Fantasy Converging Fates (IC Posting)

[Goonfire]

The forming party's revelry and quirky chatter soon gave way to serious discussion, though, not quite quickly enough for Rella to throw in another remark in support of... er, 'body enhancements'.

"Seeeee, just the thought of me with massive mamms made him fork over the goods."

"Not my cup of tea," Wulfram added, also in a cheeky audible whisper.

Grimm's demeanor had shifted to a dead seriousness. It was impossible to overlook how passionately he spoke of equal pay. The demands spoke of someone who had been cheated in the past—a support specialist viewed as less than other members of his team.

"I... don't see the logic," Wulfram retorted, his grin having faded completely. He locked eyes with Grimm, leaving no room for thinking he was joking. "Behind every great warrior, there are strong supports holding 'em up. If no one can see that, then they're not fit to lead, let alone be a member of any guild." It was one bold statement in support of another, nothing left to interpretation.

Out of six experienced adventurers, it came as a surprise when five refused the role. Rosaire volunteered, but at least three present had a history with the thrower, and it didn't sound pleasant, if their tones gave any hints. If half of them were already in opposition of their only 'candidate' thus far, it foretold a bleak future under his leadership. Though Wulfram gave his companions the benefit of the doubt, infighting could easily sink a new party, regardless of who was right.

"I say we meet in the middle," the bluntsman advised, butting into the debate. "I've seen the hot mess they call a 'standard' model, and it's pathetic... but we also run into problems with purely merit-based pay, in that it's pretty arbitrary in our line of work. This isn't some sales gig, where you meet a quota for... I dunno, brooms sold or some crap. We should all receive an equal base pay, plus bonuses—but the bonuses shouldn't be enough to make or break you. Just a healthy little something to say, 'Thanks for saving our asses.' Fair enough?"

Now, for the actual figures... Wulfram swiped a form from Marcy's stack and the pen, then scrawled notes on the back corresponding with his idea sharing. "How 'bout this: Marcy, you're smart with numbers. Come up with a spending plan fit for a team of seven. We've gotta consider costs of living, maintaining and upgrading our gear, and equal pay with minor incentives. We'll then read over it, to make sure it stays in line with non-negotiable terms." Sliding over his notes, he shifted topics. "That said, I guess I could fill the leader role. Wasn't expecting to, and I hate paperwork... but who doesn't? That's just part of being an adult and a sergeant."

AnonyMouse ERode GojiBean Little_Red_Cassette Phayne

 

[Topless]

The (In)Glorious Adventures of "Sir" Matteo
(And the suffering of her best friend Cherreign)​

After quite a few smacks from one of Flower's familiars, "Sir" Matteo had finally calmed down. Cherreign sighed just as one of the newcomer's lend her hand to her, but not "Sir" Matteo. She gladly took it and got up to her feet. She turned to her fallen friend and used her two hands to pick her up back to her feet in one fell swoop. With that situation over with, it was time to discuss something about the party.

Salka and Althea, the latter who acknowledged Cherreign's reputation, asked for her service. "Well, I don't mind if I teach you a thing or two of what I've learned during the hundred of years of isolation. Just be sure to keep my insane friend at all times. And I do mean "at all times"." She spoke and then she turned to "Sir" Matteo who is as excited as before upon noticing the new people that came to them.

"Forsooth, thou party hast formeth! If wished to seeketh the knowledge Lady Cherreign of the Grand Observatory, then so be it."

Goonfire BuggaBoo Nellancholy Solivagante

 

[Little_Red_Cassette]

Ersatz was amittedly prideful in her ability to contiribute so much to the conversation. Marcy would know- this woman talked to as few people as she could get away with in her day to day; it wasnt a stretch to call her the unfriendliest librarian there ever was. and yet, when the chips were down, she did what she had to with swift efficiency. she knew that library as though it were the back of her hand, and swiftly pointed people in the direction of whatever they needed.

"If we cannot agree to an even payment between supporters and combatants outside of leadership roles, then I for one cannot agree to the formation of this party"

the abruptness of such a forwards statement was somewhat suprising to her. and yet... entirely understood. afterall, she was in this mess right now because her previous party gave her that same short end of the stick that resulted in her... current disposition. at the returning memories of the incident that served as the spark to an ever rising pile of tinder brought on by the slow shavings of disagreements passed, she subtly grabbed her arm. the one kept under the cloak at all time, except for showing its fingers when she held her tome. she held it, briefly, until she felt a grouping of tentacles slowly slither down it. she let go, slowly releasing the tension in her shoulders.

in all honesty, her gratitude at grimm bringing up the issue and bending the conversation was VERY appreciated. there was a reason she saw this as the worst of the conversation, and needing to voice oneself like this was a big part of it. she kept to the sidelines on the matter, merely nodding along in respect to the others agreement.

"Seeeee, just the thought of me with massive mamms made him fork over the goods,"

she let out a sharp siiigh at the claim of success over their hopefully-soon-to-be party member bringing them the liquor she asked for, pinching the bridge of her nose "why me..." she mumbled. there was always a companion like this. one that tried to bend the magic bearers to their whims. irritating, forceful, and unrelenting. she took a deep breath, dragging her fingers down, and looking to the cieling in a slow reminiscense, rotating in her head the last party member she had that fell into Rellas... Category...

perhaps... hmm. maybe she could use it this time? hmm. hmmmmmmm. she looked down, towards Rella. that look of irritation being replaced with a look quite sinister.

"tell you what, you want to look a slut? fine. ill see what it is i can do, but you will serve as your own test dummy until i solve it!" she said, her smile cricking up further "AND you will help me in my studies of magic! consider it payment for the favor!" she said with a subtle chuckle, that bordered on cackle, he grin cricking up further. "i can assure you it will be done, but i will get what i desire out of it just as much as you will." she said. jesus christ, just who in the hell were you getting yourself into a party with here...? after a few brief moments, the sinister look abated, turning back to the subject at hand.

“Well, I’ll put my name for leader then.”

OH thank goodness, FINALLY getting somewhere on the leader fro-

"Denied. And stop laughing,"

COME ON, ersatz let out an audible little huff along with the denial, as it would since put the total down to a square SIX of the total seven that were refusing to take up the mantle, blast it all. listening to Marcy's brief comments on the matter. Ersatz more than likely wanted this through with more than anyone else here, and they needed a leader in charge, and should no one else be able to take up the mantle, it seemed the only one who might be willing to change their mind for the sake of necessity could be...

herself...

a chill went down her spine at the thought. she was able to do what was necessary, but had little desire to be the proprietor of negotiation. "now, now, lets not dismiss the thought so readily here." she began, the desperation of needing a leader being subtle, but there for the keener eared. "while im not entirely aware of his character, if we merely need a spokesperson and not someone to regulate decisionmaking and money, someone who has his sort of confidence and flair can be a fair asset in that situation. should he have a decent idea of how to de-escalate situations and come up with solutions... he could be decent. and often times the best way to cultivate the attitude of a leader is to be in the position for a time." she stated, pausing for a minute "if no one decides to take the position, i suggest giving him a chance, and should patience wear thin, we can take him out of the position and change it to someone else based on a vote. this group- considering we are running F rank dungeons among those with some experience- will be a low stakes environment to see how well he does in the position, and will give us room to determine different avenues from there." she finalized with a slight sigh, silently hoping the compromise will be able to win the hearts of those questioning. if only for a time.

shifting back over to the dreaded money fiasco, she listened to each of them say their part... the party coffer idea was far from a bad one, by any means "should our leader be only a spokesperson for our group, i will side with Marcy's suggestion here. i feel like we should keep a coffer for necessities first, followed by personal, followed by bonuses. considering this is the start of our party, and this place is... less than ideal for our start, i feel the split between necessity, personal, and bonuses should be 40-40-20, respectively. possibly even 50-40-10, should we be too nervous."

"How 'bout this: Marcy, you're smart with numbers. Come up with a spending plan fit for a team of seven. We've gotta consider costs of living, maintaining and upgrading our gear, and equal pay with minor incentives.

she put up a hand about halfway through his suggestion, issuing him to stop for a few moments. "youre forgetting something. a strict spending plan is difficult to make for adventures due to one key reason." she said, pausing for dramatic effect

"dungeon loot." dungeon loot, ahhh, dungeon loot. one could question where exactly it came from, but again, one could question where the entire dungeons came from in the first place. coins, artifacts, baubles, possibly even gear. a draw for many to become adventurers in the first place, tapping into the riches brought about by dungeon hearts once every so often, taking them back up despite the odds, and cashing in. these dungeon pieces were wierd, to be sure, but thats what made them valuable.

"im sure we all know that the jobs themselves are not the best paying. a gold coin or two for the highest on f tier. but dungeon loot supplements that significantly, when we engage- certainly not if. its hard to tell exactly how much money we will be able to throw around at the end of the day, how much new gear we will have or need to replace, and how much we will be willing or able to sell what we obtain for." she said with a huff. "i suggest figuring out what the minimum we will need at the end of each day will be, an going from there." she looked away a bit "not to mention i would love to study some of its properties before we go selling it off willy nilly..." she said quietly.

Goonfire GojiBean Phayne AnonyMouse ERode

 

[GojiBean]

She had to admit, everyone made valid points from their differing perspectives. And it was just further proof in the back of her mind that she wasn't cut out for the leadership position and was right to turn it down. She rarely thought about the kinds of points they were making. To her, it seemed perfectly reasonable to just do an even split between everyone. It was fair. It was unbiased. And it would ensure that nobody had a reason to be financially jealous of anyone else.

But... Then again, the idea of why the leader doesn't get more despite doing all the paperwork, Quest hunting, etc., was perfectly reasonable to ask. The idea of a coin purse was kind of nice. But, again, other ideas brought up-

"... tell you what, you want to look a slut? Fine. I'll see what it is I can do. But you will serve as your own test dummy until I solve it!"

. . . That statement was directed at Rella. And it was about the idea of her getting bigger boobs. But... "slut?"

Seirina looked down at the mounds on her chest. Covered though they were, her outfit did still leave a generous amount of cleavage visible. And she'd seen plenty of women at brothels wearing clothing similar. And they typically had breasts around her size. Sometimes larger. One woman in particular she encountered in another town a year or so ago had breasts almost twice as large as her own. It was almost frightening. And Gods only knew how she dealt with the back pain of those puppies.

She absentmindedly cupped her boobs and lifted them slightly while still trying to find the connection between large breasts and "slut." But, she couldn't think of anything. So, she wasn't quite sure where Ersatz was getting it. Seirina wasn't a slut. Right?

Either way, she let her boobs down and puckered her lips to one side as she continued listening. And then Ersatz made the point about Dungeon Loot. Yet again, a reason she wasn't leadership material. She'd forgotten Dungeon Loot was even a thing. It had been so long since she'd actually gotten any loot herself that it had been buried in the back of her mind until just now. Her previous party never gave her any loot even if she was the one who reached it first. She would always open the chest, but everyone else got what was inside. The thought of finally being in a Party that would give her Loot brought a sparkle to her eyes.

"Oh, that's right!" She cheered. "I'd forgotten about Dungeon Loot. If we do give the Leader more pay up front then the Loot should help balance things out providing we're smart about its distribution amongst the Party, right? Most of the chests I found in F-Rank Dungeons usually had between 6-10 items in them, along with various amounts of coins. I think the most we got from one F-Rank loot chest in terms of money alone, not counting the items we got, was around 300 Copper, 15 or 16 Silver, and one Gold coin. The lowest amount of coins we got from a chest was around two hundred Copper with no Silver or Gold. But even then, two hundred Copper isn't anything to scoff at. Right?"

Little_Red_Cassette Phayne Goonfire AnonyMouse ERode

 

[Phayne]

The Wardsman

Grimm

No Party

Guild Cafeteria - Rella and Marcy's Table

"I'd rather loosen my tongue now and voice my thoughts on the matter than simply remain silent and have regrets down the road" replied Grimm in regards to Rosaire's statement, 'I doubt a flashy combatant like yourself could completely understand the unjust treatment that many supporters have to endure...' he thought to himself, letting his glance linger a while longer at the vampire, before being drawn to Wulfram as the large man spoke.

"Unfortunately, not everyone shares your thoughts on the matter. Ill-treatment for support types happen more than you know" sighed Grimm, turning to address Rella, a look of pity directed at her as she admitted that she too was on a supporters rate despite her combat ability. He'd have spoken up on her naivety on being fooled so easily, but given she had just been called a slut for her request to Ersatz, he thought better than to add insult to injury and risk this important topic getting derailed for something frivolous.

Noticing that Seirina had been rather quiet on the subject of pay distribution, the halfling would turn to the dark elf; his cheeks turning a rosey red as he quickly diverted his attention away from the elven lass. 'Wh... what the hell is she doing in public...' thought Grimm, having caught her cupping and raising her boobs, despite the audience at the table. On one hand, everyone here was discussing important factors towards the parties formation and operations... and here she was...distracted and causing the halfling to get distracted as well.

Rella was one thing, but would he now have to remain on guard with Seirina around as well? he sighed, the patience and maturity needed to behave himself with them around was going to definitely shorten his life span by a few years. Thankfully, Ersatz and Marcy seemed more mature in how they acted and didn't openly fondle themselves in front of the guys.

His thoughts however would be taken out the gutter by the last person he suspected.

'Heaven's no...' thought Grimm to himself as Rosaire threw himself into contention for leadership; the mere thought of such an occurrence sending a shiver down his spine. While it was admittedly unfair on Grimm's part to completely disregard Rosaire's potential as the party leader, his actions were by no means completely without consideration. With the guilds present situation and time being against them, it was simply the safer and probably smarter option to have a leader that was for lack of a better term, more professional. Rosaire may have held potential, but given what Grimm knew about the vampire; there was simply too much potential for things to go bust and that outcome was simply something that nobody situated at this table could afford. What were the chances that they would get a third chance at being an adventurer?

Rosaire was risky, at least in Grimm's opinion.

That being said, it was also a fact that Rosaire did have some experience at being a 2nd in command to his former party which was more experience than some of the others here and his following suggestion of a party purse was reasonable as well. Alas, should he become the leader and have access to that purse; there was no gaurantee that he would not spend it on booze, women and gambling. Grimm may not have had an issue with the above, provided he was included in the celebrations; however it would undoubtedly not sit well with a few others on the table.

Grimm could put up with Rosaire as a second in command, but as the leader. The halfling would need quite some convincing and given Rella and Marcy's reactions, he was not the only one. Though rather than elaborating more on her denial towards Rosaire's leadership candidacy, the minotauress would turn to address him instead.

"The aggression was not my intention but it was something I had to get of my chest. If that was the result of how strongly I feel on this, then so be it." replied Grimm, maintaining an outward façade of composure; despite the show from Seirina. He would however raise a brow as Marcy rejected the idea of an even split pay; almost wanting to interject her on the spot. Alas, he kept himself quiet and opted to hear her out; given she had allowed him to voice his thoughts without interruption.

Alas, while she did offer an alternative option with her three way split, it did seem to have certain requirements. The first being that they all lived under the same roof, would the first part even work should everyone here decide to remain in their own accommodations?. Anything would be an improvement on the broom cupboard he lived in, but what about everyone else?

The 2nd part was essentially what Grimm had wanted, though on a much smaller scale given then entire pot was being split three ways before even reaching everyone's pockets and like Marcy had said, it was unlikely to be much.

The third however was where Grimm had some issues. It was a system that opened up the party to internal conflict, one that allowed for someone's opinions to sway the division of the bonus one way or another and would quite often be subjective. Even Marcy admitted that it had caused a few arguments in the early days of her former party.

Wulfram too seemed to have some concerns regarding the matter, offering his own opinion on the matter; a compromise on Marcy's initial suggestion before showing an openness towards taking the leadership role. Admittedly, out of the opinions on how the pay should be split, this was probably the closest to fair that they had come to thus far.

Ersatz however would throw a spanner in the works with the mentions of Dungeon loot, something that had clearly garnered Seirina's attention as she sparked into life, a sparkle in her eyes as she spoke excitedly.

"So long as there is no division in the basic pay between a frontliner and a support, then I have no qualms." spoke Grimm finally, having listened to everyone's suggestion thus far, "Bonus's however is where the problem arises. How do we measure ones contribution?" he paused and pointed at Wulfram. "If our friend Wulfram here was to get the final blow on the target, but only got close enough to the target because I or Ersatz provided support, whose merit is greater?" Grimm paused and glanced at everyone. "You could argue that Wulfram's merit is greater, as he got the final blow thus ending the quest" he stopped and looked at Ersatz. "I cannot speak on behalf of Ersatz, but on my part at least it would be highly unlikely that I deliver a killing blow, as such without Wulfram in this situation the quest would not end. However, looking at it another way you could argue that he may not have survived long enough to get the final blow without that support" he stopped and looked around the table.

"So in your opinions whose merit is greater? The combatant who claimed the final blow only after being aided by the supporter or the supporter who provided the help needed for the combatant to survive long enough to get the chance to inflict that killing blow? What about the tank who drew aggro away from everyone else?" he took a breath. "How are we to measure whose merit is greater when it requires everyone's cooperation to be successful?" he asked rhetorically. "What I am trying to say is... deciding whose merit is greater is purely subjective and would be influenced by whichever side of the line we stand on regarding this whole, combatant vs supporter debate" Grimm sighed, rubbing his beard

"The implementation of a bonus scheme may sound wonderful, but it comes with its own headache. I personally am not keen on the idea of having a bonus scheme derived from the quest reward and would rather that portion of the reward simply be added to the initial division of pay." he glanced at Marcy. "As you have stated, splitting a reward among a party as large as this means we each get very little, so lessening that small portion even more by creating a bonus pot does not seam ideal to me" he stopped and pointed at Ersatz then at Seirina.

"That being said, our elven friends here have brought up a good point with Dungeon loot. As they have stated, dungeon loot can be a good way to supplement our earnings and if the majority vote here is that we have a bonus scheme, then I propose that bonus be taken from whatever we gain from the dungeon as opposed to whatever we earn from completing the quest. Any items found can be offered to whomever requires it for their particular skillset. I for one have no need for throwing knives or maces and thus would hold no claim to such items if we were to find them in the dungeon. Any items that go unclaimed can be sold and added to the pot that is then divided among us. Perhaps following Marcy's earlier proposal. 40% of whatever coin we attain from the dungeon is put aside for the parties basic needs, another 40% is split among us evenly, 10% is given to the leader on top of what they get already with the final 10% being put to a vote as to who deserves it based on the previous quest" Grimm took a breath and folded his arms.

"To summarize, , my priority in this discussion is to establish an equal base pay between every member of the party outside of leadership roles. I personally do not agree to a bonus scheme derived from the quest reward given it would take away from what we could all potentially earn if it were to remain as part of the sum distributed as payment to everyone. That being said, I am more open to the bonus being taken from what we earn from the dungeon loot that we do find, with items being given as a priority for those whose abilities require it. This way, we retain a fair structure of pay for everyone from what we get after completing the quest, but also have a system that rewards others that comes from what we find in the dungeons. This way the dungeon loot acts as the bonus for everyone involved with one individual voted to get a little more"

GojiBean AnonyMouse Little_Red_Cassette ERode Goonfire

Code by Serobliss

 

[ERode]

Phayne AnonyMouse GojiBean Little_Red_Cassette Goonfire

"Wow, Rella, stop laughing, I'm being super serious here!" Though it was hard to tell just how serious he was. Perhaps it was a ploy to snag a large chunk of gambling money for himself. Perhaps he, like Grimm, was trying to turn a new leaf as well. Perhaps this was an entirely serious offer he made, one made after running through all possible avenues of thought. The vampire was a protean thing, at once a charlatan and a showman, at once an adventurer who has survived, perhaps even thrived, in such an unstable profession.

'course, you gotta leave it to the horny lady to make even the matter of payment a debate. Merit was fine, until one got into the complex calculations that involved what exactly counted as merit. Grimm, mouthy as he was, had the right idea there: unlike regular business, it wasn't as if it was possible to work disconnected from everyone else. Glory goes to the one who scores the killing blow, but what about everything that happened before that moment? Before that fight? Before the adventure properly began? Honestly, having an argument every night over who deserves more pay wasn't going to make for a fun party atmosphere. It was only the kind of situation where...yes, every one would have to be equally selfless.

Not to mention, of course, that horny lady's previous party had to be actually fucking insane, to split only one third amongst themselves equally. To be guaranteed only one third of the party's income, even. The vampire shot an incredulous look towards her, half-way about to break out into a derisive laugh. No wonder she had no party! Those poor kiddos must've bottled up their emotions beneath her haughty attitude and penchant for smart-brained chit-chat until they couldn't take it anymore and kicked her out! And when you heard all that, but decided to allow her to come up with the budget as well...hrm, Rosaire decided at this point that while Wulfram might be a half-decent bud after all, the guy probably trusted her a touch too much.

This wasn't a permanent party from the get-go, after all. This was a collection of people who didn't want to get kicked out by the Guild. Who knew how things would go?

Really, when it came down to it, while they were giving speeches about how to split potential earnings, others were grabbing whoever had an able body and snagging quests off the board. And that wasn't even accounting for the fact that Dungeon Loot only truly mattered if their job involved dungeons to begin with.

So, of course, Rosaire cut through it all.

"Hey, Grimm, great talk," the vampire said, clapping the wardsman on the shoulder. "Cool point too, arms-lass, bout the whole dungeon loot thing. Y'all can keep talking, really. Love to hear some of your voices." A smile, bordering on roguish, towards the dark elf assassin who had put on a show just a few moments ago. "I'm going to get ourselves registered and pick up some quests, so just give me the notes on whatever you folks decide upon later, yeah?"

With a flick of two fingers as a salute, he peeled away from the group just like that, a jaunty gait delivering him straight to the receptionist.

 

[Goonfire]

This was what Wulfram enjoyed: allies who challenged his stance. On one side, there were Ersatz and Marcy, who preferred more variable pay. On the other, Grimm, who wanted no room for bonuses from base pay. However, an excellent point came up, one no one had considered until this moment: dungeon loot.

Blissfully ignorant of the silliness happening right beside him, he stroked his chin, his fingers passing through the short beard. "Didn't think about dungeon loot. And if we sell what we can't use..." His eyebrows rose as he considered the possibilities for a moment.

He snapped his fingers after Grimm gave a solid argument. Wulfram read between the proverbial lines, recognizing the signs of someone who had conflict with his party. Still, what were the criteria for giving bonuses? "Point taken," he retorted. "Hard to nail down What qualifies any—Hey!"

Rosaire had cut any negotiations short, a hasty move that surely won him no favor with the others who were already against his leadership. "Is that asshat deaf!?" Wulfram spat, slamming his fist upon the tabletop. He then turned, ready to give chase. There was only about one second to stop him, but he forgot a few key details about the party registration process—details which made his irritation unnecessary.

AnonyMouse GojiBean Little_Red_Cassette Phayne ERode

 

[AnonyMouse]

Rella​

Location: huh? what?​

"Hmmm'naaah," Rella said with a small shake of her head, in response to Ersatz's offer of... what exactly? Being experimented upon? If that ceeepy look on the elf's face was any indication, only one of them was going to have any fun. And I don't think it's gonna be meeee...

"Silly squid, I was tryin' to get ya outta the lab, not into it. Ya know, hang out a bit. Hit a pub or two. Spill some drinks," she whispered, while giving the elf a friendly nudge. Smort ppl were having smort discussions, so Rella kept her voice down, so as not to interrupt the superseriousveryimportantstuff going on. "And... hey... maybe chill with the 'slut' stuff, 'kay. Not cool," she added with a nod at Seirina, who was... showing off? Sometimes life isn't fair.

Rella had been called that word one too many times. (Okay, a lot of times.) Pick up a couple o' guys at a bar and suddenly people start sayin' this and that and... whatever, she thought, rolling her eyes at the imagined slight. Maybe Ersatz knew. Is she takin' shots at me? Naaah, it didn't seem personal. And Ersatz didn't really seem like the type to soak up gossip and spit it back so flippantly. She's not mean. Just weird. And weird is fine.

Well, that settled it. New mission: help Squiddie make friends. Samson seems like a chill dude, but she needs some folks with actual hands and feet and stuff. And less eyes, Rella thought with a devious grin of her own, not unlike Ersatz's 'mad scientist' grin (yet TOTALLY not like it at all). Hope you brought your crouchin' knees, cuz' I'm gonna take you under my wing!

Rella was so excited about what a night on the town with Ersatz might look like that she almost missed what was going on. Grimm was yapping, yapping, yapping, yapping, yapping, and then wappow! Rosaire took off and Red pounded the table. Things were goin' on! Finally, some action! She hadn't caught everything Rosaire said, but based on everyone's reactions, his leaving wasn't good. She had to stop him! Fetch quest!

Rella sprang into action. Her martial arts training and canine instincts kicked in instantly, as she rolled her chair backwards in one smooth, swift motion, and launched herself at the vampire with surprising quickness. To the casual onlooker, it may have looked like he was in for a mauling, but the playful smile and boisterous apology made it clear she was just a pup playing fetch with a man-sized chew toy.

"Rosieeee, noooo! I'm sowwy I laughed at you!" Rella cried as she latched onto Rosaire, nearly toppling him with the force of impact. However, she quickly swung round beside him, looping her arm over his shoulder like they were best buds out for a stroll. "Watcha doin', huh? U mad? Where we goin?'" she said, firing off words in rapid succession, completely oblivious to why he was even walking away in the first place, but sure he was going someplace interesting. "Is everybody else invited, too? We're a pack, ya know. Oooh, lemme go get Grimmy!! Can throw him over my shoulder, hahaha."

Marcy​

Location: Sahlsbane, White Lotus Guild Hall, cafeteria​

At Ersatz's defense of Rosaire, Marcy sighed. She didn't think this needed explanation, but so be it: "Of the two people who know him best, one appears physically offended by his mere presence," she gestured to Grimm, "And the other openly laughed at his candidacy," she glanced at Rella. To be fair, the wolf-girl would probably laugh at Death itself, if it wore a funny hat. Nonetheless, the point still stands. And that is without mentioning the hungry look he gave Seirina, Marcy thought. He was a hard 'no' the moment she saw that. When it came ot things most likely to destroy a party, sexual politics was second in line after pay. The dark elf Assassin was a feast for the eyes, but he ought have the decency to dine elsewhere, or at least more discretly. "That being said, I am sure Mister Rosaire has many redeeming qualities --and I do hope they become apparent in time-- but until further notice I cannot endorse him as a leader," Marcy added as an afterthought.

It seems we're missing the forest for the trees, Marcy thought, feeling a little exasperated as the conversation shifted to talk of how to split 'dungeon loot' as if they aren't F Ranks. They can't even agree on the base pay, so talking about how best to distribute even more pay --especially when dungeons were hardly a regular ocurrence at this rank-- made her feel as if they were rowing a boat up the wrong river.

"You have my vote for leader, Wulfram. Thank you," the minotauress said when the Bluntsman (metaphorically) stepped forward. It was the expected --and, I daresay, 'intended'-- outcome at this point. "However, the figures I quoted are what worked for my previous party. 'This' is not 'that.' Although, there are the same number of us, if that is any consolation, so it may work. When we... erm... 'went our separate ways' what remained in the party coffers was evenly divided and disbursed. It was not an amicable parting, but I do not let my feelings get in the way of such business. After a decade together, the severance pay for each member was not insubstantial."

That could mean putting a third into the party coffers was too much. Or it could mean their leader had been 'good with numbers.' Or it could mean 12 years was a long ass time and pennies add up. In any case, Halcyon Infinitum wasn't poor in its final days. And, if she has any say in the matter, this party wouldn't be either. They just need to have a little faith in me... and, more importantly, in one another, she thought, her gaze unintentionally resting on a certain halfling, who had caused a great deal of the distrust in the air right now.

It had always seemed strange to her that so many parties fell apart over money. Maybe it was because she had come from wealth, never had to truly struggle or fear starvation or homelessness. Marcy knew, even if this all came crashing down, she would not be on the streets, despite her father's ultimatum. Even he couldn't possibly be that cold... right? Her fears were different from theirs, but fear is still fear. It steeled her, made her strive for excellence, instead of mere existence.

And 'fear' was all she could think of as she listened to Grimm. He seemed to have no trust in his comrades and no amount of cowtowing to his insecurities would instill that in him. She detested the idea of even pay for all. Yes, it took away the chance of being belittled, but also took away the opportunity to strive for more, for excellence. Those who overperformed, should be rewarded. And those who underperformed should be punished. Where was the incentive if they all received the same, or received a comfortable wage for skating by? And his false premise of "who deserves more" in an example where every participant had merely done their job and had no reason to deserve more than another was very telling.

She let the halfling say his peace, despite her objections. He obviously had a lot to get off of his chest and she would not deprive him of that, so long as he remained respectful --which he certainly did, this time-- but it seemed others had heard enough. Rosaire peaced out with surprising swiftness, yet not surprising enough to even register as shock on the minotauress's face.

Rella's chair crashed to the floor as she literally pounced out of it and scurried after him, even going on all fours for a moment before finding her feet. "Rosy, noooo! I'm sorry I laughed at you, 'kay," she trilled as she caught up and grabbed him by the shoulders. Marcy thought the wolf-girl might steer him back to the table... but, alas, she merely trotted alongside him, chirping excitedly about whatever cool breeze had passed through the empty space between her furry ears as they headed toward the receptionist's desk together. God have mercy...

"And there it is. We've found his redeeming quality," Marcelotte said with a dismissive turn of her wrist as the pair marched away. "He's a go-getter, if a little overzealous." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, partly at Rosaire's impulsiveness, but also at Wulfram's outburst, Rella's buffoonery, Seirina's little burlesque routine, and Grimm's... everything. "At ease, sargeant. He can't register a damned thing without our consent and forging our signatures is likely to get him kicked out of the Guild. So long as he doesn't write himself in as leader or give us a stupid party name, I've half a mind to let him go through with it. Let it breathe."

On the other hand, letting him sink himself would bring their numbers to six, which made for a better split amongst those who remained. And she already had ranged attack capabilities, so being down one Thrower was no great loss. What exactly would they lose by simply letting him ruin his career? The role of drunken imbecile is already filled, she thought.

Again, she sighed. That was a bit unfair. In a way, she shared Rosaire's frustration and applying pressure by making a drastic move wasn't a bad tactic... if that's what he's trying to do. Is he merely impatient or is he attempting to push things along, in his own way? An admirable effort, but I won't take the bait. I will not be moved by such an infantile display. If I must, I will be the rock which anchors this party.

With a third sigh, markedly more haggard and longsuffering than the two before it, Marcy shifted her attention to those who remained.

"The Tosser's not wrong," she begrudgingly confessed. "This debate has become far too circular, so let's get to the point and settle this before he does something truly foolish. It seems the three-way model has garnered some support. The main issue seems to be how best to split it and where loot factors in, so here's my proposal..." She leaned in, her long fingertips steepled before her, like a villainess.

"I don't know what everyone's living situations are at the moment, but I believe having a base of operations will help us optimize our financial situation, as well as synergize as a team... or, at the very least, ensure these little squabbles aren't had in public spaces." As she was saying this, Rella was literally latched onto Rosaire, like a parasite. "We must uphold the illusion of professionalism, you see." *sigh* "Anyway, my family owns a manor uptown, which served as my previous party's residence. The doors are open to all of you --and the two nincompoops-- for the meager sum of 150 silver per month. The seven of us, working efficiently and smartly, can easily pay that. The rest is pure savings, a 'rainy day' fund, should anyone need it.

"At a 33% split Halcyon Infinitum had healthy coffers, to keep everyone armed, armored, and equipped, But I believe in challenging myself, so I don't want to do the same thing again. I want to do better. 'More with less,' if you will," she said with a self-satisfied grin, as if she enjoyed the idea of flexing her managerial prowess, the way some relished a good fight. "I propose 25% goes to the party coffer. 50% serves as base pay. The final 25% is bonus pay, to be divided at the group's discretion, with the leader having the final say," Yes, this was literally the same plan she had proposed a few minutes ago, with altered figures. She looked to Grimm and Ersatz for this last bit: "As for loot, we are F Ranks. The vast majority of our assignments will have no 'dungeon loot.' It is not a reliable way to sustain ourselves yet, nor will it assuage the sting of a perceived slight if the base pay is not what you feel it should be. A pretty bauble from a cave won't make you feel better if we can't sort out the basics first." she said with a sigh.

An A'ethelgarde to her core, she was all about 'the basics.' Their entire school of magic was predicated on the idea of mastering foundational techniques to achieve maximum efficiency. Get the foundation right, and everything else falls into place. It is as true in the world of finance as it is in the world of magic.

"So, to any willing to accept, that is what I offer. You can come home to a bit of class after a hard day's work, instead of a dirty inn or a dilapidated apartment in a gutter," she scoffed, a bit of her posh upbringing showing through, as if it hadn't already. "You can each have your own room, to do with as you please, as well as access to communal spaces. Parlor, kitchen, garden, stables, library, cellar, etcetera, etcetera, for less than you would pay for a spartan domicile elsewhere. My house rules are simple: if I can't hear it, smell it, or see it, I don't care what you do in your own space. Communal spaces are a different story, but we're all adults here. I trust we can behave ourselves. And, perhaps, with time, mature beyond squabbling over pocket change." Her eyes briefly fell on Grimm here, knowing he was likely the hardest to win over. "Instead, we can argue about fun things... like laundry and cooking," she joked.
Interaction(s): GojiBean [Seirina] | Phayne [Grimm] | Goonfire [Wulfram] | Little_Red_Cassette [Ersatz] | ERode [Rosaire]

 

[Little_Red_Cassette]

"Tss!" she let out a disappointed sigh mixed with a sharp breath through the teeth at rellas response to her... 'offer' of experimentation in exchange for the chance at beauty. Something which Rella, very astutely, recognized as the devils contract it was, resulting in a swift downturn of her plans.

"I have more important things to attend myself to during my free time than pubgoing and partying, thank you" how uptight! Surely she had to go out and enjoy herself sometime sooner or later, didnt she? At this rate you were going to have to pull her by the collar to go out somewhere. She didnt give much hint as to what exactly she would be doing either, and didnt seem intent on letting you in on the ongoings. ...not that Rella would likely be interested in the first place. Rella would more than likely be able to guess "studying" and be disinterested from there.

At the callout of her... Somewhat erroneous name calling and tossing around the word 'slut', she took a breath, more than ready to dash back with some kind of witty retort, a real jab at the ego, something she and no one else would call 'a real knee slapper'.

Then, something slithered, grasping at her shoulder, interrupting her. She looked down slightly towards the shoulder, seeing an eye of Samson looking back up at her under her cloth. She paused. Mm. She tensed up slightly, almost locking up upon realizing her... Less than kind words would very quickly have consequences. She then let go of the breath. "i... Yes, youre... Youre right. I apologize. I will refrain." she said simply, with a nod, before looking to Seirina as Rella did, eliciting a subtle scowl at her actions and a quick dart of the eyes of the way.

With all due admitance, the words... Had been somewhat personal. To Ersatz, absolutely, but to Rella, not so much. She set aside her prejudices, however, and promptly tuned into Marcy, detailing why they had so swiftly turned down Rosaire as the leader. And honestly, they were good points. The reactions of two others did definitely spin a tale of past interactions awry. Should they be a real problem and not just some grievances of someone on the less serious side of things, it would certainly pit him against the rest of the party more than anything else. Possibly even pay. "even so, I feel like its somewhat unfair to cut him out so abruptly..." she thought aloud, before looking to wulfram "very well, if he shows too much lack of professionalism, ill move my vote back to ulfram."

then it was Grimm's turn. She was suprised. Even by her standards such a speech over this was rather long winded. And so full of holes on top of that. No ones merit would be greater in the situation they presented, as both did what they were intended to do and what their jobs entailed. 'a complete phalacy born of his own bias towards frontliners conflicting with his ego over being a support' she couldnt help to bring to her own mind. 'had the halfling desired to be at the front lines with everyone else once?' she wondered to herself, thinking into Grimms words far more than most would deem reasonable. Despite having just made such broad assumptions about his character internally- and being quite confident in them- she remained quiet, letting him continue onwards.

In all honesty, she felt the bonus system was a good method of honorifics amongst the party. Light and friendly competition with lower stakes helped to air out grievances early over certain peoples performance, and encouraged one to notice their own mistakes, ask questions, and improve on them such that they dont fall behind the rest of the pack. A carrot and stick deal that she saw had worked rather well, in her past studies... Though far from perfectly.

That was far from all, of course

She wanted in on the bonus as well. She planned to make herself standout above all. Both as a testament to her discoveries, and for funding... Funding that would allo her to further herself even greater, hopefully to the eventual demise of her... Situation.

And then Rosaire got up, and peaced out for the receptionists desk. Ok. "ah-" before Wulfram bolted after them, ersatz quickly grabbed his arm. Frankly, the large wonder of a man completely overpowered her in a fell swoop, forcing her forwards into the table, making her let go. "gUH-" though it would be enough to tell him to stop, she held her stomach from the feeling "dammit-" she breathed a moment. "as marcy said- hA-" she coughed once "He'll need our signatures. The best he can do is go get the paperwork, and its a good idea to get some quests before the rest of those seagulls get to them." she said, motioning over to the small crowd of a good few adventurers mulling over the board of yet-unobtained tasks. "he'll need our signatures to sign off on him being leader anywho. Speaking of, im moving my vote to Wulfram." she said, with another cough. "dont apologize, it was my fault." she admitted to Wulfram before he had gotten around to any sort of notion.

Hold on.

150 silver was meager for this girl? I mean it made sense for someone with a supposed manor like she was suggesting, but after running some quick numbers in her head she said "thats 5 silver a day... Hmm... Hmm. Actually much less expensive than i anticipated. Thats roughly the cost of apartments for all of us. Maybe a bit more, but not by an unreasonable degree. Apartments is about 120-130 monthly if we go for 3 2 bed 1 bath and 1 1 bed 1 bath."

25%? "25%?" she voiced the thoughts in her mind "with seven total people? I dont trust that number much. Even if you were well off, such a drastic difference might show wholly different results." she notioned. "if anything the reasonable statement of a lack of high value loot only deters my comfort in such a number, but" she sighed, as Marcy had done more than her fair share of times across the conversation. "If you insist on it, I'll abide. Money has never been my strongest suit anywho." she finalized

GojiBean Phayne Goonfire ERode AnonyMouse

 

[BuggaBoo]

☠︎︎​

'Flower' - Diviner (Shaman) - 'The Wildling'

​

The Convergence of a Dancer's Crew aka Flower's new 6-pack...

^{Dialogue: #61BD6D}​

So gathered here in this tavern were those meant to be her new packmates.

Her Diviner vision claimed there would be more. And no doubt, omens would signal her when more were soon. Yet such omen may not bode well for some of her pack mates. More recruits were usually meant to replace those packmates that couldn't make it back from the hunt. And never would.

A heartbeat longer Flower nuzzled forehead to forehead with LiLo. Some few final scritches then she closed her eyes, stood and shook out her hands all the way to her shoulders. When her eyes snapped open, that feral piercing blue had returned once more. Big black boots marched her massive 6'5" frame on over to flank her Alpha. A whistle and a quick twirl of her fingers beckoned her fuzzy and feathered familiar friendlies to reconvene with their Shamanic sister.

Nellancholy
Mid strut, Aura leapt nimbly up her broad back and onto her shoulder. LiLo perked up and hurriedly limped her huge shaggy hide on over to her Shamanic sister's hip. Coal hopped up and took to wing, gliding whisper soft towwrd Flower's other stone cut shoulder, allowing their Alpha space and solitude to formally preside over the pack.

Flower came to standstill but an arm's length from Salka. Both big brown hands lay at rest, gently clasped together at her waist. Blue eyes proceeded to scan the others that accepted invitation to join the ranks Dancer Alpha's packm

2 pale and slender dimuntive elves. One a Light Mage. The other an even smaller Water Mage. One demure yet eager, the other assertive yet motherly. It would be on Flower and her familal trio to watch and keep them protected in the field. To the elemental benders she offered: Her Bow, Coal's beak, LiLo's bite, and Aura's... well his bitchiness.

2 Swordsmen of contrasting size and demeanour. One a tiny, foppish, squealing Stuck Pig of a Swordsman. And the other? Why but a grandiose , courtly beauty who stood before them as one hell of a specimen for a Swordsman; gracing all in full shiny regalia and with flowing luxurious golden locks for good measure. For this bladeslinger-- and fine! For the Stuck Pig too-- she offered: her Danger Sense as early warning and reaction, and, the Smiling Jaguar's Distraction as a disorienting and exceptionally difficult to escape sensory scrambling.

Upon first blush, one would note that their Alpha was too small in stature to claim such a prestigious position. But the pink-braided Dancer had a ferocity made of cutlasses and gunpowder more than worthy of double her weight in gold. To the Captain, she offered expert insights and Divinations. That and her exposed neck in offering; As one... here and always, Alpha.

Now of course would soon come the matter of housing rental and distribution of payment. Both of which Flower cared none too much. Such matters and concepts were not only off putting but alien to her. As long as she got her cut, a roof over her head and no one mistreated nor disrespeced her entourage, she was fine.

In her former pack, The Fiend Breakers, she always deferred to 'Spectacle'; she of the gift of gab and buxom beauty. The sparkly eyed brunette always knew how to make Flower feel warm and welcome and... 'out of breath satisfisfaction'. And so the Diviner entrusted the Enchanter with keeping her share safe. Spectacle was always more than fair, generous even and gave Flower a huuuuuuuge sack of coins everytime! The sexy siren would hold a finger to her lips and wink; it was their little secret.

The little adorable metal discs the Diviner received were always the orangey ones tinged with green. Spectacle always gave Flower only those kind for were not as soft, and, far outnumbered the silvery and golden ones that Spectacle kept for herself.

Coal wanted the shinier silver and gold ones but once polished up he would hastily take an orange coin. Easily. For the most part, Flower made her own weapons and used the small orange discs to fashion arrowheads so there was always more than enough. If she needed any metal, Spectacle would go into the shop to do the bargaining for her and trade in her orange coins.

Eyes forward no longer, her feral gaze drifted away, momentarily distracted. Flower would need to find someone to keep her earnings safe for her and distrubute them to her when done sorting. Oh and there was one pack mate here that she immediately trusted and wished to be that someone.

Solivagante
The glimmering wild escaped her eyes,.leaving behind a serene pool of azure. A few soft clicks she let out as she tried to catch the gaze of the Light Mage. Althea had accepted the Shaman's offering completely and ate at her table. A friendly upward chin nod of acknowledgement shentossed the pale and diminutive elf. And found upturning her lips was a smiled accented by a sudden blue eyed wink.

Topless Goonfire
Big dark braids chased her heads motion as she quickly returned her attention to the greeting at hand. A solid reaffirming nod she bestowed the new trio and in unison, her fuzzy and feathered familars nodded as well.

Oh but the smile remained upon Flowers face . For she eagerly awaited the greeting ceremony to commence. In her experience it was a joyous and song-filled ceremony with music and dance to welcome one another into the pack.

☠︎︎​