Having made sure that the other ladies made it safely out of the crowd, Amara looks to Alexis. She hadn't seen the man Alexis was talking about, but her plan was better than no plan.
"Lead the way, library girl."
Septima looks around as she follows, her heart still racing from the confusion (and therefore, her words still tinged with Hellspeak)
"Where in the god's names are you two going??"
Alexis nods and leads them towards the road, or ally way at this point, the man turned at. She turns and speaks to Septima in Infernal.
"we are following the man who cut down those thugs back there. Way I see it that makes him against Thrune and thusly, A trustworthy man. You don't have to follow us holy sister!" Alexis says, still under the assumption that septima is a church cleric.
Alexis also looks back to Amara and speaks in common.
"Also my name is Alexis! Though library girl is accurate" *pant pant* "good job swaying the crowd back there! It would have been a real mess without you corraling people like you did!"
After a few corners and a few fleeting glimpses of the man you're all chasing, your round into an alley and see only a split second of a ball of blueish sparks wink out of existence in the middle of the alley.
As you reach the middle of the alley, another woman rounds the corner chasing a cat with a leather pouch in his mouth. The cat drops his parcel and hops up to a safe height atop some stacked boxes.
Darn!
Alexis slows to a stop, gasping for air. Turns out being a librarian and bookeeper generally doesn't make you the most fit person!
Alexis notices the girl round the corner chasing a cat. She gasps for air as she waves to the new girl.
"Hello!"
Alexis turns to the two behind her.
"I'm sorry I seem to have led us astray....Seems the man knows how to use dimension door. Didn't think of that....But it seems we are safe! Good work....uh....I just realise I haven't even asked your names!" Alexis gasps a bit more, pulling a small waterskin out from her kit and sipping at it.
Amara, upon seeing Mira, strides over and claps her on the back.
"Mira! I knew you'd make it out okay."
She grins widely, her pleasure at seeing her friend safe obvious to even a blind man. She turns to Alexis and points.
"Library girl's name is Alexis, devil girl hasn't stopped talking in your devil-language long enough for me to catch her name...wait. Were you chasing a cat?"
Mira jolts forward when she's clapped on the back. She laughs dismissively, waving a hand in front of her face as she picks up her thieves' tools. "The fuzzball got into my stuff. Can't go letting that pass, you know how it is."
Well, there went her chance for a cool entrance.
"Anyways, seems we all got out okay, aside me--as usual. So. Alexis, mysterious stranger, what brings you two to a protest like that, eh?"
"Holy sister?? What are you even ta-" Septima stops as the conversation turns and pouts at the others until slowly... they actually start to make sense again!
She darts her eyes between them all, then coughs. "Actually, I have a name. Septima." She says pointedly, trying not to think about the weirdness of only now being able to talk normal, apparently.
"Me? Well I heard hating Thrune is all the rage and had to see if it lived up to the hype....Plus the "coincidental" burning of my families library was a bit of an....incentive. But that's just speculation at best. No lacking in other suspects but I digress." Alexis chuckles.
" What about you guys? Alexis turns to Septima, Not wanting to leave her out of her sudden inquisitiveness.
"Ah yes and you Mrs. Septima? Why is a holy women at a protest?....oh gods did they do something to the church!? They where letting me scrub my laundry there!" Alexis, Clearly jumping to conclusions again, looks shocked at her own made up revalation!
"Look, I hate to be the one to break up this party, but we still aren't far enough away from Aria Park for my liking. Alexis, Septima, nice to meet you. Thanks for the healing magic back there. I'm Amara, this is Mira. Now we're all introduced and everyone's breath is caught, let's get more than a block away in case they send out the brute squad."
Amara looks back in the direction of the park, worry on her face.
Alexis straightens up and claps
"Ah yes of course. But where is a good place to lay low? Anyone have any ideas on that? I am smart, but not exactally streetsmart....If you can't already tell." Alexis looks at the cat.
"Heck if you have any input I would be glad to hear it." Alexis takes another swig of her waterskin.
Septima grits her teeth at Alexis, but keeps quiet. Now's not the time to correct her. She looks back at Amara and frowns. "You're right, but which way do we go?"
"An excellent question, but seeing as how we were just faces in the crowd to anyone who really matters, the answer's 'anywhere.'"
Mira stretches, putting her hands behind her head and looking up again.
"Sadly, my usual hangout got turned into a bank so I'm tapped on good places for everyone to fall back to. Could probably try finding a bar, or someone who can reverse the 'inflict moderate wounds' that guy's mace cast on my side. Either-or."
"Don't look at me, my place got trampled." The cat speaks in a plain, matter-of-fact tone. He stretches and walks forward a bit, cautious of Mira, not knowing whether she was still miffed.
Water spurts in a short mist as Alexis coughs in surprise at her question being answered by the cat. It's quite lucky no one is right next to her, as they would now be covered in spittle and backwash. Lovely. Alexis whips her hands on her robes before speaking in shock.
"Oh my God the cat actually responded....."
Alexis's eyes glint as she pulls a book from her pack, blank it looks like, and a pen from a pouch and immidiatly starts leaning towards the cat.
I-I don't mean to be a hassle but can you tell me what you are? Like are you just a normal cat who can talk? An druid who has transformed? Oh! An awakened cat maybe! a-" Alexis pauses. Realizing that A: This is rude, and B: There are people around. She straightens herself and coughs awkwardly, blood flushing into her cheeks as she composes herself.
[I]You to go you, Really giving off the good old "crazy Magic lady" vibe.[/b]
"I apologize....Uh do you have a name my feline friend?" Alexis attempts to ask in the most polite manner possible while looking like a tomato.
"The Blue Flames have a safehouse near here. I don't know how they'd feel about you two unaffiliates though. It seems like the only..."
Amara's sentence falls away as the cat speaks. She looks to the cat, then Mira, then Alexis, Septima, back to the cat, back to Mira.
"...did that cat just f$+$ing talk to us?"
"Honestly I have no idea. I am a cat, I can talk, and I have a certain penchant for mischief and sabotage. As for a spoken name, I don't suppose I have one, but wherever I've been I've heard you smellykin speaking of Gremlins. I think the title suits me."
Mira looks back at Amara, then the cat, then Septima, then the cat, then the cat again, then straight up, then back at the cat, then raises her hands and takes a step backwards.
"My stuff got stolen by a talking cat. That tears it, this is officially too weird for me."
"I...See... It's a pleasure, Gremlin."
Septima sighs. You know what, fine, a talking cat is here. She decides to process the idea later.
"wait.." Alexis looks to Mira.
You were at the Protests also. I didnt see you though....why did you go? Was it to be with your friend?" Alexis crooks her head. Clearly these two know each other.
"Something like that." She looks away, idly scratching at her forehead. "When Amara's involved, someone has to try and keep people from getting pickaxes through the face. I gave it a shot, but I don't do it well."
Amara rolls her eyes.
"He hit you. Also, I think he's maybe still alive. He'll just think twice before doing some stupid shit again."
"See? Terrible at my job." She says it straight to Alexis with a small shrug, before turning towards Septima.
"And, on a related note, I'm still quite hit. I don't suppose you could do something about that? Maybe? Please?"
Septima shrugs at Mira and holds her hand out towards her.
"Ahh, thanks for that." Or so Mira says as the wounds vanish. "I'm feeling as good as new."
"Ah I see. Alexis smiles between the two friends.
They get along great.
Alexis laughs.
"Well this has been fun but I must be off.....though I guess I may be a fugitive now...that's gonna make sleeping a hassle....you said there is some hideout nearby Amara? Do you think they would let an homeless librarian stay there? I uh, have been sleeping behind the church for the last three days. Not exactally comfortable. Was at an Inn before that but didn't want to run out of what little money I had left."
Alexis bites her lip, considering a bunch of things to herself. Thoughts like "will it cost to get into this hideout? How much? Are they brutes? is it safe?" And other such things.
Amara shrugs her shoulders.
"Like I said, I don't know how they'd feel about you and Septima, but I can at least try to get you guys somewhere more secure than behind the church. It's only about nine blocks from here."
Amara looks to the others to see how they feel about this idea.
"Do it. I don't think I owe anyone there any money, anyways... and if I do, I can find a rooftop to crash on."
As all the shock wears away, you hear a clamorous clanging and such in the background. You turn around in time to see a man in fine robes getting his ass kicked by a handful of CCG thugs!
Amara turns to see the group of goons assaulting the stranger. She looks to her companions.
"Hold that thought, guys"
She begins walking toward the group, drawing Ramón in the process. She shouts at the goons.
"Hey! I've already got the blood of one of you on the end of my pick. If you don't want to experience it first hand, you'd better get the hells out of here!"
Septima grimaces at first at the thought of going to going to something as seedy as a safehouse, but before she even gets the opportunity to consider, the goons appear.
She jumps and gives a sudden shout in Infernal, stepping smartly behind Amara.
"WHAT IN THE BURNING F@#@."
One thug is too busy pummeling the poor shmuck to hear, but the one behind him jumps at hearing Amara, recognizing her from the protest. he tries to point her out, but leans too close to the other and takes the backswing of a cudgel to the face, breaking his nose. The one that struck him turns around, then is startled by the scream in infernal. He drops his weapon and stumbles away, believing that some hell curse has befallen him.
let's try this again lol
Alexis chuckles at the display before shouting past Amara.
"I'm prett6 sure you will want to run to pal. Not really worth the pickaxe to the eye is it?"
Taking 10 on Diplomacy for a minimum of 15.
While they're distracted from Amara and Alexis doing their thing, Mira will sneak around behind them and conk one on the head with a sap.
Now that things have gotten underway, Amara rolls her shoulders and charges into the fray, Ramón swinging.
The guy in back didn't really look like he wanted to be there. In fact, thanks to his magical experience at the protest, he was really having an existential crisis. On Alexis' suggestion, he throws down his mace, tears off his Thrune pendant, and runs away sobbing.
The two remaining make a heroic stand. "Submit to your government! Long live Thrune! Long li-" Their sentiment was cut short by a loud thok! and one thug dropping unconscious from the sap to the head. The other barely had time to register it. The last thing that went through his mind was named Ramón.
While everyone else is dealing with the man in robes or whatever they do, Mira immediately goes to work with the important thing: looting every last one of the two downed guys for everything they're worth.
And also grabbing the weapons dropped by any others who fled. And that pendant. Basically she's getting the loot.
...don't worry, folks, she's not insane enough to try cheating the party with Amara around. Ramon is a terror when he's cranky about loot splits.
Septima winces and waits until the coast is clear to kneel down by the man. Her hand waves over the body. "I did not expect to deal with so many wounds today..."
After a moment's pause, she pushes his shoulder gently. "Excuse me? Can you hear me? ...You're not still dead, are you?"
"Thank you, friends, for that timely rescue. I must say I was a tad outmatched, though I managed to take a few down with me it would seem!" He's not lying, there are four thugs laying scattered across the alley in addition to the two you dropped. "If I recall, there were nearly ten in the group, and I see six here. Perhaps we should find a safer place to speak. I know of a place nearby, if you are the adventurous type, feeling that your blades are too sharp and your pockets too light, it may behoove you to follow along."
GM screen is for the GM!
Each goon carries a light mace, manacles , a bronze Thrune pendant, and about 4gp in petty coin. There is an extra pendant and mace on the ground, and one thug carries a folded up wanted poster of Mira's Dad.
The man stands, dusts off his robe, then cleans it with Prestidigitation, then strides of toward the other end of the alley.
With no idea what's going on with the guys over there, Mira is busy taking all their stuff, handing parts of it over to Amara as her arms fill.
6 manacles
7 bronze thrune pendant
24 gp in assorted coins
She pauses when she sees the wanted poster, her eyes widening even though she tried not to let them. That goes in her pocket. She's only half-listening to the guy as he talks, mumbling something about "You had me at 'more cash.'"
Right now she's a little bit busy mentally chewing over that asshat showing up on a poster. Hey. Maybe they'll catch him and she won't have to worry about seeing his stupid face again!
..nah. He's too good and she isn't lucky enough. Still, it's nice to know they're trying.
Amara, arms beginning to fill with the random swag Mira keeps piling on, shrugs her shoulders.
"Sounds good to me."
She smiles, comforted by the idea of not just standing around.
Alexis nods. Color spray, efficient. It's what she would have done.
Alexis suddenly perks up.
"Money you say.....well considering I am very close to going broke, have been living behind a church, and-" A loud growl echoes from Alexis's stomach. She laughs awkwardly. " And some real food also sounds nice. Let's do it! Adventure Ho!" Alexis seems gung ho about this!
She also turns to Mira and Amara.
" Also those guys will be up in like a minute maybe? So may wanna finish up and ditch em." She smiles as she follows the man.
When Alexis mentions that, Mira takes a moment to smack each of them upside the head with her sap twice. Should be plenty enough to keep them unconscious for a few hours while they finish.
"...Okay, we'll finish up and be right along."
The man leads you to a bookstore, and, after a quick word with the owner, into a back room.
“Thank you again for that timely rescue. Truth is, our meeting was no coincidence. I followed you from the protest earlier today, but in the panic that erupted I lost track of your group. You proved yourselves to be people of uncommon skill, and I am a man of uncommon needs.
“My name is Rexus Victocora, and until last week’s Night of Ashes, I was one of this city’s nobles. My parents’ estate burned to the ground that night—I escaped simply because I was studying at the Alabaster Academy during the fire. There were other fires that night, as you know—fires that many believe were started by Barzillai Thrune or his agents in an attempt to squash any spirit of rebellion Kintargo might have.
“Now more than ever we need that spirit of rebellion to stay strong, but Thrune’s actions have driven into hiding those who would stay strong and resist. Those who could once rally the city to a cause, such as Lord-Mayor Jilia Bainilus and my parents, are missing at best, and are more likely dead. I cannot do this on my own, but with the aid of talented citizens such as yourselves, I have hope that we can. Will you aid Kintargo? Will you save the city from the devil?”
Amara looks to the others and leans against the wall.
"F%!& it, I'm in."