he finally answered, extending a well-tanned and muscled arm to shake the stranger's hand, his face awash with joy. "I hope it's not too much of a bother that I stay and eat here with you? This place is damn crowded, so I was just kinda drawn to such an empty-lookin' table. If you're expecting someone though, then I don't want to get in your way.", he offered with a nod. "As for why I'm here, well... I'm just celebrating freedom, I guess. I come here often, but tonight feels different... What about you?", he asked.

 

[ERode]

"Fa Leng Eishandar," the draconic denizen replied, baring his teeth. One of his lower arms extended outwards, and the clasping of the two males' hands sounded clear throughout the bar. "The owner placed more than just one seat 'round this table, so who am I to chase you off?"

As the waitress returned, he waved with his right upper hand, circling it once around the table, then extended three clawed fingers. Three orders of everything on the table. Even if the beastman turned out to be a light eater, Fa Leng was feeling good tonight to see his own mistakes to their natural conclusion.

"And yes, this would be my...first real night in Montacier. Finished up a job a week or so back, and now I'm here to motivate myself into another." He tipped his near-empty mug until it was parallel to the ground, a large tongue scraping the last sweet drops off the wooden sides. "Can't be bothered to work unless my pockets are empty, y'see." Well, it was always more complicated than that, but Fa Leng wasn't deep enough into his drink to start sermonizing to strangers. "It appears to me that you've got a better story than I do, anyhow," he said, leaning his arms against the table. It creaked under the weight, and Fa Leng grumbled, shifting to sit up straight again. "Care to share, or will you leave me in suspense?"

@Flame

 

[Itari]

Sasha turned her head at the new arrivals. The teen girl looked familiar somehow even though Sasha was sure she had never met her. So they were royals. After her time in the prison, she had had enough of the royal family. Though the girl she had offered to buy a dress for didn't seem so bad. While the royals were talking she slipped away from, rolling her eyes. She wasn't interested in the politics and bickering that happened between the large royal family. As she walked past the teenage girl she attempted to slip the girl's coin purse off her belt.

As Sasha approached the princess, her attendant piped up. "Majesty," he said curtly and loudly, getting up on his feet, only to have to hunch his back a bit to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. At the loud call of her attendant, the young princess jumped in place, bringing her attention to the man, who gave Sasha such an evil eye that he might as well have called her out directly. "Perhaps we ought to return to the manor for the night. We wouldn't like to keep your brother waiting." The princess nodded with uncharacteristic deference. She turned to Erica, looking her up and down, and finally stuck out her tongue, closing her eyes tight, as she left the shop. Her attendant followed suit, only turning back to take a look at the two before leaving.

Sasha flashed the lady's attendant her cheekiest grin and then went to the counter to pay for everyone's clothes. Then she went to the shop next door to buy the supplies she needed: paper, pens, nibs, ink, and brushes. It felt good to have drawing materials in her hands again. Then, she headed back to the safe house.

 

[Sketching101]

Montacier, Ivy Inn, at Ivy End - 21:00
June 15th, 1532​

Mentions: @Polaris North, @Jess Incognito
Interactions: @Flame, @ERode, @Reanimator Spuds

Another mug slammed onto the table before Revan could respond to Fa Leng. A tall, brutish looking man, pulled up a chair next to Revan, and settled in comfortably. He was one of the men sitting in the corner with the rest of the Beaureves. He was quite the recognizable figure in the city, known as the smaller brother of the two eldest twins of the Beaureve family, and a prince who had forfeited his claim to the throne long ago, Adryen Beaureve. "Sorry to intrude," he said with a cheery voice. "I couldn't help but overhear. Celebrating, are we?" Hearing the man's loud voice, the waitress serving the two quickly started pouring some more drinks. "So were we, back at our table. And I'm sure the whole city will wake up to cheers by morning, when news breaks. We'll be having a wonderful reunion in Montacier, soon. So why not be merry together? A round for us, and every respectable man, woman, and child here, on the house!" he exclaimed, laughing. As he finished, the waitress slid another round of drinks for the three men on the table. After the wait staff ferried drinks around the inn, the waitress hesitated as she was about to take some to the Templars' table, and to her surprise, Adryen made an approving gesture, at which point she put the drinks on their table as well.

 

[Holy R. Enigma]

Shopping District Collab - Courtyard

Dragon lady? Foreign beauty? Rai'jah wasn't sure whether to be flattered or insulted. Their phrasing reminded her of the time that she was enslaved by disgusting people with disgusting motives. Yet, Rai'jah put on a straight face, her long black tail flicking in slight annoyance behind her. "I am Rai'jah," she answered quite simply, glancing over them in curiosity. One of them had rather… interesting, bright pink hair. "And I am doing as what you are doing. Taking in the sights of the shopping district."

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It seems as if what Justine thought would happen, happened in terms of Anthea interjecting herself into the conversation. As if, she could really help herself but to sigh at what was being said by Anthea. She couldn't really ignore what came from Anthea's lips, it's a bit like she's still teasing her for not reading the contract. It caused her to remember what she did after the bath was read that contract and sighed, that basically what Anthea said was true. "...Seriously? I'm not trying to be a bother… P-Please can you try not doing that…" She spoke nervously towards Anthea with a definite hint of not wanting to be teased again. If anything, it was going to take awhile for her to get used to being basically an 'honorary' Templar Knight because of Anthea. As such, Justine used her family's basic calming down function aka breathing in and out and counting to 5 in her head. Should've done that sooner to be honest or she wouldn't have been so flustered at the interactions previously. She sighed deeply at her actions of being an idiot for not reading the contract the first time she got it.

Justine was shocked when she heard the Dragon Lady's name because it was beautiful. She was in a bit awed at the name but didn't want to fuck up saying it back to her. It took her a few seconds of silence to finally speak up. "It's nice to meet you, Rai'jah." She spoke with a bit of a pronouncing the name correctly. It is only because her mother told her not to mispronounce names or it'll come back to bite you. She didn't want to be bitten by a Dragon Denizen she just met, which would suck nonetheless. Would've hurt big time if that happened, since Dragon Denizens have much bigger teeth than other denizens. Her mood changed when Rai'jah said what she is doing here. "This shopping district is a very nice place to buy really great stuff… Even though I did get ripped off once. Ugh, stupid store owners." She spoke, mostly from experience since her small pouch around her waist felt like it was a rip off. Her mood swings were a bit wild but it's mostly because she wanted to go clothes shopping. "Hopefully some clothes shopping will help me..." It was obvious what she wanted to add but it's plain as day of what it means. She wanted to get over being teased by Anthea Ferreira, earlier.

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Whether Anthea would go left or right, it seemed like ways to tease Justine would keep arriving on the path. She still couldn't figure out the mystery of why this girl had been sent to watch her, but at least there was some entertainment to get out of it. For now, however, Anthea was more interested in the dragon-lady. "Ah, I fear it's not mere sightseeing I'm doing here miss Rai'jah~ I'm here to revolutionise the world into a new age! For now, that leaves me stuck looking for pressure-induced combustion mechanisms. You haven't seen a place that might sell the type of things around, by any chance, I'd assume? The randomness of some of the store locations here is rather baffling to me~"

Suddenly, she recalled a thing she'd read on Justine's contract. Would she be able to command Justine to run around half the city to look for the desired item? That was quite a fun thought~ Then again, Justine could probably easily counter it saying that the task wouldn't make her 'feel alive' and thereby breach the contract. Honestly, Anthea still wondered how drunk the person making this thing was. She figured the nicer approach might be more fruitful. "Oh, and Justine, once you've got your clothing needs in order, would you mind helping me look?"

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At least these two individuals seemed trustworthy. They appeared to be ordinary tourists without an inch of malice or malignant thought towards her. Rai'jah tipped her head towards Justine, noticing the slight mispronunciation when she said her name. It wasn't like she was trying to be rude or anything of the sort, so she let it slide. "You got ripped off here?" she asked Justine, once she realized what she meant. That bejeweled necklace she had seen earlier was probably not worth as much as it was priced for, then. Greedy humans could be such scum sometimes.

Her head tilted in the pink-haired lady's direction. What was she looking for? It was something strange-- she hadn't heard of pressure-in-juice combustion mechanisms before. "This is my first time here, so I can't help you look for it," she told both of them. "This looks like the clothing part of the shopping district. You should probably look somewhere else for what you need."

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Justine sighed a bit deeply when she was basically utterly ignored by Anthea, it seems her preferred thing was to tease her. She couldn't really blame anyone for doing that but it was making her honestly a bit embarrassed just being completely ignored like that. But she did hear what Anthea was searching for, because of how she spoke towards Rai'jah. With that in her mind, which was interrupted by what Rai'jah asked of her. "Yeah. It annoyed me to no end, honestly." She responded to the Rai'jah's question. Her feelings on the subject of being ripped off, the merchants in the big cities are a bit more cagey about their prices. She sighed with a tinge of regret for her coin purse, if it wasn't for the fact she is a Noble, it would hurt much more. As such, she hears the response that Rai'jah said to both of them about being unable to find Anthea's pressure-induced combustion mechanisms. She twinged with a slight hint of oh no in her body language, in terms of how Anthea will ask her to find those mechanisms. It took her a few seconds to think on how she'll respond to what Rai'jah said. "Ah, how lovely it's always great to search around a market, which will hopefully not rip me off again. I do hope you find something to your liking Rai'jah." She responded with a smile on her face.

It took her to feel a shiver down her spine, which caused her to fidget a bit and stare directly at Anthea. Her left eye brow was raised slightly, with the properly, why now of all things. She did hear the question from Anthea, which felt a bit too good to be true. It did cause her to figure out what to say in response, which made her smile slightly. "F-Finally you respond to me, after so gracelessly ignoring me. Sure, I can as long as you don't try to embarrass me further… Ugh, being an honorary Templar Knight is such a pain in the ass. How do Templar Knights have any fun at all?" She queried towards Anthea, while having some heavy emphasis on a specific word in the sentence. If it wasn't for Ashley to rise the ranks, in the Templar Knights; she wouldn't have taken the contract in the first place. Yet, it's something of an experience she would need to get used to since the Ferra Noble House does deal with the Templar Knights from time to time. 'Hopefully she won't say, they make their own fun. Because it feels a bit boring to say something my father said all the time. I hardly even believed my father anyways… The Templar Knights are also secretive anyway, why would any of them tell me of how they make their own fun… I'm only working with them to feel alive.' She thought with a look of not really feeling in the mood to hear five words specifically. Those words were always spoken to her, which felt a bit annoying and why she outright believed and assumed the worst about William.


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Anthea didn't quite care about the topic of being ripped off. Everyone knows you should always roll insight on the person and/or perception on the item you're buying. As for Rai'jah's clothing district comment, Anthea could only wish that things would be that easy. However, with the type of mechanisms she was looking for being as rare as they were, any store that would sell them was likely tucked away in an entirely irrelevant district. She wouldn't even be surprised if her destination turned out to be located in the attic of a clothing store or the basement of a bakery. It wouldn't be the weirdest places for her to scout materials, after all. There was no point in explaining this all to Rai'Jah, however. "Ah, I see. You have my thanks regardless~"

As for Justine, Anthea raised an eye-brow at the accusation of ignoring her. Was there something she should have reacted to? Surely the random topics of clothes shopping and being ripped off weren't worthy of mention, nor did the request to stop teasing warrant a reply. All in all, Anthea couldn't figure out what could logically have made Justine felt ignored, and thus it had to be something illogical. 'She's like a child, I guess, wanting a lot of attention? How odd. Maybe they didn't send her to watch me after all, but they sent her to keep me preoccupied... I wonder why they'd want me to be preoccupied though.'

The idea that Justine was just a child in the body of an adult increased when she started complaining about fun, question Templar Knights' abilities to have it."I personally blow things up or set them on fire." Anthea tried sounding serious, but failed horribly (performance roll of 3) and couldn't even finish her sentence before clearing giving away that it was a joke. "Anyhow, on a serious note, I think you'd rarely find a Templar that's actively looking to have fun. Most of the knights that I've met are serious to a point where it's either boring or obnoxious. As for me, I get my fun from tinkering with machines and magic alike, or by teasing people that can't read their contracts well enough before signing them~" The latter part sounded only slightly more like jesting than the part before it.

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As the two individuals were mostly talking amongst themselves, there was not much reason for Rai'Jah to stick around, so she decided to leave them to whatever Templar business they were working on after a short goodbye.

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Justine couldn't help but feel a slight chill down her spine, as she felt Anthea was judging her for some odd reason. Didn't know what kind of judging she was doing since was a bit of an annoyance. 'So annoying… Is she going to tease me again or something?' She thought, with her being a bit embarrassed at being judged by Anthea. If anything, she was a bit unnerved but she does have to follow Anthea's orders no matter what. She sighed a bit deeply, which was that she was a bit frustrated and embarrassed again by what Anthea was doing. Perceived notions are always a bit strange, but to her most people see her as an oddity with her wanting to feel alive and all that. However, she couldn't help but laugh when Anthea failed in trying to be serious. "Ha, ha… You should try a bit harder on your jokes, Anthea." She spoke with a genuinely happy smile on her face, like she needed that laugh.

It took her to lower her guard slightly since it's one thing, to deal with someone like Anthea is definitely a trial in a sense. However, with what Anthea said about the Templar Knights are just busy bees. The last part of what Anthea said made her become heavily embarrassed. "E-Err, yeah, I have a definite feeling you do enjoy teasing people that don't read contracts." She responded with a like, definitely knowing that part. It is because she's been on the receiving end of Anthea's teasing. She regretfully sighed slightly and looked at Anthea. "It would probably be a good idea for me to finally get onto my errand of shopping for clothes. Afterward, I humbly will help you find your mechanisms you need for your clockworker research. In terms, hopefully we can find them." She spoke towards Anthea in a humble tone of voice. It was obvious she tried to put on a show on her own but, she's not very good at being humble (performance roll of 3). This was mostly because a needle in a haystack type of problem, which she'll have to find the needle in the haystack and probably be teased by Anthea. It made her blush heavily and caused her to walk separate ways from Anthea.

Location: The Courtyard - Shopping District
Mentions:
Interactions: Elvario, Holy R. Enigma and Luminosity (Hopefully Luminosity is having a good real life :D)

 

[Flame]

Erica Aubel
Montacier Clothes Shop​

It seemed, thankfully, that the princess's caretaker saw it fit to keep their meeting short. A blessing it was, as she had no interest in matters of royalty, especially none to do with house Beaureve. Erica simply smiled at the teen, unmoved by her tongue-showing, as she watched her get escorted out of the shop. The woman who'd offered to buy the dress seemed to have made herself scarce quite quickly as well, perhaps not wanting to deal with some embarrassing royal squabble... Erica could very much understand that sentiment. Soon enough, when her research was complete, she would not need to worry about matters of succession or stumbling into relatives like this... If only that day could come sooner, but alas, without more work put into her magics, she would not reach that goal. That... gave her an idea. In that case, why not make the best of this bad situation? If she were to be stuck here in this town for a while, why not visit the academy to see what more she could glean? While the thought of being stuck in Montacier was not exactly thrilling, she could at least get something out of this. With that thought, she sighed to herself and decided to make her way back to the hotel for the night, all the more weary from yet another unsavory interaction today.

Revan
The Ivy Pub
​

A sellsword, was it? Maybe he could be moved to join a just cause if he could reap some reward from it... the thought occurred to him, but before he could really make a response, another man made his presence at the table. A Beaureve. Anybody staying in Montacier for an extended length of time would have to know of them, and Revan had stayed long enough to easily identify the man who'd seated himself at their table. He had no personal opinion on the Beaureves, as he didn't particularly care about the politics of the town, not being a native, and being a slave and all... but there was no reason not to get along with him. "Aye, my good man! I may not share your reason, but I definitely share your spirit!", he replied with a grin, lifting his mug to toast their new guest. "To freedom and, reunion was it? Hoah!" He whooped, toasting to whatever it was that'd all brought them together tonight. As for Fa Leng, he would of course not leave him in suspense.

"Currently, it may not be a good idea for me to share the full story, not knowing who's ears are present, but I assure you that I have finally attained a goal I've long waited for for years now... Though my fight isn't over yet. To be truly free, I've still some business to take care of here in Montacier, that perhaps a man like yourself would be interested in assisting with... Nothing unsavory, I promise.", he added, smiling. "In fact, I'm sure what I'll be doing will prove a great service to the people of Montacier.", he finished his vague explanation with a determined nod. He wasn't entirely sure if explaining so much next to A Beaureve of all things was so wise, as he himself wasn't sure of whether Morphi had ties to them, but... Fa Leng seemed at the very least like someone of good character (from what he could judge, having only known him for a few minutes now) and perhaps he could pique his interest enough to enlist his aid.

 

[Reanimator Buns]

Temperance
​

The group of interesting fellows was quick to expand. Now encompassing both a towering beast-man and a boorish man, all of whom drinking and reveling. To what was the source of this merriment? Under most circumstances, she wouldn't care. But the words of the beast-man were caught in her ear. Freedom... She had been granted freedom. And yet her first instinct was hardly a pint and a laugh. However, she had heard that was the case for many. Regardless, it had her attention. At the behest of one of the other men there, a drink was brought to her side.

"No." She shooed away the waitress with her drink. Many would wonder why such a person as herself would bother in a place like this. Why bother if one would not stand upon the tables in drunken uproar? The answer is simply because there is much to be gleamed from others. Just like those three. From the sound of it, the scaled adventurer did similar things to keep him occupied, and to add on to that, it wasn't until after he had mentioned his work that the man, not knowing who he was, had shown such a display of wealth.

She collected her things, and quickly moved through the crowds. This man may be looking for workers. She stopped right before the table. "I wish to join you all in this." She did her best to feign politeness, but the statement still awkwardly stumbled out of her lips. Without much more, and with no time for objection, she pulled a chair out and sat down. "It is curious you come to Montacier for celebrating work. I come seeking it."

@ERode @Flame @Sketching101

 

[Jess Incognito]

ARTURO LEONE

Arturo woke to a darkened room, empty save the few ragged possessions left to their tattered group. The others had left here and there, he'd been vaguely aware of their going. At some point he'd muttered something about catching up in a moment and yet promptly fallen asleep. How long he couldn't say, but outside the sky still hung in twilight. Sticky with sleepiness, he splashed water on his face and arms and tried to straighten his borrowed clothing. Very much not the image of himself, with an unshaven face and the rugged clothing of the dead bandit - perhaps for the best.

He retained only a vague memory of Montacier, having visited a few times on work, but it was enough knowledge to follow instructions from a passerby when he asked about the Ivy. He dearly hoped that was the right place...

The pub was packed. Art would normally pass along to some place quieter, but food and the only people he knew were inside...as far as his half-awake brain recalled. He pressed onward inside and up to the bar, easing in sideways between a rotund, but well-dressed man who smiled like a jackal and a skinny old man who seemed to pay no mind. It was at this moment the prince made his celebratory exclamation and Art laid eyes on Revan - somehow the only face he recognized in the whole lot. He thought maybe it best to leave the man to his own devices.

He was happy for the free beer and almost as soon as it reached the bar in front of him a quarter of the large tankard was spent. The alcohol bypassed his empty stomach quicker than he expected, but it was a welcome cheeriness. He'd ordered a stew and when it arrived he could have cried just for the taste of sodium.

Were it not for this new energy and lack of inhibition, he might have stuck to his plan to remain at the bar and let the near-stranger Revan enjoy his own accompaniment, but now, seeing as he was the only friendly face, Art scooped up his tankard and maneuvered to the center table, where he plopped down unsolicited.

"Good sir," he said, looking up at Revan, who towered over the table even seated. His voice cut into their conversation, apparent that he had no idea what they'd been speaking of before. "I hadn't the chance earlier to thank you for your hospitality!" These were not truly the right words for the case of a trafficking victim agreeing to board up a group of escaped convicts - but it was the language he was familiar with. "So-!" and he raised his tankard to the man in respect and took another swig. The amber liquid swam neatly into the heat of his face.
​

 

[Sketching101]

Montacier, Ivy End - 06:25
June 16th, 1532​

Mentions: None
Interactions: None

Early in the morning, as on any other day, the newspaper vendor stood by the fountain at the center St. Sophia Plaza in Ivy End. The vendor took its place on top of the wooden stand after placing the packed newspapers down. Despite there being no one else to listen, the vendor started reading the headlines, as it does every morning. "Today's headlines: 'Priority! Entrance to, and exit from the city has been restricted by royal decree.' Read about it in today's issue of The Montacier Journal. Next headline: 'Incident at Sunderlake Prison! Prince Thibault arrives at Montacier after days of lost communication.' Read about it in today's issue of The Montacier Journal. 'Magic Academy opens its doors to students and faculty of the Royal Academy, with guest lecturers from the Templar Knights.' Read about it in today's issue of The Montacier Journal. 'Open invite! House Beaureve prepares for impromptu celebrations at the Beaureve Mansion in South Harbour.' Read about it in today's issue of The Montacier Journal. 'Aepian Civil War nearing the end, according to prime minister. "We're in the final stretch."' Read about it in today's issue of The Montacier Journal..." The vendor kept repeating the headlines, throughout the day.

 

[Sketching101]

Montacier, Academy - 13:20​

June 16th, 1532​

Mentions: N\A
Interactions: @Polaris North, @Jess Incognito, @Hecatty, @Flame, @Holy R. Enigma, @Elvario

The Academy opened its doors to its guests early in the afternoon. The lecturers were getting ready in the spacious lecture halls. The Templars hadn't arrived yet, but many of the guest lecturers and attendees were already inside. Some of the city's interlopers were extended special invitations to attend these lectures as well. One of the professors extended an invitation to three individuals staying in town: one to Princess Anthea Ferreira, one to Erica Aubel, and one to the renowned engineer Arturo Leone. Erica's and the princess' invitations were brought by Inspector Murphy early in the morning, with a note mentioning a 'plus one'. Arturo's letter of invitation, on the other hand, was in his pocket when he woke up from his stupor from the previous night. On the other side of the invitation was a note vaguely mentioning 'clearing' a name. Another invitation was sent by a student to Winona Nito. Inspector Murphy dropped her invitation off as well. The note on the back simply said 'I hope this helps you on your quest'. Inside the invitations was a schedule for the rest of the day:

13:15 - Reception
14:00 - Professor Dupont, "Magickfuel, and its Uses in Everyday Life"
14:30 - Templar Knight, Henri Laframboise, "Archeological Discoveries on Sunderlake Isle, and Ancient Autonomous Clockworkers"
15:00 - Ithyan Envoy, Sonya Kristoff, "On the Applications of Transmutation in Medicine"
15:30 - Lunch
16:00 - Professor Méndez, "Past, Present, and Future: Understanding Time Part 1"
17:00 - Professor Gutiérrez, "Past, Present, and Future: Understanding Time Part 2"​

| The Academy Entrance |

​

Soon after the gates were opened, the attendees started to arrive one by one. At the gates were a pair of guards and one man in uniform checking invitations, or otherwise confirming identities.

"Looks like the right place." Theo piped up from behind Arturo. The young man and Willow tagged along with Arturo, after learning about the schedule of the event, with two speakers of interest in mind. One was Henri Laframboise, one of the Templars who worked under Thibault, and was likely on the ship that shot them out of the sky, and the other was Sonya Kristoff, a well known magic teacher of abjuration and transmutation from Ithya.

At the same time, a carriage rolled up in front of them. The doors opened on either side, and two people left from each. From the outside, however, it looked like there were only two people inside at any given time, but the identities of the pair of people inside appeared to be different depending on which side of the carriage you were looking from. The two women who left on the gate-side were Princess Anthea Ferreira and Justine Ferra. On the other side were Erica Aubel and Winona Sera Nito. The driverless carriage took off moments after its doors were closed shut.

"Ah, here for the Guest Lectures, madams? Welcome," said the man in the uniform. "Might I see your invitations?"

Montacier, Beaureve Mansion - 21:00​

June 15th, 1532​

Mentions: @Flame, @ItariChan, @Polaris North, @ERode, @Reanimator Spuds, @Elvario
Interactions: None

The long day came to a late end, with the events that transpired earlier in the academy having reached few ears in detail. There were some whispers with sprinkles of truth here and there, but the rumours varied so much, that it would be difficult to give any of it any credence. Main Plaza in South Harbour was starting to get more and more full by the minute. Servants had been carrying tables and putting up signs for the last hour. Many of the servants were using magic to prepare. It was a rare sight to see lowborn mages allowed to do magic in such a way in most of Enia, even if slightly less so in Montacier. As the sunlight started to dim, the floating lamps' warm red glow grew more intense to compensate.

| South Harbour Main Plaza, In Front of the Beaureve Mansion |

"Ah, friends! Lord brother'll glad to see that you could make it." The night prior, Adryen Beaureve and some of his companions shared a few rounds of drinks with some strangers at the Ivy Inn. He had promised an opportunity for employment quite late into the night, but he seemed to remember his promise. He spread his arms wide as he saw Fa Leng and Temperance. "You'll be wanting to head on in. You haven't seen the other large fellow, and his bespectacled friend on your way here?"

In the meantime, not far off from the entrance to the square were two parties: Revan, Sasha, and Jacques, making their way to the building to take this opportunity to make some allies, and a particularly small denizen following the trail of one of the most dangerous men in the country. On her way to find her quarry, her path intersected with that of the familiar beastman, and the escapees from Sunderlake Prison.