Fantasy The New World (IC)

[leviohsa]

Faraine Crosse

mood.

curious, alert.

location.

the crossroads

tags.

AriAriAbabwa Anne Boolean Slav Britt-21

While the apologies from the two strangers did not exactly seem genuine, the knight decided to take it as a win. A once firm expression softened slightly, shoulders minutely less stiff thanks to the relief flooding through her. Her validity wasn't questioned, nor were there any true knights of this region nearby to put her in her place.

I've really got to work on impulse control.. She thought to herself, green eyes observing the pair catch up like old friends. The more she watched, the more it grew abundantly clear that Faraine was no longer a part of this conversation. She didn't really mind, as the dampness of the snow began to seep further into her cloak. The knight needed shelter, and preferably a hot cup of tea. Oh.. maybe Elora could hook her up with a pastry..

Mouth now watering at the thought of a warm, flaky croissant, the woman began backing away. Pale, stiff hands returned her hood to its prior place, covering her sage green hair and fighting off a little bit of the wind hitting her now pink cheeks. "Well, I'll be on my way, now.. Try not to get into any more trouble.." It didn't take a genius to realize that her orders fell upon deaf ears, but she did hope that the pair was at least a little more careful next time. Not many with money are as dim-witted and easily manipulated as Mr. Odeh was.

Faraine could at least be comforted by the fact that the beastkind boy certainly had enough crown for some food and maybe a coat. Whether he would use it on such necessities, was completely unknown to her. But she knew better than to stick around, knowing she could not trust either the boy or the pink-haired woman. Besides, helping the poor is not a part of her assignment. Nor was exploring Kiland. Hunting down and eradicating Banished was her duty. Remembering this made her feel a bit silly, getting distracted by pick-pocketing and small-talk with a merchant.

So, straightening her posture, Faraine briskly made her way to the nearest tavern, which happened to be The Crossroads. She knew those of many different backgrounds ended up here, so it could make for a potentially good lead! And a great snack with a friend, but that's besides the point.

It didn't take long for the Huldran to arrive, opening the door to find two rather large beastkind men ready to fight. The woman blinked a few times, letting out another dejected sigh. The foul stench of an already drunken man practically drowned out any other senses she may have had, making her nose scrunch up in disgust,

"Well then, how about you put the elf down and test yourself against someone a bit more your size. I can either have your ass handed to you here in front of everyone.. Or should we spare everyone in here and take this outside? Either way, the result will be the same..." it didn't take long for her gaze to meet the back of the rather large bear-like beastkind. The stench of him practically visible in the warm tavern air as his large hands clutch onto.. Thomas Edevane? She couldn't help but give the pair a puzzled look before making her way towards a familiar blue-haired woman.

She seemed to be talking to a knight. Thankfully, far away from the brawl that was about to commence. Faraine couldn't help but wonder if this was another one of the many men who attempted to court Elora. It wasn't a rare occurrence, seeing the barmaid make friends with literally anyone who would give her the time of day. It was a gift and a curse, often leaving Faraine to push away any shady individuals. It was easy to tell from the man's uniform though that he was a knight of higher ranking.. perhaps the Captain? Curiosity got the best of her as she placed herself just beside Elora. It didn't take long to feel the woman's tense nature.

Lowering her hood once more, Faraine couldn't help but take a deep breath, letting the warm air comfort her. Now that the stench of the beastkind was farther away, she was able to fully relax. "Well, aren't you lucky to have two knights whilst a brawl commences, hm? Guess I made it just in time." Faraine playfully nudged Elora with her elbow, hoping to help ease the tension caused by the booming voices ahead of them. With a soft smile, her gaze went from Elora to the blonde stranger in the seat in front of her. "Ah, sorry for my rudeness. I'm Faraine Crosse, Knight of the Tribe of Yulra." After rubbing her numb hands together, she reached out across the table for the man to shake.

quote

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Maxxob]

Amir Odeh
​

Some crazy commotion started to get the round merchant’s attention. Looking from over his shoulder, the man tried to get a grasp of what was going on. It appeared that some beast-kin of sorts had beaten up some knife-eared knight. That earned a raise of Amir’s eyebrow, followed by a scowl. Not that the tavern was silent before all that rumble, but sure it was distracting to the man’s negotiations. Looking one more time at the huge white bear, a vile thought crossed the merchant’s mind - “Mmmmm… a beast-kin fur like that would have a unique value for the right clients… a most wondrous carpet could be made or winter clothing…” - little did the man know that his thoughts were escaping through his mouth.

Ghenji, on the other hand, seeing the imminent brawl about to start, only got more nervous with each passing second. The scrawny man grabbed the collar of his own shirt, pulling it, so he could try to breathe better, but it was of no avail. Only one thing mattered to him: close his purchase, pay for it, and wait for the full deliver. With that in mind, the red-haired spectacled man reached to his pocket, taking out a few crowns and putting on the table, enough to cover the fat merchant’s order, as it was usual.

The sound of the metallic disks hitting each-other would have been enough to catch the salesman’s attention in any other situation, but it failed to do at this particular time. What did catch the Odeh’s attention was a heavy burlap sack being placed on the table by his nervous client. Turning his head towards Ghenji, he found the man holding the sack open at his direction, showing its contents - “It… it i-i-is all here… like a-a-always” - the nervous man stammered, wanting to get out of that place with the wooden box brought by Amir as soon as he could.

The Falstaffian man’s nose twitched, from side to side, before his hand reached over inside the brown colored sack. His fingers grasped the several crowns inside it, noticing by the embossed details on them that, each one his fingertips touched, were a triple crown - “Well, my dear friend, I guess our tea will have to wait until delivery!” - and, with that, he laughed, his deft hand quickly moving outside the coin bag and grabbing its voluminous appearance, tying its opening shut and pocketing it inside his clothing, near his chest. His hand, by instinct, reached onto his other pocket, where he usually kept a considerable amount of crowns in it, in case he needed it.

Meanwhile, Ghenji, the nervous client grabbed the wooden box with both hands, holding it close to his chest as if it were the most precious thing for him in existence. His thin visage was seen making its way to the tavern’s exit, without a single word, disappearing onto the snowy land as if it had never existed in the first place.

The black-haired man’s face was distorted for a while. As much as he tried to touch and feel his ‘crown pocket’, there was simply nothing there. Had he forgotten to take some spare cash with him? Not, that would be unlikely: a greedy man like Amir who only thought about money and opportunities wouldn’t be fooling himself with currency. And then, as if by an act of the divine Itself, a memory flashed before his very eyes, almost like a movie on playback.

His earlier encounter with that fair knife-eared inquisitor, who wanted to have the honor of knowing more about him. But it certainly wasn’t her the culprit, as she never came into touching range of his corpulent roundness. Then, in succession, the revolting meeting with that orphan sewer hat - “That little bastard pickpocketed me!” - his hand quickly darted to the handle of his gigantic axe, his grasp getting ever so tight around it and, were he not wearing gloves, his light yellowish skin at his knuckles would certainly be snow-white. The sound of the cup being placed on his table brought his mind back to the tavern. Now his eyeballs eyed the golden liquid which filled the cup.

The vapor rose from the cup as his mind worked, just like the gears of a clock. Hunting down that pest would be a waste of his precious time, time that was too valuable to be used like that. But, at the same time, wouldn’t no retaliation send a wrong message about the powerful Amir, the great merchant? Maybe it was his own fault by not bringing Layla along. The woman would probably have turned the boy into a rug, as she was way sharper than the rotund shopkeeper. With a grunt from his gut, the man turned his chair around, holding the cup of his chosen beverage in front of himself. He then stopped to watch what would happen between the bovine grunt ( Phayne ), apparently hired by the pointy-eared noble ( StealthyShades ) to be his champion, and the white-fured drunk money sack - “Awwww, come on, handle his ass right here!” - the merchant shouted. It was an enigma if it was toward the hired muscle or the drunk beast.

 

[StealthyShades]

Earn Your Payment

Thomas A. Edevane

Mentions: Phayne

Rangar’s words pissed the bear off more than Thomas’ did. The bear threw Thomas towards the booth breaking the table in the process. The bear turned to Rangar and drunkenly taunted him.“Oye.. Are you that mercenary that has been wandering around town? Pssh.. I should’ve guessed that you were a selfish prick. Caring about crowns instead of people is something you would do.. aye? This aristocrat doesn't give a shit about you, his men, or anyone in this town. So stop trying to impress daddy over here and let me treat him the way he deserves to be…. A broken deceiving fox.” The atmosphere around the conflict was quieter than what it was only a few seconds ago. The Bear saw that the tall bull was cracking his knuckles. He saw the cocky look on Rangar’s face. “Well if that is how it’s going to be then fine.” He charges Rangar and lands a single blow right to the face of the Bull. The Drunk smiles and snarkily remarks “Are you sure you can handle all of this, you FUCKING COW!!!”

As The two beasts clashed against each other, Thomas woke up from his forced slumber with a blurry vision followed by a massive headache and a bruised back. Yep, I’m not as young as I used to be. He said as he laboriously got up from the pile of wood that once was a table. He grabbed his cane, which somehow was still leaning against a chair, in order to help stabilize himself. He tried to take a few steps forward which resulted in him stumbling a little bit. Knowing that he is not in the best state, Thomas placed his hand on his back and began channeling the light. The bruising on his back slowly faded from a dark purple to his original skin tone. He raised his head to face the ongoing conflict. Hoping that Ragnar had everything under control, Thomas decided to tend to his guards’ wounds with his light magic. As he finished he grew exhausted; magic takes a lot out of an older man like him.

The words of the bear began to torment his mind. Most were ignorant and never truly knew where Thomas came from. And the ones that do believe that he was a traitor just like all the other greedy Nobles. “Loyalist.” “Patrician.” He begins to grind his teeth slightly of just the thoughts of the word. “Traitor”, many called him this. Again and again, he heard this word lobbed in his direction not with admiration but with malice. “Not a Traitor”, he would respond with glee. “what then?” people would ask. He tried to show them by providing protection, money to invest in the economy of his city, and by dealing with the filth known as Banished. In the end, he left them only a promise of subsidence, and in return, they call him a monster. Before returning to reality, he could hear the lies whisper in his head, “subjugator.” Thomas as a mentally broken man stood up. He knew that he was not liked by a minority of people in the town In this day and age, As soon as you have more money than your brother you are filth. How uncivilized I may be richer than most people in this building but that does not mean I'm not… how do the commoners say it?.. “Human.” With his mind cleared and the safety of his men insured, Thomas stood there, in respect, waiting for the Ragnar to earn his payment.

Code By Nano

 

[Phayne]

Mentions: Everyone at bar
Interacts: Thomas StealthyShades Markus Slav Amir Maxxob

Ragnar glanced towards the direction of the rotund man; gaze momentarily stolen by the glimmer of the large golden axe before it was stolen back by the mans sideline goading. "So you want a show eh?" replied Ragnar, rhetorically as he extended both hands outwards in a showboating manner. "Very well...ask and you shall recieve!" he continued to play for the crowd, though really it seemed to be just Amir who was this invested as being entertained so early in the morning.

It was during the showboating that he'd hear the sound of a wooden table shattering under the weight of the Elven noble; the man known as Thomas being flung across the room with relative ease thanks to the beastkinds natural brute strength. Thankfully, protecting Thomas wasn't specified in their verbal contract otherwise he would have been in breach of it already. A soft whistle would manage to find its way from Ragnar's mouth as he glanced between the sight of Thomas crumpled over the shattered table and the sight of the grotesque drunken monstrosity that had thrown him there. It seemed that the bear did mean business and wasn't simply 'acting' the drunk buffoon.

The time for playing towards the audience was now done and dusted. It was time for him to earn his pay, even if it was only ever going to be a few minutes of hard labour. Confident in his prowess, the bovine beastkind would saunter closer towards the drunken bear, the cocky smile never leaving his face despite the increasing potency of the mans odour; his smile growing wider as the bear continued to speak.

"You've heard of me eh?" replied Ragnar, adjusting his shoulders and cracking his neck. The bear's intimidation akin to that of a stuffed animal. "Yer dam right I only care about myself... proud of it too. You wanna know why?" Ragnar paused, puffing his chest out. "Cause It ain't the people who are gonna put food on my plate and feeling sorry for my self ain't gonna do that either". Ragnar glanced at the slowly recovering Elven noble, "I couldn't give two shits about impressing that man... I couldn't give two shits about where his money comes from.... but you do know what I do give a shit about?... I give a shit when some drunken no name, nobody, bear rug fuck face comes strollin into my pub... reeking of piss, shit and god knows what else you've rolled around in. You were owed an ass whooping the moment you stepped foot into this tavern... and I'd have happily done that for free. But Mr moneybags over there offered to pay... so why not take advantage of that eh? Take the mans money for a job I'd have done for free? "

Ragnar paused again and glanced at Thomas, staring the man down. "If you offered 250, I'd have stopped him from throwing you and then some" lamented the bull, before returning to face the bear; just in time to get sucker punched straight in the jaw. The force coupled with Ragnar's surprise was enough to cause his face to be forcefully turned away, but no where near enough to get his entire body to even budge, nor was it enough to wipe the grin of his face as he began to taste a tinge of blood within his mouth.

"Oh...? .... So the big bad bear does have a pair..." he paused slightly, smirking at the coward. "... even if they were only big enough to land a sucker punch" remarked Ragnar, who slowly began to walk forward towards the opposing beastkind, close enough that that their faces were now inches apart; the bull staring down the bear. "Hit me again..." he whispered, taunting the predatory animal. "I'll give you the chance to land one straight on the jaw, give you a chance to save some face in front of the audience" Ragnar taunted, his breath heavy and his eyes glimmering with anticipation. "Come on, hit me again. Do it. I'm not going to be the man that beats on a drunken guy unable to fight back" Ragnar pushed the bear backwards with both hands; sending him tumbling backwards several steps. "Come on you drunken coward. Hit me again!, Take the free shot!" Ragnar would goad, closing the gap once again, before shoving the bear backwards with even more force, enough to send him into one of the pillars that supported the interior of the tavern.

The bearman would take Ragnar up on the offer; swinging wildly for the bulls face once again; only to miss completely and clumsily stumble a few steps forwards as Ragnar easily sidestepped the punch. It was clear as day that the booze was taking its toll on his balance. Ragnar would take the opportunity to capitalize on the bears unsteady footing by moving behind him; kicking the back of the bears leg where his joint was and causing him to collapse onto one knee. "Come on now, you're making this too easy!" goaded Ragnar, looking down at the drunken soul. "You're making me look like a thief, taking that mans money for such easy work" he continued, walking around so that he was now in front of the bear. As he did so, the bear would attempt to lash out at Ragnar's torso; clawed hands swinging wildly at Ragnar, only to fall short of the mark each time before the bear ceased his movements in exhaustion; the sight causing Ragnar to sigh.

"Pathetic... you embarrass all of us beastmen" remarked Ragnar, looking down at the mess before him before taking a step forward and with one swift moment, delivering a brutal knee to the beast mans face; knocking him out cold as his hefty girth collapsed to the floor.

"That will be 200 crowns" he remarked, turning to face Thomas, "...and a further 50 from you" he pointed towards Markus of the city guard. "I doubt you'll have the stamina or the stomach to handle carrying this pile of trash to the jail cell.. so how about it. An even 50, and I'll lug this deadweight to your front door. Sound fair?"

​

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

#CC712B
Tags: leviohsa Anne Boolean

​

"Okay!" he hollered out to the Huldran almost naturally, donning his perfectly innocent grin at her. As Faraine suspected, the order immediately fell out of memory as Tramp returned to conversation with his former partner-in-crime. He was more so delighted at the fact that their acting had spared them the wrath of this supposed knight. That, or she was being generous. Either way, they were scot-free.

"You don't need to worry about me!" The fox boy lit up at her offer in the New Frontier. That was Mona's new workplace, wasn't it? Tramp noted that in the back of his head, though his stockpile wasn't emptying any soon. "I'll keep that in mind, but if I ever ran low on supplies..." Tramp leaned to her ear, toning his voice to a whisper. "There's always food at Lake Ulman to go around." Then a wink at Mona. All the food left at the lake was more than any singular being could handle, anyway; nobody ever noticed a few scraps go missing.

Tramp kept up his smile as she went on about her plan for the day and a few words to share about her boss, Dorian. The last he heard of Mona, she'd given up on the "Tramp life" for good: a route he felt partly responsible for, seeing how time in prison affected her. But it wasn't like a 16-year-old orphan could enforce the way someone lived. When the question came to what he's been up to, Tramp only shrugged. "Eh, same old, same old. Take one shiny thing, store it in a stash; find food from any of the houses, swipe it beneath everyone's noses; and enjoying the nature... When it's not freezing!"

One glance at each other and it was apparent they were not any hint of prepared for the weather. "I was heading to the Crossroads Tavern—it's where I stash my winter stuff, y'see. Oh, speaking of..." Tramp reach into his pockets, fumbling the 25 crown that he took off the fat and greedy man. "I don't actually need this crown," was all he said while offering them to Mona. Whether she took them or not, the beastkind's focus fell more on shivering. "Anyway, I bet it's nice and warm in there. And they still haven't found the little hatch I made in their roof. I've cozied up that little space since you, eh, got 'done in.'"

Tramp's tail swished behind him, powdering itself in snow. "You could join me there if you'd like; don't have to come with me in the 'restricted' areas, but I imagine there's plenty of people to mess around with in there, eh?"

 

[StealthyShades]

You Have Something I Want

Thomas A. Edevane

Slav Phayne Britt-21

The fight between the bull and the bear sounds like a folktale. The real life reenactment of it wasn't for the faint of heart. Between the smack talk and the volley of punches, the only thing Thomas could do was stand there and be entertained by the fray right in front of his eyes. Ragnar’s banter was his favorite out of everything. It reminded him of when he used to train infantry proper sword technique. "Pathetic... you embarrass all of us beastmen" Jeez, Sir Bull has a pride in him that I didn't expect. Beast-kind have a pride like elves do? This wasn’t known to me before but I respect a man who cares about his and his people’s image. The impact on the bear’s face caused pieces of the marinated meat as well as a couple of the teeth that were stuck in between to fly out of his mouth. As his head hit the tavern’s wooden floor out cold as if it was a pillow, Thomas began to slowly clap to show that he was pleased at what he saw.

"That will be 200 crowns.. and a further 50 from you" “That won’t be necessary” Thomas reached into his coat and pulled out two small bags crowns each having 100 double crowns (400 crowns). He tossed both of them one at a time to Ragnar. “Here, this should cover it. I hope you don't mind the extra. See it as a thank you for helping me. You have a ‘talent’ that I want. If you need more work let me know.” He said with a smug look on his face. Thomas respectfully left Ragnar and walked to Markus. He saw the young captain sitting next to his perfect little girl. He wondered if there was something going on that he wasn't aware of. He knew that if his suspicions were correct, he needed Markus to know what Thomas’ expectations were for him. “Sir Markus, I paid your fee; To pay me back I would like you to join my family tonight at dinner AND come to a ball that my wife is putting on soon.” He looked over at Elora; he smiled at the sight of his daughter’s beautiful face. Aww.. she is as gorgeous as her mother. He placed a bag of crowns on the counter in front of the pair. “Elora, can you give this to the owner? It should cover the damages.”

Code By Nano

 

[Slav]

≛ Markus Ebner

『 TAGGED 』Interactions: ◇ Britt-21 ◇ StealthyShades ◇ leviohsa ◇ThatGuywithSouvlaki Mentions:◇ Phayne

"Sadly, being the captain doesn't give me much leisure time. Worrying about the safety of citizens is my job every day, all day." Markus said, sipping on his tea. The only time he really got to relax was times like these, before the real work started. His gaze shifted from Elora to the new arrival, watching her plop down at the table. Her clothes told him that she wasn't a normal Huldra and his suspicions were correct. Markus shook her outstretched hand, returning his hand to his cup of tea. "Nice to meet you, hope you are enjoying your time among my people. My name is Markus, I'm the Captain of the Guard in town." As he said that, the bear had thrown Thomas and Markus reached for his sword to intervene. He would have made a move if it had not been for Ragnar starting to beat the drunk. He settled back down once he saw Thomas get up. His gaze shifted to a foreign woman who commented on his inaction, making Markus point towards the bull, "It's already being taken care of, I'll deal with the aftermath after my tea." While he knew it probably didn't give himself a good look, breaking up bar fights wasn't worth the trouble. He usually just picked up the pieces after, shifting his gaze back to those at the table.

"I hope your Huldran settlements aren't as rambunctious as this tavern." Markus said, clearly dismayed with the situation. A quiet morning was almost an impossibility in this tavern. He withdrew his hand from his hilt, taking a sip of tea as the fighting died down. Markus raised his eyebrow as Ragnar wanted payment from him as well, opening his mouth to reply. Before he could get a reply out, Thomas had already vouched for him, but at a price. "Dinner sir?" Markus said, not comfortable with the idea.

Markus would usually turn down such a suggestion, but Thomas was no ordinary person. "I'll try and find an opening in my schedule." He said, looking down at his tea. "I'm assuming this ball will be a formal event?" Markus asked, sipping his tea. He was certainly no dancer and he strongly disliked formal events. He always felt out of place. He fiddled with the handle of his cup as he glanced over to Faraine, "Just be glad you're not the captain of this town."

code by @Nano

 

[Britt-21]

Elora frowned slightly, now knowing Markus never really had any leisure time. What kind of life was that to live? Working till you cant work no more, and wasting your life away. Some may think the small elf was blessed with a wealthy life. But she wanted to experience more than just having all the wealth and getting anything she wanted. Soon, an old friend of hers joined the table, taking a seat next to the blue-haired elf "Fara." El said as her small frown turned into a small smile. It was probably clear that her mind was elsewhere -That being about her father's safety- and she was trying to balance that with the current conversation. Luckily Fara and Markus introduced themselves which left her out for a moment. She jumped as her father was thrown into another table and no doubt that he was in pain. Papa you can't just get yourself thrown around like this... her eyebrows furrowed in worry as he got up, starting to use his own magic to repair whatever pain was caused. ( Slav StealthyShades leviohsa )

Her golden gaze shifted to Fara as she made a joke in attempt to probably make her laugh "You know I'm okay, Fara." she tried to assure her and turned her attention back to the scene, both large beastmen taking it out on each other as one clearly trumped the other. The bear had been down on the ground, while the bull was the victor. In the elf's mind, no doubt the bullman would have beaten the bear. He had horns after all, had it come down to having to actually impale something. He demanded money from Markus and tried to claim his crown from Thomas. ( Phayne ) At least the situation was dealt with quickly. But the damage done over at where Papa landed... she slowly sat back down. Bags were thrown at Bullman and soon her father caught sight of the trio sitting at the table and approached them. What caught her off guard was the fact that not only was the Captain invited for dinner, but he was also invited to come over for the ball. Golden hues widened as she stared at her father before shifting back to Fara in surprise.

As the bag of crowns were placed in front of her, Elora looked down at them and nodded "Yeah I could give them to the owner... Also please tell me you're okay after all of that, papa." she said softly while scooping the bag into her lap and holding it as if it was a pet in her lap. From the Captain's reaction, he was just as surprised by the invitation as she was "Fara please tell me you'll come to the ball too? You can keep all the weirdos away from me." she joked, giggling softly in attempts to shake her surprise with her father. She looked at Markus as he addressed Faraine and she shook her head a bit "I'm sure if you're the Captain of this town, you'll have more than enough of allies to help you relax while we take care of the dirty work from time to time." she grinned while her ears bounced slightly
​

 

[leviohsa]

Faraine Crosse

mood.

good question.

location.

the crossroads

tags.

peeps

Despite the commotion, Faraine was still able to listen to the knight who called himself Markus. Not surprisingly, her assumption of his status was correct. Just as the Huldran was about to reply, the booming sound of Mr. Edevane being thrown made her pointed ears twitch, her once relaxed features looking much more stern as her brows furrowed. She lifted herself to a near-standing position, hand quickly grasping the hilt of her short-sword. Seeing her and Markus would look almost comical, the two knights mirroring each other in a near-identical fashion. However, Faraine was closer to taking action than Markus seemed to be.

She glanced over at the Captain. If he decided to take the back seat on this, then that had to be the best choice. Releasing her grip on her sword, she brought herself back onto the tavern seat,

“Awwww, come on, handle his ass right here!” Faraine recognized the voice of the self-centered merchant, jade-colored eyes glancing over at the round man before being brought back to the conversation in front of her. What a strange man..

"You know I'm okay, Fara.." Faraine's once tense expression immediately lit up, laughter falling from her lips, "Oh, of course. But you can't stop me from worrying. Especially when there are jerks here so early in the morning.." Her tone was light-hearted, an additional attempt to keep the mood light despite the ever-growing tension mere feet away from their table.

It worked, mostly. Although no matter how interesting a conversation could be, Elora's spacing out couldn't be stopped. It was clear as her attention kept shifting to the fight. Faraine couldn't exactly blame her. Her dad was just thrown around, and her place of work was getting trashed. Not that this was something new, but still.. Much more alarming when family is involved.

"...and a further 50 from you." The sound of the beastkind's booming voice directed at Markus made Faraine perk up again. Her gaze focused entirely on the mercenary. He was huge. It was clear that he was made for this kind of work, but.. did he have to make a show of it during breakfast? Despite his.. show-boaty nature, she may need to learn more about him. Could he know whereabouts of certain Banished?

She decided to stay quiet for now, letting Thomas amend the potential... problem with Markus. As soon as the ball was mentioned, dread was all Faraine felt, already knowing what was coming next. However, Faraine couldn't help the look of slight surprise when she noticed that the Captain shared a similar dread, his demeanor completely changing.

"Fara please tell me you'll come to the ball too? You can keep all the weirdos away from me."

There it was. A request she couldn't deny. What best friend leaves their best friend stranded at an intimidating ball? "Of course, Elora. But you'll have to make sure I have a mead or two. It's the only way I can make it through.." Almost as if on cue, Markus chimed in,

"Just be glad you're not the Captain of this town." The contrast in his voice compared to his much more content tone from earlier made the Huldran chuckle as Elora reassured the human.

"Well, if anything, you'll always have a wonderful story to share." Faraine flashed a genuine smile before turning to her friend, "Now, please, Ella... please feed your poor, hungry, best friend.." Her pale green eyes were wide, pleading in a comical way as her smaller hands held each other into a begging fist.

quote

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Maxxob]

Amir Odeh
​

And, with a most stunning show of strength and mastery, the ( Phayne ) bovine fighter had bested the rowdy, rude and unpleasant smelling bear. By his face, it was clear that Amir had taken quite a bit of enjoyment out of the show. When it was over, he got up, resting the gigantic axe’s handle against his round and rich gut, while it blade was positioned on the ground. The cup with his tea was left forgotten and solitary on top of the table the man was occupying. The merchant threw a flurry of applause towards the victor, followed by a few quite hearty “Bravo! Bravo!”

He loved that kind of entertainment, not only because it was a spectacle in itself, but also because of had shown him a new talent. A talent that he would do well to keep in mind for the days to come. But it wasn’t time to simply keep miring the scene. It didn’t take long for the man to grab his humongous weapon by its handle and quickly flick it, rotating the blade and, unintentionally, creating a bit of an air current. With its prized possession resting on his shoulder again, the large man made his way to the victorious mercenary.

When he stopped just a few steps from the muscular beast-kin, he had to look up a bit to look right into his face, after all, the man’s advantage was of the horizontal kind, not the vertical one - “Hahahahahaha, you sure know how to put up a show for the crowd! Too bad most of them are still groggy from sleep to fully appreciate it!” - the salesman pointed to a few of the patrons on the tavern at random, without a clear intention - “The name is Amir Odeh and, whenever you feel like making some serious crowns, I am sure I will have the perfect job for you. It will only depend on your…” - taking one step forward and approaching the strong taurine, the man completed - “... morals”

A smirk was plastered on his face for a bit. Through side glances, his vision quickly went through the ( StealthyShades ) elf noble, the girl who was being pestered, the ( Slav ) City Guard’s poster boy, the ( Britt-21 ) serving lady and, finally, his eyes landed once again on the ( leviohsa ) green-haired, knife-eared inquisitor. Curiously, his free hand moved to his own mustache and started to twirl it - “It really looks like elves make really shoddy bodyguards… better cancel the protection contract with the Moon Blade Company and sign it with the Skull Crushers instead” - the man kept staring daggers at the girl, while his mental notes were being made. And, all of a sudden, he snapped out of it, making his way with heavy steps towards the exit.

But, before he could continue, his attention was drawn to the fallen drunken white bear. Standing right beside his head, he stared once again - “What a waste of precious and valuable fur, tsk-tsk-tsk” - he commented, before resuming his exit.​

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

#CC712B
Tags: leviohsa Maxxob Phayne @Tavern

​

"Oh, sweet, sweet, shelter!" The tavern door swung open, revealing the next guest as a small, lithe fox boy. "Sweet, sweet warmth!" This was one of the few times Tramp ever entered a building the normal way—every other place saw him crawl through a hidden hole or back entrance. Today, though, the cold got the better of him. And, he felt that he'd caused enough trouble for one day... Which, by the looks of things inside the Crossroads Tavern, his prior actions did not seem to measure anywhere close to the scene before him. "And sweaty, sweaty musclemen... Looks like I missed all the excitement, eh...?" Tramp's tail drooped a little, becoming more disappointed as he looked between Ragnar and the fallen bear beastkind. However, there was a totally different matter that the foxboy caught a whiff of: Crown.

Tramp's eyes tracked towards a man, handing out bags of coin left and right! He certainly looked the part of rich guy, much like the round ball of a man from earlier—speaking of which... "Oh! It's you again!" Tramp amicably pointed at Amir as he shambled towards the exit. Really, it was such a pleasant surprise seeing him here; the beastkind's tail wagged even as he stepped aside to let Amir pass. "I'm still sorry about the snow thing!" he shouted, though his voice lacked any hint of sincerity.

Back to Crown... Or, at least fantasizing getting his hands on it. A quick glance around revealed several members of the Guard present. The Captain he definitely knew, and—Oh, Melon Hair! Seemed like everyone had the same idea, grouping up at the tavern.

There was also to note that the rich dude (now in Tramp's mind as 'Richie') himself appeared far 'less-than-approachable' for lack of better word. But looking at who he gave the money to, first there was the massive bull... Maybe he could swipe a bag from under his nose? That, or his head would probably become smashed watermelon. Then over the counter, Richie gave a bag to—Ah. Elora's on duty.

Tramp froze briefly, then diverting his gaze away from the blue-haired Huldran. The counter was definitely not the place he needed to get to at the moment. Strangely, it felt like the temperature rose a bit...

Instead, he opted towards the hulking bull and the downed bearman. Small as Tramp was, he still could not fathom how some people turned out as bulky as they did. From what he's heard, it's lot oft tireless schedules and routines and... boring stuff. He much preferred living unbound by anything.

Scurrying over to the two, he could safely say that one was out cold, and the other was the reason for that. Despite his initially innocent intentions coming here... Tramp couldn't help himself. Pointing down at him, he glanced up at Ragnar—who absolutely towered over the fox boy—with eager eyes and asked, "Mind if I 'confiscate' his things?"

He knew some of the Guard weren't too far away... but honestly, Tramp did not care.

 

[StealthyShades]

A Threatening Smile

Thomas A. Edevane

Slav Britt-21 leviohsa

How could you be too busy to sit down and have a meal with a man and his family for dinner? This intrigued Thomas; especially since he wasn't just an ordinary man. Was the captain trying to cop out of the gift that Thomas presented him, or was there another obstacle in the Elven Noble’s way? Thomas began to chuckle and smile at the captain “You’re a bright and charismatic young man..” Thomas lifted his hand and softly grabbed Marcus's shoulder. “..I'm sure a man of your Integrity would have his priorities straight.” As Thomas made his statement, his grip on Marcus's shoulder increased for just a moment enough to hint to the Captain of what Thomas’ expectations were for him. The Nobles hand reunited with his other hand that was on his cane. "I'm assuming this ball will be a formal event?" What kind of events has this boy been to? Does he expect my Wife to throw some sort of inelegant event? The noble stood there staring at the captain. An awkward silence between the two of them endured for a few seconds.

Thomas broke eye contact with the captain and cleared his throat. He returned to look at Markus with a serious look in his eyes, that intentionally was meant to stare into the young captain's soul. Thomas disguised his true feelings, about what he believed to be a backhanded remark on his family's integrity, with a smile and by answering the captain with a caring tone. “Oh yes, it will be formal. My dear Mary wanted to have a ball to celebrate Spring but Winter has been very long. She just couldn't wait any longer.”

"Fara please tell me you'll come to the ball too? You can keep all the weirdos away from me." "Of course, Elora. But you'll have to make sure I have a mead or two. It's the only way I can make it through.." The old elf overheard Elora and Fara's excitement about the formal event. Thomas turned his attention specifically toward the Elven Archer. Does she really believe that she's going to be able to just walk into this event being as drunk as a sailor? I must put a stop to this now. Thomas began to interrupt the conversation and tried to ensure that everyone will be on their best behavior. “Now Fara, there will be plenty of wine but please keep drinking to a minimum. The indecent can't resist beautiful ladies like you and my daughter. I'll have plenty of guards watching Elora at distance but I also want to make sure you are safe since you are close to my daughter.” Thomas sat down among the group and decided to finally order some food. He flagged down the curly-haired waitress and asked for a coffee, eggs, and toast.

Code By Nano

 

[Phayne]

Mentions: Everyone at bar
Interacts: Thomas StealthyShades Markus Slav Amir Maxxob Tramp AriAriAbabwa

Standing over the defeated bear rug, two muscular hands would reach out and grasp the bags of crowns tossed his way; arms dipping ever so slightly at the unexpected extra weight of the reward he had just earned; a smile forming across his face as the elven noble confirmed his suspicions. What a morning that had turned out to be already, double the pay for a job he would have inevitable done for free given the direction of where things were going prior to its current state.

"As long as the pay is good and the job reasonable, then I am your man" replied Ragnar as he now held both bags in one hand and raised it above his head in victory. Had the time of day been towards the later hours, then he'd have bought a round of booze for each and every one of the taverns current occupants... a round of water and juice didn't quite have the same ring to it. On top of that, it was now his duty to clean up the mess literally, a trip to the prison garrison now in order with his freshly unconscious bear rug.

The trip however would be put on hold as from his peripherals, Ragnar noticed the large rotund man approach him; the current of wind causing his hair to ruffle as Ragnar turned to face the approaching merchant; the grandiose weapon resting comfortable upon Amir's shoulder. Ragnar had seen this man several times before in passing, though he had never been given the opportunity nor a reason to ever engage in conversation with him before.
​

Alas, that was to change as Ragnar straightened up and waited for Amir to voice his intent; a wait that wouldn't last long as he introduced himself within mere moments. 'Serious crowns..?" pondered Ragnar, glancing down at the two full bags of double crowns he had in his hand.

"Ragnar Guillaume" replied the bovine beast man as he leaned forward, reciprocating Amir's step forward. At this point, Ragnar's face was parallel to the merchants ear; the bovine speaking in a low tone so that only the two of them would be privy to what he was about to say.

"Not everything has a price.." he replied. "but if its within reason... than I am your man" he added, mirroring what he said to Thomas. Ragnar was by no means the heroic type, nor did he wish to be. He was like 99% of all mercenaries, a man motivated by money. That being said, there were still rules he would live by... rules that prevented him from becoming a fully fledged 'villain'.

As Amir left, Ragnar would resume his task of lugging the dead weight to the prison garrison...his bag of crowns now fastened to his side. However he would once again be stopped in his endeavour once again as the smallish frame of Tramp scurrying over towards where they were. Instinctively, Ragnar reached for where the bags were fastened, ensuring that they were still there. He may not have spoken to Tramp before, but he was well aware of the rumours.

"Confiscate his things?" replied Ragnar, glancing down at Tramp as the foxboy asked the question. Before answering, Ragnar would raise his gaze towards where Marcus and the other guards were, taking note that they would probably find the task of apprehending Tramp far easier then apprehending the bearman. A sigh would escape Ragnar's mouth as he lamented the thought of several grown ass men attempting to subdue Tramp.. more so if they asked Ragnar to do it. He didn't quite fancy the idea of being propositioned to take down someone as small as Tramp.

"I do mind. Stealing is still a crime and there's been enough trouble here already" replied Ragnar, leaning down and grabbing the unconscious bear. "However... if you do happen to pick up anything that may fall out of the bearman's pocket as I haphazardly carry him towards the prison garrison, then by all means keep it. Finders keepers after all..." he added, standing up as he lifted the bear man up in haste. Shaking him like a ragdoll as he appeared to find a grip that was comfortable to hold him in.

Already a few lose pocket change had fallen from the bearmans pocket onto the floor, a coin rolling a ways away to a small shiny object that had caught Ragnar's attention.

"Oh... is that a gold tooth?" he said out loud, glancing at one of the many teeth that had been knocked out of the unconscious mans mouth. With that pointed out, Ragnar would begin to make his way out the tavern, bear man in tow as he fireman carried him to the other side of town. [/COLOR][/B]

​

 

[Slav]

TIMESKIP!

​

The ball has finally arrived with all who were invited in attendance. Dozens of guests filled the main room, with lavish decor in every nook and cranny of the room. Guests donned their best outfits for this occasion as this was the home of Thomas Edevane. Anything less would be an embarrassment to his name. A wide range of refreshments were available to the guests in attendance, the finest wines and champagnes being a popular choice. All this decadent luxury made Markus uncomfortable.

His clothing of choice wasn't much different from what he usually wore, a guard uniform with flashy medals to signal he wasn't an ordinary guard. His clothes were freshly cleaned and carried a nice scent to them, a change of pace from his usual clothing arrangements. Markus felt out of place, something that was uncommon for him. He considered his lifestyle growing up to be lavish, but this... this was something else. It almost felt like a foreign place to him, something from his imagination.

One thing Markus didn't hesitate to do was grab a glass of wine. He wasn't drunk, but the thought was getting there was becoming more enticing by the minute. He wasn't even in the mood to be a flirt; a lot of the women were much too old for him. The only reason he came was because Thomas wanted him to. He had no work to do because Thomas had more guards than he was expecting. Does one person really need that much protection? Markus was hoping the event would go by quick because he didn't think he would last long.

Characters invited: Markus, Elora, Thomas (Obviously), Faraine, and Amir

Those who aren't invited: Ragnar and Tramp

If you're character wasn't invited, they can sneak in or in the case of Ragnar, show up like a boss.

Phayne leviohsa StealthyShades AriAriAbabwa Britt-21 Maxxob

​

​

 

[Britt-21]

Slav StealthyShades leviohsa @WhoeverElseAtThisPoint

The time at the tavern was quite a day. Who knew that, that specific morning would consist of chaos in a matter of minutes? After her long shift, she returned home to dinner where she once again saw Markus. The elf felt a bit odd just because of the situation that caused her father to reach out the invitation to the Captain. Granted she lived through dinner and had continued her days in the same routine. Soon enough the ball was upon them and she was quite excited. When her father threw parties like this, she always tried to enjoy them the best she could before her life would go back to the way it was. On top of it all, her own best friend was going to be there, so this was a night she couldn't sit in her room and hide...Unless something were to happen that she'd basically dip.

There she was, sitting in her room with a dress that was long enough that even some of it had been dragging along the ground. There were snowflakes on the train, while also consisting of a gradient from black to blue. It covered quite a bit of her body, but also revealed at the same time. Her hair had a band with a flower upon it, followed by snowflake earrings as well as a belt and bracelet. The blue locks she possessed were smooth, silky, and very neatly formed for the occasion, though, she still had that one strand that had a mind of its own and almost was like a heart atop of her head. Staring herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile as she thought she looked perfect and ready to go. With a firm nod, she got up from in front of her mirror and put her blue heels on before leaving her bedroom.

It took some time but she could hear the music slowly get louder as she approached the ballroom. There were some people who came out into the hall but that was probably because the room was possibly a bit stuffy. She greeted many along the way and soon stepped into the room, looking around at all the people within it. Many were taller than her, even with the heels. Though she seemed more like average height at the current moment. "There are so many people...Why am I always surprised when my family continuously hosts these parties?" she asked herself in a soft tone.​

 

[leviohsa]

Faraine Crosse

mood.

fish out of water, rip.

location.

the ball

tags.

peeps

To say Faraine felt out of place was an understatement. Being from the outskirts of her village, and solely living on farmland, the most elegant occasion she had even been to prior to this was, well, supper for Summer's Eve. It didn't help that being invited to such an occasion was a rarity. The knight knew that she was merely here thanks to Elora's desperation for company. She couldn't blame her, that's what best friends are for.

For now, she decided to not let it bother her, glancing over at the maid acting as coat checker. Since she had no formal coats, she still wore her trusty hooded green cloak, nearly masking her entire outfit that remained underneath. She had heard very little about coat checkers, only knowing that they take it to hold while you dance and dine. But.. what do you even say to them? Hello? Must you pay them?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite voice,

"I'll take your cloak, dear." A pleasant looking, older woman held both arms out for her to take the rather large garment, and Faraine nodded, reluctantly unbuttoning the cloth, and snaking her arms out of the sleeves. Her look of complete and utter reluctance must've been as clear as day, because it made the maid let out a humble laugh. "Mr. Edevane will ensure all of his guests will have a pleasant time, dear. Do not fret. It is a party, after all." She insisted, neatly hanging the coat on one of the hangers behind her and turning back around to face the knight. In the maid's hand was a small slip with the number '2' neatly written on it.

Taking the slip, she placed it in one of her dress's hidden pockets. "Thank you, ma'am.. I must try, right?" Faraine knew she was right. It was better to try and stay positive than act a child over a simple ball.

What remained underneath her outerwear was a deep red, sleeveless gown that just barely brushed against the shining tiles that shone underneath her rather plain white heels. An ornate green necklace laid against her chest, a hand-me-down from her mother. Her appearance was much more put together than normal; typically casually styled hair had been intricately braided on either side, ribbon and several yellow flowers intertwined within them.

As she followed the sound of people conversing, she was reminded of how out of her element she was by the sound of stifled laughter. Turning her head to the source, she quickly deflated, a look of pure annoyance gracing her features as she meets eyes with a few guards, who happened to be Huldran knights she had trained with. "Seriously, screw off you two."

The pair of rather young Huldran men simply quieted down before replying, "Whatever do you mean, Miss Archer?"

Faraine rolled her eyes, turning away from them and towards the party. She didn't have the time nor the energy to deal with them now. Instead, she decided to look for her friend.

quote

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Maxxob]

Amir Odeh
​

The greedy merchant’s day was much of the same, aligning new deals and purchases, checking bought and ‘acquired’ merchandise, buying rare goods that some poor sod somehow managed to get their hands on it, for nothing more than a few coins. While such a day could be seen a monotonous to some, it wasn’t for Amir. Far from it. Each coin gained, squeezed in every single deal felt like nothing, but heaven for the man’s mind. And with every single round-metal disk the man acquired, his drive to get more only grew more. His avarice was nothing short of a disgusting, humongous monster, many times bigger than the rotund merchant himself. While there were some moral ‘lines’ the shopkeeper wouldn’t dare to cross, just yet, nothing assured that it would remain the same in the future.

But there was something else in his mind during his money-making routine: the prestigious ball, being held by none other than the rich Edevane family. Amir couldn’t help, but show pure pride when a letter of invitation arrived in his ‘base of operations’ a few days ago. He sure had done something to get enough of their attention as to be invited for such occasion. And, with any grand event, that was the place where the rich would gather. Old money, those that came already in wealth, and new money, those who apparently ‘made themselves from nothing’. And, while in the higher social circles, it was common for the already powerful to have certain prejudices for those ascending to power, nothing of it mattered for the not-so-humble clerk.

And, as the time for the ball drew closer, the rotund merchant did what he is the best in: adorned himself with his best, and most expensive, clothing and fine jewelry. A glance towards his bedroom’s wall, there laid his humongous double-axe. It was almost if the inelegant, heavy weapon knew it wasn’t going to be taken in such occasion. So it just laid there, against the wall, sad and abandoned. The corner of the man’s lips twisted, ever so lightly. It was a pity that his prized armament wouldn’t accompany him, but the man wouldn’t be so foolish as to not have any means of protection. And that is why, as per usual, Layla would be the man’s pair.

Layla was an interesting woman, to say at least. Her past was mostly unknown to the merchant, but he would guess that she must have been some kind of fighter. Possibly even a pit-fighter from the scars he had happened to see. Burly, reliable, courageous and quiet. The hulking ‘member of the fair sex’ had joined Amir’s operation in the very beginning of it. Seeing how she acted, her skills, her drive, she quickly became his second in command. Nowadays, there is rarely any transaction being done by the merchant that his shadow isn’t present. The tavern deal was one of the rare exceptions in which the bulbous, voracious and covetous trader was by his lonesome.

Both merchant and his number two arrived at the ball. Their heavy winter coats were removed by the servants on the very entrance. With Amir, it was revealed nothing but his usual style of clothing, only more adorned, stylized. Layla, on the other hand, was a sight much different from what she was used to: a long beige dress with golden details. While she was slightly uncomfortable with such garments, she knew the occasion asked for it, and the stocky salesman sure insisted on her wearing it. Not too long into the party, Amir caught the sight of someone familiar. Approaching the girl ( leviohsa ), with his ‘bodyguard’ in tow, he quickly snatched a glass with alcoholic beverage being offered by a nearby server, saying before brining it to his lips: “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my newest fan! You should have said you were part of Mr. Edevane’s entourage” - and a sip, followed by an inquisitive look towards Huldran girl. Meanwhile, the hulking woman simply scanned the surroundings, before looking Faraine and her companions up and down.

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

...?
#CC712B
Tags: Maxxob (Nearby) leviohsa (Nearby)

​

Lady Umbridge, a successful and wealthy merchant who found her calling in textiles and throwing herself into nobility's fashion. Tall, blonde, and beautiful. Having been in the area for a few months, naturally she was invited to the ball. When she turned up at the door, offering her invitation, the guards saw no issue in her letting her by.

"I'll take your cloak, Miss Umbridge." One of the maids immediately attended to the noblewoman...

Only to be stopped by the gentle raising of her hand. "Not right now. I have some 'markings' I'd rather none see." Umbridge winked at the maid, who seemed to get the idea. The noble was known for being a beauty. Either way, it wasn't like they could go against the upper class' wishes. Just like that, she was let through and into the Edevane ball.

Except the real Lady Umbridge was still a fair distance away, demanding her servants find wherever her invitation slipped out. So who was it that waltzed inside...?

The approach was flawless. From the hat neatly kept, hiding his ears; the wig fastened on; the tried and trained noblewoman countenance, combined with his malleable expressions; the naturally soft and adjustable pitch of his voice; a genuine dress fit for the wealthy; some stuffing to pull off the 'feminine' look. Not to mention the height, only achieved in one way...

"Tramp, get your tail out of my face, I can't see..." a voice muttered below the "lady's" torso. With the foxboy kneeling on his aching shoulders, Rowan by now desperately hoped that the promised reward would be enough to make up for this.

"Shut it," he whispered back, though promptly moving the fluffy tail away. As the fur rubbed against Rowan's back, he had to muffle a burst of laughter; almost shaking Tramp off-balance if not for a wild swing of his arms. He barely kept the two-man facade up, clutching his hat as 'Lady Umbridge' teetered back straight. Tramp glanced at a nearby couple, staring curiously. He offered a polite wave. "I'm a little tipsy, I'm afraid!" he remarked. The strangers didn't seem the least suspect about the impeccable ruse.

As they passed by, Tramp looked down the dress. "Rowan, what are you doing? We haven't even been offered champagne yet, and you're playing the drunkard part." Rowan was the son of a poor family; and an occasional partner to Tramp's schemes. Luckily he was out and about again in need of extra money, and the foxboy snagged him. The moment Tramp heard of the party, he knew he had to be there. He also knew full well that homeless beastfolk like himself weren't being invited any time soon, hence this. A genius plan, if he said so himself!

"Your tail is so soft that it's making me flinch..."

Tramp scowled briefly. "I'm gonna strangle you..." He gently nudged his foot forward, signaling Rowan to keep walking the path. "First step is always reconnaissance. Paths and plans, as I say." If everything went accordingly, they'd be out before anyone even realized something was amiss. Not that Tramp had any clue what could have awaited him inside the Edevane home; he just knew plenty of riches and treasures awaited...

But as Rowan grumbled about something, hesitant in his path, the beastfolk could already tell there would be a minor bump in their plan. "What's the matter? You getting cold feet?"

"Well... I thought we'd get one of the snacks at the sweets table first..."

Tramp's eyes went over to the table, where a few other guests stood. Goodness, this rascal... It wasn't like he didn't understand the desire. People like Rowan and his family usually never had the chance to even get one of those fancy desserts in their sights. And... maybe the foxboy could haggle away some of his promised payment with this? "Fine. We'll nab a few, and after that we're finding a place we can get out of this get-up."

Tramp shifted towards the direction of the table, and Rowan followed the trajectory. As soon as they got what his parter-in-crime wanted, they'd bounce. Any more time down the drain, and—Wait. That green-haired Huldran and rotund man seemed awfully familiar... As Rowan came closer to the table, and inadvertently the small gathering, Tramp bit his lip. He recognized two of the guests—whether they could recognize him, he would really rather not stick around to see. On the bright side, his initial presumptions about the Huldran appeared to be correct: she looked like anything but a guard. "Which ones do you want...?" he whispered.

"Um, um..."

This was going to take a lot longer than he would have liked...

 

[StealthyShades]

YES MYY DEAR

Thomas A. Edevane

Interactions: Maxxob

Thomas sat in his chambers with Sabastain Red (his head butler), Gregory Ark (his head guard), and a few maids. The ladies rushed to get Thomas ready for his wife’s event. Thomas stood on a small pedestal while the maids prepared each piece of Thomas’ suit for tonight. While Thomas was being occupied by the ladies, he overheard Sebastian and Gregory argue back and forth about the itinerary and key parts of tonight‘s ball. “Are you even listening to me, you Buffoon?” Gregory glared at the persistent loud old man. “It’s kinda hard not to with the fucking cockney accent that you have. Geez, you already giving me a headache. Can a man have his pregame drinks in peace?” Sebastian was very displeased with Ark’s lack of decency. They continuously yelled at each other until it was far too much for the noble to handle. Thomas responded firmly but calmly “Ark, go make yourself useful and make sure your men are at their post I don’t wanna see one party crasher here tonight. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!” The noble smiled and motioned Gregory out of the chamber. By the time the ladies were done with the suit, the last piece he needed was his jacket.

Thomas thanked the ladies and they proceeded to leave him and Sebastian alone. “Can’t find good help these days,” Sebastian said not impressed with the stitch work that one of the maids did. Thomas walked over to his jacket. “Keep an eye on the blonde maid with green eyes. While you and Ark were flirting with each other, she stole my wife’s ruby earrings.” The noble said while he was putting on his suit jacket. Thomas would’ve usually called someone out for stealing from him. But clearly, this made was confident enough to do it right in front of him. Either she was a professional or cocky. Seeing that no one else noticed besides Thomas she must’ve had some experience underneath her belt. “The new one, Lord Edevane?” “Yes, new one. If she tries to leave take her for a ‘walk through the gardens’ and makes sure the groundskeeper knows when you are done.” “Of course, Sir.” Sebastian leaves Thomas alone in his chambers.

A gasp of shock and the stumbling of footsteps resonated behind Thomas. He looked in the direction of his office that was attached to his chambers. The door was slightly still in motion as if someone tried to close it quickly. Thomas grabbed his cane that was leaning against his desk and began to twist the handle off the top of it. he poured slowly on the handle prepping the hidden blade. “Who goes there? And why are you in my personal chambers?” A woman with dark silver hair in a maroon dress with a black rose pattern came out of the office. “Mary, what did you hear?” Thomas wasn’t expecting his wife to be the one eavesdropping. He quickly sheathed his hidden blade in a way that Mary doesn’t see. “I heard enough,“ she said. A look of disappointment appeared on her face with a forecast of tears beginning to form.“Thomas Alexander you promised. You told me that you wouldn’t kill anyone unless it was necessary.” She waited there with tears in her eyes. “Forgi..” “No… don’t you dare say anything if you still plan on killing that girl.” Thomas stood there silent for a moment contemplating what has gotten him into this predicament. He reassured her that he would tell Sebastian that he changed his mind. She angrily glared at him before giving him a kiss on his cheek “You’re lucky that you’re damn cute. Now don’t just stand there. We can’t keep our guest waiting” Thomas rubs his chin and smirked at his wife. “Yes, my Dear.”

The two nobles stood at the long staircase overlooking the whole room with guards at each other side and Sebastian waiting nearby to give The couple a glass of Chardonnay. “ATTENTION EVERYONE!! YOUR HOSTS: LORD THOMAS AND DUCHESS MARY EDEVANE!!” The room went quiet and looked towards the couple. Thomas and Mary walked down the steps to join the others at the party. In the distance, Thomas saw a tall muscular woman with a shorter statured man. “Amir.” The huldra said to the known merchant, as he grabbed his glass of Chardonnay from Sebastian. “How is business going for you? I see you brought your favorite girl with you.”

Code By Nano

 

[leviohsa]

Faraine Crosse

mood.

in need of a drink

location.

the ball

tags.

peeps

The arrival of legitimate party guests made the previously mischievous knights stiffen in posture. The analytic gaze of the rather daunting woman in front of them certainly influenced them to be on their best behavior.. Something Faraine was thankful for. The Huldran had only wished it didn't have to come with the expense of having to keep up the façade of flattery.

"Grouping me with Mr. Edevane would be quite the overstatement. I am simply here per Elora Edevane's request." Feeling both pairs of eyes on her made her straighten out any wrinkles in her dress, calloused hands brushing against the shining fabric. "And I simply admired the weap-" Her attempt at separating herself from Amir's ego was ultimately fruitless, thanks to the rather boisterous announcement of the host and hostess.

Speaking of, why the hell is he walking over here? Faraine's voice fell near silent as her friend's rather notable father approached the odd group. Not that there was anything wrong with Mr. Edevane, but, she simply didn't interact with him much. He was much too notable of a noble to be friendly with a simple low-ranking Knight.

"Amir." Of course. It is customary for the higher class to interact with potential business partners. Although Faraine would be lying if she didn't admit that it felt a bit awkward, feeling like an intruder on their conversation. "How is business going for you? I see you brought your favorite girl with you."

Favorite girl, hm? Pointed ears twitched in curiosity, green eyes now fully taking in the much taller woman's presence. A fighter, no doubt. Maybe she was the man's date? She certainly hoped so, because what was empty flattery seemed to have made the merchant think that Faraine genuinely cared about him. The knight flashed a small, polite smile, before the same gaze drifted off into the party, hoping to find a familiar blue head of hair somewhere in the distance.

Alas, she didn't find her friend, but she did spot a waiter holding a tray of spirits. The Huldran tried her best to look as dainty as possible, but it wasn't hard to miss the way she eagerly picked up the flute of bubbling alcohol as the tray passed by. Despite the lack of interest, the novice Knight decided that it may be best to at least play nice. Having connections in places high and low isn't such a bad thing, especially with the daunting task placed upon her.

So, she decided to tune back into the conversation, sipping on what had to be extremely expensive wine. Her right hand holding the flute while her left arm falls behind her back, which remained in good posture. Being a rather new Knight, she still had certain military practices instilled in her.
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♡coded by uxie♡

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[Maxxob]

Amir Odeh

Interactions: StealthyShades
Mentions: leviohsa ​

The merchant was silent as he focused on the Huldran girl’s answer. Her first one had quite a bit of modesty in it, as Amir had, in a sense, lumped her together with the noble knife-eared male - “Ugh, humbleness… it makes me sick to my stomach…” - the thought reverberated in the man’s mind. The more unassuming someone was, the more careful the staunch merchant would be towards them. His years of experience in trading and skulduggery had taught him that much. Her last statement, being interrupted, ended up having the opposite effect in the rotund’s man mind - “The poor thing probably never approached someone as important as me outside her kind’s circle. Heh, with time, she will certainly learn how to cope with that” - Amir nodded to himself quite a few times, concluding his thoughts about the young and inexperienced fan.

When the noble approached him, the businessman flashed a smile from ear-to-ear, offering him a courtesy bow, with his shadow following suit, and responding to his own name being uttered by the host - “M’lord” - he said in a respectful tone, waiting for Edevane to continue before raising up from his bowing and looking directly at him - “Oh, business are booming more and more with each passing day, even when I need to grease more hands than usual! I am almost investing in an olive vineyard!” - with a boisterous laugh, the man concluded, apparently pretty content with his own joke, taking another sip of the beverage he was holding.

Dealing with corrupt officials, inspectors and guards was an everyday occurrence for the greedy merchant. So much that it felt simply normal, something that had to be done. And, while he was not happy that he had to cut some of his possible income to just ‘makes things work’, it sure beat not being able to do it. The rare, apparently, incorruptible ones were a huge pain the in the ass for Amir. Luckily, those that accepted bribes ended up doing their best to make sure trade kept flowing smoothly. But… there was something else as well, wasn’t it?

The short man looked back at Layla, who stood just a few inches from himself. His gaze was not returned, as the muscular woman was still scanning the area, thoroughly - “Hahahahahaha, Layla is not only my favorite girl, she is my only girl!” - the Falstaffian man commented, raising the glass he was holding in an act of homage to the woman herself. His comment, however, did earn him a raised eyebrow from the tall female, as well as a roll of her eyes - “She can easily crush most humanoids heads between her thighs. Believe me, I have seen her do it” - with his free hand, the man first closed it and then rapidly opened it, mimicking a sort of ‘explosion’. It was followed by a ‘pop’, made with his mouth - “With skills like that, what is not to love?” - in truth, the giantess’ skills had contributed considerably to his business and saved him from his demised a few times.

With that, Amir thought for a moment to return the question and ask about the baron’s own investment, but stopped himself. It looked a tad improper to ask such a question and, in truth, was there a point to it?

 

[Slav]

≛ Markus Ebner

『 TAGGED 』Interactions: ◇ Britt-21 Mentions:◇ StealthyShades

Markus downed another glass of wine before scanning the room to try and find someone to help pass the time. These formal events were something he greatly dreaded, hopefully somebody felt the same. It wasn't hard to spot Elora among the crowd as someone as short as herself stood out from the guests, even with heels. Since he was forced to have dinner with her family, it wouldn't be hard to find something to talk about. He grabbed another glass of wine before walking over to Elora.

"You look excited." He said, taking a sip from his glass. The overwhelming nature of the event made Markus want to drink more than he usually did, looking tipsy after a few glasses. "Heels are supposed to make you taller, not just average height." Markus remarked, noting that her appearance was rather striking that night. "Hopefully I'm not the only one feeling a bit overloaded by all the people here." His gaze turned to Thomas as his arrival was announced to all the guests. If someone did that for Markus, he'd probably just want to crawl in a hole and hide. The lavish lifestyle was too boring for him, being guard gave him the variability that he needed to have a satisfactory life.

He turned his attention back to Elora, becoming a bit curious with how she felt about the lifestyle. "I couldn't imagine living in this luxury, it would be surreal to me. You're like a princess to some degree and yet you work at a tavern, why?" Markus was being straightforward with his question, and he was somebody that never sugar-coated things. It was something that he'd been pondering on for a while, as it didn't strike him as a job that was for somebody of her class, or so it seemed. If he had that much money, getting piss drunk everyday would be too tempting.

code by @Nano

 

[StealthyShades]

Party Shenanigans

Thomas A. Edevane

Mentions: Britt-21 Slav AriAriAbabwa Interactions: Maxxob leviohsa

The small talk between the two gentlemen flourished as the words waltzed between them. Thomas always saw Amir as a great allie maybe a ‘friend’ if you could go that far. The way the shorter man chose his words intrigued Thomas. How could a man talk like this be as successful as Amir was? Whatever it was, it was working for him. “..I am almost investing in an olive vineyard!..” “I expect only the best olives from you then. I can't wait to try them.” For being a small man, Amir’s laugh was like a fog horn on a quiet night. The noble took a sip of his drink as the businessman described his love for muscular thighs. “..With skills like that, what is not to love?” “Yes, indeed.” Mary proceeded to elbow Thomas in the gut causing the noble to cough and slightly choke on his drink. “Cough.. bu..cough.. but I personally like my women a little more.. delegate” -another elbow impacted Thomas’s gut- “but fierce.” Thomas glared at his wife hoping that her annoying ass was pleased with his answer. Mary just stood there with a smile on her face as if she did nothing wrong.

Thomas looked behind Amir, which wasn't hard to do, and saw the blondie, Markus, talking to Elora. He stared like a hawk for a moment to read his daughter’s body language. He could tell she wasn't comfortable and needed someone else with her. He then turned his attention to Faraine who was on what he only assumed was her first and definitely not her last drink. “Faraine, adults are talking here Elora is over there with Marcus. I feel like you’ll be a lot more comfortable there.” Thomas lifted his arm up And gave a gesture as if to shoo her away. “Sorry, Amir may you excuse me for a moment.” He tried to get Faraine’s attention. “Hey, Faraine!” He pointed in the direction of Elora “Elora is over there by Markus.” He returned to his wife and Amir. “Sorry about that. My daughter invited her friend here and I rather they say with her.” The noble raised his glass in began to propose a toast “To Family, to business, and especially to money.”

As the two men continued to talk the old noble saw a familiar face at the snack table. Is that Lady Umbridge? Something was off about her that Thomas could not figure out what. Was her height? Her body language? Or was it that she was talking to herself in a very irritated and aggressive manner? Thomas motioned for Sebastian to come closer for him to whisper something. “Lady umbrage seems like she’s having a hard time. See if she needs anything.” He winks at Sebastian in a way to incinerate his suspicions. “Of course my Lord; I will do so and then report to Ark.” Thomas smiled and thanked his old friend.

Code By Nano

 

[Britt-21]

Elora continued to scan the place, seeing nothing but dresses, suits and chatting people with drinks in their hands or even some dancing. While turning towards a different direction, she spotted the familiar blonde man approaching her. A smile tugged her lips and she met him halfway "Captain!" while calling his title, her ears seemed to perk some. Finally, someone else she recognized that wasn't her family. Where was Fara? "Oh of course I'm excited! It is a party." though she was overwhelmed with the amount of people, especially the more fancier ones that always seemed to make the young elf feel out of place. When he commented on her height with her heels, she pouted and turned her head away, muttering under her breath. It wasn't her fault that she got the short end of the stick! She couldn't choose her height in the character creation part in the womb. As he mentioned feeling overloaded, she responded "You're not...There's definitely plenty of people here and it is a bit overwhelming.

Soon, everything had paused as someone spoke up, revealing her Father and her Mother who hosted the party. She watched with golden eyes, smiling a bit at her lovely parents. They've always looked so lovely together. One day I hope to be as happy as them. she thought, while the room resumed the music, the buzzing of people talking, and more. It didn't take long for Markus to ask the golden question that many liked to ask her "Well, believe it or not I never acted like a princess. I was always the type to get my hands dirty in the garden, or try to hang out with the boys." her gaze turned back to Markus "Working at a Tavern makes me feel more...Like you guys. Not some rich elf who could get anything and everything, whenever and however I want." she lifted her finger to her lip in thought "I like to feel more normal and work for what you guys work for. Think of it like trying to grow myself into a better person." her ears dropped a little bit "Someone like you works a lot, so does Fara. You get out of bed, get little time for yourself and go right to work."

El dropped her finger and held her hand to her chest "Most people would love to have what I have. But in all honesty, it's really not that much...after a while it could get a bit suffocating." she pursed her lips slightly and scanned Markus's outfit "If I could give others a chance to feel this life, I'd do it."

Slav StealthyShades leviohsa
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[leviohsa]

"Faraine, adults are talking here..." Eloquently placed condescension fell upon seemingly deaf ears, but Faraine couldn't help but blink a few times at the older man's blatant rudeness. He did realize that she wasn't a child, right? Well, of course he didn't. He became rich and anyone besides those of equal standing might as well be considered peons. "Elora is over there by Markus."

Right, the Captain. Sir Edevane did not even give him the courtesy of using his title. I suppose that instead of a friend I am a simple guard dog. She thought to herself, not able to completely wipe the irritated look on her face as she excused herself from the group. Her red dress quietly glided along the marble floors whilst her feet nimbly carried her over to her friend, who was in active conversation.

"Sorry, not to be rude or anything, but, why is your father such a twat?" She muttered this so only Elora could hear. Even though she and Elora were friends, Faraine was sure she would get some kind of scolding for such language about her own father. Green eyes quickly went back to Markus, as she stood beside her friend. "Hello, Captain. Enjoying the ball as much as I am?" Sarcasm was clear in her tone. She would much rather be training right now. Exploring, reading, drinking heavily. Quite literally, anything other than this snooze fest.

With this in mind, she downed the rest of her glass of wine and proceeded to snatch another from a waiter, nearly making them lose their balance. Faraine sheepishly apologized as the waiter grumbled, speedily distancing themself from the Huldran. It didn't take long for her to nearly be done with her second glass, but she decided to slow down, and try to have some decorum.

Quite honestly, Faraine wasn't too stressed about Elora talking to Captain Markus. Of course, she knew that many Knights were scoundrels and outright pains in the ass, but it didn't mean that she was going to look for trouble when there isn't any. And, right now, things look pretty platonic. Plus, she was downright bored.

Looking between the two, she lowered her voice, "Elora, I know you were excited about this party, but I can assure you, a real party at a pub would be much livelier than this.. what do you say?" The shorter Huldran girl looked between the pair, silently allowing Markus to join them on their rendezvous if he so pleases.