Graded [Glyde's Pavilion][Jareth SS] Respite From the Truth

[Orikanyo]

Finnegan Huttman

​

Well, time to get some food, the arcade had plenty so he sure as hell was going to partake. He found a place quickly, kebobs, he bought two, they were quickly stuffed into his awaiting maw and one might've heard snapping of the sticks... What was left of them was clean. Next, he found someone selling this sauce over rice dish? He shrugged and got a plate. It was... Sweet? Savory? The rice mixed well and gave it all some weight to it.

He got a small bowl of the rice as well for Seven, why not?

He went along further, eatting down the line with the various new tastes and strange meats and spices. He was half way through some sort of bread wrapped meat and veggie when he saw the shwarma.. Thats what the sign called it anyways. He didn't know what kinda beast had meat like that, but gods above is smelled delicious.

He swallowed the rest of his hefty wrap, and ordered up some of the meaty dish next.

He returned to the group, the food didn't last the short walk back.

"So! Yea, gotta go in then eh?" The man said after Duran already began walking towards the palace.

Finn, however, paused... "Hey.. You two... I'll leave talkin to the guy to you both if we get the chance... I never liked royal types..." he admitted, a slight growl beneath it all. "...Only request we make it a quick and painless affair..."

 

[Faynorae]

​

Feathey flowers obscured by rosy mist
Hm. How odd. Ophenia thought to herself. She had lost herself once more in her own little bubble of thoughts. This place was so sunny and so refreshing and yet it also felt quite crowded at times. The sylphid thought it would be so fun to perform for the Pavilion. On the other hand, since when did individual birds have names? But again, Ida's companion was not at all an ordinary bird. Thinking back to it, Ophenia thought to herself, was this tiny little creature truly a bird? What if it was a siren? Siren's were known to be... aggressive? Or did she remember it wrong, Ophenia's thoughts took her in every single direction before she just brushed it off as she was pulling herself along with the group.

The fae was just about to continue biting her thumb's nail until she heard something about a palace being guarded by Harpies. She found it interesting as her eyes lit up. Harpies. What were the interesting things about harpies that were noted in the "Encyclopedic Documentation of All Known Creatures In Ryke ~ Chapter 4: Creatures with Feathers or Scales" the Sylphid wondered. But then again the knowledge of that book wouldn't matter since the young songstress was currently in another state.

She wondered if the harpies liked musical festivities. Would she be able to befriend the harpies as well? Ophenia was excited, she was excited because she was quite ready to make so many new friends. A las, the young fae didn't learn not to count her eggs before they hatch. Wait, that wasn't the reason I'm here, Ophenia thought to herself. Her first goal is to perform to spread the joys of the world. Ophenia looked into the sky. If she was lucky, maybe she could spot a harpy or two. Of course, the attempt wouldn't yield such results.

Once more she would count her eggs before they hatch, as she started thinking about what she would perform during the night. Would the night even ever come? It seemed so hot that maybe the sun would just stay up for the rest of the day. Ophenia thought about what colour would fit a night performance the best. Although others probably couldn't see it, Ophenia found it important that sounds created colours which would match the performance as well as the atmosphere, but thoughts like this should really come after she had confirmed that she could indeed perform during the night.

As they suddenly came to a halt, Ophenia came out of her head and actually looked around for a moment. A beautiful smoke of sorts had appeared. The sylphid's eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed upon the smoke and the palace ahead. "My oh my! How exciting!" Ophenia twirled, as her excitement began to show on her sparkling skin. She giddily followed Duran without an ounce of suspicion, before turning back for a moment,

"Come on guys, what are you all doing just standing around like frozen dragons? Let's go!" She said excitedly with as much enthusiasm as she was loud. Ophenia moved forth with a bright smile on her face.

 

[Etymarchen]

< VII >​

---

​

As the group would prepare to venture forth, the bird would, at last, be able to recite who exactly which she was. A statement that, though it should have been simple to address, could not find itself to be the case throughout their travel together through road, sewer, and Duchy.

“I have been referred toward as Seven,” she responded to Ida's query, a small little coo in her soft voice as if she were uttering a secret meant only for those who deserved to hear of it. "Seven, like the number."

​

Although the reveal was, at the end of the day, nothing special to anybody including herself, for whatever reason to her, a certain satisfaction seemed to arise within her, having finally succeeded in its fulfillment. A slight chuckle escaped from the bird as she nestled herself upon Ida's shoulder, cooing amongst the cool that, though it had previously manifested into a dangerous affair for her, became much more tolerable at the realization of the heat at hand.

"Hm, though I suppose being the 'Fluttering Flatterer' is but another lovely referral. Perhaps you may be cold in some instances, but I cannot help but find beauty in the structure of the snowflakes that are your words, Ida. At least I would not be a Chicken in your eyes," she humored, intaking some of the sauced rice grains from the little bowl that Finn had obtained. Her little wings would flutter with excitement at each grain--captivated by strangely sweet and savory taste.

Of course, in spite of the festivities at hand, the Pavillion seemed to be home to more suspicious activity than met the eye. Discussion on the harpies whose origins and appearances seemed to imply for the occult. A sense of curiosity, no, concern arose within Seven at the smoke--at Duran's reaction to it...his attraction to come closer...

At his seeming attempt to bring them to be involved, further curiosity

What was that pink smoke? She wondered very, very much. For a moment, she found herself regretting not to have pressed Pantra on her gossip regarding Duran. Once again, her lackadaisically expressive bird's face would find itself to be beneficial in preventing others from noticing any changes to her face. If not for the Cloud, she would have Appraised Duran immediately.

No, there was much, much more to be concerned over with Ophenia's cheeriness to head in immediately--

"Wait, Ms. Ophenia, are you sure that we should--"

It was far too late to stop her. The girl was already moving ahead, and she, with her tiny shrieks and just as tiny wings knew it impossible to do nor say anything.

Further questions, of course, came into play at Finnegan's remark. Curiosity, per se.

...Perhaps a query to discuss at another point, she mused to herself.

If there was another point.

 

[Clyvelle]

Duran, Pipe Connoisseur and Tour Guide​

From the arcade, the group followed the loggia down the length of the plaza, only coming out into the sun at the far end. Centered on the plaza was a broad staircase that led up to a covered collonade which spanned the remainder of the approach to the palace. The pink smoke issuing out of the palace cloaked most of what appeared to be a garden of sorts to either side of the collonade, as well as the collonade itself. With it, the pink smoke carried a soothing fragrance across the grounds. Though hazy, one could still make out various trees and shrubs, appearing vibrant and green despite the withering heat. More clearly visible were the potted shrubs spaced along the path of the collonade. The flowers were vividly colored, some even appearing wet. Dripping wet.

With each pot you pass, the dripping and puddling underneath becomes fresher and wetter until through the fog, the winged culprit comes into view. Barely as tall as bushes she watered, she carefully trickled nourishment from a pitcher in her arms. With her back to you, you can see the bizarre stitches in her exposed flesh around the base of her wings. The wings themselves look mutilated in places and partially manifested. At the sound of your approach, she gasps and drops the pitcher.

As water and clay shards wash across the ground, she slowly turns to look at you over her shoulder. Tears begin welling in her eyes as she begins to speak in a tiny, scared voice.

"W-Who are you...? You're not s-supposed to be here!" she begins sniffling as she buries her face in her hands. "Don't look at me!"

As her cries begin to wail through the collonade, her misshapen wings spread and carry her out into the haze covering the garden. Duran tries to call out to her, but the creature has disappeared.

"Erm...I guess...they weren't quite ready...?" he says to the group with a shrug. "Maybe we had better come back later...."

As he goes to usher the group back to the plaza, however, a flapping of wings could be heard coming from the garden opposite the one the harpy had taken off into. Before the group could move far, two harpies came barreling into the collonade ([1], [2]). Both were even shorter than the first. The apparent leader and taller one of the duo had blood red feathers, while her counterpart was various shades of blue.

"Keesa, what's wrong?!" said the red harpy as she looked around wildly for the first. Instead of finding the harpy, however, she spotted intruders in the collonade. She clenched her teeth as her gaze focused on Duran. "YOU! How many times do we have to punish you, furry beast? Do it, Jurin!"

At red's command to her blue friend, Jurin, Duran's eyes widened as he cowered in fear. He waved his hands, hoping against hope that she wouldn't, but even as he did so, the blue harpy inhaled deeply before letting out an ear-splitting shriek. A moment of silence lapses as the ringing sets in to the ears of those present. Then the thunderous noise of several wings flapping, accompanied by their owners letting out menacing cries of their own, filled the air around the collonade and palace grounds beyond. In moments, harpies began landing in the walkway of the collonade on both sides of the party, blocking off all escape. One lands dangerously close to Duran, unsheathing two sickle swords as he looms over the catkin.

"You picked one hell of a way to earn your stripes, halfbreed." seethed the harpy as his gaze moves beyond Duran to his entourage before returning to the catkin. "Is this a game to you, Duran? Are we harpies some sort of oddity that you would make a spectacle to foreigners for fun?"

Duran struggled to find his voice as he trembled under the harpy's piercing gaze.

"N-Now, Xerxes, sah, t-these fine folk had n-nothing to do with this. I-I just can't h-help myself when it comes to f-fine smoke is all...."

Xerxes scoffed.

"So you are taking full responsibility for this offense then? Is that what you want, Duran?" said Xerxes menacingly.

Duran closed his eyes penitently as he shook his head. Xerxes withdrew from him as he sheathed his blades.

"Very well. Escort Duran to the throne room. Bring the foreigners too. Congratulations! You've all been granted an audience with Glyde thanks to your friend here."

 

[Orikanyo]

Finnegan Huttman

​

"...Hmm Guess I can rest easy for now..." they werent brought to the royal one yet, his small issue abated for the time, instead they... Hmm... That young lady looked to be in a painful way... Perhaps this was a thing about harpies?

Or maybe she was having some wing related troubles...?

Hmm...

Ah, more flapping, perhaps he will see these harpies properly, Duran spoke of them in such manner he really did wonder just how they looked-.

Finn froze as he stared at the duo that appeared, his breath caught in his throat for a second, taken aback. One red.. One blue...

Both... Very much...

He opened his mouth to speak, but the screech caused him to grit his teeth, being a sturdier sort he bore the pain but as they other harpies came, his earlier shocked multiplied...

More and more...

And a man as well!

They scolded Duran quite handily, so his dtive was the smoke huh? Should have figured... But... Well...

This wouldn't stop Finn from speaking a second time.

The man took in a deep breath, with all of these avian folks around... He couldn't just keep it in... No... No he had to say it...

He was used to the follies of others dragging him down, he was used to being a center of attention, he was used to truely stressful situations and was well known for keep his cool...

And first of all.

He just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

[Titles Applied and influencing, Chatty, Attention Hog, Stalwart, Anchor]

"I dare say, Duran, when I said I wouldn't mind seeing the marvels you called Harpies I didn't think the lovely folk would come out in such numbers!

The plumage! The grace! How quickly they came at a single call! Why, my heart is aflutter, if you forgive the pun, at their vivacity and swiftness! Such beautiful people! To think the true stars of the show lay out of sight so!" The man spoke clearly, and without a hint of ill will and deception, his eyes sparkled with a gleaming light of adoration.

He looked to the blue and red hatpies who came first. "Such brilliant coloration, warm red and cool blue, true works of art! How I long to touch those beautiful feathers... No... No I mustn't it'd be rude!

My appologies!" He gave a pause, befote turning the show towards the blade wielding fellow.

"And you dear fellow, I'm beside myself! Within mere moments you show grace and power! If we weren't the ones having those blades bared against i'd long to see you in action!

Please! You simply must tell me of those weapons, as we walk. They almost look like axes, but akin to talons! Facing backwards anyways. But bladed as a sword, i'm a warrior myself, but feel no issue with me i'm here to see the wonders of the Pavillion!" He paused to flash a erstwhile smile at the veritage wall of plummage around them all, looking not ever he least bit intimidated... Perhaps restrained lightly, his desires to adore soft feathers perhaps?

"Ida! Seven! Ophelia! Your meeting awaits! Best we follow lest Duran become lonely!" He calle to the others, despite the fact they weren't far away, his demeanor seemed to be trying to turn this from a intrusion, into a visit.

Or maybe he wanted more chances to see the feathered ones around him?

 

[Faynorae]

​

So you can just direct attention to yourself like that, and all I have is a stupid title which makes me touch hearts? Unfair Advantage.
Surrounding the fae, the smoke really was... somewhat thick? Ophenia took in the fragrance of the surrounding mist, as she took a closer inspection of the flowers. She touched the flowers but was surprised she couldn't hear their voices. How strange. Other than that, the flowers were so beautiful! Ophenia marvelled at the flowers, sparkling light reflected in her eyes, somewhat also reflected in her iridescent skin. Ophenia didn't have the pleasure of witnessing the first harpy. But then she listened to the flaps of their wings. The incessant flapping beckoned Ophenia to look over once more.

She looked at the two harpies, which had appeared before the group now. One seems to be the leader of the two and had red feathers. "Wow..." Ophenia blurted out, her face was stunned. Her eyes were glittering as much as the sparkling satin that she wore. The other one was clad in blue feathers. They seemed to show hostility toward Duran. Ophenia wondered why, did he cause problems often for the harpies? Ophenia couldn't hear what they were saying as they let out a screech. A shriek coloured in piercing red, Ophenia couldn't take her eyes off the colours that surrounded her. Colours of which only she could see. "How pretty... Wait, Ow-" Ophenia blurted out again, before covering her ears with her hands. "Why do such unflattering noises make the best colours?!"

Squinting her pupilless eyes, Ophenia stared at the looming harpy. Beautifully feathered creatures. Feathers were like petals for living things! Thought Ophenia, trying her best to ignore the constant ringing in her ears and the super agitated cat man. Also, maybe the fact that the harpies were just as agitated and seemingly aggressive. "My oh my! Feathery friends, it's so nice to meet you! My name is Ophenia! It's so delightful to make your acquaintance!" Ophenia said with a loud bubbliness which could be heard from miles away. Her eyes were basically beaming with excitement because to Ophenia, harpies were friends by lineage. They were both fae creatures, right?... Harpies are fae right? Ophenia thought to herself, she was most likely assuming the lineage of an entire species and she wasn't even sure herself.

Suddenly the knightly person who used to wear metal clothing began his musings. He was quite the talker, talking of how harpies were marvels or whatever. Ophenia found that quite rude since wasn't marvel a word used to describe objects and non-living items? Therefore it'd be quite rude to refer to another creature as a marvel. Ophenia wouldn't want to be referred to as "a marvel." Ophenia pouted a bit, to display her displeasure, but on the other hand, the knightly one named finnsomething talked full of words the young fae did not fully understand. She was trying to process his word but they bounced off as if she were a wall. Ophenia was not so fond of long words.

"Ah yes! Me oh my, Finn! Whatever you said, how.... uhhhh. Intuitive of you! Haha.." Ophenia twiddled with her fingers, before twirling around. She almost tripped, twirling in platformed high heels is not fun. Catching her balance once more, she clapped her hands "These feathery friends are quite lovely folk! Oh-oh! And you've even given us a chance to meet Glyde?!" Ophenia squealed a bit as she spoke, her bubbly tone letting out an air of friendliness. "I must say, thank you so kindly Feathery friend!" Ophenia said, glistening eyes as she smiled brightly. "You're right Finn! Come on guys we've gotta get moving!" Ophenia said with an overly-cheerful demeanour.

Unfortunately for the young sylphid, she was probably one of the only people here wearing heels. Heels are not very comfortable when it came to walking anywhere.

 

[VictoryatLast]

Iduna Isra​

---

"...Seven."

Watching the scene unfold, Iduna couldn't help but feel somewhat vindicated in her concerns as she tried to keep her hands hidden within her shawl- they had begun to grow frigid. What had they seen or done within the smoke to invoke the wrath of these creatures?

Shaking her head and coldly glaring at Duran, who had never answered her question before leading the others into the palace, she glanced at Seven blankly, wondering what she should do. Following them meant a meeting with Glyde- which she had hoped for from the moment she had learned of the night festival. However... it also meant that it was highly possible that they would incur the wrath of the Pavillion's monarch for something they had no means of knowing was there.

Seeing Finn, who was also in the hot seat, call her name as if to join him in their punishment, she turned her frozen glare onto the knight.

"What predicament have you gotten yourself into?" She blinked, expression still solid as stone. Sensing the blatant sarcasm from the armed harpies, the songstress tightened her grip around her shawl, feeling frost attempt to form over her shoulders.

"Of course... I should've seen it coming." She looked away from her companions. "No one with a thick skull like yours would ever listen to reason."

In fact- no one truly listened to the young songstress anyhow- the Cloud had... clouded her judgment. Was it the monotone fashion of how she spoke? Was it her inability to express herself that prevented people from believing that she was capable of making sound decisions? If she hadn't wished to meet Glyde, perhaps none of this would've happened in the first place... Ida should've never entertained the idea.

Sighing shakily, she awkwardly stepped towards the three in her party, staring at the ground quietly without any words left for them.

---

 

[Etymarchen]

< VII >​

---

​

​

…How was one even supposed to approach the unfolded scene at hand?

Her ears once more having fallen victim to another shrieking screeching—one that, in this instance, was far from eloquently parsed. Rather, it had come simply in the form of a simple, ear splintering shriek--one that sang, screamed, bringing only paralysis. Ringing, endless, endless ringing. For a moment, she felt herself almost paralyzed to react. Incapable of moving by virtue of having lost what was once her most important and only sense to react to what was beyond her reach...

Soon, the ringing settled down. Seven's beak, clenched stiffened tightly as she listened to those around her. From the harpies' scoldings to Duran's stuttering apologies--to eventually include the commentary of the rest of the party.

…Especially that of the several perverse statements that would pour out from Finnegan's mouth. Though her tufts of feathers would easily hide the rushing of blood and heat passing from her embarrassment towards the implications of the Knightman's several ludicrous statements, it would not prevent her from feeling secondhand embarrassment toward those several implications. An undeniably incorrect thought trickled through her for a moment: was he, perhaps, running his index along her plumage for that reason? She shuddered at the thought, even as she knew it to be incorrect...

Clearing her throat, her thoughts returned to the present of the moment. She, perhaps, had to thank and apologize to Finnegan later with this outburst in place of his attempts to protect the rest of them.

“Erm, ex...excuse me...” she spoke up, shyness in her voice, "but Sir Duran isn't at fault here...

Y-You see, I came to the Pavillion with hopes of being able to garner a more humanoid form. And when Sir Duran discussed your grace, beauty, and marvel with the rest of us, I...quite demanded that we be able to see the beauty of your plumage in-person..."

Gazing from the safety of Ida's hair, the bird would, with shame [towards the situation], hide her face with her wings.

"...I...believed that in this great Pavillion, there perhaps could have been a chance that I could speak to Sir Glyde in order to become like the rest of you...so I begged and compelled Sir Duran and the others to allow me the chance to be able to see your beauty for myself. Duran meant nothing but to assist me on my selfish wishes, and the others were only strung along because I had convinced them. I can only ask that you forgive not me, but him on this offense...Just as you harpies are there for each other, he must be there for his niece..."

Although her claims were riddled with half-truths and lies, she saw much fit in seizing this opportunity...

This opportunity to create a pillar of proof of her willingness to assist. Too, this potential opportunity to redirect her birdly fate.

For that, she needed to attempt to persuade the harpies to offer forgiveness to Duran at her own cost based on his 'kindheartedness' and necessity for his family, whether successful or not.

SKILL: PERSUASION F

 

[Clyvelle]

Duran, Pipe Connoisseur and Tour Guide​

The harpies were quiet at first, glaring dangerously at the individuals they had surrounded. Even as they began to move, their silence hung over the group like the foreboding dread that grips a child before his punishment is administered. It seemed that Xerxes had said enough on their behalf. Their contentment in silence hardly mattered to Finn or Ophenia, however, as the outsiders began gushing a near unintelligible mix of awestruck statements of wonder and shameless flattery. Some harpies rolled their eyes. Others cackled at the duo's strange behavior. A few even drew back, seemingly nervous about their admiration. Xerxes decidedly ignored them.

Physical reactions were given by the harpies as Finn and Ophenia tried to make conversation, but it wasn't until Seven spoke that the harpies were moved to speech.

"Oh, please don't say that, little one!" Pleaded one harpy in response to Seven's desire for a humanoid form. "You are blessed beyond measure to look as you do. Your plumage is most beautiful! It is we who envy you, friend!"

"We can do nothing." Another said apologetically to Seven's request to overlook Duran's blunder. "He has openly admitted his fault and taken responsibility for this matter. It will be for Glyde to decide his fate."

From the collonade, the group entered the palace's main hall. The pink haze was thicker inside, yet the interior was still visible. Decorative arches above ornate red carpet outlined the path to the throne room. Hallways could be seen leading off from the main one. Occasionally, a harpy might be seen in passing.

Ahead of them the pink smoke grew denser as they neared a massive set of double doors that no doubt lead to Glyde's seat of power. Xerxes was less than twenty paces away from the doors when a voice called out from a side passage.

"You wait one moment, Xerxes!" came the rather disgruntled voice of Ostis Mot.

The harpy halted his approach to the door, causing the entire entourage to stop. He did not turn to face the tigerkin.

"You're interrupting...as usual, Ostis." Xerxes said.

Ostis approached the group but kept his distance from the harpies.

"Are any of you hurt? I came as soon as I heard that shriek, but I wasn't expecting it to be our fine duchy guests." Ostis turned to Xerxes. "That's right, Xerxes, duchy guests."

Now Xerxes turned to face Ostis, realizing this wasn't going to be a quick exchange.

"And? See for yourself, cat. Where have we harmed them? My business is with Duran. They are just serving as witnesses." said Xerxes.

Ostis placed a hand over his eyes when Duran was pointed out. Sighing heavily, he drug his paw down the length of his face as he took a few steps toward the tour guide, who did not meet his gaze.

"Duran how many times do I have to tell you that this smoke is nothing more than perfume. You disgrace your fellow cats when you behave so recklessly." Ostis turned back to Xerxes, narrowing his eyes. "That said, Duran is catkin, and Xerxes is fully aware that any judicial hearing involving a catkin requires that another catkin be present."

Xerxes scoffed and started heading for the throne room doors again.

"You want a front row seat, Pavilion Coordinator? Be my guest. Let's get this over with."

 

[Orikanyo]

Finnegan Huttman

​

"...Ah well I tried... How annoying..." The young man sighed, somewhat wishing for the safety of his armor and weapon now... Duran is a fool, but he wasn't going to let him walk into his death. If it came to it...

Which Finn expected, the nobles were true scum of this land and all lands. If one were to gain his trust it'd be a cold day in hell. The pavillion was nice, but at this rate... The stories... Fell pretty flat... Hes has little fun outside interesting food and one person somewhat nice to talk to.

The hatpies were pretty, though, but he really didn't care at this point, he wanted out to do his own thing... Away from the incoming noble bullshit that will no doubt end with something needless and foolish...

He weighed his options... Avian monsters tended to rely heavily on flying for defence, speed also, if caught with hand he could deal crushing blows easily, in hand to hand he'd win, but they have home field advantage, so he'd lose regardless... Hmm... Fun thought exercise, but, he still had an issue with the fact he rushed them along into something HE didn't want... Who wanted to speak to Glyde? Ida and Henny?

Well...

Hopefully this wont end in blood, he'd really rather not deal with this if so....

"...Whats this Glyde like anyhow?" He asked the group walking, nobody in particular. "I've heard some things, but nothing in stone yet."

 

[Faynorae]

​

An Angel never lies. A Flower does not tell the full truth.

Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap.​

The noise Ophenia's heels made with each step she took. So far each step toward their destination didn't hurt that much. With a feint smile painted over her face, the sylphid softly walked with the group. Well, she tried to. It was somewhat hard when each step you took was accompanied by the tips and taps of heels. Ophenia finally took the time to take in the situation. Frankly, for Ophenia, it was quite overwhelming. While she pretended to appear disinterested in the mood of everyone around, Ophenia also hummed a soft melody.

It made her feel uneasy, once she actually realised how everyone felt. She noticed how Ida had felt a sense of vindication toward Duran. She understood why she blamed Duran for the situation they were in. On the other hand, it was Duran's fault that they were in this situation. They may or may not be punished, but Ophenia truly hoped that this Glyde person was... "Merciful"? But why would she worry? It's not like anything dangerous could truly happen after all! Ophenia slightly glanced toward the harpy. His name was... Xer... Zer... Scissor. Yes, that was what Duran said right? Scissor, what a nice name! Ophenia thought to herself, smiling lightly. The harpy was quite aggressive. Hostile. Seemingly because what Duran did was a reoccurring act. If Duran wasn't punished physically before, he should be alright this time as well... right? Ophenia brushed off any thoughts of anything harmful occurring to Duran.

...The name Duran was similar to Durian. Didn't they stink? Who would name their child after a species of fruit? Why would they do this? Especially after a fruit that stinks. Did Duran stink like durians? Is Duran secretly a Durian? Something else piqued Ophenia's interests, this seemingly dense smoke was a perfume? Which made no sense to the sylphid, if this was a perfume it should've been more misty and moist. After all, isn't perfume a spritz of a type of liquid? It smelled nice at least. Though, the sylphid didn't doubt Ostis's words, even with her own knowledge.

Ophenia looked around, trying to see through the somewhat dense perfumey smoke, she admired the decorative arches, thinking about how long it potentially took to build them. A las, she looked nonchalantly at the "Bird" named after a number. A number. Should not be that hard to remember. Why couldn't the harpies be as nice as little Seven? But it also seemed that the harpies were happier for seven than themselves. Something about being envious? What a peculiar statement, Ophenia thought. A magic could change one's natural form. Ophenia thought about a book. A book which told stories about a place where creatures naturally had many forms. Was this place real? Or was it fake? Does a place where people's appearance could be so whimsical truly exist? Hushing her thoughts, Ophenia shook her head. After all, she knew fondly of a place like this.

Ophenia giggled while thinking about Seven's statements, before beginning to talk with a bright bubbliness. "Oh, Seven! If you truly wish to change your form, I know of a place where creatures change on a whim!" Ophenia quieted down a bit after saying that though. Putting her finger against her cheek, she looked blankly at the ceiling. "Though unfortunately, the way into such a place is... Everchanging. So I don't actually know how to go back..." The sylphid said with a nervous smile on her face, "But! If you're lucky, you'll stumble into it! Those who stumble in, don't come out the same. Those who stumble out won't ever go back in! Take me for example! When I was created, my eyes, hair and skin were like white snow! But now I have some colour." Ophenia said with a childish cheerfulness before twirling around and then looking back at seven. "I once met a person who created plants from dirt and mud. They had a wood staff with an iron tip covered in mud. A peculiar being they were, they even made statements about how trolls would snatch me away into the forest. It's a pity I didn't learn more about them. They even made a homunculus out of mud and fur which could play instruments!" Ophenia said enthusiastically at a moderate volume as she walked and spoke.

The person she spoke about was a farmer, and not a witch. The homunculus made of mud and fur Ophenia referred to was a beastly person covered in dirt. Ophenia just misunderstood the situation since she didn't know what a farmer was and what they did. Frankly, the story of the "Dirt Witch" wasn't even related to the place she also spoke of. The glade she spoke of was a place she didn't even remember if it was real or not. Yet, she still told the story with enthusiasm as if it actually did.

 

[Etymarchen]

< VII >​

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​

​

The fact that the harpies could do nothing about what came to be wasn't entirely disappointing to her. Still, the potential implications that would come from the harpies' response showed something quite obvious from the beginning: the harpies viewed themselves hideous. At all. In fact, it seemed some found the flattery to be more fetishistic in its nature. Which, Seven couldn't entirely blame them for.

She was, however, curious. Curious with their response to her request. Though she initially expected the harpies to herald perhaps friendly-enough relations with Glyde to be able to request some form of restraint on his decisions regarding the case that were to occur (after all, they were the few to be able to see the man daily), it seemed that something was stopping them from doing so.

As they followed through the halls, it seemed that more questions would arise with some answering others.

The main question in her mind: what was the cause behind these seemingly passive aggressive remarks from catkin to bird?

While attentive and listening to the remarks that came both from Ophenia (which, interested her greatly) and the two beastfolk of the Pavillion, a sudden disruptive question would arise from the Knightman.

...What was he doing? Once again, she was baffled--lost for words on how to respond. Realizing her lack of options that would avoid the bringing of further conflict, she would quickly come to terms with and acceptance that there was little she could do to help him in this scenario alone. Silence was the only option she realized plausible...

 

[Clyvelle]

Glyde, Ruler of the Pavilion​

Xerxes pushed opened the double doors, causing a fresh cloud of pink perfume to come tumbling out of the darkened throne room. He waved his hand a bit in a futile effort to clear the air some.

"Pardon the intrusion, Glyde...." Xerxes said as he peered through the haze.

No greeting came as he motioned the harpies behind him to bring the group in. As Xerxes strolled towards the center of the room, he gestured to the left and right. Harpies took flight and moved through the haze to opposing sides of the room where they hoisted great curtains away from the sills they had been obscuring. In so doing, the room was suddenly bathed in bright sunlight, revealing the pink haze at the height of its opacity and potency.

Venturing in, perhaps with the guide of Ostis or a harpy, the group eventually sees the source of the pink haze. A broad brazier was centered in the room with glowing coals inside from which issued the pink smoke. Xerxes would see it first and quickly go to investigate, but on the far side of the brazier lay several blankets in a heap. Poking out from the side closest the brazier was a clawed hand.

Xerxes would pat the blankets and shake the creature underneath, eventually drawing the coverings back to reveal a bird-like creature colored in various beautiful shades of blue. Ostis moved closer to see for himself.

"Is he alright...?" Ostis questioned uncertainly.

Xerxes did not answer as he continued to attempt to invigorate the seemingly incapacitated Pavilion ruler. Eventually, signs of life could be seen as Glyde slowly began to rise with Xerxes's assistance. The pair began to move further into the chamber towards Glyde's throne which doubled as a daybed. Xerxes laid him upon it and conveyed in whispers the situation at hand. One of Glyde's hands gestured towards a nearby hookah, and Xerxes hesitantly retrieved it for him. The peacock took a few long drags before a small laugh unexpectedly bubbled through the air.

"You worry over me like a mother hen, Xerxes." Glyde said playfully but loudly. "Bring them closer. Tell the others to drive some of this haze out."

Glyde exhaled his own contribution to the haze as Xerxes stood and directed harpies to aerate the chamber. Several harpies lined up in two rows back to back then began flapping their wings mightily as they advanced towards the windows. The haze was drastically thinned in moments. The group is brought before Glyde's throne and cases are then made. Xerxes began.

"Glyde we present to you Duran, who moments ago knowingly violated the 'no entrance' policy, which decrees that absolutely no one outside of the harpies are allowed on palace grounds without special summons. Furthermore, he violated the sanctity of the perfume rite by his trespass. Lastly, but perhaps most heinous of all, Duran exposed one of our harpies, Keesa, not only to himself, but to these four guests. I don't need to remind you, Glyde, but shall make it known for the sake of the outsiders that many of the harpies prefer to keep hidden. Being seen is a most grievous crime to our kind."

Glyde listened and took a moment to take another long drag from his hookah as he closed his eyes momentarily. Only after thoroughly releasing a cloud of his smoke did he open his eyes once more.

"Is Keesa here to witness the proceedings?" Glyde asked lazily.

Xerxes exhaled sharply through gritted teeth at the question.

"As you can imagine, Keesa is sensitive. She needed time to collect herself after the shock of being made a spectacle of by Duran."

"I see." Glyde said as he nibbled on the end of his hookah. "Then I suppose we'll hear Duran now."

Duran's head still hung as he shuffled forward a few steps. Ostis quickly advanced and spoke up before his subordinate.

"Glyde, I would like to say a few things before Duran speaks if that's alright." Glyde lazily waves his hand to give Ostis permission. "Right. First off, I'll point out that Xerxes was dragging Duran to your judgment seat without following proper procedure. All catkin brought before this chamber will have a fellow catkin as witness, and I am highly offended that Xerxes showed such blatant disrespect for my kind by his actions.
"Secondly, Duran is reckless and even thoughtless at times, but at no point have I ever seen anything in his character to make me label him as malicious. Yes, he broke some rules in coming onto these grounds," Ostis looks to Duran, emphasizing his next words, "and he should be disciplined for such, but do not heap upon him disproportionate punishment as though he were some lawless heathen. It would not bring you honor, Glyde. No, it would dishonor the very seat from which you judge. That is all." Ostis said bowing as he withdrew a few paces.

Glyde cleared his throat.

"Duran you are fortunate to have someone like Ostis on your side. Even so, will you say a few words about what happened?"

Duran, his ears flattened against his scalp, wouldn't so much as lift his head as he spoke.

"Sah, I am but a humble tour guide. I was showing these here folk around the Pavilion. We were taking a breather in the market beside the plaza when I smelled your...perfume. I...I can't explain it, sah! Whenever I smell that fragrance, all reason leaves me! I knowingly came onto palace grounds, and worse yet, I brought along these folks too and got them all tangled up in my problems. I...I didn't mean any harm to the harpy, sah. That's not Duran, sah. That's not who I want to be. My niece just had kits, sah. I want to be someone they can look up to, you know?" Duran said with a sniffle.

Silence fell over the chamber as Duran finished, broken only by a short coughing fit from Glyde.

"Very well, Duran. Bring forth the duchy guests then. Do any of you have anything to say on the matter?" Glyde said before reclining in his chair and taking a drag.

 

[Faynorae]

​

OH NO, OH YES.
I knew it! IT WAS NOT PERFUME! Ophenia shouted in her mind, her face lit up in joy. Ophenia's eyes showed nothing but excitement. She watched. She listened. She understood not a single word any of the people spoke. Well, except the person who was supposedly Glyde. Other than that, Mr Scissor, Tiger in a tailcoat and Duran the Durian all spoke too many words for the sylphid to process. She was great at pretending like she knew what they were saying though. A las, the sylphid could at least interpret the mood. In short, the mood was not looking very bright. Ophenia didn't like that one bit. Oh, but what is this? Mr Glyde would like for one of the guests to bring upon their accounts? This. This was an opportunity.

Ophenia pulled out her second most prized possession from the pink woven shoulder bag. The [Resonator]. With the touch of her fingers, Ophenia imbued a portion of her mana within the resonator. The resonator began to glitter, as bright colourful lights began to shine. Reflecting both Ophenia's clothing and mood, the resonator took upon a warm orange tone that glimmered lightly. Ophenia then called for the stars and took [Centre Stage], enhancing her voice with the power of magic! Suddenly, within a 30feet radius of Ophenia, the area would be surrounded by a musical noise.

As the resonator began to hover above Ophenia, she stepped forward. "Dididi dululu~ Tada! Now presenting, the one and the only, as dubbed by my fanfare, "Du Couer Pur" Ophenia!" The young sylphid spoke with bubbly joy, with a cheerful smile on her face, as she twirled around before bowing to Glyde. "I am the fae who comes from afar, bearing peace and love through the gifts of song!" Ophenia said, giddily raising her hand and snapping her finger. The resonator shined briefly, as a billboard-esque flat magical image appeared behind Ophenia, displaying her name in front of two hearts. It sparkled, before momentarily dispersing into more hearts and sparkling light. Ophenia clapped her hands, and the resonator shined briefly once more as [Song Therapy] was set up to help lighten the mood.

"I'm a chanteuse if you will! Now, where were we... Oh! Concerning Mr Duran, I, Ophenia, was too distracted with this pretty flower which I couldn't interact with! You see normally flowers go on and on about nonsensical stories no one but themselves cares about! But this pretty flower I saw didn't utter a word! Would you believe that? It was so cute! Maybe it didn't learn how to speak yet..." Ophenia said in her bubbly enthusiastic tone, she crossed her arms, twirled around and continued. "Anyway! As I said, I was too distracted by the flower and the smoke was pretty fragrant so I didn't see the harpy which I am assuming you guys are talking about! Oh-oh! I did see a red harpy. A blue harpy..." Ophenia said, counting on her fingers before twirling around to point at Xerxes, "Oh! And that scissor Harpy over there!" She said in a bright tone, "To be honest, I'm too airheaded to pay attention to things for more than a few seconds, and I have the memory of a unicorn horn! In which I mean I can only remember names that are three letters long or only have one syllable or are simplistic. Like Ida, Finn or Seven! Those are pretty nice names, right?" Ophenia said with her bubbly tone with her finger to her cheek.

She then turned back to Glyde. "Oh-oh! And thou excellency, this situation actually worked out in my favour, since I travelled from afar to perform in the pavilion! But I also heard that you need thou excellency's approval before that. So our lovely tour guide is quite kind to have let us get in trouble to get here as well! He's so nice!" Ophenia said in glee, as she raised and waved her hands, "Ah, and one of my dearest friends also wished to ask for thou excellency's license of approval to perform within this place!" The sylphid childishly said while pointing over to the group of which she stepped out. Ophenia lacked tact. She didn't know what tact was. She may even be seen as insolent. Of which she was quite insolent.

As Ophenia spoke, the resonator fluttered above, constantly shifting from colour to colour with each statement Ophenia made. Ophenia intended to brighten the mood of everyone around her using her magic and performance skills. Of course, though, she could also be seen as bemusing and quite brash. Once again, Ophenia twirled, before snapping her finger. "Anyway! That's enough of me! I think anyone else would have something better to say on this matter~ Take it away my dearest companions!" Ophenia said with her stage face on and an enthusiastic tone of voice as she backed off with a curtsy. The resonator fluttered down, to levitate beside Ophenia, still glistening with vivid colour and emitting a cheery melody.

Spoiler: Abilities Used/In-Use

Sound of a Star ~ Centre Stage - Performance F, Magic D, Magic Area of Effect E, Spell Duration F, Sound Affinity E:
Enhancing the caster's voice with magic, the caster isolates noise within a 30ft radius to attempt to redirect all attention toward themself for a minute, during the performance,
Grade D Performance, 2 post cooldown.
Holographic ~ Billboard - Performance F, Magic D, Illusory Affinity E, Magic Area of Effect, Spell Duration F:
The caster creates a billboard illusory object behind them that can take up to a 30ft radius worth of space. The illusory object does not take 3 dimensions.
Grade D spell lasts for up to 1 minute, 2 post cooldown.
Song Therapy - Performance F, Magic D, Magic Area of Effect E, Sound Affinity E, Healing E, Empathy C:
The caster condenses sound around them, creating sounds with emotional altering effects. The physical healing is lesser, and it instead has positive effects on one's mood and emotional state to the point where they can brush off minor pain if they are within Ophenia's 30ft radius.
Does not apply any effects to creatures that are incapable of hearing. Grade C Song, 3 Post Cooldown.​

​

 

[VictoryatLast]

Iduna Isra

---

Iduna watched Ophenia's performance with a blank expression, utterly stunned by such a display made in the middle of what was essentially a trial. Blowing her hair out of her face after it had been misplaced by the fae's blinding performance, she sighed, shaking her head and attempting to order her thoughts. Of course, it was nearly impossible with the blaring lights emanating from Ophenia's resonator, however, an attempt would be made. Putting on her most business-like posture and having tied her shawl around her waist in a more modest fashion, the songstress looked to the harpies, to Glyde, and then to Duran.

"...If I may draw your attention for a moment, I have some things I'd like to make aware to your Excellency. It is an honor to have been able to see you in person- and a rather fortunate thing to be able to assist in these proceedings."

She put a hand on her chin, attempting to bring more reason to the proceedings as they occurred... the only advantage to her cursed indifference was the ability to look at the problem from an outside perspective unaffected by any sort of strong emotion- however, she did sense that the fae's display had some strong essence of magic behind it... would that be considered offensive to the harpies and Glyde?

"I doubt it would be appropriate of me to ask what kind of substance this perfume is, Sir Glyde, or what exactly this 'Perfume Rite' is, thus I shall not ask such a thing, unless it were to please you to enlighten us." Glancing at Ostis, Iduna strung together a series of arguments that would be likely at the least to sound reasonable to everyone before her. No force, no discrimination... what was plainly placed before her to piece apart?

"Instead, I would like to appeal to your better reason. As mentioned previously, Duran walked into the perfume with our tour group, without any resistance faced until his transgression was made." She gestured in Duran's direction and the direction of the group.

...Why was she doing this again? She could've simply left... gone on with her day as normal... the smell of this perfume was nearly intoxicating.

"Yes, it might be his offense for trespassing on your Palace grounds. But, my question would be as thus: if the Perfume Rite is such an important occurrence to the Pabillion, could any unknowing visitor also make Duran's same mistake, entered your Palace, caused the same damage, and face the same punishment without ever having known the consequences?"

She then turned to Glyde once again, more personally this time. "It is to be considered that some sort of safety measure could perhaps be put in place to ensure the sanctity of this Rite. I do not think it would bring utmost honor to you, your beloved harpies and catkin under your watchful gaze, or your visitors within the Pavillion to make a verdict without considering thus."

---

 

[Etymarchen]

< VII >​

---

​

With the party having been brought forth to stand either for or against Duran as witnesses to his “heinous crime,” Seven had observed carefully to the coming testimonies and statements of those around her. Perhaps her initial interpretation, she realized regarding the harpies' stance on Glyde, was incorrect, though she was open to any corrections. Still, her curiosity regarding, not the pink smoke, but the glowing coals made her further curious. Of course, such questions would have to be ushered for later as she would consider each side to the conflict at hand. Preparing a response in her mind, she did not notice Ophenia's forward entrance.

Fear rustled through the bird's feathers to this bombastic entrance and testimony--squawks of confusion emitting from the bird at every twist and turn of the fairy's...very frank and honest testimony. Perhaps a bit too frank as the bird would feel herself wanting to hide deeper within the hood remarked as "Ida's hair." At its eventual finale, Seven found herself doubting if she should trust the excitable airhead regarding this this "ever-changing" land, confused squawking emitting from the fae's overwhelming entrance. Perhaps at the end of the song, the bird felt quite the more comfortable in spite of it going directly against her instincts.

Following after Ida, she shook her head, the bird's focus returned back to their purpose, clearing her throat as she would raise her gaze to that of the towering, beautiful blue bird.

Although it was impossible for her to bow or really do anything to present herself in a manner eloquent nor elegant in nature with her body, she would offer a slight bob and bow of her head.

"I first beg your pardon in our taking your time in place of other affairs, Sir Glyde." Seven stood patiently on her talons, gazing up towards Glyde. "Although he is stating otherwise, the incident at hand would not have occurred in the first place if not for my own selfishness. My initial reason for visiting the Pavillion was for the sake of seeking a means to retain a more humanoid form, and when I had learned of the beauty and grace of the harpies, I had hoped for the possibility that I could meet you, Sir Glyde, to discuss the possibility that I would be able to obtain a form similar to theirs. I had inconsiderately compelled my companions as well as Duran to allow me the opportunity to be able both to see their beauty in person."

Cautiously, she would stay true to the initial story she had concocted with the harpies beforehand. Too, ensuring to make use of the knowledge she had attained.

"As I am a guest representing the Duchy, I would like to state my grievous apologies for what would come to occur especially out of my own selfishness and unwillingness to correct my uninformed behavior and requests. Duran only intended to ensure that the lot of us would be able to make the most of our time while in the presence of the Pavilion, and as a result of my selfishness, the rest of the group would be strung along as well. This incident reflects badly not just on our party, but also the appearance of the Duchy. For that, I must apologize for my actions.

Though I understand Duran has stood to take full responsibility for the incident, he is not to blame for what would come to occur. He was simply pressured especially by my own selfishness to allow us an enjoyable experience within the Pavilion, and the rest would only be involved as a result of my active compelling of them. As a result of this selfish behavior, I have caused another to be deeply hurt by this incident, and I can only ask that the innocent be left innocent. I believe that I should be the one to take responsibility for what has occurred. I ask that you forgive, not me, but him on this offense. (Persuasion F)."

 

[Orikanyo]

Finnegan Huttman

​

The man stood silent, considering the whole thing... This Glyde person was... Extremely feeble looking. The tiger man practically moved him like one might a doll... Perhaps, he was infirm, perhaps he was simply far too high to move...

It was... All and all...

Kinda disappointing, not to mention they immedately put on a trial, listing off crimes without bothering thinking about intent... Was the event so sacred...? If it was out in broad daylight...?

The girl had signs of surgery, many wings just... haphazard out of her body...

He was curious... But at the same time... He didn't want to know. Perhaps, it was sacred because it was an important moment. Something not to be shared...?

In that case, Ida's words ring true as why weren't there guards posted.

Surely there would have been someone blocking the way, close the damn door even. Put up a sign...

But...

Nothing...

Common knowledge only goes so far, at times it becomes so common its forgotten. In a sense of irony.

But... Duchy this... Duchy that... Finn wasn't part of the damn Duchy, why do they keep god damned saying he was?

"...Not sure where all this Duchy business came from, I'm visiting there the same as here...." The man says arms crossed and more to himself then any others.

"Theres alot of things that seem obvious to most people, but most the time you don't think of it at all times.

Its common we all need water to live, but we don't think of it at all times.

Its common to know we do not walk into a bear's den. But at times we don't know that it is one.

At times we'd know not to walk into a Palace's court yard, but a smoke addled man might take a cloud puffing into the sky as another smoke to try.

Common sense, isn't common, I wont say I wasn't curious, but had I seen anything that told us to stay away, I would have. Common sense notes that if one doesn't want visitors...

He installs a door. " he made his way to his point at his leisure, utilizing the insight had had gained from his last mission into the damn duchy...

"...As common sense as knowing when one is getting fooled by slimes begging for freedom..." his last words were a shot at himself, he looked quite unhappy with himself in that memory...

Spoiler: Skills/Titles used

• Insight: F
• Lucky F (1/2 used this rp)

Title used: Anchor

 

[Clyvelle]

Glyde, Ruler of the Pavilion​

Glyde lounged and nursed his hookah as he listened to all the input from the guests. Ophenia was lucky not to be taken down the instant she began using magic in the throne room. To her credit, however, Duran seemed less depressed after her magic touched him. Ida raised good points, and Glyde nodded silently as she spoke. Seven had Glyde's full attention when it came her turn. Something indiscernible flashed in the peacock's eyes as the white bird tried to take the blame, stating her desire for a form like that of the harpies. Finn's blunt, if roundabout, statement put the blame squarely on Glyde, and he chuckled at the man's pluck.

After it was all said and done, Glyde reclined on his throne and exhaled an enormous cloud of smoke into the air. He laid there for awhile staring at the ceiling as he presumably mulled the situation over. Eventually, he rolled over onto his elbow and addressed Xerxes, "You're better at these kinds of things than me, Xerxes. What do you think?"

Xerxes seemed taken aback by the sudden request but jumped at the chance to fulfill it.

"Well, it seems very clear to me, Glyde. Duran has tried to sneak in on multiple occasions. He is the one who brought everyone in today, even knowing that it was forbidden. If these others want to take the blame, then they can share in his punishment, especially the pink one and the bird for their willingness to shamelessly sacrifice Duran just so they could have an audience with you."

"Careful, Xerxes. It's not our place to pass judgment on duchy guests." Ostis said sternly.

Glyde chewed on the end of his hookah for a moment.

"Alright, then. Here is my decision: Duran you will receive a harpy stripe for every eye that violated Keesa's privacy today. To you duchy guests, let this serve as a reminder that the palace is not a playground."

The harpies let out a cacophony of ominous cries as they began to rearrange the guests. Duran was brought front and center, Ostis putting a hand on his shoulder as Duran was taken away. The Coordinator and the four guests were taken to the side so that they could witness the punishment.

-----

Whether it was the effects of Ophenia's magic or something else, Duran's demeanor changed as he stood in the center of the room. The fear and sorrow had left his face, which was set like a stone as Xerxes stepped down from the throne's platform and approached. Duran shrugged as his claws tugged his vest off his frame, allowing it to slide down his arms and fall to the ground behind him. Xerxes looked down on him, a smirk spreading across his face.

"I'll remedy those muddled spots you so detest." Xerxes muttered to Duran, who never broke his gaze from the harpy. After a moment of intense silence, Xerxes turned away as he shuffled around to Duran's back, commanding the harpies that stood by, "Hold him."

Duran's arms were pulled out to the sides. Xerxes stood for a moment analyzing Duran's musculature. Flexing his fingers on both hands, the harpy's claws extended on his first three fingers. Holding his arms straight out so that his claws were inches from Duran's back, Xerxes shifted his footing slightly as his right arm raised over his head.

"One!" said Xerxes as he went to swing.

"Wait!" cried a voice as three figures flew into the room through the large windows.

It was the red and blue harpies accompanied by none other than Keesa. They landed between Glyde and where Duran stood surrounded by harpies. A huge cloud of smoke appeared in front of Glyde as he let out a long sigh.

"Welcome to the party, Keesa." he said with a sleepy smile. "What can I do for you?"

Keesa looked around bashfully. Encouraged by the red and blue harpies, she walked over to Glyde and whispered to him. Glyde nodded as he listened, his sleepy smile growing. At last he leapt up, as he cried, "That's grea--!" but had to sit back down as another coughing fit beset him. Keesa frantically looked back at the pair she entered with then to Glyde, finally deciding to give him a ginger pat on the back. When Glyde recovered at last, he continued, "That's great! Stand down, Xerxes. Keesa, as the one who has been wronged in this instance, has given Duran a full pardon. Release him!"

The harpies holding Duran's arms immediately released him. Xerxes pushed past Duran as he aggressively approached the throne. The pair of harpies that had entered with Keesa barred his path.

"Cool it, Xerxes! Go fly around until you get your head right!" said the red harpy while her blue counterpart folded her arms and shook her head.

Xerxes gritted his teeth and growled in frustration as his wings flared out. With a powerful flap that blew the tinier harpies back a bit, he rose into the air and zoomed out of the throne room through a window. The room was left in a heavy silence.

The harpies surrounding the party had backed away. Ostis immediately went to Duran, who had turned to collect his vest. Duran was taken by surprise as the Coordinator hugged him.

"Lemme get my clothes on, sah!" he said before patting Ostis on the back as they both laughed.

With the assistance of Keesa and the other two harpies, Glyde rose from his throne and crossed the room to the cats. He placed an approving hand on Duran's shoulder, who in turn apologized profusely to the bashful Keesa. Some laughs were had, but eventually Ostis escorted everyone out in order for Glyde to rest. Before leaving, Glyde whispered something to Ostis who assured the peacock it would be done. Xerxes never returned while they were in the palace.

Ostis walked the party to the front door of the palace but turned them back over to Duran with a warning for the tour guide not to make more trouble. Before leaving, Ostis withdrew from the inside of his coat four bronze wing emblems and handed them to the party.

"As an apology and show of good will, Glyde wished for you all to be given temporary Crested status. This will give you discounts at a small selection of vendors as well as allow anyone wishing to do so to perform in the show tonight." explained the Coordinator. "Glyde looks forward to seeing you all there!"

Duran lead them back to the plaza.

"Well, that was exciting, wasn't it? Well worth it to get you all temporarily Crested." said the tour guide looking pleased as punch.

 

[Orikanyo]

Finnegan Huttman

​

The talons at the ready, the furtive moment before searing pain. Finn took in a breath "Wait-!" But, another... eruption of perfurm appeared. Stunning most, Finn was unsure what to dthink about this fiasco now, the girl from before was there and... Now...

...Duran was let go...

"...Huh..."

And now people were leaving...

And...

They were getting a crested status for the day... and night...

Finn stared at Ottis, looked at Duran, looked at the two red and blue harpies and... With a mighty sigh. "Well, that was odd." He finally said, unsure what to really else say on the matter. Seriously, what else was he to do? A second ago he was going to step in for Duran but... Now...

The man was just plain tired at this point.

He needed a nap, maybe more food...

Gods dealing with noble bullshit was just tiresome.

"...Crested... Fine." He pawed the badge softly in his hand, eyeing it with continued uncertainty and a furrowed brow, he felt dirty touching it... Feeling regret in his mind.. Maybe he should have just stayed home and did something with the money he saved...

He still had it...

Ah... How annoying... He expected a party not a trial of bullshit...

"Well, now that its over with and done...

Anyone wana go to a prt store and see some cute critters?

Maybe get some exotic bird seed?

...personally watching Sevie eat is reallt cute so i'm very much on board for it still."

 

[Etymarchen]

< VII >​

---

​

Perhaps it was boredom—perhaps intrigue that she would bring her silence as to watch. Though she realized the potential danger that could come from the unknown of this ‘harpy stripe,’ curiosity brought her to continue watching on. This, it seemed, was a long-running, yet undesired act of penalty within the Pavilion. Perhaps one that people wished would no longer be put into place. A punishment, for Keesa's sake, to demonstrate that, in the eyes of Justice, her pains have been recognized and the actions to influence this are not tolerable under the eyes of Law.

And yet, in spite of its ongoing acceptance, it seemed this Coordinator of the Pavilion was not one to be so fond of this punishment--apologies and cheer at the realization that it no longer was necessary to apply in the case of the present.

Perhaps this expression at hand to describe her mood was "curious."

Though the bird would hope to continue along her way to perhaps discuss more alongside the harpies, the blond would present a sudden point of intrigue:

Exotic bird seeds.

The bird paused before her tracks, as she turned to face--

N-No! No! No! No!! She wasn't so foolish to fall into this abysmal trap!! She was no fool enough to allow this loose moment to be taken away! C-Clearly she had better things to do, an--

She recalled the rice from before--the delicious taste that concocted in her beak--b-but wait! That wasn--

"C...can I have some worms along the way, too?"

...They...were going to be able to see Glyde and the rest of the harpies later regardless. She had self-control. And! And! She had various questions to ask him, as well! All part of the plan! All of it!

"A-Ahem, but I would like to return to the plaza once all would be said and done."

 

[Faynorae]

​

I expect to run the world in shoes I cannot walk.
While the punishment was about to be carried out, Ophenia was focusing on other things. Important things. Like the fact that her resonator was problematic. Seemingly it didn't want to turn off correctly, and Ophenia was struggling to fix it. Of course, she knew exactly how to fix it, but she just didn't want to witness what was about to happen. So how about ignoring all one's problems through the power of feigning ignorance! But suddenly whatever the heck was about to happen to Durian the Duran was stopped as the harpy named Keesa flew in and stuff happened blah blah blah... OH look my resonator's fixed! Ophenia thought to herself as she put her resonator in her hot pink shoulder bag.

Suddenly though as they were being escorted out, Ostis gave them something, cool emblem things! Permission slips in metallic! A status of crestedness or whatever. Ophenia couldn't show the excitement on her face as her eyes were filled with ecstasy. She was exuberant! She took a silver pin with a pipe on it and compared the two. "How delightful! I have two of these permission slip thingies now! Though one is temporary the other is technically temporary as well... Ahh! I'm so excited!" Ophenia blurted out as she put both Emblems in her shoulder bag. After a small twirl, Ophenia clapped her hands. "Wells all it ends all!" Ophenia said excitedly while raising her hand to the air. Then she stopped. "That's... That's not right is it?" She asked no one in particular. "All ends well in the end? No not that either..." Ophenia began biting her thumb's nail again.

Ophenia's bubble popped when Finn started talking. Seemingly mentioning the pet shop again. Having a pet would be so cute! Ophenia thought, and it was also their original destination before what happened with the smoke and meeting with Glyde. BUT, Ophenia was now crested. Being crested gave discounts at certain shops. Rule number 1,163 in the book "Rules of Living for Foreign Minds by Lancelot A. Concordaeus; Make sure to take advantage of all and every discount that one has acquired, especially temporary ones." Ophenia remember, before putting her hand against her chin as she began to think.

This was a great chance to make friends. She didn't have any, after all, especially since her encounters with people weren't usually long-lived. Now though, she has met up with a group of people twice. They're perfect candidates for friendship! Unfortunately for Ophenia, she still hasn't read "How to achieve friendship and create bonds by Lancelot A. Concordaeus." The fae then paused for a bit. Why did she borrow so many books which have been written by the same person? Where did she even get these books? Ophenia brushed it off and went back to her operation at hand. Operation 004; Achieve the Friendship of this group of people. Plan A; Acquire Friendship one by one through isolated skirmishes of appeal. Confirm acquisition of friendship. Profit! A flawless plan made by a flawless individual, Ophenia was quite the mastermind! That was what she said to herself.

"Oh yes!" Ophenia loudly clapped her hands, stinging herself a bit, as she turned to both Finn and Seven. "Ms Pantry said something a someone named Olka! Didn't she tell us to tell Duran to bring us there? It may be quite a fun experience! How about we take a trip there~?" Ophenia said with a cheerful tone and smiling face. "On the other hand though, I have something I would like to have done..." Ophenia said a thoughtful tone, as she turned to Ida with a gleeful expression. Ophenia looked up at Ida to make eye contact due to an inherent 7-inch height difference. "Ida!" Ophenia said brightly, unwittingly grabbing both of Ida's hands. "We should get a new fit! After all, didn't you say something about wanting to perform in the night performance? We should most definitely try it out together! But of course, we can't perform in outfits such as these, so we should try out something new!" Ophenia suggested, with a bright sparkle in her eyes. Her cheerful tone and bright expression were slightly tinged though as soon as Ophenia realised that her hands were becoming popsicles.

The iridescence around Ophenia's hands was dimming out, but with a smile still plastered on her face, she tried to continue. "A- and we could... Also, buy- buy so- something for Seven and Finn too as- a- As gifts? It would be fun!" Her voice was still bubbly with a slight shiver to it. Last, the sylphid experience winter was when she performed wearing clothing more fit for summer. She preferred hibernating. She was still holding Ida's hands, simply because she thought it would be rude to retort.

Spoiler: Abilities Used/In-Use

Sound of a Star ~ Centre Stage - Cooldown 2 posts
Holographic ~ Billboard - Cooldown 2 posts
Song Therapy - Cooldown 3 Posts

 

[VictoryatLast]

Iduna Isra

---

"...Wait-"

Iduna rather suddenly found herself at a complete lack of words, now holding the copper pin in her hand and staring at Duran with an oddly surprised expression. What in the world had that woman said to make Glyde change his mind so utterly and completely? Glancing at the harpie for not but a moment before realizing it wasn't a good idea- (that was how they got into this predicament in the first place), she shook her head, now just about entirely confused.

The icy songstress had fully expected for their tour guide to be cut into ribbons, and for her group to be tossed out of the Pavillion without as much as a word said against it. But now...

... Crested?

... Pardoned?

...Freed??????
And now her companions were jovially discussing purchases they could make with their newfound crested...ness... Crested power? Iduna found herself at an inability to think rationally suddenly, her mind now muddled, attempting to piece together the events properly again.

Pets, seeds, exotic worms, singing fairies- bird raisins... bird raisins?

What does that even mean?!

...Luckily (or unluckily enough) for the woman, she was broken from her icy trance by the pinkette- the fae that shouted her name...

And proceeded to grasp both of her hands tightly before she could even utter a word of complaint. It was in that moment that Iduna quickly made out the discomfort on Ophenia's face from having done so- the look of pity as she attempted to continue on- this would only amplify Ida's feelings of confusion.

"...E....eh?" Without much warning, the white hair on Iduna's head flashed a bright blue- flickering until finally fading out completely, the magic coursing through each strand, causing them to float momentarily. Her expression was lost- eyes wide in some semblance of just about the strongest emotion any of them had seen on the woman's face-

The look of utter terror.
"P-p-p-p-p-p...pardon?" She could feel the ice begin to colesse in her hands, behind her ears- on her cheeks as well. There had to be some way to... to stop this!

"Dress- night show- yes. Y-y-y-yes? I'll go.... d-d-d-do.... what again?" She snached her hands back and clutched them to her chest, feeling her heart beat fast.

---

 

[Clyvelle]

Duran, Pipe Connoisseur and Tour Guide​

Now that things had finally calmed down, Duran could get back to what he's best at: smokingtouring. Or maybe guiding? In any case, he was good at multitasking. He started searching himself for his beloved pipe, while he listened to the party plot their next move. His casual searching quickly picked up pace as an anxiety took hold at the delay in finding his pipe. Duran's hands eventually became desperate enough to find their quarry that they patted places not even capable of holding the pipe, like wringing his tail or sweeping the top of his head.

"Sufferin' succotash! Blast." he mumbled as he gave a last-ditch glance to the ground around him. "Lost my pipe back there."

Giving a mournful look back at the palace, Duran hung his head and sighed. Ophenia's sudden excitement caused him to turn back around to the party. She was currently coercing Ida into a shopping spree. The tour guide chuckled a bit.

"Definitely knock yerselves out, marm. Bronze Crested gives just a modest discount, but that's better than nothing, I'd say. Treat yourself while you're here! Oh, but please save something for your travel home." Duran said, nodding solemnly at his final bit of advice. "As far as clothing, I haven't a clue what fine women like yourselves might like. I suggest you head back to Pantra's shop. She'd know all about finery and all that."

When Finn mentioned the pets, Duran snapped his fingers.

"I knew I was forgettin' something! Right, lad. We'll take you to Olka. Assuming the ladies are fine getting back to Numa Numa on their own? Oh, er, by the way, don't mention...you know...me almost getting flayed like a salmon to Pantra. I'd actually rather take my stripes from Xerxes than face her if she found out. Much obliged."

The party planned to meet back at the plaza after their separate excursions. Duran took Finn and Seven to see Olka, while the girls departed for Numa Numa.

SeFinn
It was just as Duran had mentioned earlier: Olka's shop was right by the outer wall of the Pavilion, built into it, in fact. This was a rather large two-story structure with the portion attached to the wall being a stable. Several horses could be seen out front, but also various reptiles and miscellaneous other exotic creatures, each contained separately for civility.

A little girl was currently pitching hay for the horses. The pitchfork in her hands was easily twice her size, but she manipulated it with ease. Seeing Duran approaching with Finn and his avian companion, she leaned the pitchfork against the stable and came to meet them, dusting her hands off as she did so.

"You don't have your pipe today, Mr. Duran. Are you sick?" said the girl.

Duran put his hands on his knees as he replied, "I seem to have misplaced it, Miss Nat."

"You must be sick, Mr. Duran. I can't imagine you misplacing that smelly pipe!" said Nat incredulously as she put her hands on her hips. "And who's this you've brought?"

Duran laughed, thankful for the change of topic.

"Why, I've brought your father a potential customer, Miss Nat! This is, erm, uh...well, rather embarrassing, come to the think of it. I don't think I've asked any of your names, sah!" Duran said apologetically.

Nat scoffed.

"You bring us a customer and you haven't even introduced yourself? Everyone knows that's the first thing you do when you meet someone new! Here I'll show you." Nat approaches Finn, looking him dead in the eyes. "Hi, my name is Nat. This is my dad's store Nat & Olka's Fluffies and Scalies. He let me name it because I'm good at coming up with names, and he put my name first because he knew I'd be upset otherwise. Nice to meet you."

OphIda
On the other side of town, team OphIda stepped back into the hazy atmosphere of Numa Numa. There were definitely more bodies filling the space, seemingly brought out by the waning sun. As before, Pantra was at the counter supplying someone's latest aerosol fix. When she saw the ladies enter, she gave them a wave and a smile.

"Welcome back, girls! Just the two of you? I hope Duran isn't shirking his duties again. Can I get you anything?"

 

[Orikanyo]

Finnegan Huttman

Spoiler: music

​

The pavillion continued to be a long chain of wonders, even during the day and after the palace fiasco. Sure, that wasn't fun, but now he was going somewhere. And where did he end up... No back alley dealings, an place that looked all but upstanding. He half expected some shadey bullshit.. But here he was, with the bird and standing infront of a place that Duran had friends in.. Really.. did this guy have friends everywhere?

But here he was, outside a... legitimate business.. Huh...

Then the young lady came up and introduced herself. "Well, uhh, hey there! Nice to meetchyea Nat! Good to see a friendly face, ol Duran here brought me over on Pantra's recromendation yea see.
In the market for a little friend to have along in my travels, I'm an adventurer by trade and a little company certainly would be nice." he could, include, maybe some company for this evening too to this young lady but.. He wasn't feeling it at the moment. He can think with another head later.

"..Oh, and, uhh, need some good eats for my friend Sevie here. Got nightcrawlers? Good seed? Shes got refined tastes yea see." he lightly touched the neck feathers of the small bird, enjoying the softness of his pal.

 

[Faynorae]

​

Frigid Flowers bathing in the warmth of sunlight.
"Ah!" Ophenia let out when Ida snatched back her hands. Being so close to Ida made it much easier for Ophenia to distinguish her emotions and facial expression at that moment and as such, it was rubbing off on the fae. Ophenia's ears and cheeks peached up, becoming a bright warm hue. The frigidness of her hands made her shake a bit. She shook her hands with a flushed look on her face. "AH! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, what I meant was we should get a new outfit for the night performance right? And we could also get a gift for Finn and Seven while we're there, I truly didn't mean to startle you!" Ophenia said, with a worried tone, she nervously smiled. "Oh-oh! I also thought we might be able to maybe perform together... But- uh- It's fine if you don't want to!" Ophenia said with a more nervous tone, her face flushed in a warm tone.

It was quite warm standing in the sun. It was kind of hot. "Ahh, but your hands are really cold... but that's not a bad thing! Since you're so cold it's probably not so bad in this scorching hot sunshine~ I have to wear satin clothing to even stand in this horrid weather... fuwah, back in the glade it was always so cool~" Ophenia said with a more casual and bubbly tone, trying to change the topic. She giggled a bit. Ophenia's face was still a bit flushed, as her hands began to shimmer again the fae started to smile cheerfully.

✿ ♡ ☆ ♡ ♫ ♡ ☆ ♡ ✿
​

As Ophenia made her way over to Numa Numa, she excitedly waved with a naive smile on her face. Ophenia was exuberantly excited. As she giddily skipped over to the counter trying to avoid bumping into anyone. "Hello hello, Miss!" Ophenia said excitedly, "Ah-ah! No worries about Mr Durian and the other two! They went off to Olka's to do some sightseeing and get Seven something to eat!" Ophenia moved toward Ida, suddenly clinging to her elbow without any sense of personal space. She cheerfully smiled, quite obliviously as well. She made sure to cling to Ida's shawl and not directly to her skin, she also did her best to do it gently to not conduct Ida's potentially below-zero body temperature.

"I, Ophenia and the lovely Ida decided to temporarily split as we've been crested! Temporarily of course!" Ophenia then twirled off of Ida, as she continued to speak, "Mr Durian made us go into this pretty pink perfume and then he saw a harpy named Keesa! Then this scissors guy made us go meet Glyde with Ostis! Everyone then gave their statements on what happened but I wasn't paying attention since I was too busy fidgeting with my resonator." Ophenia said obliviously, she clearly didn't understand what she was doing, "But then Keesa said something to Glyde and then everyone got away without anything bad happening! And then we got a crested status temporarily and now we can perform in the night show!" Ophenia said excitedly as she raised her hands in the air. "We should totally thank Mr Durian later, right Ida~?" Ophenia said turning to Ida with her excited smile.

The fae then excitedly turned to Pantra, "Ah! Since we're going to perform in the night show, I and Ida decided that we should probably get a more flashy change of clothing for our performances! Our current outfits are absolutely way too plain for a performance..." Ophenia paused for a moment, as gestured to Ida and herself, "So we thought maybe you could give us information on where we could get a new fit!" Ophenia said gleefully, her eyes were quite literally filled with stars.

Spoiler: Abilities Used/In-Use

Sound of a Star ~ Centre Stage - Cooldown 1 posts
Holographic ~ Billboard - Cooldown 1 posts
Song Therapy - Cooldown 2 Posts