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Ylva sniffles as she gives a broken, little laugh.
"Maybe," she says before wrapping an arm around Tupp's shoulders and giving him a hug.
"Maybe," she repeats in a quieter voice as she fights the pull of sleep. She drains her mug, enjoying the warmth as it flows down to her belly.
"Thank you," she mutters before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Ylva tries not to snicker at Lady Dacilane's expression when she questions Sylvak on why he's fiddling with stuff, but can't quite manage it. Her shoulders start bobbing at the elf's absentminded answer and the bad memories this meeting awoke are banished for the moment as Ylva does her best to not make a scene. Her shoulders hunch and her entire body shakes as her hands cover her face and the grin her silent fit of laughter had brought on.
Lady Dacilane chuckles dryly. "No, I do not expect most of you would be. It seems to be something of an...acquired taste...here within Absalom."
"As for a curfew, no, strictly speaking there is no curfew for today but I thank you for asking," she continues. "Take her wherever she wishes within reason in the Precipice Quarter. It is a dangerous place even during daylight hours, so use your best judgment. Let her stay as long as she wishes, but bring her back before nightfall tomorrow."
Once you have posed what other questions you might have for the Lady Dacilane, she excuses herself from the drawing room for a moment to call towards the stairs.
"Junia! Please come down; the Pathfinder agents are here for your escort!"
The pounding of footsteps a few moments later heralds the arrival of Junia Dacilane as she comes bounding down the stairs and into the sitting room. She has her mother’s height, black hair, and fine facial features, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike her mother’s carefully coiffed hair, Junia’s is short and practical, and she carries herself with a confident and unladylike swagger. She is dressed in grey breeches, knee-high leather boots, a white cotton shirt, and an azure blue riding coat with tails with a golden eagle pin on the lapel. Beneath her coat, it is clear that she is wearing a mithral chain shirt.
You immediately recognize that Junia is attempting to look like a member of the Andoran Eagle Knights.
Upon arriving in the drawing room, Junia clicks her heels in a military manner and greets her mother with a mischievous grin. Lady Dacilane immediately turns bright red with embarrassment.
"What is the meaning of this? Appearing in such a ridiculous outfit in front of our guests - most unladylike!" the elder Dacilane scolds the younger, before throwing up her hands and storming out of the room without another word. The awkward silence that follows lasts only a beat before Junia turns to address everyone.
"Well, ah, hello! I know my mother and everyone else around here calls me Junia but I'd really rather you just call me 'J'," she says. "Like the letter," the young woman adds with another grin as she offers her hand for a shake. "You're Pathfinders, right? What should I call each of you?"
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Lady Dacilane's outburst at Junia's dress proves to be too much for Ylva. She throws her head back to let out a howl of laughter as her arms clutch her sides.
"F-f-forgive me," she begs as she reigns herself in, "b-b-but I haven't seen..."
She lets out a snort of laughter, but finally manages to recompose herself with a deep breath.
"Ylva Whitescale," she introduces herself with a warrior's clasp on the forearm, too happy now to let her worries control her, "would that we had mugs filled with brewer's honey so that I may praise your actions as they deserve, Jay."
She let's go and, still smiling with a beaming grin, returns to her seat with a chuckle.
"Stjerner over! Jeg troede, at hendes hoved ville briste fra vrede!" Her tone is light and amused, this being the happiest any of the others has seen her all day.
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well... this is an unforeseen twist...
Sylvak raises an eyebrow at the younger Dacilane's unexpected entrance, and can't help but chuckle when Ylva falls into a fit of laughter.
When the time for introductions comes, he dryly offers, "I suppose 'S' will suffice... like the letter..."
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Hey, isn't it an Andoran Eagle outfit? Hasn't seen one since... well, two weeks ago. It fits nicely on you. We're going into a dangerous place, not into an high sociey ball, so you're right to get some protection, whatever Mommy says. You can call me Hepsu. Or Heps. Or H, if you want.
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When J gets to him, Tupp shakes her offered hand while offering a little bow, "Then J it is, Ms. Dacilane!" He chirps with a smile. "I'm Tupp, Tupp Thistledown and it's very nice to meet you." Stepping back, he looks around at the laughing ulfen, the scowling samsaran, and the others, adding. "You might have guessed that we're quite an easy going team, but know that we will take your protection very seriously. I'm glad to see you do to..." He says, indicating the mithral chain shirt. "I like your outfit, by the way! I don't know what Lady Dacilane has against it. I mean, my great grandfather told me all about Andoran Eagle Knights but I never knew they looked so smart." He remarks, taking note of Hepsubia's observation.
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Zithembe regards the young woman and her rambunctious dress and rebellious attitude toward her mother. He touches the cuffs at his wrists and his Taldan outfit transforms into a dark green Zeng traveling robe while the others give their introductions to Junia.
"You may call me 'Wise Teacher,'" the jade shabti eventually answers the younger Dacilane. "While I can see that you are eager to be away and into trouble, I would invite you to participate in a seance in order to summon helpful spirits to travel with us."
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Tupp looks up at Zithembe, then back at Junia, nodding. "Oh, yes! You should totally join us." He chirps enthusiastically, "It's really weird, but I promise it's perfectly safe and you won't experience anything like it again. Plus, it might even help you while we're out doing... What is it you want to do again?"
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Kiango's elbow doesn't take much of the mirth from Ylva's smile, though it does turn apologetic when he chastens her. It does nothing to lessen the twinkle in her eyes, but she at least has the decency to blush in embarrassment for causing the Society potential problems.
What Kiango doesn't manage, Zithembe does. The offer of a seance, of messing with the spirits of the dead, wipes the smile from Ylva's face as she goes pale.
"I...I should, ah? I should get Tupp's and I, no, mine! I should get Tupp's and mine things from the Lodge," she stammers as she stands and begins shuffling towards the door. "Yes! Go get things now and be back after seance!"
Ylva doesn't feel easy about the seance, or the idea of them. At all.
"Oh this? No, no, it's just something I threw together," J remarks to Hepsubia, though she can't help but give the group another conspiratorial wink that gives her true intention away. "It's my pleasure to meet each of you: Tupp, S, H, Ylva, Kiango, and 'Wise Teacher'," she continues. She gives the quiet Theodric a puzzled smile and waves to him. "You too, Mister Strong and Silent!"
At this point, Dreng coughs and rises to his feet. "I'm afraid I must be going as well; some business back at the Grand Lodge to see to." He pulls a large, iron key out of his pocket and hands it off to Zithembe. "This'll open the iron gate into the Tri-Towers Yard. Now, although the necropolis below has been cleared of undead, the partially restored surface structure still holds a dangerous haunt. Try to stay away from there," he mutters. "We’ve tried to eliminate it several times, but it keeps coming back. If you do need to go in there, take a look in the supply closet - you might find it useful."
With that, Dreng bids you all farewell and shows himself out.
"Um...no offense to Mister Dreng, but I'm glad that he and mother are both gone," J confesses once you're all alone in the drawing room. "Now I can relax a bit."
When Zithembe proposes a seance before leaving for the Drownyard, J's eyes widen. "A...a seance? With spirits? That's...do you actually see spirits?" she asks the Wise Teacher. She glances at Ylva as the Ulfen woman nervously begins edging towards the door; a flicker of sympathy crosses her face for a moment. "Do the rest of you?"
J's own demeanor is much more subdued but she doesn't seem to exude the same sort of fear that Ylva shows. Rather, she almost seems nervous...and sad.
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"I... I do not know," Ylva admits. "Rarely does good come from trifling with the dead."
"Would you mind coming with me, J," she asks before she can stop herself.
Great, now I sound like a scared little girl, a part of her thinks.
But you are, are you not? Scared little Ylva, terrified of her own shadow. The thought courses her mind and she turns away as her cheeks burn in humiliation as she remembers the night Tupp had invited her to stay with him.
"Glem hvad denne fjols spørger..." she mutters half under her breath as she walks for the door and pulls her cloak tight around herself.
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"I've never actually seen any spirits myself, but I have a cousin who swears that her pig sees them all the time..." Tupps says cheerfully, trying brighten the moods of both J. and Ylva after all the spooky talk, "I'm not sure how she knows though... Well, anyway, her pig is older than any other in the surrounding farmsteads, so spirits can't be all that bad, right?"
Knowing his words will likely have little affect on Ylva, he turns to the retreating Ulfen to thank her for the offer of collecting his stuff, "That would save a lot of time! If you don't mind that is."
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”Um, I’ll go with Ylva to get her stuff,” Sylvak announces, following his fellow northerner towards the door, it will save time to do that while you’re busy consorting with spirits.”
When he catches up to her he places a hand reassuringly on her shoulder and quietly adds, ”it doesn’t seem like a foolish idea at all.”
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"I communicate with the spirits daily, but I have also seen spirits--I suffered along side many for thousands of years and lived along side many others for centuries in Axis," Zithembe explains. "Not all spirits are the spirits of the dead and, although I respect the spirits of the departed as well, I do not bind the spirits of the dead as other mediums. The spirits I commune with are those that exist all around us at all times: the wind, the stones, the muse in the fine stitching on your shirt, the bustle of the market, or the lingering memory of a dead god in a forgotten cave in the middle of Kortos."
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Ylva manages a weak smile for Tupp before she leaves with Sylvak in tow.
"Thank you for coming with me," Ylva tells Sylvak as they walk towards the lodge. "I have not liked being alone since we returned from the shrine of the dead god."
"The minotaur died, but I still feel its stinging blade sometimes. I hear him in my nightmares."
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Zithembe tucks away the key before making use of the meeting room to perform his convocation of the spirits. "For your part, remember, all you need to do is be still," he instructs those staying to participate.
The shabti performs the slow, methodical sequence of postures and motions, and as time goes on, your senses receive an experience as uniquely different from the one in the woods as the Dacilane manor is from the woods. The smell of brimstone arrives first, and then you are a Chelaxian noblewoman performing her obediences for Asmodeus. You feel the feet of the actors above you as you experience the wooden floor of a playhouse's stage. You taste iron and sweat and then you are a steel sword wielded in a practice drill by a guardsman. You feel the old mage's hands brush across you as you experience the life of an arcane tome in a wizard's library. Finally, you are a golden coin, changing hands over and over throughout the city.
The sensations fade away as Zithembe finishes the seance.
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He stops speaking for a moment as they walk, perhaps weighing his next words, or letting those ones take root (or perhaps temporarily distracted by something in a window or alley). Then he continues, "There's no shame in feeling strongly, but just like you had to learn to control your rage so that it doesn't overflow into other parts of your life you have to learn how to control your fear. Controlled fear can be really good in a fight- it helps you stay alive... you just can't let it interfere with everything else."
J hesitates, clearly torn on whether to stay and participate in the seance or go with Ylva and Sylvak. But something in Ylva's expression seems to haunt the young noblewoman and she gives Zithembe and the others an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I...maybe tomorrow? I do want to see, will you show me tomorrow? And you all know where the Tri-Towers Yard is, right? We'll meet you there, we won't take long, I promise!"
She then grabs a backpack off a stool sitting in a nearby corner and pulls out a kukri, sheathing it at her hip before hurrying out the door after Ylva and Sylvak.
Huffing and puffing, J races to catch up to the two of you, falling in beside Ylva as she does.
"Whew...you two move fast!" she exclaims. Then, she glances at Ylva. "Something...happened to you, didn't it? I could see it all over your face," J adds, more quietly, sadly. "The talk about spirits brought it back."
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Ylva looks up at Sylvak and opens her mouth to reply, but then she hears J trying to catch up to them. She stops and turns to see the young woman hustling to catch up. As J asks her what happened, her right hand grips tight her left shoulder and her teeth clench in remembered pain.
"Something did happen to me," Ylva admits in a slow, careful voice. "I would feel the same about the spirits even if nothing had happened. There are things better left alone, and I fear that Zithembe, for all his wisdom, dabbles in dangerous things he does not understand nor control. I spent the first nine years of my life hearing tales about fools who meddled with spirits and were consumed by their folly. Those tales are hard to ignore."
The young ulfen looks even younger as she turns back towards the lodge and moves along at a slower pace.
"During my Confirmation, Death nearly claimed me thrice," Ylva begins, "once by dry bone's claw and twice by axe of minotaur. In the two true fights our band faced, I was of no help. I was laid low and bleeding, and had not the others aided me, I would have died thrice over."
She shivered and lowered her hand to pull her cloak tighter about herself.
"I am afraid now. I am afraid that I will not be of any use, and I am afraid of dying. I do not know if I saw beyond the veil, for I cannot remember. I fear it, though. I see it in my nightmares as the minotaur's axe tears me in twain."
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"Whoah!" Tupp exclaims, shaking his head clear after another trippy experience with Zithembe, "That was different than last time... Is it always different?" He asks as he gets back to his feet and brushes down his finery, "I'm not sure I agree with what that first woman was doing, but after that... Wow! I mean, I now know what it's like to be a sword, and the trip all over the city as a coin was awesome!" With a wide smile, the young halfling bows and thanks 'The Wise Teacher' for another interesting experience, then looks around as if noticing for the first time that they are alone in a strangers house. "Umm... Does anyone know the way to the Tri-Towers Yard?" He asks, ready to leave as soon as everyone else is.
J is silent as Ylva pours out her fears and the tale of her recent near-death experiences, occasionally glancing at the Ulfen woman as they continue to walk. Once Ylva seems finished speaking J stares up at the rainy, overcast sky.
"I don't remember much about what happened to me after...well, after I found myself alone in the Drownyard. They told me the ring I'd found saved my life; kept my body from starving," she finally says. "But the rest, well...it was like I'd gone to sleep at some point. I remember closing my eyes...and then when I opened them again 10 years had passed. Everyone from the school was long dead, except for me."
The young noblewoman blinks rapidly and wipes her sleeve across her face. "I shouldn't be here. I should've died there with the rest of them. With my...with my friends," she continues, bowing her head. "But I didn't die."
J suddenly raises her head, turning to Ylva and Sylvak with a fierce expression on her face. "And I don't want to die now! But I still dream about the Drownyard, like you dream about that axe! That's why I want to go back and that's why you're with me - I need to face what happened to me. Because if I don't...I'll never have peace. Never, never, never. And neither will you."
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Ylva meets J's eyes and for a moment wonders if what she sees in the other young woman is what Tupp sees in her. Fear and courage mingling with fierce determination. Except, Sylvak was also right. Fear is controlling her when she should be controlling it.
As she admits that to herself, she also realizes that J is also right. She would never be at peace if she didn't face her fears, if she didn't go with her to the Drownyard. The uncertainty fades from her as she comes to realize another thing. She and J are sisters, not of blood, but spirit.
She doesn't know when she'd wrapped her arms around J in a hug, but it hardly mattered.
"Then we banish these nightmares to the realms they belong," she replies softly, "we will find our peace, sister."
She steps back, her hands on J's shoulders as she grins for the first time in weeks.
"Junia and J are not fitting names for you, I fear. Tyri I would name you, a beautiful thunder that drives away the shadows," she says in a much more cheerful voice.
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"Yes, Tupp, the spirits that answer the call are usually different each time," Zithembe answers. "Some are similar; some are very different. A seance in a barren desert will only bring certain spirits, while a seance within a city like Absalom could take centuries to exhaust the diversity.
"Now, let us meet with the women," he continues. "Disappointing that they do not take advantage of every tool available to them, especially when delving into such uncertain ground as we do."
He leads the others towards the lost neighborhood once known as Beldrin's Bluff.
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hmm... she seems sincere in everything she’s saying... I think if there was diabolical magic involved in her survival she probably doesn’t know about it...
J tenses for a split second, surprised, as Ylva pulls her into a hug but then the Ulfen woman feels her new 'sister' relax as though a great tension were draining away from her.
"Heh...I've never had a sister before," J laughs softly as she returns Ylva's embrace. "But I guess it's never too late to start, right?"
As she steps back from Ylva, the already-familiar grin that you'd seen from her earlier is back on her face as she's given a new name. "Tyri? I like it! And what I like even more is that mother won't have a blessed clue as to what it means," she laughs.
After the seance is complete, the last-minute shopping done, and supplies gathered from the Grand Lodge, you all meet back up in the Foreign Quarter before making the rest of the trip out to the Precipice Quarter. It's a bit of a walk either way but there's two ways to get there from your current location; the most direct route is through the mercantile Coins District and then along the edge of the Merchant’s Quarter while the second is through the rest of the Foreign Quarter and then through the Docks.
You know that today is a market day, which means that the Coins are packed with shoppers and merchants. On the other hand, passing through the Docks isn't without risk as it's one of the rougher districts in the city.
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...Upon graduation...
Standing in his finest Taldan court attire, Theo graciously accepts his engraved wayfinder. "Thank-you, Master Zey! I will do my best for the Society!" [
...On meeting with Drandle Dreng in Absalom...
Theo shows up, again dressed in fashionable Taldan attire. His gold cufflinks still glint in the overcast sky, and a lapis brooch holds his fur-trimmed cloak together. He also sports a floppy indigo-dyed hat with a long golden plume.
"It's an honor and a pleasure to meet your acquaintenance, Lieutenant! I am Theodric of House DeSoldon, originally of Taldor."
"Interesting..." he thinks to himself, "...a lieutenant in the Taldan navy is also a Venture-Captain...
...on the approach to the Dacilane residence...
"What a lovely neighborhood! It seems quiet."
...on meeting Lady Dacilane...
Theo notes the symbol hanging from the Chelish noblewoman's neck, but makes no outward sign of disapproval. "Madam, it is my honor to meet you." He bows in Taldan style.
...On meeting J...
Theo also stifles a snicker at Lady Dacilane's reaction to J's attire. He again bows to the young lady in formal Taldan style. "Lady J, it is an honor to make your acquaintence! I am Theodric, of House DeSoldon, of Taldor." With a friendly smile, he adds, "Please, call me Theo."
At Zithembe's invitation, Theo joins the seance. He appears a bit uncomfortable participating in such a ritual in someone else's home after the departure of the host, but does not let that stop him in the ritual.
Deciding that it would be easiest to continue through the Coins District to finish your shopping, you set off that way. Though it's still cool and drizzly the worst of the rain seems to have passed, making the trip more pleasant. Along the way J has numerous questions for everyone, curious about where each of you have come from and what sorts of things you've seen as Pathfinders, though she doesn't pry too hard if it's obvious that someone isn't feeling chatty.
The Coins District boasts a dazzling array of shops and vendors, making it quite easy for everyone to find anything that they might need for the trip into the Drownyard. Just as Hepsubia and Theodric are finalizing their purchases at a roadside alchemists stall, a group of men dressed in Qadiran-inspired fashion - turbans, flowing silk scarves, heavy eyeshadow, plenty of impressive jewelry - come swaggering around the corner, laughing loudly and carrying on.
"Ugh...I recognize those clothes and colors," J remarks with a roll of her eyes. "They're of House Damaq. Apparently they always have to make a scene like that wherever they go, as though they're better than everyone else and deserve the attention!"
As if sensing her eyes on them, one of the young men glances in J's direction and then grins maliciously as he takes in her manner of dress. "I see you, little eagle!" he calls out, causing the rest of his fellows to turn and stare as well. "But you are not wearing yellow! I thought that yellow was the color of cowards," he continues, roaring with laughter, his fellows joining in.
"What...but, I'm not..." J stammers, her face flushing pink.
The group of men edge closer, seemingly unaware that the rest of you are with J as they continue to laugh and jeer. "Not what? Not a cowardly abolitionist? Oh, this little eagle is funny, yes she is! Everyone knows that the Eagle Knights are nothing but cowards!"
The leader pauses, a slightly dangerous look now in his eyes. "مگر اینکه می خواهید در غیر اینصورت ثابت کنید؟?"
"Unless you wish to prove otherwise?"
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"No, it is not," Ylva answers with a smile, "I was my parents only child, yet I have cousins in abundance. We are a small clan, but a large family. If you ever need help, find a Whitescale and show them this." Ylva hands Tyri a silver brooch made to resemble a shield with a dragon coiling around it.
"And it is just as well she will not know the meaning of your name. She might realize she'd let a wolf into her home then," she replies in a much more cheerful vouce.before giving a short, not-too-loud howl and laughing as she and Tyri continue on their way to the lodge.
"The clothes you wear, do you wish to be an Eagle Knight," Ylva asks after they finish laughing.
Ylva arrives with the Sylvak and J(Tyri), dressed in an outfit not too much different from the one they'd first met her in. She wears a grin much like the other young woman's and it seems as if something that was missing had been set back into place.
"Well met strange travelers! Are you seeking pleasure or treasure," she asks, something mischievous gleaming in her eyes.
The glimmer of mischief from earlier turns dangerous as Ylva sees her new friend's distress. She almost clocks the bastard, but a better idea comes to mind. She takes a step to move between J(Tyri) and the man looming over her and smiles.
"Cowards, eh? Bold words for a man without his pants," Ylva sneers before moving like a striking snake to relieve the man of his dignity, via said pants.
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"She is Chelish, not an Eagle Kni--" Zithembe begins to explain in order to defuse the situation before Ylva suddenly escalates it. The jade shabti shakes his head and sighs a single word, "Youth."
"Young Jay is our ward to protect. We cannot allow you to lay a hand on her," he says with resignation. "But feel free to duel our impetuous Ulfen."
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where is that fear when you need it...
Sylvak’s hand instinctively reaches for his holy symbol. ”Impetuous and young, my lords,” he adds with a differential half-bow, ”a child, really, who’s defeat would lessen great men’s glory by seeming more like the abuse of bullies than a fair fight. Please, accept my humble and cowardly apologies and let us be on our way before we all draw the attention of the city watch...”
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See! Just what I said! The docks ARE a dangerous place. But I'll admit I never seen Yvla so keen on a man, ready to rip his trousers right in the middle of the street. Maybe she tripped on something?
Hepsubia keeps an eye on the thugs, ready to discreetly throw a dagger in someone's thighs (or jab a dagger into someone's thighs, if they are too close)
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Before Ylva's move...
Theo turns and smiles beatifically at the group of Qadiran thugs, and adeptly steps between them and J.
"نت تتحدث عن الجبن. لكن يبدو لي أنك الجبناء الذين يتعاطون مع شخص لم يفعل شيئًا بالنسبة لك. أقترح أن تتحرك على طول "
But then Ylva cuts off Theo's speech by cutting the belt of the lead young tough... causing his trousers to drop.
He shakes his head and signs. "Well, so much for diplomacy..." Now expecting violence, he unhooks the light mace from his belt.
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While everyone else is doing there shopping, Tupp slips into his usual, slightly tatty clothes and armour. He's still tightening up the last few buckles when he looks up to find J blushing, and Ylva getting very friendly with a man wearing more makeup and jewels than he thinks is strictly necessary... But if Ylva likes all that fancy stuff, who is Tupp to disagree. "Hi guys!" He chirps cheerfully as he approaches the group of laughing men. "I'm sorry sorry about this, but we're on a strict time table... Would you mind if you just exchanged details now and then catch up with each other later? I mean, I heard of a nice place just around the corner that sells the best pancakes if you wanted to go on a date or something sometime next week, but we really should be going now."
Although several of you attempt to step in and diffuse the situation before it spirals out of control, Ylva renders it all for naught as she deftly steps between J and the leader of the noblemen and attempts to cut through (or simply snatch) the man's belt! Caught by surprise he barely manages to dodge the attempt, his face flushing an ugly, blotchy red.
"Someone should have taught you how to mind your own business, girl. Seems that your betters will have to teach you and your friends a lesson!"
Then, one of the other men calls out, "Hey! That one's got a dagger!" as he points at Hepsubia. With that, all five of the men begin drawing weapons of their own...
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Round 1
Ylva
Zithembe
J
Theodric
Sylvak
Kiango
Tupp
Hepsubia
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Noblemen
Active Conditions: None
Everyone is UP!
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"Wait... What!?" Tupps eyes go as wide as saucers as the situation takes an unexpected (to him) and violent turn, "Even if you think her manners are bad, that's no reason to get yourselves killed by highly trained agents.." He frets, looking around at Hepsubia, Theodric, and all the noblemen drawing swords. He doesn't draw his own weapon yet, apart from not being able to reach anyone, it wouldn't be a fair fight between him and a spoilt nobleman anyway. "Please, just run away, I'm too young to go to prison!"
Anticipating his pleas will fall on deaf ears, Tupp whispers to Junia, "Get behind us, J, we'll make sure you're safe."
As Tupp is trying to diffuse the situation with accidental threats, his chicken start squawking like mad over his shoulder. "BAWK! Buh-Gawk!!" Sori calls, puffing out her feathers and flapping her wings to look as big as possible. ""
You and your friends like to scare young girls, huh!? Tupp, let be at 'em! Let me at 'em!