Carefully Swift pulls out the last of her own cream she'd carelessly thrown in her backpack before leaving and opens it for Mystery before smiling a little at Edwin.
"This is Merle and Seph" She introduces the other two easily before looking back and forht between the wizard and Mystery, not sure who she wants to ask what first.
The elderly wizard shakes Merle's hand, then laugs and shakes Seph's as well.
"I see you have an indepemdent-minded familiar as well Merle," He adds as he pets Seph gently
Mystery mreeps
::You'll have to excuse him sir, he doesn't know his boundaries, being a monkey and all::
Mystery bounds up to Seph
::I'm Mystery. And you are?::
Shall we m'lady?" He asked. Skyy hooked her arm through his.
"We shall!" She declared.Justin once again entered the dangerous realm of streetside navigation. Adjusting his longer legs to match Skyy's shorter stride he began the perilous journey up the street towards,...
"Um. Where did you say you worked?"
Skyy links her slender arm in Justin's
"I work at a dancehall tavern wots named the Fallen Angel. It's over in the Marble District. I show yeh as we go, it's not hard to find, but it's a bit of a stroll.."
The two continue their walking on Copperman's Way, headed toward the Noble District. Skyy is a flighty soul, not surprising for an air-kissed lass. She dawdles in front of the shop windows near the tailoring district of Needle Court, oohs and ahh over a display of fashionable knee-high leather boots and pumps.
Finally, the two make it onto Threefate Boulevard and the Nobles District. Skyy gets a few admiring glances from the many stable lads and greenskeepers working by the palatial homes. She gets a few less admiring glances from the richly-dressed ladies and their handmaids promenading the wide clean street.
The Nobles' District fades into the Court District. Skyy becomes much less ebuillient, hanging close to Justin. The Harmonium Patrols that clomp by give them the hard stare again and again, and Justin can almost read their thoughts as they observe him and his scantily-clad charge. Fortunately, the Court District soon turns into the Temple District.
In the Temple District Skyy doesn't stick out as badly as she had in the other districts of the Lady's Ward. There are many temple priestesses wearing even less than her performing 'rituals' that are obvious crowd titillaters meant to attract worshippers. Justin makes a note of the whereabouts of the Temple of Zeus for when he stops later for Fernicia. It's not a hard building to miss, being one of the largest temples in the district.
The two wander on until the temples start to get shabbier, ending up in Meatmarket Square, the border plaza to the Lower Ward. Meatmarket Square has many a food stall, as there is an abundance of livestock on display for purchase for sacrifice. The smell of kebobs and grilled sausages fill the air.
The two cut Spikeward through Swordhold, the district best known for mercenaries and custom weapons shops. Skyy gets a lot of attention here, but Justin's presence and her own sharp tounge keeps the sellswords at arm's length.
Passing the giant satanic mill of the Great Foundry, the two walk quickly through the smog and ash-choked air. They pass down Gear Street, where the shops more often than not have signs in Gnomish, and the windows are filled with elaborate clockwork items and arcane-engined toys.
Cutting across Ragpickers Square, Skyy says hello to several of the stall vendors. Indeed, her getup is beginning to look normal, with the proportion of Xaosmen and Free Leaguers increasing as they arrive at the shabbier districts of the Cage. It looks as though Skyy shops at the second-hand kiosks quite a bit as well, the clothes looking much like the scanty green dress she sports.
Passing quickly through the silent undead-thronged Gray District with its sinister skull-shaped Mortuary building and swarms of ragged pariah Collectors, they enter the Marble District and its main drag of Scab Way.
Scab Way is a melange of taverns, dancehalls, pawn shops and bordellos. Barkers sit on the sidewalk trying to cajole passers by into their establishments:
"Young supple Prime lasses dancing for yer pleasure .."
"Lady Whitefeather on stage tonight at the Whip and Cuff! She is a celestial with the soul of a succubus! Tonight only! .."
"See Sliseethra, the Yuan-ti mistress of the Serpent Dance! Witness the myterious contortions of the reclusive snake folk! .."
Finally Skyy stops at a building with a sign of an angelic female with cartoonish proportions dressed in scanty clothing. The sign reads: The Fallen Angel.
Skyy looks to Justin and smiles.
"Yer a real bally cutter fer walkin' me all this way."
She gives him a warm kiss. and then smiles wickedly
"Can I getcher a drink afore yeh set off? I can get them to comp on on me tab.."
Ramona brings over a large platter with a large tenderloin of pork, whipped potatoes, baked apples and a bowl of fresh peas. She also brings in a pitcher of milk and one of ale. She sees the chair walk and laughs
"That's a right hende trick! You could make a killing doin' tricks on the street, making stuff dance an' such!"
Ramona brings over a large platter with a large tenderloin of pork, whipped potatoes, baked apples and a bowl of fresh peas. She also brings in a pitcher of milk and one of ale. She sees the chair walk and laughs
"That's a right hende trick! You could make a killing doin' tricks on the street, making stuff dance an' such!"
Naridre blushes at the attention."You really think so?" she asks shyly. Her eyes get big as she sees all of the food. "Is that all for us?" she asks incredulously.
... "Is that all for us?" she asks incredulously.
Ramona laughs
"Ducks, yeh best grab yer food quick! Karrin is a healthy eater, I've seen her put more than this away in a sitting an' ask fer seconds! Lucky she's got that hollow leg of hers to store it!"
Ramona looks over to Karrin.
"An' there's cheesecake fer dessert Miss Kind, if yeh can find room fer it!"
Nari doesn't need to be asked twice. She puts a healthy serving of everything on her plate and eats with the gusto and concentration of someone accustomed to going without.
The food is some of the best Nari has tasted in a while, the pork done nicely with a crackling skin, the potatoes heaped with fresh-churned butter. After the thin gruel and black bread Allesha served at the pantry, it was almost decadant.
The common room was crowded, mostly with laborers taking in a mug of ale and a bite to eat. Bess was obviously a good cook, and Ramona seemed a very personable waitress. There was a very small raised dias in the corner where a bard sat, playing a lute softly, a battered cap set upside down in front of him. Ramona occasionally brought him over a mug of ale while he sang softly.
::I'm Seph pleased to meet you::
::I'm Seph pleased to meet you::
The small calico cat stretches and purrs
::I'm Mystery. Are you Swift's new boyfriend?::
Seph goes a deep shade of crimson.
::N-no w-were ju-just friends::
Seph goes a deep shade of crimson.
::N-no w-were ju-just friends::
Mystery bats him playfully
::Neat! Would you like to be MY boyfriend? I can show you where all the good mice live::
Seph just turns into a stuttering mess at this point not used to fellow felines being so direct with him.
Mystery meeps cat laughter
::Oh you are a darling! Please tell me you'll be my boyfriend, you are so cute I want to pounce right on you!::
Mystery feints a pounce towards Seph
Issac, Jak and Hergik spend a good part of the evening enjoying the view at the Fallen Angel. Eventually, the combination of pricey drinks and Hive air start to get to them. The clientele starts to shift towards folk with Lower Planes connections and shifty Hive dwellers. A skinny tiefling with one big horn jutting from his lumpy forehead approaches the three:
"Any you cutters fancy a hit of Shiver? two Stingers a dose, foinest grade!"
Seph continues his stuttered random mewling while simultaneously giving everyone else in the room a look that clearly says HELP ME.
Swift watches the two cats for a moment before shaking her head a little, amazed at how lacking in confidence Seph is for a mature feline.
::Mystery, please don't toy with him too much, if he's interested he will let you know in time, he's a cautious cat::
She warns the calico with a faint smile, clearly endeared by both her actions and Seph's.
Slowly she looks back to Edwin "Actually Merle's 'familiar' is one of the reasons I'm here. We'd like to talk to you about polymorphings gone awry and the potential to reverse the accident.." She starts before looking to Merle pointedly to get her to fill in the blanks.
"Ooooo, cheese cake!" Karrin says licking her lips, Karrin briefly closes her eyes and clasps her hands together in prayer, then she quickly begins tearing into her meal, "looks good Ramona! Oh boy lets eat!"
Karrin tears into her meal like a pride of lions . . . or a three year old into cake.
Isaac awakens in the "Namer quarters" of the Great Foundry, also known as a "storage room with a cot hidden behind the barrels of ore and scrap". He must have been the Great Foundry in a previous life because it feels as though there are tiny men working anvils in his temples. Groaning, he stifles his food's attempt to escape through the wrong end. He rolls off the bed and rifles through his pack beneath the bed: it's got to be in there somewhere...
With a slightly different groan ("Mine is a groan of triumph!") Isaac pulls out a small flask labelled "In Case of Emergency, Drink" in his own scrawled hand. He braces himself and pulls out the stopper. A smell like maple syrup, vanilla, raw egg and cheap whiskey assails his nostrils. After a deep breath, he downs the entire concoction and fights against gagging before it's all the way down. On the plus side, his hangover subsides. On the minus side, now his breath could fell a moose from seven yards. He coughs and takes a long look at the iron ring on his finger.
"Guess that's one more thing I need to thank you for, eh?", he says to the woman that isn't there.
Isaac takes a long look at the cramped "quarters" that were his home these last few months. Without steady mercenary work he had spent more time here than anywhere except Ashbough and now it was going to some other namer, likely one that didn't know exactly what he was in for. And did he, when he became a Godsman? No, he must admit, he didn't. Are you getting sentimental, Isaac? Is that what they did to you on Acheron? No, that isn't it. It was Alessa, or more specifically, Alessa's leaving that did that. It's a room, it's a supply closet. Yeah, you got on your feet again from this room but so what? All the more reason to move on; it's time to evolve. This is just one tiny reincarnation in a long list of them and it's not going to wait for you.
The scout/skirmisher/blacksmith/reincarnated kangaroo rat pulls his things together, changes his clothes and stuffs the dirty ones into a bag of other gross ones. He packs his entire life together and notes just how small a bundle it makes. One trip from here to the new lodgings and that'll be it. Oh, he'll be back. He's got friends and obligations at the Foundry. But not to this room, like as not. This is for someone else's transformation. Someone else's first step on the long road to Transcendence.
Isaac heads out for the Silver Rose and doesn't look back.
Issac, Jak and Hergik spend a good part of the evening enjoying the view at the Fallen Angel. Eventually, the combination of pricey drinks and Hive air start to get to them. The clientele starts to shift towards folk with Lower Planes connections and shifty Hive dwellers. A skinny tiefling with one big horn jutting from his lumpy forehead approaches the three:
"Any you cutters fancy a hit of Shiver? two Stingers a dose, foinest grade!"
"No thanks, cutter. We were just about to head out.", Isaac replies as he stands to go.
He looks back at Hergik and Jak.
"Unless you gents want to sit a spell longer. I don't need a chaperone, if the view still holds your interest.."
Taking her que Merle launches into a full recount about how Seph is actually her brother, about the incident at her parents tower, the accident and everything that has happened since then. At the end of which she takes a deep breath.
"So can you do anything for him?"
Issac heads out into the murky Before Peak smog of The Foundry District. The area round about is thronged with Godsmen workers, some hauling carts with everything from raw ore to finished blades in them.
Just outside the Foundry gates, the junk tinkers a queueing up to sell their spoils to the Godsman factotum who pulled the duty for the day. Today it is Slash, a rough cutter that Issac knows slightly. No one uses Slash's real name, since it is hard to pronounce, but since he is an 8-foot-tall felinoid with bulging muscles and foot-long retractible claws, it's not too hard to see where he got the nickname.
The junk men argue, but most don't give Slash too much guff about his payment offers. New namers unload the junk metals into waiting handcarts and take them into the Foundry's yard for eventual resmelting.
Cutting Downwards on Smith Street, Issac passes the many varied apecialty armor and weapon shops that cater to the mercenaries of Swordhold. He enters the Temple District in his normal fashion, heading further Downwards until he enters Greytowers.
The quiet orderly streets allow him to shake off the last of his hangover. He keeps strolling along until the first palaces of the high-up in the Noble District start to come into view.
Issac doesn't dawdle here, it's never advisable considering the many Hardhead patrols that ceaslessly walk the well-kept streets. He pushes on unitl he reaches the beginning of Copperman's Way and the slightly safer confines of the Market Ward.
Merging into to anonymity of the thronging Before Peak crowd, Issac watches as several beholders levitate along, chatting with what looks to be a full-blooded Asura. Only in the Cage ..
Copper Court looms up soon enough, the street noise of Copperman's Way fading out as he travels down the side road. The Copper Cauldron is open for business, an appetizing smell of pancakes, bacon and fresh bread annointing the foggy street.
Taking her que Merle launches into a full recount about how Seph is actually her brother, about the incident at her parents tower, the accident and everything that has happened since then. At the end of which she takes a deep breath.
"So can you do anything for him?"
Edwin frowns
"I'd have to study up a bit. It might be beyond my powers, but I could at least arrainge for one of my peers to do a consutation if I can't do anything."
Mystery meeps
::So you're a catfolk too? How delicious! Well, if they can't change you back, maybe THEN you'll be my boyfriend?::
Mystery looks over at Swift:
::Now now, don't give me that look! I SAID if!::
"Ooooo, cheese cake!" Karrin says licking her lips, Karrin briefly closes her eyes and clasps her hands together in prayer, then she quickly begins tearing into her meal, "looks good Ramona! Oh boy lets eat!"
Karrin tears into her meal like a pride of lions . . . or a three year old into cake.
The meal is soon polished off, and large slices of cheese cake with a fruit compote topping are brought. As the two start to enjoy their dessert, an older gentleman dressed in well-tailored clothes and a green cloak walks in. He comes over to Karrin:
"Hello Karrin. It's good to see you! I was thinking of convening a meeting. We've hired on some new folks and .."
He stops, noticing Naridre at the table
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see your friend. I'm Renkar, Karrin's employer."
He sticks his hand out towards Naridre
Merle brings a hand to her mouth to try and hold back the giggle at how Seph was reacting. He always did have a problem with speaking to girls.
The meal is soon polished off, and large slices of cheese cake with a fruit compote topping are brought. As the two start to enjoy their dessert, an older gentleman dressed in well-tailored clothes and a green cloak walks in. He comes over to Karrin:
"Hello Karrin. It's good to see you! I was thinking of convening a meeting. We've hired on some new folks and .."
He stops, noticing Naridre at the table
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see your friend. I'm Renkar, Karrin's employer."
He sticks his hand out towards Naridre
Nari hesitates then winces as her psicrystal starts pulling on her hair. She doesn't want to offend Karrin. And the gentleman seems nice enough. She timidly reaches out and shakes his hand.
"I'm Naridre," she says softly.
Isaac shoulders his way in, his pack strapped on and his efficient quiver on his shoulder. He's also got a large basket in his left hand with the rest of his personal effects. He looks around to see if there's anyone in the common room that he recognizes.
"I'm Naridre," she says softly.
Renkar smiles at Naridre
"A pleasure to meet you Naridre. Are you a member of Karrin's Church?"
Renkar seats himself after asking permission. He looks at the cheesecake.
"That looks splendid. Ramona? Can I get some cheesecake and some fresh milk?"
The meal is soon polished off, and large slices of cheese cake with a fruit compote topping are brought. As the two start to enjoy their dessert, an older gentleman dressed in well-tailored clothes and a green cloak walks in. He comes over to Karrin:"Hello Karrin. It's good to see you! I was thinking of convening a meeting. We've hired on some new folks and .."
He stops, noticing Naridre at the table
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see your friend. I'm Renkar, Karrin's employer."
He sticks his hand out towards Naridre
"Renkar! Are your ears burning? We were just talking about you! New people huh? This is Naridre, she likes to volunteer at the soup kitchen like me, and she's also looking for work. She's kinda like a spell caster. Do you have room for one more?"
Isaac shoulders his way in, his pack strapped on and his efficient quiver on his shoulder. He's also got a large basket in his left hand with the rest of his personal effects. He looks around to see if there's anyone in the common room that he recognizes.
Issac sees Hanali eating over in the corner. She notices him and waves him over
"Hello Issac. Ready to move in I see?"
The aasimar female is dressed in tight white linen trousers and a red bustier with a short ercu linen jacket over it. The effect is very professional-looking, yet devastatingly sexy. When she smiles, Issac melts just a little
This is Naridre, she likes to volunteer at the soup kitchen like me, and she's also looking for work. She's kinda like a spell caster. Do you have room for one more?"
Renkar smiles
"I'm sure we could find room, especially for a caster! If you are interested Naridre, we offer free room and board here at the inn, medical and corpse retrieval expenses and a full split of all monies earned through fees and loot after expenses. Interested?"
Isaac smiles back, tries not to breathe on her with his hangover-cure breath.
"Good morning, Hanali. Aye, I'm ready to move in if there's room. I'm sure the Faction wouldn't mind having me sleep in the supply shed another few days but my roomate was pretty eager to see me out. You'd think a cart of slag would be grateful for any company, but I guess I snore, so.."
This is Naridre, she likes to volunteer at the soup kitchen like me, and she's also looking for work. She's kinda like a spell caster. Do you have room for one more?"Renkar smiles
"I'm sure we could find room, especially for a caster! If you are interested Naridre, we offer free room and board here at the inn, medical and corpse retrieval expenses and a full split of all monies earned through fees and loot after expenses. Interested?"
"I-I-I'm not exactly a c-c-caster, sir. I'm a k-k-kineticist. I do need a job though, s-s-so if you're willing t-t-to hire me, I'd b-b-be glad to join your g-g-group."
Nari can barely get the words out. The phrase 'corpse retrieval' was more than a little terrifying. And Karrin had already said it was a dangerous line of work. Her psicrystal skittered up and down her arm twinkling insistently. It told her over and over that she needed to be brave. She had to have work here so she could take care of herself, so she could stay near Majeed.
Isaac smiles back, tries not to breathe on her with his hangover-cure breath.
"Good morning, Hanali. Aye, I'm ready to move in if there's room. I'm sure the Faction wouldn't mind having me sleep in the supply shed another few days but my roomate was pretty eager to see me out. You'd think a cart of slag would be grateful for any company, but I guess I snore, so.."
Hanali laughs, a rich sexy sound
"Well, you can have a small room of your own here. Ramona!"
A pretty dark-haired serving girl just past adulthood bustles up
"Yes Miss Hanali?"
Hanali gestures to Issac
"Issac here is joining our Silver Rose family. Could you show him to the second floor? Get him a room, maybe get Darroth to set up a nice warm bath for him? I'm sure he's tired and sore after sleeping in the Foundry. Issac, Renkar is setting up an introduction meeting for all the new additions this After peak, so get cleaned up and go over right after lunch. all right?"
Ramona nods to Issac.
"Pleased to meet you Ser Issac. Could yeh follow me?"
Renkar smiles at the nervous elf maid
"Well, a psionic talented person is even better! I like to have a multi-talented pool of folk, and we have no psionicists yet! Tell you what..."
Ramona arrives with Renkar's cheesecake
"Ramona could you get Naridre here a room on the second floor? Why don't you give her the one next to Karrin's? "
Ramona smiles and nods
Renkar looks over at Nari.
"I am having a meeting this Afterpeak of everyone I've hired and the old hands to get acquianted. Why don't you take some time to get settled in, maybe have the folks here run you a bath and come over after lunch with Karrin, all right?"
Merle brings a hand to her mouth to try and hold back the giggle at how Seph was reacting. He always did have a problem with speaking to girls.
Mystery turns to Swift
::I have watched this young monkey Emelia as you wished. I must say this Mr. Sage is an odd fellow. He treats her quite shabbily, but he never strikes her. If anything he is very solicitous of her well being, making sure she doesn't hurt herself. He also has a lot of odd friends who come to his house at all hours. He also throws rocks at cats ..::
Mystery looks affronted
::Truly a barbaric monkey::
Nari gives a surprised smile. She didn't expect this to be so easy.
"Thank you, sir. I'm very grateful for the opportunity," she says softly.
This was wonderful. She had a job, and a place to stay, and food to eat, and best of all she would be staying near Karrin. She was glad she didn't have to go off on her own again. She had such a difficult time making friends. And Karrin was so helpful and nice and knew so much more about the city than she did.
"A bath sounds lovely, but I can get it myself. I don't want to trouble anyone. I'm sure you're all very busy here."
Isaac nods to Ramona as he stands to follow her.
"Aye, I'll be there, Hanali. Looking forward to it. See you soon, eh?"
He chats a bit to Ramona as she leads him upstairs.
"No need to call me 'Sir' if I can call you Ramona; Isaac's all I've ever been and it's likely I'll be just that until Isaac is no more. What do you know of the other members of the Silver Rose?"
...
"A bath sounds lovely, but I can get it myself. I don't want to trouble anyone. I'm sure you're all very busy here."
Ramona laughs
"Nonsense! That's wot we've got Darroth for! He's a good egg at heatin' the waters and gettin the tub all set. DARROTH!"
A gangly teen boy appears at the scullery door
"Yeh Ramona?"
Ramona gestures to Nari
"We've got a new resident wot wants a good hot bath. Run some buckets up to the second floor bathroom."
The boy nods quickly at Ramona and smiles shyly at Nari and ducks back into the scullery door
Ramona laughs again
"'Bout the best thing a teenaged boy can do is draw yeh a nice bath. Just watch he don't get too friendly with his eyes."
Chuckling, Ramona brings Nari up to her new room. It's on the second floor, and is small, but cozy. It has a bed, table chair and a washing up pitcher with a small mirror. A window looks out onto Copper Court.
"There yeh are an' here's yer key."
Nari can hear the clank of buckets down the hallway as Darroth fills the tub in the bathroom.
Nari blushes fiercely at Ramona's words, but there seems to be no way to refuse the kindness. She is uncomfortable being waited on. She's carried so many buckets of bathwater herself. But Darroth doesn't seem to mind and then the comment about him being friendly with his eyes made her blush even more fiercely.
Still, it wasn't too hard to forget all of that as she relaxed into the hot water and enjoyed a good, long cry. She knew that Majeed was in the best place to get the care that he needed, but she still missed him.
"No need to call me 'Sir' if I can call you Ramona; Isaac's all I've ever been and it's likely I'll be just that until Isaac is no more. What do you know of the other members of the Silver Rose?"
Ramona bats her eyes at Issac
"I'll be happy to call yeh Issac. And I know quite a few of them! There's Karrin, shes a fighter with a big axe, nice girl, bout my age I think. Then there's Eir. She's a hard cutter, sports two big serrated swords, an' I hear she likes her men, she does. Then there's lil' Greep, but he had to go home right quickly, some sort of emergency. Swift too, shes a young scout I think, and Merle, a catlady caster."
Ramona pauses
"There's some new folk too. I only really know Justin. He's a wizard, an' a real nice blood once yeh gets to know him. There's a nice elf lass, Nari-something, very quiet. Oh, and a harpy, of all things, named Bethany. She's a bit of a toff for a bird lady .."
They reach Issac's room .
"Here's yer key Issac, an Darroth should be loading up the tub right quick, bathroom's at the end of the hall, can't miss it."
Still, it wasn't too hard to forget all of that as she relaxed into the hot water and enjoyed a good, long cry. She knew that Majeed was in the best place to get the care that he needed, but she still missed him.[/i]
Despite Ramona's teasing, Darroth is the soul of circumspection, even leaving towels for her and shutting the door so she could have her privacy in the bath. The water is warm, and it helps ease away her cares a bit and wash the grime of the Hive off her whip-scarred skin
Isaac whistles at the list of known associates.
"This should be an interesting outfit... or a right barmy one. Either way, sounds mighty fine."
He palms the key, gives Ramona a friendly wink.
"Thanks, darlin'. I get the feeling I'm gonna like it here. See you real soon, eh?"
Isaac heads into his room, puts his things down and hits the tub whistling a jaunty (and rather risque) tune about a fair prince killed in an accident on his wedding night who then comes back as a dust mephit and must woo his beloved back from the Monkey King. A trio of donkeys and a juggling efreeti are also involved somehow.
Skyy looks to Justin and smiles.
"Yer a real bally cutter fer walkin' me all this way."
She gives him a warm kiss. and then smiles wickedly
"Can I getcher a drink afore yeh set off? I can get them to comp on on me tab.."
Justin grinned at Skyy, then made a face between a smirk and an embarrassed grin.
"The company of a beautiful lady for a walk, and a beverage of my choice? MY luck is improving!" He quips, placing the fingertips of one hand on his chest for over-dramatic emphasis.
"Ah, i wouldn't want your, employer, to think you were trying to fill his joint with deadbeats. I do have another errand to run before they close the Temples, And I'm afraid I'm a little low today,..." He fumbled around the embarrassing words, and juggled his nearly deflated pouch to see what was left. He raised an eyebrow when it actually jingled back.
"Looks like I have enough to prevent myself from looking like a deadbeat after all! Very Well m'lady, I accept your gracious offer!"
Skyy grinned, waggling her eyebrows at him in what was probably supposed to be a suggestive manner, then turned and greeted the bouncer at the door with a friendly obscenity. Justin followed her after casting a last wistful glance at the unlikely picture on the sign.
'My angel will arrive. With my luck, When she does she'll look like that, but have Skyy's mouth!' He muses as he grins in a friendly manner at the growling gorilla guarding the doorway.
'Ok. One drink. Maybe two. It's been a crazy day.'
Bethany spend some time at The Kite's Swoop. While not actually enjoying any of the company, most of the creatures are too diverse for her to even attempt to mingle, she at least takes some comfort from the proximity of other flying bings. That and they at least know how to accomodate someone with her physiology.
She returns to the Copper Cauldron early, before the alotted meeting time, so as to catch a bite to eat. She is haughty but polite to the staff, as she asks for water to wash down the venison with, not wanting to dilute her senses for the meeting, although she promises herself a drink or three once the meeting has concluded.
Since she knows none of the other members, she waits until Hanali arrives and waves her over.
Swift gently scratches Mystery behind the ears.
::I'm sorry to hear that, and am glad you're well::
She purrs softly before looking thoughtful and turning her attention to Edwin.
"I don't suppose you know what a ''Codex Sanguinus Militarus' is and what it could be used for do you?" She questions hopefully.
'Ok. One drink. Maybe two. It's been a crazy day.'
Skyy leads him into the dim tavern. The bat-eared tusked bouncer gives Justin a frown, but his heart's not in it. Skyy murmurs to him and he steps aside.
In the Fallen Angel The stage is alive with several scantily-clad girls dancing to a lively tune a gentleman on a piano is banging out. The dark lighting adds to the ambience, and hides the pox scars many of the dancers sport. There are not many patrons in this early in the day, but a few flashily-dressed Hiver youths and a gaggle of Xaos factioners are scattered amongst the tables.
Skyy leads Justin to a small side table and gets him the drink of his choice. She hugs him again and gives him another kiss
"I've got to get to work luv, but I was wondering if you'd maybe like to help me out. Yeh see, I've got no kip now that Maxus that *^%@#** threw me out. Could you maybe let a girl crash at your place for a few Peaks while I get me pins in order?"
The young air-kissed girl gives him the puppy eyes.
"I don't suppose you know what a ''Codex Sanguinus Militarus' is and what it could be used for do you?" She questions hopefully.
Edwin frowns
"I've not heard of that particular work, but the name is suggestive. Roughly translated it means The Book of Millitant Blood. Judging from the title, if it was an arcane text, I would imagine it pertains to Sanguimancy, the study of magical properties of blood."
Edwin shifts uneasily
"There are many magical properties inherent in blood, and all the more so among Planar creatures that do not have standard lineages. I must warn you that using blood magic is considered a very evil act among the arcane community, as freely-given blood is rarely effective to power the spells."
Swift gives a defeated sigh and a nod.
"Alright" She starts "I apologise in advance to all of you for anything stupid and impulsive I may do relating to this"
Edwin looks up
"Eh? What do yeh mean Swift?"
Swift smiles slightly
"Please don't worry yourself Edwin. It's probably best if I don't explain further. I'll need to do a little more looking into things but if things get bad I may do something impulsive"
With her words Swift falls silent quickly, obviously planning something in the back of he mind.