Varia - Exploration & Acquisition Services

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Staring the monster down even if it had no eyes.

Gren stood firm and mustered his strength to push it back harder than it could advance, determined to keep it's gnashing teeth at bay, when suddenly a sharp wracking pain swelled at the back of his knee.

"Nnnnngrrh!"

Gren fell unto one leg but still held on to his senses, defiant against the pain. He struggled to lean back in the monster's path and kept his shield raised with one arm. Gren bared his teeth as he pressed his other hand against the injury and glared behind at the scumbag who kicked him.


"You bit-" He managed to say when he choked on the smell the moment ichor spilled from it's rotted body, the feline had knifed it. It was then, when Gren paused, that he recognized who it was. ...His fists clenched audibly, nails digging deep into his palm. How could could he forget that face? The face of a traitor. That smug pretentious look on a bastard's excuse for a human being.

Gren patronized his recent, more violent thoughts when he felt something bump against him - reminding him of the situation they were in.



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He then stood up and pointed at Kendric Silvers and swiftly ran his thumb across his throat, glaring murderously as he did so, assuring the boy that he would be dealt with later. He then turned back towards the creature, only to see it moving away from them and to the others who were in the room.



No. You. Don't.

Shakily he fumbled to lower the barrier with a tap to the back of his hand, recklessly reaching out to grab one of the monster's limbs before it could get away.




.......For if he managed that, Gren would proceed to swing the whole abomination straight at Kendric!
 
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Tiana Veyliss saw Gren grab ahold of one of the monster's limb as it advanced towards the feline lady. Turning towards Raven, who was supporting the unconscious person, Tiana beckoned towards the way they came and went around behind the feline lady, who was on guard with her knife drawn. "Excuse me, I am a mage and I think I can hurt it really badly. I need time to build up affinity though, may I ask you keep it off me in case it comes towards me?"

When Tiana was converting mana into fire affinity, her heart would start beating faster and her body temperature would rise. The process took awhile though, and right now the progress she made earlier had dissipated. Seeing that the monster was currently attempting to chew off Gren's gloved hand, she decided she would have enough time. Planting her staff into the floor in front of her, she closed her eyes and started.
 
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Nylau watched the ongoing struggle from afar, still catching her breath from the close encounter. The man keeping the creature off of Kendric suddenly went down on one knee. She was glad that he still managed to hold up the defense though. She stood as the woman that had engaged the creature with her staff and another man in black moved around to her side of the creature. The man in black proceeded to move the staff member away from the fight. Nylau

The woman had come towards her, which had her a little shocked, even with the situation at hand. "Excuse me, I am a mage and I think I can hurt it really badly. I need time to build up affinity though, may I ask you keep it off me in case it comes towards me?" Nylau nodded quickly. "I will do what I can to keep the creature at bay." Currently she was worried about her companion, the man in front of Kendric. The creature was not yielding to his shield and she was starting to wonder how long he could keep it up. If any of them got hurt... No, focus. I must make sure this woman can conjure enough magic to finally rid us of this creature. "Please, be quick."
 
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"Woooooooooooooow!" Crossing the threshold into the building, Mahina was in awe. She spoke to the small calf which was now slung over her tiny shoulder. "Looking at all this! Is that gold?! Ayaaaaa~ It almost as much as is mother's cave, who ever be here must be very the strong!" Collecting gold was part of her culture growing up. Gold did not exist naturally in the islands Mahina came from. For the Tor'shuel to get gold, they had to take it, and the more gold you had showed you had enough power to take it. Most Tor'shuel no longer conquer, raid or steal for gold anymore, but still all Tor'shuel have a small carnal desire to collect it.
Mahina's stomach roared audibly as she took her first few steps into the building. "...But I hope I am finding food soon..." She whined to herself. She set her cow-friend down; one of the first things she learned in Malia was that it was considered rude to carry someone else in public. Mahina had also given the calf a new name: "Mo'nle". Really, she just named changed the first sound to "mo" to match the sound a cow makes. The cow had given up trying to escape its captor on the way to the building. The cow just sort of followed her know she would pick it up if it went too far. "Ok Mo'nle, let us moving!"

"No wait! Stop Ha'nle!" She pattered frantically as she tried to hide behind the cow. "Looking over there, a Ha'nle guard... " At the far end of the lobby sat a man behind a desk. The man was a leaning back in a chair with his feet on the desk as he read a magazine. He was bored, nobody had come in today with any requests and all the remaining senior staff were either off on their own jobs or helping out with orientation. The man was compeletly oblivious to Mahina or the cow's presence, but he was right next to the stairs. She would be detected for sure if she approached the stairs directly.

"MMmmhhhhhhhhhh-" Mahina's face scrunched up as she groaned. She was thinking very hard about how to get past this man. He was standing between her and fighting whoever was in the tower, and Mahina could tell quickly that this man would sooner call others than fight. Hurting him would be bad. The second thing Mahina learned in Malia was that trying to spar with an unwilling opponent was a no-no and made people angry!

Mahina's face lit up as she finally came to an idea! She didn't have to fight him if her friend distracted him long enough to ascend! Whispering to the calf, "Ok Mo'nle, Mahina think up genius plan... You will be going and be distracting the Ha'nle and I will be going sneakily up!" she said, prodding the cow over towards the clerk as she tip-toed towards the stairs.

As the calf approached the desk, the clerk spoke in an autonomous, bored monotone, "Welcome to Vaira, Exploration and Acquisition. Take a number and you will be calle-" His jaw dropped as he put down his magazine to see the client. It was a cow...? Did anybody else see this? One of the other staff members must be playing a joke on him... The clerk looked around in bewilderment. When the clerk turned his head to the right, he saw a small girl trying to slip past him up the stairs.

"Whoa whoa whoa, can't go up there little girl." He said grabbing her wrist as she passed. Mahina frowned in frustraction. "Mo'nle! You did not do the distracting!" She shouted at the cow. "Is that your co-... nevermind. What are you doin? Where's your mom? Is she upstairs or somethin'?"


Mahina was completely confused by the man's question. "What...? Here is Mahina's mother?" It was impossible, her mother was at home on Ku'lao! Why would she be here? "Err? I don't know. She might be on the second floor...? They're doing orientation now I think. Just wait un-" Mahina butted in. "No! Mahina will not be of the waiting. Mahina will be going to see mother!" "No, members only up there..." He sighed as he forcefully led the girl back over to the desk. He did not want to be baby sitting some adventurer's kid, or her pet cow...

"I can't do anything for you kid... Besides, it's dangerous up there for a little kid. Who knows what they're doing... Just sit tight, they'll be done soon." Mahina's hands balled up into trembling fists at this. He called her little?! And said it was too dangerous because of it? This filled her a righteous anger! Now standing in front of the desk, screamed: "MAHINA IS NOT LITTTTLEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Both fists rose above her head and came crashing down onto the desk below, narrowly missing the clerk's head. The desk was reduced to splinters in a single strike.

The clerk flung himself from the chair and he scrambled backwards until he hit the wall behind him. That would have killed him, what the hell was this kid? His life just flashed before his eyes. Mahina, realizing what she had done burst into tears. "Oh no oh no oh no~! M-Mahina broooookeeeee iiiitttttttttt Waaaaaahhhhhhhhh. M-Mahina so sooorrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" The clerk was hyperventilating, this kid was unreal! He wasn't trained to deal with this! "I-I-I-It's Ok... J-J-Just go on up," He said in a tizzy. Mahina's attitude changed instantly.

"Okkkaaaaaay~!" She happily exclaimed. Mahina smiled widely, exposing her two large fangs as she said: "Thank you, Come Mo'nle! Mother we shall go find!" With the cow flung easily over her shoulder, she started marching up the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, Mahina's sense of smell was overwhelmed. There was food nearby and she could almost taste it. "Meat......" She drooled. "Ara... Fighting with empty belly no good. Mahina will eat and find the food!" She resolved to herself. With her stomach roaring in agreement, she followed her nose to the east until she came to a large double swinging door. The food was behind here, she was sure of it!

Still holding the calf over her right shoulder, she burst through the door. "You shall be surrendering many foods to Mahina!" She exclaimed.
 
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Raven felt his eyes widen in surprise when he realized that the two men fighting that . . . thing, were also on some level fighting each other. One of them even seemed to be attempting to throw the monster at the other. Shifting the unconscious man against his shoulder, causing his tan duster to wrinkle slightly, Raven decided then and there that he was going to avoid being on a team with the two of them together at all cost. Oh on a team with one or the other of them would be fine, but on a team with both . . . Raven was quite simply not the type of man would could be put into the position of intermediary and be any good at it. For one thing he didn't talk enough to make a point of telling them to stop if they started fighting.

But he had his own concerns to deal with soon enough. Tiana led him on behind the . . . Ferre? woman and then proceed to say he had an idea that could stop the strange specter if she had enough time to prepare. Magic, Raven mused, definitely had its uses. It simply did not belong coming out of a gun. Tiana, however, was going to be defencless while she prepared and she hoped that the Ferre could keep the creature at bay if there was a need.

"I will do what I can to keep the creature at bay."

Came the answer from the other woman. Raven nodded, shifted his "passenger" so that he had one hand free, and drew a gun. If it came down to it he would do what he could to back her up.
 
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Tilting her head slight to one side, Cynder watched the two faeries as they moved off to the side and began whispering to each other in a lively manner. A curious brow arched as she frowned a little, were they about to say they couldn't grant such a simple wish? Oh that would be just wonderful. If that turned out to be the case there was no way in hell she was staying in the cafeteria. She'd had enough of the madness that held the place in its grip!

When they flew back to her and smiled at her oh so sweetly, the look on her face grew rather suspicious. Then they started chanting gibber jabber and making gestures in the air. Fortunately for them Cynder either didn't know they were faking it, or she didn't care as long as whatever they were doing righted the chaos that filled the room. However, if she did find out she was being duped in the future there would be... problems. After she surveyed the cafeteria once more, she closed her eyes once more, drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled a sigh of relief before muttering, "Thank you..."

As she opened her eyes once more she took note of Theeto's approach, recognizing the strange employee from earlier. A nod of greeting was offered in return to his greeting and she listened in silence as he spoke of orientation starting soon. That news brought a relieved expression to Cynder's face as the man walked away. Good, they could get on with this orientation soon and then she could see about maybe blowing some money at a tavern. She was fairly certain that she had earned a good night of drinking after the fiasco in the cafeteria.

Then, just as she thought things were returning to normal, someone started screaming 'Get it away! Get it away!' in terror. There was a quietly muttered curse of frustration from Cynder at this new commotion as her dark blue gaze sought out its source. Another frown tugged at the corners of her mouth as she noticed the pink haired girl that had bumped into her in the auditorium. The girl seemed to have the strange, drill nosed creature slinging to her arm.

For a moment Cynder thought about getting Wade's attention and simply leaving for the place where orientation was going to occur. She just wanted to get the hell out of the cafeteria. She even cast a glance in the bard's direction but he still seemed to be dazed from the recent events? Muttering under her breath, she shook her head then began to stride towards the pink haired recruit and the drill faced beastie. She did her best to keep her expression neutral as she drew closer to the pair, though there was a glimmer of annoyance in the depths of her eyes.

"It's alright, you need to calm down," the words spoken in as friendly of a tone as she could muster at the moment. With some effort she managed to smile in a friendly manner before extending a hand in Plue's direction, "How about you cling to my arm for a moment," this spoken as more of a command than a request. Maybe if she could get the little bugger off the girl's arm she would calm down, right? Cynder glanced about for a moment, trying to spot the girl's partner. Upon not seeing them anywhere, she frowned a bit.
 
Kendric smirked in response to Gren's silent threat. It was a very subtle sort of smirk, the sort that one would only notice if they were looking for it. Kendric actually found it amusing. Even if he changed physically, the inside had not changed in the slightest; As far as Kendric was concerned, Gren was still the same rotten person he went to school with. And then Gren grabbed the creature by its arm and flung it towards Kendric. Classy, somebody kicks you and you throw a monster at them? Kendric couldn't wait to see how it went over with the others.

The monster was coming at him too fast, the only option he had was to fire. Luckily, Kendric was already poised to fire, two high powered explosive incendiary rounds were locked and loaded during the short window of time Gren had provided. Quickly, Kendric adjusted his aim and fired targeting the monster's head. At this range, to not score a direct hit was highly unlikely. Both shots would come out like a shot-gun shell, with a wide frontal cone of red hot sparks moving at high velocities. The shots had a large amount of stopping power, and with any luck the monster wouldn't make it the short distance it had to travel. If Kendric's shot was successful and Gren didn't move, he would likely get showered with a veil of putrid bile along with Kendric.
 
Tiana Veyliss had finished converting a good amount of mana into fire affinity. She now had enough to cast several fire balls. Running towards the monster, she saw it was flung against the shooter. What are you doing, Gren? She only just noticed, but it seemed like there was more to the fight than just everyone and a monster. Did the shooter do something? Tiana noticed hostility between that person and Gren. Now with the monster so close to them both, she had to change her initial idea.

However, the shooter was prepared and fired off some powerful shots that completely blasted the atrocious mouth monster's head off. Some teeth clattered against the nearby wall and floor while nasty bile showered everyone nearby. Luckily, it seemed only Gren and the shooter were close enough, and Tiana managed to jump back.

Sleeping On The Job: Previous
Scenario: Sleeping On The Job, lightcoral
Late Morning, Hallway, Fourth Floor, Varia HQ

With its head blasted off, the corpse-monster thrashed about trying to grab anything nearby. Vile liquid was seeping down the headless body while the mouths drank it up greedily. It was beyond sickening. Crashing into the nearby wall, it finally calmed down and something inside it started rumbling. The headless corpse-monster rolled up into a fetal position and started melding into a ball.

Dropping onto the floor, it rolled away with startling speed before anyone could react.

At this point, Tenshi Kota, the unconscious worker supported by Raven started to regain consciousness. He jumped back and off the shoulder of Raven in surprise. Realizing that it wasn't the monster, he went off a ways and threw up on the floor. "Ughh... You guys must have saved me... thank you... that... thing... I don't know what it was but..."

Straightening himself up, he looked at everyone in the hallway as well as the nasty splattered pool of unknown putrid substance. He was fairly confident in his memory of people, but Tenshi couldn't recall who these members were. "Er.. Are you all newcomers to Varia by chance?"
Theeto Baridan, snow
Finally locating them some distance into the mysterious fourth floor of Varia headquarters, a copy of Theeto Baridan cleared his throat. "Yes, Tenshi, These Are The New Recruits Of Varia. They Were Supposed To Explore The Headquarters... But This Area Was Supposed To Be Sealed Off... You Must Have... Forgotten Haven't You, Tenshi?"

He watched Tenshi groan and smack his forehead. Theeto chuckled a bit as he shook his head sadly. Turning to the recruits in the hallway, Theeto addressed them. "My Apologies On Behalf Of Mr. Kota Here, This Area Is Usually Cordoned Off, But It Seems He Had Forgotten To Put Up A Sign While He Was Performing His Duties Here."

Gesturing back towards the stairway, Theeto continued, "Soon Orientation Shall Begin, At The Next Hour, All Recruits Are To Meet At The Dojo Located On The West Side Of The Second Floor. Please Don't Hesitate To Ask For More Time To Rest, However, Since It Seems There Was Some Combat Here..." With that, he left soundlessly.


Phew, well, I'm glad I didn't have to do anything, I still don't have the best aim with my fire balls...

Tiana let the fire affinity within her start dissipating while she looked at everyone with wonder. "Do you guys know what that monster was? We should probably tell them its still out there." Looking at the feline lady near her, Tiana smiled and thanked her. "I am Tiana Veyliss, a new recruit, thank you for protecting me and nice to meet you." She couldn't help stare at the tail on the feline lady, it seemed to have a life of its own and that fascinated Tiana.

Tenshi Kota, snow
After apologizing to everyone when Theeto Baridan left, he saw that the person whose shoulder he leaned on looked very mysterious, mysterious and familiar. Almost like a sophisticated bandit! An honest bandit!! His mind was still slightly delirious, so he wasn't sure what he thought exactly, but nevertheless, there was a high level of respect and awe. "Sir, could it be that you are... Darion Ulson???" Tenshi was more confident by the moment this was the bandit that saved him from a cruel gang in the slums of South Aristos. "You saved me yet again!... Thank you... I haven't forgotten!! I can't believe I am seeing you here at Varia!! Please allow me to prepare a feast for you and your companions after orientation!!"
 
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From behind the veil of putrid bile came Wogren's fist to Ken's jaw.

All those years he had pent up waiting for such a chance, no bile nor gunshot wounds were going to stop him. In the blink of an eye, Kendric was sent crashing back against the wall behind him and Gren stood over the inventor, with a snarl on his face. He may have noticed that Kendric was about to say something, but honestly, he could not care less.


But when the haze of ire went away, he started to realize once more that there were others in the room. As well as the small trickles of blood from where the monster bit him and where Kendric's stray bullet grazed his shoulder, revealing old scars underneath that looked like parts of numbers. He also found himself unable to breathe, the burning sensation in his lungs stayed till he could wash the vile ichor away.


Gren hastily stumbled his way out of the room before he looked any worse, brushing past a man with red hair at the doorway. He would have to catch up with Tiana and Raven later after he dunked his head into water somewhere ...maybe at that fancy fountain they saw.
 
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Nylau stayed put until the magic user went running past her, then she was right behind her, just in case. She stopped just as the woman had when she saw the man protecting Kendric grab the creature and swing him toward her companion. She was frozen, in awe at his strength or at the act itself she was not sure. The scene only became all the more amazing when Kendric shot the creature at point black range and the head exploded. She quickly covered her face as more of the vile liquid that decorated one of her knives rained down on the two men.

She prepared herself for whatever may lay next, unsure of if even it's head being removed would stop the thing but it suddenly turned into a ball and sped away in a flash of movement. She rocked on her feet a bit, feeling as though her heart was pounding enough to move her. It was finally over. Nylau's shoulders dropped and she sighed aloud. She smiled at the staff member's question but was glad for someone else to answer.
"Yes, Tenshi, These Are The New Recruits Of Varia. They Were Supposed To Explore The Headquarters... But This Area Was Supposed To Be Sealed Off... You Must Have... Forgotten Haven't You, Tenshi?"

So the orientation was about to begin. Nylau watched the man leave in silence then looked at the others in the room. They were quite the bunch. She had been pleasantly surprised by their abilities and their sudden appearance. Thanks were surely in order when things calmed down. She turned to the woman spell caster and inclined her head respectfully as she introduced herself.

"Tiana Veyliss, it is my pleasure," she repied with a tired smile. "I am Nylau. Please, it should be I who gives thanks for your efforts. You and your companions. I fear what may have become of Master Kendric had you come a moment...later..." Her gaze drifted down and her tone slightly lowered. Her ears angled back and her tail swayed slowly. "At any rate," she said suddenly, putting back on a bright face, "you must allow me to thank all of you properly once the orientation is complete."

Nylau had not noticed the two behind her until she heard the sound of impact against the wall. This man was continuing to confuse her with his actions. One minute he was protecting Kendric, the next he was flinging a disgusting creature at him and throwing him around. What was the meaning of this sudden change? She looked back at Tiana, her expression curious.
 
His attack had been a big success, the creature's head was blown to smithereens! Everything in the general direction of his shot was covered in a layer of noxious bile. This included Gren, and that was great! If Kendric were believed in such a thing, he would describe it as "instant karma." The creature flailed about for a few short moments before morphing into a ball and rolled away at a somewhat astounding speed. It was a shame really that it wasn't dead, Kendric didn't like loose ends.

After a moment's reprieve, Kendric turned is attention to the person they had saved. The man was alright, so even if the creature wasn't re-killed at least there was that. Another person was there too. It was the man (men?) from earlier. The over-tensed Kendric listened intently to what he had to say. If this place was normally barred off, then that would deny his earlier hypothesis. It just raised the question: If this wasn't part of the orientation then what would a reanimated corpse be doing here?

There was also Gren... He had made himself a clear threat. A threat can't be an ally, only an enemy. In a split second, Kendric had already mentally assembled a facade to justify the earlier kick. If anybody brought saw it and brought it up he would already have a "It was in the heat of the moment" excuse lined up. He highly doubted anybody would press him too hard about it, especially if he explained that he was still rattled when his partner nearly slashed him apart not even ten minutes prior. A kick like that was certainly a lot easier to explain than voluntary manslaughter or attempted second degree murder.

Nylau had responded to the girl who saved him by hitting the monster with her stick. Kendric was about to join her in her thanks, but a swift blow to the jaw sent him sprawling to the floor. With that, Gren left without a word. 'Running away? How unlike you Gren. It suits you...' It took every ounce of effort for Kendric not to say his immediate thoughts. Kendric was at ends. He was actually uncertain of what provoked him a second time like that. As far as Kendric was concerned, it was possible that Gren had actually grown more unstable, or just as likely he was angry that it was Kendric and not him who landed the finishing blow. Regardless, this was incriminating for Gren, and be damned if Kendric was going to give him any opportunity to justify it with a sour comment.

"Ugghh," He groaned, slumped against the wall. His head was still spinning from the impact and he was struggling trying to get to his feat. "...Not sure what I did to deserve that." He said waiting for someone to help him up.
 
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It was over. That was all Raven could think for a few moments even as another staff member appeared to inform them of the next portion of the orientation and where they should go.
It was the voice of the man that they had rescued that broke him out of his musings.

"Sir, could it be that you are... Darion Ulson???"
Now why did that voice sound familiar? Darion Ulson? that name had a ring to it too. Last time he had heard or seen that name it had been scrawled across a rather valuable map he'd been carrying in his pocket . . . come to think of it he still had that map . . .
"You saved me yet again!... Thank you... I haven't forgotten!! I can't believe I am seeing you here at Varia!! Please allow me to prepare a feast for you and your companions after orientation!!"

Raven let his eyes settle on the man. Could it be? that teenage boy from back then all grown up? was it possible? Yes, he was sure of it, the face was older, more mature, but the eyes were the same.
"No debt," Raven murmured so softly any close would have to strain their ears to hear him, as he reached out a hand to clap the younger man's shoulder in a friendly greeting. "Comrades now, I hope . . . Name's Raven"

It was then that his new acquaintances turned on each other. One man striking the other, a brawl surly about to take place.

"ENOUGH!" Raven suddenly shouted rounding on the two of them even as one staggered away apparently chocking on the vile mess that had sprayed everywhere when the monster had been decapitated. But the shout, while powerful, came out just as hoarse as the rest of his voice when he raised it above a whisper, and immediately afterwards Raven grimaced as though he was in pain and nearly choked himself.

A moment later he was raising his red bandanna over his nose so he could cough into it, leaving the man who had been struck to be helped up by one of the girls.
 
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Smiling, Tiana shook her head lightly. "You are welcome, I'm glad I made it in time. Oh, looks like your partner needs help..."

Tiana saw Gren slam Nylau's partner Kendric against the wall. Raven had gone in to break it up and Tiana was surprised when he raised his voice. She had been used to his quiet side so the sudden outburst was just as shocking as the duel. Tiana noticed that Raven also seemed to feel uncomfortable after yelling, and decided he was shy, but also brave. She then watched passively as Gren stumbled out of sight. Turning back to Nylau, she shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure what that was about, but don't worry, men do that all the time. The inn I stayed at had fights all throughout the nights and then in the morning they were eating a hearty breakfast with each other making lewd jokes."

Most of the drunk tenants had mistaken her for an exotic dancer so she had to utilize her staff quite frequently. Thinking back on it made her wonder if she should find someone to craft her less revealing outfits that could withstand her fire magic usage. "I better go find Gren though, see you at orientation!"

Approaching Raven, Tiana went to tap his shoulder. "We should probably go find that troublemaker and get him cleaned up before orientation. I can't wait to see what it is. Also, do you know that worker? He seemed really excited to see you."

As she said this, she watched the excited worker leave while muttering a list of things that sounded like cooking ingredients.
 
Perhaps it had been the chaos that had filled the cafeteria moments ago that had caused Cynder to miss the arrival of the strange girl with a cow slung over her shoulder. Maybe her mind had chosen to block that moment out just so she could live with the illusion that everything was perfectly normal now that the faeries had done their 'magic'. Whatever the reason, the moment finally registered with her. In that instant her frown deepened into a scowl as her arm dropped back to her side and twin pools of dark blue shifted to take in Mahina.

For a long moment she simply stared at the girl, a clearly displeased expression holding sway over her features. Then her right eyebrow began to twitch a bit as she muttered, "Oh no. No, this isn't happening. This damned place just calmed down," beginning to slowly stalk towards Mahina. Fortunately her great axe was still propped against the table she had been sitting at before the earlier chaos had broken out, "You just take your little pet there and go outside," the words spoken in the same commanding tone she had used moments ago when speaking to Plue.

She came to a halt maybe four feet away from the cow toting girl and folded her arms across her chest, the stern look on her face making it clear that she expected to be obeyed. Dear gods it had been a mistake to visit the cafeteria, this much was certain! Oh their mead was fine, and what she had tasted of the food had been delicious. Yet the place seemed to be a hot bed for general chaos and it was definitely trying Cynder's nerves. The sooner she dealt with this little problem the sooner she could get to the orientation room. The sooner she got done with orientation the she could go have a 'few' drinks at one of the local taverns and relax!
 
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Even as one of the dual doors fell broken on the floor, the reaction she got from the room wasn't quite what Mahina had expected. Everyone seemed to be recovering from some sort of festival and others from a nap...? 'Naps are for kamaiki (kids)! Ha'nle stupid! But for Mahina this is the perfect!' With nobody coherent enough to stop her, she would be free to eat her fill! As it was, she had not eaten since the morning and the thought of having a free, uninhibited meal only exacerbated her hunger.

Sniffing the air slightly, Mahina picked out a familiar smell. She could smell her favorite Ha'nle dish somewhere in the room! Salivating in response, the name came to her mind. Even if all the other Ha'nle dishes were horribly bland and lacked any "real" spices, there was at least one dish she could enjoy: 'Steak...' She had no idea where such a food could possibly come from, but should she ever learn Mahina was confident that she could eat it all. It was intoxicating. Mahina took several steps into the room with a hypnotized glaze and a far-out look draped over her.

"You just take your little pet there and go outside," An armored woman addressed her. If she had not said anything, Mahina probably wouldn't have noticed her. Vowing to devour it later, Mahina shook herself free from the steak's spell and turned her full attention to the woman. Mahina did not like the way the woman spoke. It was a command, and Mahina instinctively returned it with low growl. Was this woman here to guard the food? She had to be!

The woman was angry, irritated and agitated. Still thinking herself an invader to the tower, Mahina could only assume the woman was angry at her. This woman had a good two feet over Mahina, but still Mahina would not be intimidated by the angerof a Ha'nle! Mahina did her best to emulate the woman's facial expression, her body tensing to match her potential foe. This was easier done than said for Mahina viewed the only thing standing between her and her meal. She even puffed up her cheeks to try and appear the stronger of the two. Was this the Ha'nle's way of challenging her? Mahina would be more than happy to accept...

She was still holding Mo'nle over her right shoulder. Eyes still locked with the towering woman, Mahina adjusted her grip with the opposite hand. Mo'nle let out a quiet Mooo in response to Mahina's less-than-gentile handling. Mahina would show off her strength to the woman first, it was customary for her people to give a show of strength before their bouts. Mo'nle was shifted slightly, and after a moment of visible struggling Mahina lifted and balanced the calf overhead with just her right arm.

"Mahina will be giving Ha'nle the warning of one. Move, or what!(or else)" Her voice rang with the tone of challenge. Mahina intently scanned the woman's face, looking for any fault of courage or any sign of fear.
 
About the time Raven managed to calm his coughing fit he felt a tap at his shoulder. Turning he found Tiana and though he was not quite able to speak yet he nodded to show he was listening.
"We should probably go find that troublemaker and get him cleaned up before orientation. I can't wait to see what it is. Also, do you know that worker? He seemed really excited to see you."

Raven nodded and let the bandanna fall, but he managed only to say, "We've met," in answer before another fit took him and he was forced to snatch the red cloth back up and cover his mouth again.

He wished very much he could offer more than this poor performance. Perhaps when he had managed to get himself back together? a little rest and a hot drink would do wonders and as he gathered his wits Raven wondered briefly what sort of teas were served in the cafeteria. That was before he remembered that the staff had said the next portion of the orientation was going to be starting soon.

Once he had stopped coughing he motioned to Tiana and then down the way Gren had wandered indicating that while he still could not speak, he was otherwise ready to go look for their lost companion.
 
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Nylau nodded then sighed. "Again, thank you." There was promise in surrounding herself with viable companions. The man who had confronted Kendric in the middle of the battle was another matter. "Yes, until then." She stared after him as she went to Kendric's side and held out a hand. When she looked at her partner's face shame suddenly flushed her expression and she quickly looked away.

The words she had wanted to say hung on the end of her tongue. She wanted to apologize, ask for his forgiveness where she had failed to protect him, groveling was a possibly. In the tribe one always gave the most sincere attempt at mending a situation or asking for forgiveness from another. They made sure an apology was as full and and as deep as needed. At the moment Nylau felt like burying her face in the floor and pledging her servitude for as long as he would have her. He could very well have been killed by that creature.

As much as she wanted to do all of that, it may not have been appropriate currently. She tried to open her mouth but the stench of the creature's vile bodily fluids choked her. "We should...leave here quickly... I cannot withstand this stench much longer," she managed between harsh coughs. Perhaps the appropriate time would arise later on.
 
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Narrowing her eyes a little as the girl just stared right back at her, Cynder muttered another complaint, to whatever higher powers might exist, under her breath. This wasn't going to be handled in such a simple manner. At least that was the feeling she got as she saw the girl puff up her cheeks and attempt to appear more intimidating. Well, Cynder wasn't one to be easily intimidated! Even if she was looking at a girl that wasn't even 5' tall that was strong enough to hold a cow over her shoulder!

A single dark brow quirked curiously as the girl shifted that very cow and lifted it overhead with one arm, though there was no hint of fear to be seen on Cynder's face. In fact, she narrowed her eyes as the girl spoke in a challenging tone. She was fairly certain the word 'Ha'nle' was some form of an insult, though she might have been wrong in that assumption.

A moment later and she did move, but not out of the way. Instead, she took single step forward, arms still folded across her chest as she kept her gaze locked with the girl's, "You are giving me a warning?" Cynder's tone of voice clearly annoyed, "Listen, Mahina, you will do as I have said. Take your bovine friend and go outside," repeating the command once again before popping her neck once to each side. Sheer stubbornness had taken hold of the warrior woman at this point. This was going to go her way, damn it! She really didn't want to get into a fight with the girl, but it really felt like it was going to turn into one. Cynder wasn't about to back down. For the moment the idea of going straight to the orientation room slipped from her mind.
 
Still reeling from the cranial blow, Kendric pulled himself to his feet. Nylau's offer to assist went ignored. He wasn't hurt so badly that help was necessary and Kendric was certainly not about to feign the severity of his own injuries. He wasn't rude going about his silent refusal, but it easily could have been received as so. There was so much going through his mind at once, too much even for him. Having that creature still out there, worrying about where it came from. Then there was having to deal with Gren and then the orientation. All he could do was rub his head and let out an aggravated sigh.

"I'm less than ecstatic to leave what-ever-it-was out there..." He complained. If there was one thing Kendric absolutely despised, it was leaving loose ends like that. "...But we don't have much choice in the matter. And you are correct, the odor is rather overpowering." He didn't have enough energy left in his ether to pursue it, as much as he wanted to. Kendric's thoughts turned momentarily to Wogren. Why was he here of all places? This of course, was assuming this was indeed Wogren. It would not be the first time his "Eagle Eyes" have misidentified a stranger, and this man hardly looked like the Gren Kendric remembered. Still, this man did act similar...

"Damn animal..." He ranted under his breath, oblivious to the feelings his partner was having. The words were not directed at her, but rather the man who tried to kill him earlier. "You lead the way." He said with a sigh.


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"BOVINE?!???! Of what insult is Ha'nle meaning by 'bovine'!?" Mahina's voice was loud and angry. It was also painfully clear she had not even the remotest idea of what the word "bovine" meant. In a swift movement, the calf was place on the ground in front of Mahina. No longer burdened by the calf, Mahina crossed her arms to match the woman's. "Does Ha'nle not like Mo'nle?" She was quite convinced that the woman had something against her new friend. "Mahina will be telling you what! Mo'nle is is times nine warrior of Ha'nle! Go Mo'nle, show Ha'nle Tor'shuel upper!" She ordered the cow.

Several seconds passed, the cow had not done anything. In fact, it had turned all the way around to face Mahina. "Ora Mo'nle! What did Mahina tell you about giving the back against the enemy! Show her what have you got!!!" She commanded again, her anger building. The calf, unsurprisingly did nothing once more. The look on Mahina's face was a mix between dumbfounded and furious; She had spent half the trip to the tower "lecturing" Mo'nle about the art of combat, why was Mo'nle doing nothing!?

Mahina yanked the two pigtails in her hair out of frustration. "Aghhhh! Mo'nle, Fight!!!! You let Ha'nle insult you like that? Where is being your pride!?" She had fully expected the calf to attack the armored woman. The fact that it did not did nothing but infuriated her.


 
The girl's angry, questioning words caused Cynder to furrow her brow in frustration and her right hand rose in the beginnings of a face palm. However the hand never rose quite far enough as the warrior woman just let fall back to her side, muttering, "Bovine means cow, girl," anger dancing in her eyes as she was referred to as 'Ha'nle' several more times as the girl's tirade continued, "I don't know what Ha'nle means but it sure the hell isn't my name!" snapping those words out, her gaze shifting to the cow as it was ordered apparently attack her.

As the cow did nothing, beyond turning about to face Mahina, Cynder let out another exasperated sound and muttered several foul words under her breath. At this point she basically gave up on the entire situation. She was done dealing with it. It was now the staffs' problem as far as she was concerned. There was no more time to waste, she needed to get her arse to the Training Room. So as the girl continued to grow more and more frustrated with the cow's lack of attacking, Cynder stalked over to the table she'd left her great axe leaning against.

Weapon in hand, she slung in casually over one shoulder and stalked towards the doors that led out of the cafeteria, muttering things under her breath the whole time. When she drew near Mahina and her pet, she simply walked around and past them as if they no longer existed, growling, "People shouldn't let strange little girls roam unattended," as she pushed her way threw the double doors. Anyone that crossed her path on the way to the Training Room would receive a glaring look. With some effort, as she strode onwards and forwards, Cynder began the process of quelling her rising anger. She needed to be focused for what might be coming next.
 
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