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Khanidi is the northernmost province of the region known as the Droia coast. A rich, fertile land that has been kept separated from the squabbles of the great nations of Ki'afisal by the large mountain ranges of Ki'afisal and Asfeltas. Bordered north by the rock formations known as the Fangs and south by the Dah'kin Kingdom of Skarrad, the Droia coastline is composed by over a dozen city states permanently struggling for control and influnce. They are locked in their little world and have become a melting pot of all cultures and races of Lemire. The perfect place for mercenaries and higher swords to make a quick buck and always be sure a small conflict or war will be right around the corner. Here in Droia, there is always someone willing to pay for a skilled mercenary.
The city of Khanidi controls the province of the same name, it is a bountiful trade port, trading in planetarii goods it gets from Trade with many great empires, protected by the terrain about it. Its influence in Droia is only rivalled by Dophori, a militaristic city state down south. Though in past ages, Dophori and Khanidi would band together to fight off the odd Exhorian invasion or grab for power from one of the Great Nations, they mostly remain content by bickering with each other. Between them, in Boro Kwall and Droia lie a dozen smaller city states. It is here, to Khanidi, that Chese Fenpollen's rag tag band of freelancers came to seek fortune, a place away from the politics of the Great Nations, where they can spread their wings and fill their wallets until they are ready to jump back into the bigger pond of Ki'afisal. Fresh off the merchant boat in which they had hitched passage to Khanidi, Chese, Virgil and Padma wander off the pier one by one, they must first build up their numbers and strength, and then, they can begin to tackle whatever this thriving merchant town can throw at them.
Group 1 - Chese, Padma & Virgil
Padma was happy to set foot on firm ground after leaving the merchant boat. She took a deep breath, feeling the salty sea breeze on her face, and even though the humid climate of this region wasn't entirely comfortable to her, she felt content. "I think I'll never get used to the sea", she commented to Chese and Virgil. "But it's good to be in a city again", she said, observing the busy streets that spread in front of them. "Any ideas about where we should be heading first?"
A weary and slightly distressed
Virgil walked up to one of the posts that stuck up from the dock, leaning against it, he looked around, crossing his arms across his chest, "Well, this place sure isn't a Decima, eh Chese?" He said with a slightly sarcastic undertone, "So, what are we planning on doing now?" He let a slightly muffled yawn. Certainly no Lochmorian, the travel of the sea had left a toil on the young knight's body, and he was certainly in no mood to actually start with recruitment right now.
Not really used to sailing on a ship,
Chese had still stood, lain and hung on more than a few unstable pieces of wood for most of her life. This particular piece of wood had just been bigger and always there. Nevertheless, she was happy to be on stable ground again and smiled. She took a moment to absorb the surroundings as she stepped off the ship. In response to Padma's comment about the sea, she said: "Tell me about it. The first thing I want to do once we're comfortable is climb a tree. I know I complained about it the whole trip, but boats have a disturbing lack of trees." She peered from under her hat for some trees but thought that now wasn't the best time. Chese turned to Virgil, still smiling, and said: "How about some rest? Or, as my idea of rest would be after standing and lying around on that ship for months, a tour around this town. Preferably several, while running. I suppose we could keep an eye for a place to stay and interesting people while we're at it."
Padma laughed at Chese's obsession with trees. She had grown in a place where they were rather scarce, so she wasn't really missing them. "A tour sounds good. And a place to sleep that's not a tree would be good too", she joked. Noticing Virgil seemed to be in a rather bad mood, she turned to the young knight and said, "cheer up. The trip wasn't
that bad". Eyeing the merchants at the dock, the woman in white robes commented, "maybe we can get a map from one of the merchants around here?", she asked looking for someone who didn't sell fish. (Spot)
Padma was overwhelmed by the crowd in the docks, the smell of fish, and the lingering effects of seasickness. She only managed to see one man clearly dressed as a merchant, apparently arguing with a cloaked and hodded person while a small and scrawny Kwall watched helplessly.
With a long and rather loud yawn,
Virgil stretched his arms, then slowly coaxed himself up to his feet, "Aye, the trip wasn't that bad. I just hate the sea. There's only two things I like having under my feet, and that's solid ground or the stirrups of a horse's saddle," he said in a matter-of-fact sort of way, "Now, I have no idea why your little, wiry frame wants to start running around the city to 'rest', Chese, but we just got off from a long ship ride. I'll be fine with taking a walking tour around the city."
"A map could be good", commented
Chese, "though it's not easy to get lost in a city. There's always a way out!" She stretched a little and seemed ready to run off any second, though she didn't actually do so. "Now, finding something would be more problematic, unless other people know where it is." She grinned and patted Virgil on the shoulder.
Padma's eyes stood on the merchant that was discussing with someone for a moment, and she noticed that the person was a Dah'kin as her hood fell. She didn't pay much more attention to the issue though, since discussions between people and merchants were nothing out of the ordinary. The smell of fish was making her feel a bit dizzy, and she was getting eager to get out of the docks. "Let's just get going", she said and started walking.
"We could just as well make a map ourselves. But it is probably better just to walk around and memorize where the points of interest are."
Chese too started walking, pushing Virgil's shoulder with her hand slightly to get him on his way too. "Like the inns, and then we can note how much they charge, and pick the one that has the best quality to price ratio. And the places of the bulletin boards. And anywhere you might've dropped your money", she said and checked that she hadn't lost her gold yet. She decided to look around for possible recruits too, since they would need to get around it eventually. She tried to scout out any capable-lookin
g, not crazy-seeming and affordable people to ask to join. (Spot, Spot, Spot and Assess the capable ones)
The docks were unfortunately too jam packed with people walking back and forth to single out a single person, everyone seemed to be going somewhere or doing something. Chese would have to find a quieter, smaller place, since right now it would be like picking a single bird out of a flock.
With Chese's shoulder on his hand, a slightly reluctant Virgil began to walk with the other two. He rested his left palm on the pommel of his short sword as he walked. It was a precautionary movement that he had ingrained into his mind. Not only did this disallow others from easily stealing the weapon, it also allowed his a faster draw if needed. The young knight laughed cautiously at Chese's apparent concern when it came down to finding a room. Virgil looked around for someone who seemed to be affluent with the ways of the city(spot), and approached them. With his silver Ravillan tongue, he spoke, "Excuse me, but it's a very nice day, isn't it? I was wondering if you could tell me where one of the more...decent inns in this fine city was. I'm a traveller and don't have much to spend." He said with a beaming smile, setting off his slightly gruff appearance. (Gather Information)
Being a knight, Virgil had never particularly honed his eyesight or listening, with a quick glimpse around, he only saw blurred faces in the crowd, without being able to pinpoint anyone in particular. Instead, he suddenly stopped and began to speak out into the air, even asking questions and pretending they had been answered, while no one paid attention to the crazy man in the street. Chese and Padma could not help by step away, lest someone realized they were in league with the madman.
"And here I thought I was the only one who spoke alone", said Padma. "Are you okay, Virgil? Maybe the sea air has really affected him", she commented to Chese. "We should just get out of here", the caerhamian said, gesturing with her hands. She continued walking looked around for someone who might be able to give them some information about the town. (Spot)
As Padma began to scout around from someone who might be able to give them information, her superior intelligence immediately resulted in a sort of epiphany. A city guard! there were two dock guards, humans armed with spears and wearing leather armor with the emblem of Khanidi in it, just nearby. Surely someone working for the city could fulfill the role of a greeter. Additionally, the customs office the group had noticed earlier, the merchant, or maybe the girl he was speaking to, could all give some useful information about the town.
Chese stopped and turned when Virgil went off to talk, and then grinned a little at him. "So, you don't want a tour after all, or?" she asked, smiling, and continued with an agreeable tone: "Come on, we can find the inns by ourselves as well." She then caught up with Padma and babbled about the inns again: "I wonder if there are inns at the other side of the city. It would be nice to sleep somewhere without the sound of water and the smell of fish, wouldn't it?"
Virgil shook his head as if shaking out some sort of mental relapse, "Huh, oh. I'm fine." He said with a meek smile growing on his face. He threw up his arms and forced another yawn, "I must just be getting tired, that's all," he said wafting through the yawn to his two travelling companions. He ended his yawn and began scratching his neck, right behind his left ear, to try to mask some of his embarrassment.
Padma giggled at Virgil. She decided to ask one of the guards and get some general directions. She didn't really mind the sound of the waves and would just be glad to get a decent place to stay. She approached one of the armored men and greeted, "Good day, sir! Could you please help me? I'm looking for a good inn in this city, that's not too expensive for me and my friends to stay."
The two guards had been chatting prior to Padma's appearance, althought they were interrupted, they nodded politely at the girl, her natural charm working for her this time. "Mornin' miss." said one of the guards and then turned to the other as she asked. "That would be the Seaside Den, here in the docks..." said the second guard, then the first one interjected. "It's a bit seedy and there's better places further into the city, but with the tax raises, the closer you get to the plaza, the more expensive stuff gets." shrugged the second guard. "Hope you have a nice time in Khanidi." he added with another slight bow.
"Thank you", said Padma to the guards with a grateful smile, and returned to Chese and Virgil. "Apparently the cheapest place we can get is the Seaside Den. We should get a room to put our stuff and then we can go take a look at the city", she said and shrugged. "If we find something else we can move there later", she added. She was getting tired of walking around and would love a moment of quiet, even if it was inside an inn.
"Now where are you going?" asked Chese when Padma went off, but figured it soon enough when she saw the guards. After Padma had come back and told what she had found out, Chese replied: "All right then. Where is the place?" she asked and also looked around to find the inn, since it was pretty obvious that it was at least near the docks. (Spot)
With a quick glance around the pier, Chese quickly identified the Seaside Den, it was a seedy little two floor tavern located between two warehouses, separated from the dockside by a road and a small plaza.
Virgil laughed gently and shook his head as Padma bounded off, "I don't know what items she is talking about leaving behind in a room. I carry all I have with me." He said looking to Chese. He stayed next to her, resting his palm on his pommel still, if not for comfort.
"Oh you knightly knight", said Chese in an obviously non-serious but good-hearted manner. She then pointed at the place, since she had managed to spot it before Padma, and continued: "Let's go see it anyway, we might as well inspect its ...seediness even if we don't get a room yet." Having said that, Chese headed to the Seaside Den.
Virgil laughed at Chese's good mood, "Why yes, thank you." He said in a joking manner of his own. He followed right behind Chese to the Seaside Den.
Having not heard what Virgil commented, Padma followed the group happily. "It's not like we can spend a lot of money in lodging, anyways", she said as Chese seemed to complain about the place. It wasn't the best she had seen, but she would like to save her coins if possible.
Group 2 - Az'rim & Je'retiel
Glancing around the crowd of people near what looked to be either the fish market near the port or those who were eager to see what the ships had brought in, Az'rim found herself smirking. Her beauty was hidden underneath the hood of a black cloak, but so was her identity as a Dah'kin, which for the most part would work in her favor even if she did meet with more accepting folks in these parts. However, she was acutely aware of her lack of funds, and for this she shot a sharp sidelong glare at her brother, Je'retiel. Their intentions were clear: to gain power or money, or both, a task they had yet to accomplish. "Make yourself useful for once," she said as if dealing with a slave, "and don't lose sight of me." With that, she crept into the crowd, intent on pickpocketing someone to gain a few extra coins. (Spot)
Used to spotting Prey in the dark and silent caves of Skarrad, Az'rim had a bit of trouble noticing the small details of the crowd in the docks of Khanidi, however, she was well trained, and managed to notice a few people she could pickpocket from. To her left, near what seemed to be the customs office, was a fat human merchant, he was speaking with a tiny and scrawny Kwall customs officer. Right in front of her, staring out into the ocean, stood an older human, probably a shipwright or ship-hand of some sorts, he seemed distracted, but might not be packing much gold. Further along the dock edge, coming out of a merchant dhow, was a young human woman in white, happily skipping across the dock while calling out the other passengers of the Dhow, who were just disembarking.
There was no need to tell Je'reteil twice that he should stick close by Az'rim. He slipped his way through the gathering of people in the wake of his cloaked sibling as if they were connected by an invisible tether. From beneath the balaclava that covered his entire neck and head, save for his eyes, came a garbled murmur in response to Az'rim's derisive orders. He seemed to pay no mind to anyone else, unless someone happened to bump into him, as sometimes occurs in a busy area. Such an occurrence warranted a harsh glare, as if it actually rendered some sort of punishment.
With dark eyes peering out from underneath her cowl, Az'rim spotted after a few moments, the merchant, the sailor, and the woman in white. The woman did not appeal to her, and she instantly turned her nose up at the thought of the sailor. Seeing that the merchant was the most distracted, her eyes narrowed and she turned to her younger brother. "Stay back but keep your eye on me. Maybe we can sleep in an inn tonight," she hissed with a sinister grin and a suggestive arch of her brow. Then she stole back into the crowd, walking casually by the merchant to try her luck. (Sleight of Hand)
Az'rim tried to move silently, approaching the merchant from behind, however, she tripped over a tall cobblestone in the and managed to catch herself by grabbing onto a nearby store sign and knocking it down. Alerted by the ruckus, the merchant turned to the Dah'kin girl, "Ehm... may I help you?" he grunted.
As she stumbled, Az'rim cursed silently as quickly had to regroup. This sun was ruining her vision, that much was certain. She made sure she landed on the ground, hoping to easily play the part of a damsel as well as she could. "Oh, yes sir," she said, though the words stuck in her throat a bit. Remembering though that her ploy had an end, she looked around and picked herself up, dusting herself off in a way that would subtly enhance her curves under the cloak, the hood of which was now down to reveal her for what she was. "I'm new around here, and just looking for the market" she said calmly, putting on a sheepish smile as she assumed a womanly pose next to the merchant.
The Merchant noticed Az'rim's display, but the whole thing just seemed suspicious, the girl could just have asked outright, instead of just approaching silently. "Market is up the main street." he answered gruffly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and and eyeing some nearby guards. "Who ARE you, girlie?"
With an internal groan, Je’retiel watched as Az’rim approached the area of the merchant and customs offical, and gracelessly botched her stealthy advance. While the idea of staying at an inn tonight truly appealed to him, having his sister, or possibly the both of them, arrested did not appeal to him. They’d be sleeping somewhere else, then. He remained at a bit of distance, however, back propped against the post of a stall, trying to look as nonchalant as possible while Az’rim worked on the increasingly irritated rotund fellow.
Appearing undaunted, Az'rim glanced to where the merchant was pointing. "Just a girl looking around. Thanks," she said with a wink and then walking away. She pulled her hood up over her face again and slunk back through the crowd until she found Je'retiel, still planted where she had instructed him to wait. "This city makes me sick," she said bitterly, obviously annoyed at her botched attempt and the fact that her brother had likely seen it all. "We have enough for an inn tonight. Come on, let's find one. We could pickpocket better at night anyway." She then looked around for a place of lodging. (Spot)
Az'rim observed her surroundings, now that her eyes were more used to the sun, she could quickly scan through the entire width of the docks. She could see a customs office, what seemed to be a general amenities shop, a couple of shipwrights and tailors, several warehouses and two taverns which might offer lodgings. "The Seaside Den" looked like a seedy little place, two stories high and jammed in between two warehouses and "The Merchant Inn", a bit cleaner and bigger, next to the custom's office, seemed like a place for shipowners rather than sailors. Other than that, she could clearly see the road leading uphill, towards the town square.
'Why not try to be a little more obvious next time?' Je'retiel couldn't help but take a crack at Az'rim, the words hindered by the scarring about his mouth and the knit facial covering concealing his face. 'This place is disagreeable to me, as well. However, we need to bide our time. This is an opportune place for prospects. Something must come-up soon.' He stood up straight and chanced to throw another stone at the hornet's nest. 'Besides, I don't understand your appetite for thievery. Of course you've already tried-on one profession and discarded it like an unwanted dress. Why not do the same for your second?'
Az'rim's delicate features contorted instantly to a visage of cold rage, but she refrained from reacting physically in the midst of so many people, the way she had when she'd given her younger sibling his rightful scar. "Oh Je'retiel," she said cloyingly, placing a hand strategically on the side of his clothed cheek, directly above his hidden dis-figuration and tracing her thumb over the balaclava where she knew all too well his scar to be. "You are such a bitter thing, unwanted as you are. One would think you're hideous outside and in," she snapped coldly as she tugged on his balaclava to bring his scar into plain sight to her, as a sort of reminder what the pecking order was. "Never forget who alone could love such a face."
It might seem as if Az’rim’s retaliation and retort against Je’retiel’s off handed remark had burned him again. He stumbled backed into the post he’d previously been leaning upon, his gloved hands hastily snatching at the mask to yank it back into place. His grey eyes were narrowed, though it was difficult to tell whether he was grimacing from a hurt ego or grinning at the fact that he had gotten under his sister’s skin. ‘The sun is bothersome. Let us find lodging,’ he snarled and, as if in an act of defiance, slunk slightly away from his sibling.
To the untrained eye, it would not have been obvious that the way Az'rim watched her brother was with malicious delight. Years of depriving him of the attention he wanted so badly as a youth had trained her to maintain a stoic expression when he seemed to crave notice the most. "Had we more time to pickpocket then we could afford to stay somewhere nicer, but as it is, we'll being staying there tonight," she called over her shoulder to Je'retiel as she pointed to The Seaside Den. The ice in her tone indicated that she indeed blamed this fact on her brother, and the way she did not bother to wait for him as she made her way to the place solidified such an assumption.
Despite his peevishness about their previous exchange of words, Je’retiel did not sulk too long, for Az’rim started-off toward The Seaside Den without him. He acquiesced to his sister’s lead, and followed obediently behind her.
The Seaside Den looks every bit as seedy inside as outside, however, a quick glance around is enough for anyone to know that if one wants to get skill or information, this is the place to come to. The first floor consists of a large, open hearth in the middle of the room, on a lower elevation than the rest of the wooden floor, above it was a large duct, probably leading to a covered exit for the smoke. Next to the entrance was the bar, extending along one of the sides of the large room, and behind it sat a diminutive old man, jotting down some things in a ledger which seemed way too big for him. Next to the bar was a staircase which probably lead to the rooms. Along the room, and surrounding the hearth (which was not lit at the moment) were several round tables surrounded with wooden stump stools, some tables had mugs with ale on them, which seemed to have been left there on a hurry. Most noticeable in the tavern was a large tribal shield, covered in feathers and with two axes crossed, opposite to the bar. As the Dah'kin entered, followed rather closely by the three humans, they could not help but notice an uproar coming from the table right under said shield. Several swarthy looking men, dressed as sailors, were screaming and drinking, surrounding the table, as a few others sulked on the table directly right of the shield, their faces contorted in pain as they held their shoulders.
Distracted by all the stuff to look at inside the tavern, Padma bumped into the taller of the cloaked Dah'kins standing at the door. "Whoops! I'm sorry" she apologized, backing up a bit. "There's too many of us standing here", she said with a friendly smile, and looked around trying to determine where the innkeeper was. (Spot)
It was not hard for Padma to locate the innkeep, since he was sitting there, behind the bar, not more than a few feet away from the group.
Je’retiel was distracted by the commotion coming from the table of sailors as Padma bumped into him. Since he had been following dutifully on the heels of Az’rim, it’s likely that he then bumped in to his sister. After regaining his stance, he snapped a stony-eyed expression down at the shorter female. ‘Watch it!’ he spat down at her, even after she apologized, though it might have been lost in the din of the raucous establishment.
Chese stood between Padma and the bar, but was more interested in the ruckus at the shielded table. Therefore, she stepped past Je'retiel and Padma to eye the commotion, though she gave a quick and fairly unnoticeable look to the masked dah'kin too, mostly to see what kind of creature was under the cloak. She then tried to find out what was going on with all the noisy sailors (and pondering whether she should help herself to one of the apparently abandoned beers).
Chese could immediately notice roaring laughter, insults and smidgens of conversations coming from the back table. There were nearly a dozen sailors standing around it, probably the owners of the unattended pitchers and pints. Without much effort, Chese could discern a type of competition, probably arm wrestling, a common sight in most taverns.
"Watch yourself!" Az'rim hissed to her brother as he collided with her, shooting over her shoulder a glare as dark as the caves of Skarrad and the creatures there that she hunted. Je'retiel's reaction however extinguished any thoughts of the collision being his fault and Az'rim's black eyes followed her brother's until she faced forward once again and saw a girl about her size looking around. Then a taller Rysallean girl passed the pair of siblings and Az'rim decided that they had spent enough time lingering in the entrance and finally stepped in, pushing her hood back to let her resplendent hair shine in the artificial light. Eying her surroundings thoroughly, like the huntress she was, Az'rim quickly spotted the bar and the frail old man. Sashaying through the crowd, she approached the bar and leaned her weight on one leg, jutting her hip out in a way that she had learned from watching older Dah'kin women when she was younger. "Are you the innkeeper?" she asked, tilting her head a little.
The old man adjusted his glasses as he wrote endlessly in the huge ledger in front of them, up close, Az'rim could see he had a line of strange tattoos running from his cheek to his forehead, going straight up over his left eye, probably some remnant of a turbulent past. Without so much as looking up, the old man replied. "Yeah, that's me. You all in one group?" His voice seemed to remind Az'rim of an owl, for some reason.
"There will be two of us," Az'rim replied as she examined the man with dulled interest to hide the fact that she was indeed inspecting him.
"I said I was sorry", said Padma to the masked man. "Gee, no need to get get upset. I'm Padma. Are you new in this town?", she asked keeping her friendly smile despite the dah'kin's rather rude retort to her. She wasn't normally one to go and start a conversation with a person she just bumped into, specially a very pale guy with a misterious mask, but that very thing made him rather intriguing - in her mind at least. "Are you travelling together?" she asked as she saw Az'rim approach the innkeeper.
‘It wasn’t me, ‘ was Je’retiel’s lame comeback to Az’rim as she flounced off toward the innkeeper. Instead of following after sister dearest, he crossed his arms snuggly over his chest and assumed his normal hunched-shoulder posture. He turned his attention upon Padma again, once he realized she actually wanted to engage him in conversation. He was not accustomed to this. Az’rim usually did all the talking for the both of them. 'Yes, unfortunately... Padma,' was his terse and petulant answer. There was a strange impediment to his speech, something beyond the accent of a foreign land.
"What kind of lodgin' ye looking for, lass?" replied the old man as he nonchalantly turned a page on the ledger. Before Az'rim could answer, a ruckus was heard on the back of the bar, followed by a roaring laughter and a tiny, female voice yelling; "OK! who's next ye wimps?!", then stuff continued as usual.
"Unfortunately?" said Padma raising a brow, before it occurred to her that he didn't seem to want to talk. His arms were crossed, she thought the look in his eyes was rather hostile, and he was an overall rather scary person. Yet, she was curious. She noticed the strange way he spoke, and guessed that had something to do with the mask he was wearing. "Um, so what brought you and your... friend, to Khanidi?" she asked, but then diverted her attention to the laughter at the back of the bar, as she tried to see what was going on.
"A room with two beds or one bed and a cot. A bath would be nice, if it's not too expensive," came Az'rim's reply, her words sliding casually between her lips as she dropped all manner of pretense. Finally, business was business. With her back to her brother, she didn't notice he and Padma's exchange, and nor could she hear it with the raucous shouting over at the end of the bar that caused her silver hair to ripple as she turned her head and keened a nocked ear to the commotion. However, she deduced that it was nothing worthy of her bother, and was quite ready to spend some time in a bath or in a bed. In the Seaside Den's warm interior, Az'rim unfastened her cloak and revealed her garments underneath, a leather top revealing a shameless line of cleavage that the blackness of the leather accentuated against the porcelain of her skin. Her silk tucked pants were lost against the backdrop of the cloak but her strapped boots were easily visible.
Virgil stepped into the inn, a cautious eye over Padma as the Dah'kin became hostile towards the girl. He leaned against a wall behind them, crossing his arms across his chest, ready to move if trouble appeared imminent.
As Padma persevered with her line of questioning, Je'retiel seemed to become less rigid. 'My friend and I are in search of... favorable circumstances,' was his reply, less hostile this time, but still rather matter-of-fact. He didn't want to give too much away to a complete stranger in this shady establishment, after all. With his attention trained solely on the young woman, he took no notice of Virgil and his watchful eye.
"Sorry, seems you got ma' fine establishment confused, miss." said the old innkeep as he glanced at Az'rim once when she removed her cloak. "Da' Imperial Palace is down in Decima, ye wanna take a bath in this town, buy a house or go down to the bathhouse near the town square." he added. "Double room I can do, it'll be 3 gold a nite." he continued as he took some notes in his ledger.
"Favorable circumstances, eh?" Padma said, after regarding the laughter at the back of the place as normal tavern activity. She would maybe check on that later, she thought, returning her attention to Je'retiel. "Sounds like what we're looking for as well", she said, interpreting his words as looking for good fortune or something along those lines. She noticed Virgil behind her and was partly upset that he was sort of babysitting her, but at the same time reassured by his presence.
Pushing a white hand into her black silk pocket, Az'rim pulled out three coins and palmed them on the bar top. "Pleasure," she hissed sourly, clearly annoyed at his snideness, but more so at the prospect of another dirty night.
"Thank you for yer patronage." mumbled the innkeeper as he grabbed the money and dropped a heavy brass key on the counter, in front of Az'rim. "Next." mumbled the old man immediately afterwards. "Ah, lady." he then said as if he had forgotten previously. "If ye want you and your buddy can try yer luck against my lil' kahn. Arm wrestling's the game, you only gotta put 5 gold on the table per try, and you take 100 if you beat her." He smirked deviously while looking at Az'rim straight in the eye, then he lowered his eyes again, planting them on the ledger. Down south, being Dah'kin was enough to intimidate most people, but here in the north, they played by different rules.
As the innkeeper eyed her without fear, Az'rim arched an indifferent brow, listening to his proposition. However, when she found that he was inviting her to a match of arm wrestling, she let out a snort of laughter and pushed some hair from her face. "Girls like me don't win with feats of brutish strength," she replied with a smirk as she pocketed the brass key. She then turned from the bar to find Je'retiel, who she was surprised to find talking to a rather attractive young woman. "Wait until he takes off that headpiece," she thought derisively as she walked over to her younger sibling, effectively bumping into Padma purposely and not acknowledging the girl whatsoever. "We've got a room," she announced as she fixed him with a withering stare, and then began to walk towards the stairs.
'I will be up, Az'rim, when I am through my conversation with Padma,' said Je'retiel, raising his voice to try and speak over the cacophony of the bar, and without taking his attention from the human. It was out of necessity, in his mind, that he must speak with the girl, in an attempt to glean any lead, since they seemed to have a similar goal. Secondly, he knew it would annoy his sister, and he would take any under-handed chance he could to do that. 'We? Who is we?' he simply asked, before adding, '...if you don't mind my asking.' Je'retiel tried to sound casual, but that didn't come easy to him.
Chese followed Padma and Je'retiel's exchange of words since she was now behind the dah'kin after he had turned, though she kept her eyes on the arm-wrestling table. She gave a rather encouraging smile after hearing who seemed to be owning the sailors. After she had figured out the table, she listened more to Padma and the Dah'kin even if she still didn't look at them. "Favorable circumstances" sounded to her like the two Dah'kin would be thieves, and they did look the part, though she didn't really think they acted like it, except maybe the woman. She turned to look at them and her own group after she hear Az'rim speak to the other Dah'kin. Even from the short impression given, it was pretty clear that the woman was dominant over the younger Dah'kin, who seemed to defy her authority by acting slightly adolescent. Making a short assessment in her head, Chese figured that the two Dah'kin seemed to be people she could use, and even if there would be more friendly options available elsewhere, at least she wouldn't have to spend more time looking for recruits. She figured she should rather talk to Az'rim, though the Dah'kin might not like it if she spoke to either of them. But well, if Az'rim took offense, it was her loss and not Chese's. Chese took a few steps after Az'rim and spoke to her: "Excuse me. I'm Chese, and I overheard your ...companion speaking to my friend there." Instead of saying what exactly Je'retiel had babbled about, she told what she needed: "I could use a couple of capable people in my team, if that is the kind of opportunity you would like." He tone of voice was pretty formal, but she put on a friendly face – because even if the Dah'kin didn't care about that, it was what would be expected of her, and acting like expected was, in most cases, a good idea.
"Hey!", Padma complained as Az'rim bumped into her. To Padma it was clear she did that on purpose, so either the woman didn't like her and/or the fact that she was talking to Je'retiel, which was kind of interesting. Before she could complain further or answer the Dah'kins question about who we was, Chese intervened and she just let her do the talking.
Virgil stood back, watching over the conversation between the other three. A slight smile crept across his face as they shifted the conversation from the serious feeling of anger to a conversation about the Dah'kin joining them.
As Az'rim walked away, ignoring her brother's feeble attempt to spurn her (though her fists clenched a little), she heard Chese but assumed that the girl was not speaking to her and thusly ignored the voice. However, as her strapped boot fell upon the bottom stair, she heard the voice mention her companion and turned around slowly to make sure that the voice was indeed directed at her. Seeing the same Rysallean woman that had passed her and Je'retiel looking back at her with a bright expression, the Dah'kin hiked a brow and leaned against the stair with a certain dangerous elegance that seemed to come far too easily to her. "Trying your luck with a band of miscreants?" she asked, bemused as a sly smirk tugged on the corners of her lips. "I assure you, we are a most capable pair. But tell me, what sort of capabilities might you contribute?" she asked in such a tone that indicated she was incredulous and wary but not at all threatened.
Chese was about to shout when Az'rim didn't seem to notice her, but fortunately she didn't have to. She eyed Az'rim's pose and figured that it was supposed to signify the Dah'kin's talents as an ...assassin whore? Chese kept her face level and friendly, however, and replied in a rhetorical manner: "Why waste an opportunity?" She then raised an eyebrow at Az'rim's questioning of her own abilities – but then again, Chese's talents weren't all too apparent when she didn't even seem to have a weapon. "Well, I would rather put it this way: There is just one thing I can't do. Would you like to guess what it is?" she asked slightly mischievously and smiled. "It's easy to tell what you can do", Chese added, looking at Az'rim's bow. "I am not quite as straightforward."
With Padma's attention diverted by the conversation between Az'rim and Chese, Je'retiel fell into the far more comfortable role of silent, listening bystander. He turned his masked face toward his sister and the woman engaging her attention.
"I would not like to guess," Az'rim replied sharply, though she wore a bored expression and busied herself by looking at her nails and noticing the dirt under them. "You should learn to be more forward if you intend to get anywhere in your life, especially in business. Now do you have a proposition for me or shall I continue?" she asked, directing her intent by looking pointedly up the stairs and then back to the woman.
Since apparently the Dah'kin wasn't too keen on talking or really did want to go upstairs, Chese didn't try to ask any more complicated questions from her. Nevertheless, she commented: "You misunderstand. I don't tend to disclose everything about myself at first glance." Though she didn't particularly show it, she was slightly surprised to hear she should be more forward than offering partnership before even asking Az'rim's name. But if the Dah'kin wanted forward, that was what she would get. Since Az'rim had seemed somewhat interested, or at least not walked right away, Chese took the discussion straight to its foreseeable conclusion. Grinning, she said: "It's decided then! Welcome to the team and have a pleasant night. Let's meet down here in the morning so we can discuss in peace." Chese then headed back next to Virgil.
"I have agreed to nothing and my schedule is my own. I see then that you are not a woman of business. Pity," Az'rim chided with mock disappointment as the female walked away. Az'rim then continued up the stairs to find her room, glancing at the key to read the number on it as she came upon the final step. She eyed the doors to read the numbers and then took a left when she saw that they were declining that way. When she reached the door that corresponded with the number on her key, the Dah'kin woman pushed the heavy brass key into the lock and turned until she heard a click, and then disappeared inside. She did not spend much time fussing about the room, and merely threw off her shortbow and quiver of arrows onto the furthest bed. She then unloaded her waterskin and rations as well and then emerged from the room again. From this vantage point, she leaned against the railing and surveyed the surroundings. (Spot)
Az'rim emerged back out of her room and walked halfway down the stairs, since it was the only way she could observe the tavern from the railing. From her slightly higher vantage point, not much had changed, the small crowd, about a dozen sailors, still blocked the far end table, she would have to get closer to see the arm wrestling "Lil'Kahn" and Je'retiel seemed to still be chatting with the human group.
Chese raised another eyebrow at Az'rim's attitude, but wasn't particularly surprised – though the dah'kin she had met previously had certainly not been the friendliest people, even they had said that most other dah'kin were quite the opposite, even toward each other. She shrugged and figured that Az'rim would end up learning the ways of other people the hard way. Chese glanced at the arm-wrestling table and spoke to Virgil: "Say, would you want to test your strength with the head of that table over there? They seem to have quite a contest going on. Maybe I could try it myself, too." She smiled and glanced at Az'rim's companion again, who seemed to have shrunk away from his originally small spotlight. Chese had gathered that he wasn't exactly happy about traveling with Az'rim, so maybe he would come with them even if Az'rim wouldn't. She then spoke to Je'retiel, again in a friendly manner: "Hi. What's your name?"
"Your friend certainly has a strong temper", said Padma to Je'retiel as Az'rim stormed out of the hall. True, Chese's wording had probably not been the best for the dah'kin, but still. She shrugged and looked at the pale man, wondering if he would answer Chese's question.
Through black eyes, Az'rim glanced at the way the two female gave such attention to her younger sibling, and instantly her lip curled. However, she also spotted Virgil, who appeared to be around the women for some reason or another and seemed to be watching Je'retiel as if he was a threat. Given his proximity to the other females, and the way that Padma and Chese seemed to know each other, Az'rim took a wild guess that Virgil was their bodyguard of some sort and instantly her curiosity was piqued. She came down the stairs the rest of the way and walked past her brother and his gaggle of girls without so much as a glance, her mark clearly set on Virgil. She approached him and looked him up and down once before asking, "So are you the bodyguard or is there some other reason you're watching my companion? I can assure you he is no threat," spoken in such a way that indicated she found this fact rather pathetic.
Chese looked amusedly at Az'rim when she saw her suddenly coming back down. Noticing she was heading for Virgil, she leaned closer to him and said conspiringly but amusedly: "Beware, the ice queen approaches you." Having said that, she continued leaning on the wall next to Virgil and planned to let Virgil and Az'rim talk by themselves if that was what Virgil wanted.
'Je'retiel,' he replied after a beat. '...and yours?' He looked between Chese and Padma, and seemed unaffected by Az'rim's departure and return. 'Yes, her communication skills have always left something to be desired.' He cast a side glance toward Virgil, the current target of his sister's attention, but only for a moment.
Chese further refrained from making a comment about guarding bodies, and instead replied to Je'retiel: "Chese. Nice to meet you." After a brief pause, she figured she could ask something fairly generic from him. "Did you perhaps come here from Skarrad? Or someplace else?"
Virgil smiled slyly as Az'rim walked up to him, "Maybe I'll test my strength later. It seems I have someone who wants a word with me," He said markedly towards Chese. He turned back to the dah'kin, "Well, hello to you too." He replied to the woman with dry sarcasm, "I'm not their body guard, however, I am a travelling companion of theirs. I'm not so worried about him being a threat, but let's just say I'd prefer to keep this from turning to violence," He gave a brief yawn and looked to Az'rim's eyes, "And at this rate, I'd be more worried about you being a threat. That tongue of yours is sharper than any dagger I've ever seen."
A slow smirk pulled at Az'rim's mouth as she looked up at the large knight. "You perceive much," she said finally, slightly flattered by his remark. "The talkative one approached me earlier," Az'rim explained as she looked over to Chese who was standing closeby. "But didn't say much. Perhaps you could shed some light on what she meant? I have an instinctual feeling that we're all looking for the same thing." She folded her arms slightly, and waited, still wearing her smug expression.
Padma rolled her eyes listening to what Az'rim was saying. Standing behind her now the woman's attention was focused on Virgil, it was unlikely she could see her dubious look, unless she had eyes on her skull. She wasn't sure she wanted her in the team - so far she hadn't made much of a good impression, but well, it was Chese's call at the moment.
"We're...mercenaries. Swords for hire. The three of us are here in search of a few more swords to join us with this." Virgil said cautiously as he eyed the room around him, "Now, from the looks of it, you and your companion are fighters in your own right. I saw that bow you had on you earlier, and we could use a few more people like you to join us so we can take on some bigger undertakings and earn a few more gold a piece."
With a slow nod, Je'retiel replied to Chese, 'We are on a journey from Skarrad. This place is a convenient... stopover. I might assume the same for you?' Perhaps it was his speech impediment, or he may have been making a marked attempt to keep any inflection, positive or negative, as he spoke the first statements. He also lacked the Chese's inquisitive friendliness as he asked the question. He took note of Padma as she rolled her eyes; apparently Je'retiel did not hear any part of Az'rim and Virgil's conversation. 'Is something wrong?'
"Hm?" Padma said as Je'retiel addressed her. "No, there's nothing wrong... just something that bothered me. Unimportant", she said lightly waving a hand to dismiss the issue. She decided to ignore Az'rim for a moment and returned her focus to Je'retiel. His speech still striked her as odd, but it also made her curious about what was he hiding under that mask. "We come from different places. Chese here thought it would be a good idea to group up, it makes it easier to find adventure... which brought us to this town. But we probably need a few more to start anything worth the effort", she commented. "Is it just the two of you, or are you travelling with more people?" she asked.
Now Chese also took note of Je'retiel's slightly odd way of speaking, but since the words he spoke were calm and relatively friendly, she called it an improvement after Az'rim. She also nearly scoffed when she heard Az'rim give a compliment to Virgil. Chese then confirmed idly what Padma had said about them: "Yes." Those things were obvious. "Stopover? You're heading for someplace else?"
Az'rim was not paying much attention to the specifics of the conversations around her, only slightly tuned in to the fact that she heard different voices chattering. When Virgil mentioned her bow, Az'rim grinned just slightly. "It seems we are looking for similar things. My brother and I are journeying from Skarrad in search of renown I suppose, in whatever form that comes first. We might join you but I can sense already that your females are intimidated by me. Such might cloud their judgement of my worth and I highly doubt my brother would join without me. I say we go and meet whoever is giving this arm wrestling competition and see what she's worth. It looks as if you're the only sword here and if we indeed joined we could use another," she said sagely, turning to start walking towards the end of the bar, though waiting for the knight.
While he momentarily regarded Padma after her dismissive comment Je’retiel shifted the position of his arms, leaving the right crossed over his midsection, the left raised in a somewhat more conversational gesture as he answered her question, ‘It is just the two of us. You might imagine we’ve had some… difficulty in finding allegiance or beneficial prospects with her attitude.’ Of course he was indicating Az’rim, whom he did not bother to call by name yet, nor did he admit that any of their difficulties might be of his own doing. ‘A port town would be a likely place to find opportunity. We do not intend to remain here much longer,’ he then said to Chese.
Smiling and giving a chuckle at Az'rim's note that he was the only one here with a sword, Virgil nodded to the idea of trying to convince the arm wrestler to join them. He walked quietly after Az'rim to the end of the bar.
Chese nearly burst out with laughter at Az'rim's comment but managed to squeeze her mouth shut until she had moved away. Just before Virgil left, she whispered to him with a chuckle: "She kind of looks like she wants to grope you." Chese looked thoughtfully at Az'rim for a moment, wondering if a bow was worth the derogatory attitude and a possible ruination of all their social events. Then again, she seemed to be less threatened by Virgil, so maybe he could easier persuade her to behave. Chese also wondered if the two dah'kin were so new to the business that they needed everything to be spelled out for them. Nevertheless, she shrugged it off and spoke to Je'retiel again, replying to his comment about his sister: "I have no doubt about that." She paused but continued shortly: "We came by ship. I can say I'm rather tired of the smell of fish and the sea. It would be nice to find something that would take us more inland for a change."
Padma noticed how Je'retiel seemed slightly more relaxed now, which was good. As Chese started to chat in different directions talking to Virgil and the dah'kin, she was reminded about how intense it could turn out to be around the rysallean, and remained silent while she spoke. She saw how Az'rim and the knight wandered over towards the crowded table where "Lil' Kahn" was apparently twisting arms, and she got a bit curious about what was going on there. "Ah, Chese, shouldn't we be getting a room for tonight?" she asked, remembering they hadn't approached the innkeeper yet.
Virgil and Az'rim approached the back of the bar, noticing several of the sailors screaming and raising their fists up as one huge man took the left seat on a small round table, directly beneath the large Catfolk shield. Sitting right across from him was a tiny lynx girl, heavily decorated with tribal warpaints and wearing a large fur collar, a cloth wrapped around her chest and a set of baggy pants. She had extremely long and messy blonde hair, which somehow retained a silky quality, while making her look totally feral. The girl chugged down half a pint of beer from a glass which seemed bigger than her head and then turned her huge amber eyes to the sailor, bringing him down in one swift movement of her axe swinging arm. "NEXT!" she roared out as she finished up the beer.
When another wave of noisiness swept over the Inn from the arm wrestling area, Je'retiel cast a sidelong glance in that direction. 'He belongs to your party as well?' he then asked with a jerk of his head, indicating Virgil, as the man walked away with Az'rim. Chese's assumption was correct: It was true, Je'retiel had no experience with these dealings. This notion, paired with his natural social awkwardness did not, of course, help any. 'Heading inland sounds far more appealing than going out to sea. Padma said your party and ours might be in search of a similar ends. Hopefully I am not prematurely drawing the conclusion that you might want to enter into a joint deal of sorts?' There was such a droning sort of quality to his voice, one might wonder if he had any ability to express himself at all.
"Yes", replied Chese simply to Je'retiel's question about Virgil. She did think it would've been more obvious after the way they'd spoken to each other, but either way, she was contented that he too seemed to prefer going inland. She did start to wonder more what was up with him but still figured that maybe a quieter time would be better to ask personal questions. "Oh, you're quite right. I offered your sister a deal already", she said casually, "but she didn't seem agreeable. This place is so noisy though, I prefer more quiet places ...where I can hear myself talk." She then snickered a bit at herself. "Oh yes, the room", she said to Padma. "It's not late yet but I suppose I'll just go ahead and get one. Wait, I'm out of money." After this sudden realization, she coughed a little and continued to Padma, smiling: "Would you perhaps like to lend money for the room?"
As the tiny Lynx girl came into view, Az'rim could not help but chuckle just slightly, folding her arms over her chest and observing. The sailors were probably none too pleased at being beaten by such a small girl, but her ferocity was clearly playing to her advantage. Seeing the chest wrap, Az'rim's eyes narrowed as she wondered what the cause was. "Want to test your luck?" she asked, looking sidelong to Virgil with a little grin.
Virgil smiled. He reached into his money pouch and pulled out five gold pieces, tossing them onto the table as he sat down across from the lynx, "I'm next!" he called over the heckling crowd, setting up in the posistion for an arm wrestling match.
Lilee smirked as she put the pint down. "Ya sure, little man?" laughed the girl. She lay her elbow on the table and opened her hand, which was tiny in comparison to Virgil's. "I'll take ya to school, why not?" she laughed further, "Ain't found a man worth 'is balls in this town yet."
Virgil smirked at the little Lynx girl's spunkiness, "I like your style. You're a tough little one." He said as he reached his hand in to meet hers to lock up for the match, "Maybe you need to be lookin' for a man that has soom better roots than these saps 'ere. None of 'em look like they've seen a day of strife in their lives," the young knight said as he looked around the room at some of the sailors, a wild smirk on his face. He squared off with Lilee and gave a quick nod, "Whenever you're ready."
"You have no money?" said Padma, not really surprised though. She searched for her money pouch and handed Chese 10 gold pieces. "I think that should be enough to get a room for us and one for Mr. Knight", she said. She wasn't sure how much money was in Virgil's pockets, but it seemed they would need to find a way to increase their resources soon. "So, Je'retiel, do you think we could work together, if, ah, your sister agrees?"
Az'rim stood silently, undaunted by the crude sailors that were so much taller and broader than she and the Dah'kin males she was accustomed to spending her time around. She deftly wove her way closer, almost dancing around bent elbows and stepping over large boots until she was satisfied that she could see without being too terribly noticeable. Though she had nothing really riding on the match, she was interested to see who would win the fight, almost wondering how Virgil could possibly lose to such a small girl. Still, her mind was set on the overall task, which was to secure the possibility of having the strong catfolk girl travel with them. With only Virgil's sword, they would be at a disadvantage if a fight cropped up.
When Virgil took a seat across from Lilee, seemingly at Az’rim’s suggestion, Je’retiel mentally conceded that his sister certainly knew how to get the attention of those she wanted. He then offered another stodgy reply to Chese, ‘I agree. This boisterous atmosphere is not particularly to our liking, either.’ Though he didn’t sound particularly sorry, he continued, and answered Padma’s inquiry, ‘I… apologize for Az’rim’s demeanor. I would like to hope that we could come to a working agreement, yes.’
Lilee snickered and grabbed onto Virgil's hand and snickered, baring a bit of her Lynx fangs. Quickly, she let out a small roar and pushed his arm to the side, trying to make the back of his hand hit the table with all her strength!
Lilee uses Rage! Constitution 5->1! Strength 7->11!
Lilee uses Heroic strength! Strength 11 -> 17!
Letting out a small snicker, Virgil looked into Lilee's eyes, "I see how you do this," he said as he saw the rage build up. He pushed back against the little Lynx, being no man for being flashy about strength, he had to only hope for the best and built up all the strength he could.
The sailors, who had so far been distracted from the table by the sudden influx of girls into the tavern and had spent the last few seconds ogling them (though Chese seemed to attract most of the inappropriate compliments and lustful looks) suddenly saw their attention reclaimed by the lil'Kahn in her favorite table. Virgil felt his arm yanked to the side as his hand crashed into the table, the knight, armor, weapons and baggage, almost took off from the ground. Virgil ended up kneeling on the floor with his arm totally sore and bent on top of the wooden table, he was otherwise ok though.
"Seems you don't 'ave roots yerself, human." laughed Lilee as she crossed her arms and sat back. "You should watch yer mouth b'fore you call the KAHN little again! Next time I won't be gentle with ya!" then she turned to the sailors and called out. "Ain't no one in this town that can gain the Kahn's allegiance?!" she boasted daringly. "Cmon! bring it on!"
"Next time?" Az'rim spoke up, intrigued by the little cat-girl's brazenness. "I think we'll take you up on that offer," she said as she pushed forward so that the Lynx could see her. "I'm going to get a friend though, we all should witness this feat," she said with a smile small enough to either be flattering or conniving. The slim Dah'kin then wove her way back through the crowd of sailors and over to where Padma and Je'retiel were still standing. "You girl, have you any magic? Preferably white? I think the knight's odds against the catfolk girl will improve if he's blessed," she said in a hushed voice so that only her brother and the girl could hear her.
Virgil stood up, rubbing his forearm gently with his left hand. He cracked his neck and looked at Lilee, "I bet without those nifty little tricks of yours, you wouldn't be so tough. There's no way a girl like you could be so tough." The knight nodded to her, "However, I gotta say, you have some real spunk to ya. Quite the arm there." He looked back around the room, looking to catch a glimpse of Az'rim, he kept rubbing his arm. His forearm was still quite sore, but he was doing it more as a diversionary knack.
After nodding to Je'retiel in agreement, the roaring at the table where Virgil was brought Padma's attention back into that direction. "By the Spirits of the Desert, that girl is something else", she said watching as Virgil was defeated by the Lynx. She eyed Az'rim suspiciously as the dah'kin approached her, but pondered her proposition. It wasn't a bad idea to bless him, although that would be like cheating. She was about to ask Virgil if he was hurt, but refrained as she thought she didn't want him to feel like he was a weakling - because he certainly wasn't. With that in mind, she answered Az'rim. "Yes. Well... alright, here it goes", she said. She cleared her head and said a quiet prayer so the spirits would favor and bless the knight.
Padma cast Bless on Virgil!
Virgil's Str - 6 -> 8
Padma now has 9/14 MP!
Chese chose to ignore any lewd comments to her, unless the any of speakers were actually polite or smart, however unlikely that was. She took Padma's money and thanked her for the loan before going to the innkeeper behind the bar. "Good day, sir! We would like two rooms, one for two people and one for one."
"Mornin'" replied the little old man as he looked up at Chese. "Causin' quite a ruckus in my bar, Miss." he coughed. "That'd be 5 gold fer two rooms." he added.
"That little girl is using tricks of her own, but I question how long they're useful," Az'rim replied when Padma mentioned it might feel like cheating. The rules were simple, she thought; beat Lil Kahn and take 100 gold pieces. However that needed to be done was entirely left to the discretion of the challenger. With Az'rim's slyness and Padma's White Magic, they were much more likely to win. When she heard the Caerhamn girl starting to chant, Az'rim began to casually walk away, still ignoring Je'retiel to a point that made it seem entirely purposeful. Her deft figure slid easily through the crowd again and she stood next to Virgil this time, grinning. "It seems my friend can already see your might, Lil Kahn and has been watching for some time. You mentioned a next time, and here we are for a rematch."
Lilee had never met someone who would try to take her on twice in one day, her strength boost being good only once, she flinched for a second. However, Lilee was pretty strong in her own right, so she immediately went back to her usual boisterous self. "Bring it on!" she growled.
Virgil smiled and sat back down, "Now that's what I was hoping to hear," he said. He knew that what he was doing wasn't quite right, however, even though he wasn't sure what Lilee had done to win their last match, but he knew she had done something to win, and with that, he didn't feel so bad about getting a slight edge of his own. He dug through his coin pouch and pulled out five more gold coins, setting them on the table and assuming the position for another match, "Whenever you're ready, Miss."
Chese handed five gold to the man and chuckled a little. "I would rather call that a ruckus", she said, smiling, and pointed at where the sailors were making noise around the arm-wrestling little lynx and Virgil. She didn't know what Az'rim was doing walking around and eyed her, not particularly noticeably though.
Taking the 5 gold, the innkeeper handed Chese two heavy brass keys and then wrote some more stuff in the ledger. "Little girl makes me a fortune." he simply shrugged before going back to his ledger. "I told 'er she could find strong people wit' this arm-wrestling thing, she's obsessed wit' finding strong people."
While everyone else dealt with the business of room-renting and arm wrestling, Je'retiel slumped back into his previous, not-very-social posture. He also watched Az'rim as she slid by and ignored him, wondering what he was being punished for this time.
"I hope it helps somewhat", said Padma when she finished casting her blessing, dropping her arms on her sides with a sigh. "At least if he wins we'll get some extra coins", she said to nobody, it seemed, since Az'rim left right away to acompany the knight, Chese went to speak with the innkeeper and Je'retiel hid in the corner. Turning to him again, she asked, "so... what do you and your sister do? You look like a spellcaster... am I wrong?"
Lilee met Virgil's hand with her own, which was dwarfed by the knight's. Then, they both pushed against the other, this time Lilee did not have her special move to grant her more strength. The match was far more even this time, for much of the struggle, it looked like Virgil was going to win, however, even without her trick, Lilee was pretty strong, and after almost a minute, which seemed eternal, she managed to push Virgil's arm back once more, and make the back of his hand meet the wooden table!
This time Lilee did not celebrate her victory, instead, she sat there looking at her hand as she made it into a fist and opened it several times. "Oi!" she said, not even looking up at Virgil. "Yer actually pretty strong aren't ya? You even made me break a sweat, might even be stronger than me, I reckon...."
Je’retiel nodded to Padma before responding verbally. ‘Spellcaster? Yes. And my sister… ‘ he seemed to weigh his options during a rather pregnant pause, ‘ …Az’rim is a hunter. If you couldn’t guess.’ He waved a hand in the direction in which his sister and the knight had wandered off. Maybe this was his attempt at humor, for the skin around corners of his eyes crinkled, as if he were smiling beneath his balaclava.
"Well," sighed Az'rim as she tucked a sheet of silver hair behind her nocked ear. "That was unexpected." Surprised as she was, she was more so disappointed that even with Padma's White Magic, Virgil was still unable to win. However, the girl looked strong in her own right but the thought that she (and the team, she supposed) wasn't going to taste those 100 gold piece was enough to sour her disposition just a little. She stepped closer to the table and stood next to Virgil, smiling at the Lynx girl. "You've got a fantastic arm, Lil Kahn," she admonished honestly. "Is there anything specific that brings you to Khanidi? A few fellow travelers and I are forming a group and we could certainly use someone of your particular prowess to improve our strength." She spoke formally but her tone was casual, as was her stance as she stood next to the seated Virgil.
"What did ya call me?" growled Lilee at this random woman who was addressing her. "You look weak, got no interest in you." added Lilee as she crossed her arms. "As for you, I'm lookin' for a appropriate followers, and ya seem to be th' only person with some spunk in this town." she continued, turning to Virgil.
Chese listened somewhat curiously to what the innkeeper said and then just replied: "Thank you." She walked back to Padma and Je'retiel and handed the Caerhamian the leftover five gold. "Got the rooms", she said and hid the keys in her sleeve for the moment. She eyed the table at the back and judged from the mostly unchanged noise that Virgil probably hadn't won. She figured she could go and give this arm-wrestling a go at some point. "What was your sister doing walking around?" she asked in a curious and conversational manner.
"Thank you, Miss," Virgil said to the lynx with a bow of his head, "You, yourself, are very strong. You really hide quite a punch behind that little frame of yours. By the way, my name is Virgil. I don't believe I officially caught yours? I don't feel like calling you Lil' is quite appropriate." The knight outstretched an arm as an offer for a hand shake. "And, as for my strength, I don't like really thinking of it as such. My strength is the power to protect." He added with a smile.
'I... don't know why,' Je'retiel answered Chese as well as he could. He figured Az'rim was trying to stick it to him by pointedly ignoring him, but he didn't think it necessary to embroil their brand new acquaintances with their strange sibling dynamic quite yet. 'She does like to prowl about, sometimes,' he added with a shrug.
Chese nodded but looked questioningly at Padma, if she knew more.
Padma took the money Chese handed her and put it back into her pouch. She nodded at Je'retiel as she listened to what he said, and shrugged in answer to Chese's inquiry. "I don't know. But I think they might have gotten somewhere in that arm wrestling competition", she said, observing how Virgil seemed to be talking in a friendly manner to the lynx.
"Lilee. Lilee Kahn. I'm not lil' anythin'" replied Lilee with a scowl. Then, as Virgil extended his hand, she leaned forward and sniffed it curiously a few times, much like a kitten does when investigating something new. Then leaned back and extended her own hand, meeting Virgil's hand with her fist instead of shaking it. "That ain't strength, strength is how hard ye can smash things." she added, leaning back in her chair once more. "Still, yer stronger than most of the men in this town, figured as much, not a Lion amongst them." continued the girl Lynx oblivious to the fact that Lions make poor sailors and if she had left the docks she would have probably found Lions in Khanidi. "What do you and yer men do? I'm lookin' fer strong people to follow me."
"Really? I saw her come here while I was talking to the innkeeper", said Chese. She also turned to look more closely at the lynx's table, though the view was probably still rather sailor-blocked.
Far from being intimidated by the hubristic lynx, Az'rim looked the girl in the eye as she reacted so childishly. "If you don't like the name then tell the innkeeper to stop referring to you as such. At any rate, the offer stands," she said coolly. She listened for a moment longer as Virgil replied, finally learning the knight's name, and then lost interest, especially at the young girl's narrowed vision. Sashaying away from the table, she approached Je'retiel, Padma, and Chese. "Well your spell probably gave him more of a fighting chance than he had," she remarked off-handedly to Padma as she entered the conversation that was apparently about her, though she had no idea.
'Oh,' Je'retiel dryly said. 'Sorry. The blessing. Yes, Az'rim asked Padma to bless your man prior to a bout of arm-wrestling,' he said to Chese. 'I must not have been paying attention,' he then said with a glance to Az'rim, as that last part was mostly for her benefit.
Virgil gave the lynx a wide smile, "Me and my companions here are freelancers. We're a group of adventurers out seeking thrills and, well, a way of life. We live life on the outside of society. It's really a thrilling way to live. And we could always use someone as strong as yourself to travel with us. It's not like I'm strong enough to smash anything I want," the knight said, winking at the last sentance.
"Ok then, it's decided." grunted simply Lilee and suddenly stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "Scoot, all of ya weaklings!" she roared, while the sailors, loosing interest, went back to their respective tables. "YO! Innkeep! thanks so much fer putting up with me, you can keep my earnins' im gonna be leavin' with these folk in search for gold, power and stuff to smash!" she announced loudly, not even bothering to walk up to the bar. Then, she plotted back into her chair and grabbed her axe, a huge tabar sitting next to her, slinging it over her shoulder. "So.. where are we goin'?"
Lilee's announcement was loud enough to make Padma ignore the conversation going on at the group around her, and look up at Virgil, wondering what had happened there. "She means us?" she asked.
The tiny Innkeep almost looked like he was going to fall out of his chair, for a second, he stuttered around at the prospect of losing his golden goose, however, it seemed he was at least glad the Lil'Kahn was leaving undefeated. "Whatever!" he grunted, before going back to his ledger.
Je'retiel's remark solidified Az'rim's presumption that the conversation she had interrupted indeed held her at the focus. She smiled slyly and let expression rule her face at her sibling's snide remark. She let her folded arms fall to her sides, the white of her skin glaring against the black canvas of her cloak, and put a hand on her hip. "Je'retiel, where are your manners? Take off your mask and let the girls see your face," she said innocently, even smiling a little in a way that was shockingly sincere. Only Je'retiel would know what her aim truly was.
Chese just grinned a little at hearing that Az'rim had asked Padma to bless Virgil for the arm-wrestling. She didn't know why the dah'kin woman then came back again, but didn't really care either. She did raise an eyebrow at Lilee's sudden announcement and figured she'd better go check out in case Virgil was making a huge mistake, however unlikely that was. More importantly she would probably tell the little lynx that they would be traveling tomorrow and not right now. Just as she was about to leave, Az'rim suggested that her brother take off his mask, and Chese couldn't help but feel suspicious of this sudden innocence. (Insight)
Chese did feel slightly suspicious, but she had barely known Az'rim and only spoken to her once. Regardless of that first impression though, Az'rim seemed now like the picture of honesty.
Smiling curiously, even though she wanted to see under the mask, Chese started walking and said quickly and nonchalantly: "It can wait if you like." Her tone suggested that she didn't mind if he went ahead anyway. Chese walked past Az'rim, not meaning to bump into her, and so she just said "Bump" cheerfully when she walked by. Dodging the gropey sailors, Chese walked behind Vrigil and patted him on the shoulder. "Didn't win, eh?" she said and smiled. She then lifted her eyes and looked at Lilee, not seeing anything she wouldn't particularly like to take along, and spoke to her: "We were planning on sleeping here first before leaving anywhere. Though actually, I would've had the energy to go someplace else. Preferably a forest", she went wistfully but smiling before returning to the issue of leaving: "But not today, either way. I'm Chese, what's your name?" She offered her hand to be shaked and half expected the lynx to try to throw her.
Virgil turned around to Chese, "You could say that. I may not have won at arm wrestling, but it seems that I did win something else." He turned back around to Lilee, "glad to hear you're so enthusiastic to go with us. Chese here is the one that really sets up the travel plans mostly, so you'll have to talk to her about when and where we're going." He said smiling to her.
Lilee also sniffed Chese's hand lightly. "You smell of the forest." she stated simply. "Its still mornin'" she added afterwards. "What are you guys gonna do, anyways? You could go to the freelancer's guild, always jobs up!" asked then the Catfolk girl, in her mind, she had already reciprocated Chese's greeting. "Lilee Kahn, that's my name. You may call me Kahn, THE Kahn, THE GREAT Kahn.. or Lilee." continued the catfolk girl as she played with the fangs hanging from her mane. "
Je’retiel, like Padma, looked toward the former arm wrestling table after Lilee boldly notified the sundry gathering of people that their collective presences were no longer desired, but he narrowed his eyes and again looked at Az’rim after her ‘casual’ remark. Though he would have liked to follow after Chese, ‘How rude of me,’ were his only words as he reached his right hand to the top of his head, grasping the crown to pull the garment forward and down, first revealing the back of his pale neck, then his soft grey crop of peach-fuzz-like hair. His face came into view mostly all at once, though he tried to keep the normal side of his profile toward Padma.
Az'rim's instruction to Je'retiel's to take off the baclava made Padma concentrate in the dah'kin pair again, after asuming that indeed Lilee would be joining their little group. "Oh, you don't have to feel bad about it", she said as Je'retiel seemed to be apologizing for being rude. The Caerhamian had supposed he wore that thing for a reason, and the most obvious that came to mind was that he wanted to hide his face. Maybe he didn't want to be recognized, or something like that. But his willingness to remove the mask without much hesitation, openly in the public, indicated that she had been wrong, and his should be a perfectly ordinary dah'kin face. She found herself following his hands with attention, though, as he took the clothing off, revealing the pale skin of his neck, his hair and finally his face. At first sight, she thought there was nothing that explained why he would hide himself behind a mask, before she noticed something odd about his mouth - she couldn't see much from where she was standing, though. Feeling odd at the realization that she had been staring at the man for a longer time that what would be considered appropiate, she actually blushed somewhat and turned her gaze somewhere else momentarily.
When Je'retiel complied to take off the balaclava, Az'rim's eyes widened briefly before falling to narrow slits as she watched Padma eye her brother with increasing interest. It struck a pang deep within her to see some other woman gawking at him and she made a mental note to be very, very wary of Padma. Years of having watched the way her brother cleverly kept his head turned from those he wanted to conceal his deformity, the one that she had given him so long ago, told her that was exactly what he was doing for the Caerhamian girl. Truth be told, she hadn't expected him to take the concealing head garment off to begin with but now that he had only made her smile to herself. There was still hope that she held him in her grasp then. Reaching forward, Az'rim placed her hand upon his cheek, obscuring his scars from view as her fingers crossed the side of his mouth again. The look in her eyes was surprisingly soft for a woman so hard; a look she had given her sibling many times after she'd done something cruel. "That's much better," she said, though whether she was talking about Je'retiel's newly unearthed face or the fact that she was covering his most embarrassing spot was altogether his guess.
"Oh, good to hear!" said Chese to Lilee, for she much rather smelled like home rather than the sea. She took her hand back, not really caring that Lilee didn't have exactly the same method of greeting. Maybe Chese could explain later about the handshake if needed. "Nice to meet you, Lilee Kahn." She then continued about their plan. "I wanted to take a walk around the town and find any interesting spots, but someone wanted rooms first", she said and looked down but not at Virgil, "which reminds me, I got them." She swiped a key from her sleeve and showed it to Virgil. "Let's go drop our stuff so we can go on a tour. Or head straight to the guild if that's what everyone wants. And I want a climbable tree!" Chese let out a chuckle.
With his attention zeroed-in on his sister, Je’retiel did not see Padma’s reaction. He spoke quietly, the words catching in his throat at first, ‘Where is our room? I want to unload.’ He balled the mask between his hands and waited for a reply.
Az'rim kept her hand gently on her brother's face, a silent moment passing between them before she reached down the low front of her top and pulled a brass key from between her breasts. "The number is on the key," she replied calmly, the first glimpse of humanity shining through her since they'd entered the inn. She thrust her hand forward, the room key lying in the center of an ivory palm.
Padma felt a bit uncomfortable at the interaction between Az'rim and Je'retiel, but she didn't know exactly what bothered her. Az'rim seemed to be a very sweet sister. There was definitely something about his mouth, she thought again as Je'retiel spoke about the room. "I should check where mine is too!", she said, remembering Chese hadn't mentioned what room number they had, and happy to have some excuse to get away from them for a moment. She smiled, excusing herself and aproached the table where Lilee, Virgil and Chese were. "Hello. What's the plan?" she asked.
Lilee yawned slightly, things were getting a too chatty and not smashy enough. "Freelancer's guild it's by the plaza, we can go there if ye want, my stuff is with me." added the girl, speaking to Chese, or it might have been Padma. Humans all looked alike, most Lynx were so similar to humans they had no trouble telling them apart from each other, but Lilee was raised a Lion.
"Planning on checking out the rooms before the tour", replied Chese when Padma arrived. She then took the other key from her sleeve and looked them for any numbers. "I don't know which room is which but that shouldn't be too hard to find out. Shall we go?"
For the briefest of moments, Je’retiel pressed his face into Az’rim’s palm. He said nothing when he took the room key from her, and finally broke his gaze with hers when he turned to head upstairs.
Virgil looked at the key the Chese presented him, "Sounds like a plan to me. Seems that the arm wrestling was what I needed to get my energy back up to go ahead and tour the city. "So, a Freelancer's guild, huh?" The knight said, showing interest. Where there was a guild, there was a lot of quests, and where there were a lot of quests, there was a lot of money to be earned.
"I don't have much stuff to leave", said Padma in answer to Chese. Maybe she could leave one of the waterskins, but she wasn't carrying that much stuff so it wasn't really bothering her now. "But maybe it would be good to see where the room is", she commented.
"Room-check time it is!" stated Chese and turned around energetically, located the stairs and walked upstairs not long after Je'retiel. She eyed the keys, matched their numbers with the door numbers and opened a door to one of them.
Chese and Padma got to the double room and opened the heavy wooden door, which creaked loudly. Inside was a relatively spartan room, consisting of little more than two beds with grey sheets made of some low quality, yet passable fabric, The beds were separated by a wide night table with a pair of candles on it. Opposite the beds and to the right side of the door was a small weapon rack.
Smiling smugly at her brother's back, Az'rim turned around to see Virgil, who seemed to have come to some sort of agreement with the Kahn kid. The exchange between she and her brother had stolen her attention and thusly she had not heard any of the conversations going on around her, only just noticing that the girls were headed upstairs, seemingly to their room. She walked back over to Virgil and nodded her head towards the girls going upstairs. "Is this party leaving or what?" she asked curiously, looking up from her short height to the much taller knight.
Mainly, Je’retiel wanted to go upstairs to have a few minutes by himself, though it felt nice to unload some of his belongings. He took his grand old time while clomping back down the stairs. A couple of items hung from his belt, those he deemed most necessary if he went back outside. The young man paused on the bottom most step, located Az’rim, then traversed the floor of the inn, again with no great urgency, toward the spot where she, Virgil and Lilee were standing.
Virgil looked down at the much smaller dah'kin, "No, we're not leaving yet. Just going to unload a few thing here, and then we're going to explore the city a bit, and see about this Freelancer's guild." He said simply.
"But we are leaving," Az'rim deduced from Virgil's statement. Looking up, she saw Je'retiel and smiled up at him. "Looks like we're going to find some jobs," she said to her younger brother. "I'll go get my bow then, if I can have the key."
Padma thought the room wasn't much but it looked clean and it seemed she would be able to rest there, so she was satisfied. "City tour time now?" she asked Chese. "I've nothing to leave here really. Hopefully there will be no bugs here tonight", the girl said. She returned downstairs to where the rest of the party was.
Chese didn't really care about the room's appearance and her face kept its regular expression. "Yep", she replied to Padma and just left her backpack there, thinking she wouldn't need anything in it. She left after Padma and relocked the door. Since Virgil hadn't come up and apparently was going to carry all his stuff with him for the day, she put the keys into the safety of her pockets while walking down after Padma and came back apparently soon after Je'retiel. "All done. Let's go then!" she announced and headed to the main door of the inn.
When Az’rim requested back the key, Je’retiel nodded and held it out to her. As Chese and Padma rejoined the posse, the slouched dah’kin kept his head down, but snatched the balaclava from where he’d slid it between his belt and his body to pull it back down over his head when mention was again made about going back outside.
Taking the key from her brother, Az'rim quickly went upstairs to unlock the door, ignoring sailors and patrons as she slipped the key into the lock. When the lock clicked, she pushed the door open with her shoulder and immediately grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows, which had been resting on the bed she'd chosen. Over her cloak she strapped the quiver as well as her bow and then walked back out of the room. Locking the door and returning the brass key to its rightful spot in her cleavage, Az'rim descended the stairs again, almost silently, and stood next to Je'retiel.
Spotting Je'retiel in the middle of the room, Padma attempted to take a better look at the dah'kin's face before he put the baclava on again. She observed him quietly for a the couple of seconds before he covered his face again, trying not to look too impressed at the terrible scar on the left side of his mouth. From a healer's perspective, she was curious about it, but she couldn't see much as he put the mask on again. Without saying anything she followed Chese to the entrance, waiting for the group to be ready to go.
Virgil quietly followed the girls to the door. He stood near them, crossing his arms over his chest in a manner indicating he was ready to head out. He let a smile stay plastered on his face. He had won the group a new member, and was the only person, as far as he could tell, that Az'rim trusted aside from her brother. He felt that this had been a rather sucessful day, all-in-all.
Characters
[Ms. Steel] - RoL - Je'retiel Avreh
[Lepellier] - RoL - Virgil Argentus
[Roma] - RoL - Az'rim Avreh
[Sturmi] - RoL - Padma Fatih
[Duredhel] - RoL - Lilee Kahn
[Veltzeh] - RoL - Chese Fenpollen
Stumble!