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The halfling ponders for a moment. "Check me if I'm wrong, but we probably don't want to just blunder on down there. Subtlety should be our operational mode." She looks out over the audience. "If some of us could create a distraction, I could probably literally swoop in and snatch our prize before anyone was wise to what's going on." She winks at Dimitrie and gives her cloak a meaningful tug. "I can be really small if the need requires it."
Anna's lips curl up into a smile as she watches the performance. "I managed to get a role in Frazi's The Blacksmith a couple of years ago," she says quietly to the others, her eyes remaining glued on the stage below them. "I really wanted to play Constanta, but I'm sure you can imagine how little of a chance I had." The character of Constanta in Frazi's seminal work is described as a tall, willowy woman with flowing crimson locks. "The part was small, but so am I. That I was on the stage was all that mattered. It was amazing." Her wonder fades to focus when she spots their target, tucked into the belt of the lead character. "And there's the card we need," she continues, her tone indicating that she's ready to work. A small hand points out the card to the others. "So do we wait until the break and snatch it backstage or try for something really daring?"
Fluff - Shopping Natalya: Anna gives the wrap a look of desire that only a hungry halfling can carry off before closing her eyes and shaking her head. She pushes the warm food away with obvious effort. "Thank you, but I'll have to pass. If I ate that it would be back before I could drop the wrapper," she says with a sad shrug. "You may think I'm a lovely person, but the Lady of Graves and her many followers look at me with a different eye." She watches the woman finish off the last of the spicy food with barely concealed envy. "And it is different than those that simply subsist on carrion. It's an unnatural hunger and won't be satisfied by just ... meat. I've tried. The hunger only abates if the source was something ... someone ... sentient. The far majority of the civilized world takes a very dim view on those that partake of such things. Urgathoa is a right b&!%+ with a sense of humor to match." Her eyes turn back to the stall where the Varisian woman is serving up some of her famous wraps to another customer, the scent of spices heavy in the air. "It doesn't mean that I wouldn't give up a hand or foot to enjoy a couple of those again. But we don't move forward in life lamenting about what we can't have." She turns back to Natty. "We should move along. If Leondreina sees me, she'll throw a right fit."
Fluff - Natalya: Following Natty back through the portal to the city, Anna almost immediately doubles over, clutching her abdomen. When Natty stops and turns back she hears the halfling hissing in pain. When the woman approaches, she waves her off with a small, wrapped hand. "Nai, donna worry 'boot me," she says finally after a couple of large gasps of air. "Seems that eatin' on the other side, while satisfying, donna actually fill some hungers. She pulls her hood up closer over her head. She follows the Sylph on a roundabout path that eventually leads to a shop selling various magical curios. "That's an interesting whatchamacallit," she declares, looking over Natty's purchase with curiosity. Her halfling lilt has vanished and her tone has blended into the ever-present cosmopolitan accent of Absalom. "Now we need to pay a visit to someone I know." Moving through the stalls and carts of one of the market squares, the pair quickly find themselves on the edge between shabby stalls and narrow streets that aren't much distinguished from alleys. "Morning, Jos," she calls out to an ancient dwarf that's just finished up haggling with a customer over a pair of shovels. The craggy face turns and his lip turns up into what could be considered a smile. "Morning, Anna," he replies, approaching the small woman and turning his shrewd eyes on her companion. "This is Natty. She's a friend," Anna explains brusquely. Jos nods and turns back to the halfling. "And what can I do for you this morning?" he questions in a tone that leaves no doubt that he knows exactly what she's looking for. "The only thing I ever need, Jos," Anna replies with a shake of her head. Jos nods again and considers. "We do have ... something ... available. Nasty fellow. Caught him trying to take advantage of Narra's granddaughter. Got him in one of the cages. Told the guard about him, but, as usual, they're taking their bloody sweet time doing anything that resembles justice." He makes a fist in frustration and then just as quickly grimaces in pain. "Dammit, Jos," Anna snaps, stepping around the counter to get a closer look at the dwarf's wrist. "You've been drinking that foul spice water again, haven't you?" she snaps, gingerly handling the limb that more resembles a bunch of sausages than a dwarf's hand. "You're swollen up like a pig's bladder." The dwarf actually looks away, a guilty flush spreading across his lined face. "Just a little," he mumbles. "I told you what would happen. You can't drink that any more!" Shaking her head in frustration, the halfling begins digging into her bag and eventually produces a small pouch. Thrusting it into his hand, she waggles a tiny clawed finger in the bigger man's face. "Three leaves in tea, twice a day. No more than that. The swelling should drop off in about three days." The dwarf nods like a schoolboy being castigated by a strict teacher. Anna sighs. "Fair trade?" The dwarf's features soften. "Fair trade," he replies in a quiet voice. The halfling turns to Natty. "Could you stay here for a ... " she trails off as she notices that something has attracted the Sylph's attention. "What are you ...?" she begins to question before the scent hits her. While not appetizing to her anymore, she can still appreciate the scent of Varisian spices. "That would be Leondreina's stall. She does pork wraps." Anna's expression turns wistful. "They're really good. You should go try them. I'll be finished in an hour or so. I'll meet you there."
Anna laughs as her friend heads off to find the mascot of the Harrow card in her bag. "The arches, yes," she says, agreeing with Dimitrie. "We should learn what we can about them and this place."
With a ragged intake of breath, Anna sits up abruptly. Feral eyes frantically search the area before relaxing into something more ... civilized. "Thanks, a chara," she says with a sigh. "That hurts more than I thought it would." There's a grumbling noise from the halfling's midsection. "If you'll all excuse me for a wee bit, I need to ... see to something." Dragging the still smoking archer, she slips off into a dark corner of the outer room to feed her hunger in privacy.
The halfling remains still on the ground. There's no blood, but the arrows protruding from her small form give testament to how seriously she's injured.
"Ai, no you don't!" Anna snaps at the bow-wielding rogues. "I'll feast on yer eyeballs!" She dashes back towards the archers, focusing her efforts on the more wounded of the two.
"Dammit, woman, there wasn't supposed to be casualties this fast!" Anna calls out as she sees Elanna fall.
Leaving the rogues for a moment, she scrambles over to the downed champion, ducking under Natalya's lightning with a, "Don't mind me, Luv." She ties a quick bandage on the most grievous of Elanna's wounds.
Anna growls and focuses her attacks on the archer that dared to break free from the paralysis.
Anna turns her slashing claws against one of the other rogues.
Despair being something she's fought and challenged many times in her life, Anna shrugs it off as inconsequential. Giving a hissing challenge, she dashes forward like a spider in the dim light towards the archers.
She turns to Anna and adds. "Also, they have a doctor - very scary people say. Not like you - you're a nice doctor." "Then you know me only half as well as you think you do," Anna replies with a shrug. -------
Anna seems to almost vanish into the shadows of the dimly lit interior of the stable. Moving from darkness to darkness, she leaves the clockwork wagon to Dimitrie's curiosity and makes her way to the door with flickers of light spilling out from underneath. She presses her ear to the crack before opening the door just a hair.
Anna's ears perk up at Natalya's whispered advice. "You weren't supposed to mention the artifact," Anna hisses at Dimitrie. "If word gets out that we're on the trail of something like that, then you-know-who will be all over us, pestering us to hand it over to the museum. We'll never get any peace."
Anna eyes the pastries with more interest that the displayed curios and whatsits. But she turns away from them with a heavy sigh, rubbing her stomach. "Yes, were looking for Dieral," she adds. She frowns and the grumbling of an insistent stomach escapes her cloak. "We suspect that something other than a bad Harrow card may be headed his way and want to ensure that he's safe." She ignores the embarrassing sound and hopes the others do the same.
Anna's eyes crinkle into a smile as she turns a challenging gaze at Natalya. "Up for a little wager, Lass?" she questions. When the dark-skinned woman accepts, Anna laughs and dashes off with unearthly speed. Using her arms and hands as much as her feet, she bounces through the course like a cat with the zoomies. She moves with such energy that it seems she actually runs up some of the vertical climbs. When she reaches the end of the course, the small woman doesn't even seem winded. "Do y' have somethin' for the grown-ups, now?" she asks Clemeth with a giggle. --
It takes the halfling a moment or two to catch up to Dimitrie's strategy as he directs the attention to her - something she likes to avoid. "Yes. Oh, yes," she fumbles for a moment before slipping into the role he's designated for her. "The finer things in life are what makes life worth living." She laughs playfully while giving the sorcerer a side-eye, hoping he'll give her a heads-up next time so she can prepare a story. "The finer things, yeah ... uh ..." She looks around seeking inspiration, her gaze lighting on some elaborately carved wagon wheels. "I'd really love to set up a very elegant wagon that works as a mobile medical station."
Anna silently declines a tattoo and slips outside to wait for the others.
Anna watches Dimitrie in stunned silence as his 'subtle' attempt at influencing Arhan. She then turns her eyes to Elanna, her expression clearly asking, 'Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing.' She turns back to the display in front of her. "Yes, because Dimitrie can be quite appreciative if the occasion calls for it," she adds with a sly grin.
Anna continues to watch the man as Elanna and Dimitrie engage him in conversation.
Anna seems to notice Elanna's injuries for the first time as the woman is tending them with her own magic. "Ah! I'm so sorry," she says, more of her halfling tone showing through the laundered, urban Taldane she normally uses. "I got so occupied with all of the rest that I forgot to see ta ya. Me mam would have a word or two to say about m' manners." Elanna having healed her own wounds doesn't prevent the halfling from fussing a bit over the woman and checking to make sure there's nothing she missed.
Anna eyes the dog warily and gives the kobold a nod of recognition owing to the shared comradery of normal-sized folks in a world filled with giants. Her eyes flit from one part of the room to the other, but finally turn to focus on the artist, himself.
Anna gives only a casual glance at the chalk map before returning her attention to the dead woman. She adjusts her coverings on her hands before examining the corpse thoroughly. With a final sigh of resignation, she covers the woman's face with a clean bandage and bows her head, quietly whispering something. Her observances completed, she moves towards the office to search for any other explanation as to the woman's fate.
Hoping that Elanna is keeping the devil occupied, Anna continues to slash at it with her razor-sharp claws.
Closer to the woman, Anna can no longer fool herself with the idea that she might be able to offer aid. She turns back to the remaining devil and her eyes burn with ... something. On small but silent feet, she quickly reaches Elanna's side and applies some quick battlefield patches to the woman's bleeding wounds before turning her claws on the ram-headed devil.
Anna's eyes flash to the still body on the floor. There's a chance ... she tells herself, pushing down the certainty that she's already too late. Riding the forceful wind that nearly lifts her off her feet and causes her cloak to spread out like dark wings, the halfling dashes forwards past the ram-headed devil and to the other side of the skeletal one.
She takes a moment to slash at the otherworldly creature with claws that push through the material covering her hands.
She then leaps away towards the body of the Varisian woman.
Current Status:
"She was down with a bit of it last week, but she's back on her feet now. I told her she needs to avoid dairy," Anna replies, still trying to catch a glimpse of what's inside the store. She finally turns back to the others. "Something or someone's inside. I say we ignore the sign and go in." Moving to the door, she attempts to open it.
"I'd be more interested in knowing who brought us here, rather than 'why'," Anna says, her eyes turning to the shop as well. "After all ... they're just cards. Even if they're enchanted, they're still just pasteboard and paint. My decisions are m' own, they're not controlled by some magical game piece." She approaches the shop and lifts up on her tiptoes to attempt to peer into one of the windows.
Anna sees Natalya and her violet eyes crinkle up in a smile. And that's the only thing about the halfling that's exposed to view. That and some of her curly brown hair that escapes from underneath the dark cowl that's pulled over her head. "Hey, Naty," she calls out in a birdlike, high pitched voice. There's just a bare trace of the halfling lilt in her tone, the cosmopolitan nature of the city having washed away most of the distinctiveness of her native halfling tongue. "Nice to see a friendly face." She turns to the other two. "Not to say we're not friendly," she continues, "But you can't blame a girl for being cautious. My name's Anna." In spite of the greeting, she doesn't hold out her hand in what would be considered simple urban politeness, but crosses her arms. Underneath her dark cloak, her small frame is hugged tightly by linen clothes of a faded color that may have once been brown, but now are just this side of gray. One hand, wrapped in embroidered wraps, seems to summon a colorfully illustrated card out of thin air. The Rabbit Prince The card vanishes just as quickly and she tips her head. "I imagine that all of us have something similar?" She doesn't wait for a response before continuing. "The question is, as you put it, 'Who's the dealer?'" |
