Character Mansion

“Splendid!” Agustin’s grin widened. “Most splendid.” He turned to watch Xavier as he got up and left, slightly confused. Shrugging to himself, convinced that he’d return soon enough, he turned back to address Irilemi. “I didn’t meant to imply you didn’t work. To call a woman a lady is a term of honor in the culture of the Athalian province of the Newhaven Alliance. Truly enough, it used to be associated with the sort of dainty, prim-and-proper aristocratic types, but recently the term has seen a bit of a revision and in my opinion it’s been one for the better. It’s now more indicative of respectability and intelligence than strictly being a reference to noble birth.”

Library

"Movies?" Anne asked, before looking at the spot Tamara had pointed to. "Oh, there's a garden here, too? That's interesting." She examined the location a little more closely. "It's in an odd spot, though. Don't gardens usually require sunlight?"

She looked back up. "So, who wants to go where? I told Tamara earlier that I don't have a preference."

Grimhilde shot the woman a death glare. I regret not bringing some guards now. This indignant girl would make for a wonderful addition to my dungeon....

"Let me get this straight. First you pay me no heed. Then you barge in here and interrupt my attempts to order dinner. All without the simple courtesy of an introduction. And after all of that, you think I owe you an apology?" she said, voice getting angrier and angrier as she went on, "Seems to me that you're just being self-righteous. Since it doesn't seem my earlier suggestion got through that thick skull of yours: this conversation is over."

With that, she turned away and headed out into the dining hall to await her meal.

[Parlor]

Irilemi leaned back and studied her fingernails. "Not as much an improvement as you think," she said. "I wouldn't exactly call myself 'respectable' either. Though that really depends on definition. I consider myself worth of respect, certainly, though I'll let you judge from yourself by my words and deeds. But 'respectable' usually implies that one behaves as a 'model citizen' who quietly obeys the mores of their civilization." She looked back up at Agustin. "So, where does your country get the money to afford those fancy uniforms, that fine sword... all that?"

[Kitchen]

Mary only shook her head in annoyance. Spoiled brat. People like her...she just couldn't tolerate them. It made her pretty glad that attitudes like that were heavily frowned on in her timeline, regardless of the person's status.

"She's not worth it." she told Bianca as soon as Grimhilde left. "Come on, let's just go get something to eat."

edited 16th Feb '13 7:34:12 PM by Masterofchaos

[Master Bedroom]

Claire sighed, a somewhat strained smile on her face. "There you go again, making me talk about things I normally wouldn't even mentioned." She paused for a moment, running some fingers through her short hair. "It's not quite as inspirational or exciting as you might think. I was a good kid in elementary school, and towards the end of high school I guess that part of me was starting to resurface." She looked over at Aseyu. "By my final year I was still lucky enough to have no record and not be addicted to the hard stuff. I was still bad news, don't get me wrong, but maybe not as bad as some of the other people I hung out with."

She briefly paused again, seeming to reflect on her past. "By that last year of high school, I was on course to get away from all that. Some of my 'friends' were already wrecks, and I suppose I still had enough sense in me to decide that I didn't want to be like that." She shrugged. "I stopped talking to all of them after graduation, and getting into a good post-secondary was especially hard considering I had barely passed high school." She looked over at Aseyu again. "But I did it. And I was a damn good student, too." She smiled again, faintly. "I'd rather not go in to more detail, if that's okay. Thinking about those years... It doesn't make me happy..." She was quiet for a moment, seeming melancholy and distant.

"Hey, so how about you?" She said, cheering up. "I'm over here practically pouring my heart out to you, I think it's only fair I get a little about you in return." She said. "Tell me about your home, about your life. Assassinating - evil mages, did you say? That sounds... Interesting."

[Library]

"Let's go see the theatre first!" Said Tammy, eagerly. "Then I want to see the garden!" She hopped out of her chair. "I hope it's really cool down there!" If the young girl were any more excited she would be hopping up and down. She hoped that the basement would be as interesting as it was in her imagination, and she was also excited to show Anne what a movie was. Whatever the case, the basement was likely to be more interesting than talking to grown-ups about grown-up things.

edited 16th Feb '13 7:55:51 PM by Blackfire667

Agustin settled back in his chair, crossing a leg across his knee, looking glad to have a reason to talk about the Alliance again. “Well, the Athalian province in particular is home to sizeable stockpiles of mineral wealth. Crystal deposits are being uncovered in the western Velor mountain range- there are other provinces of course, but I’m not up to date about the state of their financing.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “In terms of exports, the Alliance maintains a comfortable and mutually beneficial trade relationship with some of the Freeports, most relevant by proximity are Freeport Angellis and the free city of Madrigal…” He tapped on his chair’s arm rest, somewhat engrossed in thought, wondering if there was anything more he could add.

[Master Bedroom]

Aseyu smiled back up at Claire and said, "y'know, this sorta thing comes with the day job. Sometimes I feel like I'm more of a therapist than anything. See, back home, we're kinda big on the proud warrior thing — men and women both. Which means if someone has a problem, they don't cry to someone about their emotions and talk them out. They drink way too much bourbon, have sex with a prostitute... and then drunkenly cry about their emotions and talk them out with that prostitute." She sighed. "Our society would be a lot less fucked up if we could skip the steps involve bourbon and prostitutes, but it'd also put a real dent in profits, so..." she waved a hand dismissively.

"Yeah. Mages. Evil. We're talking 'sign a diabolical pact with a thing called the Eyes and Teeth' here. And the Eyes and Teeth is pretty much as bad as you'd expect a creature with a name like that to be. Needless to say, they don't call it that. Still, mages have needs like anyone else." Her face grew icy, and her voice bitter. "And some of them aren't happy with an utterly brainwashed spouse, or leaving random people with missing days in their memory and possibly an unwanted child in their womb." Her icy expression shifted to a smirk for an instant, before returning to its previous utter lack of emotion. "So every so often, any time one of them is proving more problematic than usual, I get sent to seduce them, pretend their damn spells are working on me, and crush their throats when they least expect it." There was no pleasure or joy on her face, simply grim duty. Then it softened, and a hint of fear crept in. "Suela... I've gotten far too good at it."

[Parlor]

Irilemi listened and politely nodded. "Interesting," she said. Her voice grew subtly sarcastic. "I'm sure the miners are pleased to find that their blood, sweat and tears have allowed you to wear such a... distinctive outfit."

edited 16th Feb '13 8:38:27 PM by KillerClowns

Wine Cellar

Donovan took a swig, "I'm mostly living on my ship. Not much else to go, considering I'm wanted man over much of Europe and The U.S.A. only hires me to do a thing here and there."

He took a swig before turning toward Alice, "That pretty much fits the bill," he took another swig, "You'd be surprised how cutthroat some human pirates are, even when faced with necromancy. Though I will admit, Talbot made a few men into monks just by giving them the look."

Talbot huffed, "Those man were cowards anyway."

[Wine Cellar}

"Well, I live in a house on Oink-Bubble Mountain. My voyages usually last a day at most, partly because my ship isn't really built for living in, and partly because I'm really lazy.

Something my ship does have is these propellers that allow air travel, and a working minifridge."

Agustin’s eye acquired a distinct twinkle, and his smile a sardonic bent.

“I rather think they’re more pleased with the fact that their blood, sweat and tears pay for the hundred-and-twenty rifles I command as Lance-Captain, Lady vashon’Suela.” He casually brushed a hand down the front of his uniform, straightening it out.

He smiled a clever smile that suggested he thought Irilemi had underestimated him. “Nice as it is, in the end my dress greens are just colored fabric and golden tassels. If you really want to critique the Alliance’s economic system, then asking how well-paid the tailors that stitched it together were would perhaps be more relevant. You see, the majority of a cost of an item like this is from labor, not materials- and, needless to say, none of the metals those miners extract contribute to this ensemble. The sword maybe, but not the uniform.”

edited 16th Feb '13 8:18:14 PM by Gault

[Parlor]

Irilemi scoffed and said, "perhaps they will appreciate those hundred-and-twenty rifles. Unless they decide to go on strike and your nation chooses to point those rifles at them." She raised a finger. "No, wait, no. I'm sure this is the part where you swear your nation would never do that to its people. And..." she made a point of looking deeply contemplative for a moment, "I think I'd believe it. The instruments of the ruling class are many, and brute force is the most primitive and most liable to inspire a revolutionary furor in the oppressed. Still..." she shook her head and tsked. "I must say, you are wearing quite a bit of tax revenue there. Not the investment I'd make."

He's competent, Irilemi thought — she really had underestimated him.

[Wine Cellar]

Alice said, "I suppose that makes sense. Given the sort of mayhem many a pirate crew wreaks, they're really in no position to call upon God for help or look down on a necromancer."

She glanced over at Franklin. "Short trips? You make it sound like the whole piracy thing is more hobby than calling."

edited 16th Feb '13 8:32:32 PM by KillerClowns

[Wine Cellar]

"Well, Like I said, I'm really lazy and I only really need to go out pirating about 1 day a week. Sometimes I go out on longer trips though."

Frank reached into his overcoat and pulled out a small book. "For example, here's my journal from when I went treasure hunting in the Kingdom of Corroscopes. Want me to read from it?"

[Stairs —> Kitchen]

Wylfing poked his head into the kitchen. He had been listening the entire time. "Indeed, it seems that your efforts have been wasted, but you gave me a splendid idea."

He lowered his voice. "Perhaps it's petty and childish, but it could also be fun. In short, what better way to torment an attention-seeker than... not giving attention? Let's all pass that on."

Now addressing the strange machines, he said, "Oh, I think I'd like a snack while I'm here. A plate of slightly undercooked meat will do. Any kind. I'm not picky. If you—" He nodded at the woman with the missing arm. "—are going to bathe first, I trust that I will have the pleasure of eating with you, miss...?" He now turned to Mary, and his cloak slipped again, exposing the scars.

Agustin’s eyes widened, his face taking on a look of surprise at first, but before long his expression settled into one of undisguised intrigue. After a moment of silently rubbing his chin, he said, “Well, I certainly wasn’t wrong about implying you were intelligent.”

One side of his mouth quirked up in an odd smile. A few seconds more passed, and Agustin looked quite unsure as to how to react, but finally he extended an arm towards Irilemi with his wrist upturned and said, “Look here, I want you to see something.” With his other hand, he folded the cuff of the uniform out to reveal to Irilemi a small inscription done in thread. It was a clear craftsman’s mark. The garment Agustin wore had evidently been hand-stitched. “See this. My uniform is the work of a proud and dedicated artisan. By all rights, it should command a fair price, I think.”

edited 16th Feb '13 8:57:11 PM by Gault

[Wine Cellar]

"Gotcha," Alice said. You must be more competent than you look if that's how you pay your way. Note to self, don't fuck with the pig without a good reason. Then she shrugged and said, "as for the story? Depends. What sorta story we talking here?"

[Parlor]

"My respects to the craftsman," Irilemi said. "But you are trying to dodge my question:" Her hand fell on the table, and she began to absentmindedly tap it with the side of her thumb. "Why in the hallowed name of Suela do you need a hand-stitched uniform? What possible purpose does it serve that a less extravagant uniform would not?" She suspected she already knew the answer, and hoped Agustin took the bait. But he was crafty... he might guess what she was up to and slip out of her net.

edited 17th Feb '13 8:50:38 AM by KillerClowns

[Wine Cellar]

"It's not really a story so much as a description of what happened, but to give you an idea, Corroscope is kind of a medieval kingdom, with knights and princesses and stuff."

[Kitchen]

~Friedrich

Friedrich leans up against one of the walls still invisible, he's drained his sake at this point. He'd intended to try to meet this guy but instead he'd ended up near Mary.

[Kitchen=>Bathroom]

"I would, but I really would like to freshen up. Perhaps after I'm done we can converse." She turns to the doorway and walks out, up the stairs and to the bathroom. From outside you can hear the water running, she's also locked the door.

edited 16th Feb '13 11:16:02 PM by Aqueos

[Dining Room]

"Maybe." Linna said softly. "Even so." She glanced at Nara, who was in motion. "Headed out?"

"Yeah. I'll be around. Call if you need me." Nara tapped the side of her head at "call".

Linna shook her head. "I hope she behaves herself. She can be...offensive, at times. I take it your friend doesn't have that problem."

[Entry Hall]

Nara looked around the hall again for a second time. "What this place really needs," she said to nobody in particular, "is a couple of suits of armor flanking the main stair. But Fourteens or maybe hardsuits, rather than the usual Gothic plate. Since the owner is enamored of high tech while pretending otherwise."

edited 16th Feb '13 10:08:09 PM by Night

[Parlor]

John said nothing as he listened to the conversation. Although, he was a little worried about Ozzy's condition, considering he still wasn't awake yet.

[Kitchen]

"Riverson." Mary said, smiling, "Mary Riverson." Even though she wondered where Wylfing's scars came from, she didn't mind them completely. After he gave his suggestion, she gave a soft chuckle. "Not childish in the slightest. In my timeline, attitudes like that won't get anyone anywhere."

edited 17th Feb '13 9:11:52 AM by Masterofchaos

Agustin gave a casual shrug. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not one who made that decision. Probably something to do with tradition. A holdover from an age where soldiers marched in formation and officers needed to be clearly visible to direct their commands. A purely practical concern, at the time. Of course now, what with modern signaling methods like radio communications, it’s not so necessary. But, change comes slow in so hallowed an organization like the military. Another example of this- only a handful of minor powers have officially adopted the use of camouflage uniforms for their military. The pressure’s larger on them of course, needing every advantage they can get, but it’s an interesting thing to note that the more powerful you are, the more inherently adverse to change you seem to be, no?”

[parlor > smoking room > art gallery]

Sora planned to see if the man would recover, but a young woman's healing ritual seemed to answer that question. Matthias was long gone, having slipped out perhaps to rejoin that small woman they met earlier. That much didn't surprise him, considering how many people seemed to be crowding around the room, which was growing a little warm for his tastes. He followed suit, excusing himself through the nearest door into a dark-wooded smoking room of indeterminable scent- he passed it up -and through yet another doorway into what seemed to be an art gallery.

Alone at last with his thoughts, he perused the works blankly, then settled on a particular sculpture. It was small, like a knickknack for the mantle, depicting a young woman with butterfly wings kneeling atop a flower in glossy, slate-colored clay. The interior of her wings was done in veined, broken pieces of glass arranged meticulously to fit together, but what seemed to truly hold him there was four small, engraved letters on a petal, tinted ever so slightly purple.

'IMMY'.

The artist's signature of Elijah Cline, the young man whose bright smile would someday be Ryu's undoing. He was absolutely sure of it, and could not fathom how Ryu hadn't picked up on some of his 'tells'. Nevertheless, Sora did not necessarily feel the need to notify his brother of these tells, for exactly the reason why Elijah himself wouldn't- 'politics eats your soul'.

[parlor > entry hall > library]

Matthias had slipped out just as another slid their way in, just in time before he would feel the combined heady scents of multiple bodies and their breaths. He began to head out to the cellar to rejoin Alice, but the Chancellor wasn't agreeing.

"Matt?"

He stopped where he stood as Ryu began to descend the stairs with an almost regal slowness, keeping a wrinkled hand on the banister. "I was about to get a snack for Ran, maybe get some oolong for myself. Care to join us?"

A pot of Earl Grey sounded good, but Matthias saw few conceivable ways out. He should have followed Sora, but no. He had to take the nearest entrance all because of that... woman in there who was making him feel more than uneasy.

"Sure," he replied, taking care not to make eye contact.

"Good." Ryu smiled, more for others than Matthias, then turned towards what looked like a library or study. When he noticed the little girl about to leave, he could see it already, Ran being forcibly removed from his shoulders for head scratches. Nevertheless, he entered anyways, his bodyguard waiting behind him.

edited 17th Feb '13 10:25:16 AM by CrystalGlacia

[Wine Cellar]

"Alright," Alice said, digging through the bottles. "Ooh, perfect, motherfuckin' mead. Don't let Gaiman tell you otherwise, this stuff's awesome." She pulled out a bottle of mead, and poured it into a clean stein as a drones scurried off with her previous one. "So, Corroscope?"

[Parlor]

Irilemi flinched slightly — inadvertantly or not, Agustin had struck a nerve. "What you say about power making one a creature of tradition is more true than you yourself might even know." Her previous expression of unyielding defiance wavered, though only for an instant. "The god of our land, once a revolutionary against a corrupt and exploitative order, is now a particularly heinous example of this." She sighed. "I wonder how I shall feel when I watch my inspiration die at the hands of my own revolution... although in a way, the Amu whose deeds I honor died long ago, leaving only something wrong behind."

She bit her tongue before she said any more, however — telling this stranger about the turmoil within her revolution would do her no good. Instead, her demeanor snapped back to its previous cool, and she said, "I shall feel nothing, I think. I won't have time to: no revolution ends just because the older order is dethroned."

[Library]

Samira glanced with surprise at Matt as he entered the library. She felt a twinge of familiarity, but couldn't be sure. Like a vision from a dream, memories seemed to float just out of reach. "I..." she tapped her forehead. "I realize this is a strange question to ask, but my memory's getting a bit cloudy in my old age. Have we met?"

edited 17th Feb '13 12:56:23 PM by KillerClowns

Library

Anne glanced at Samira and Sven after Tamara's decision, expecting some sort of response from them. When none came, she shrugged and turned back towards Tamara. "Okay then. The theater it is," she said.

Just as she got up, a pair of newcomers entered the library. Once again, Anne started worrying about their reactions to her. Granted, both of them looked rather harmless, and the fact that Samira apparently recognized one of them just helped to reinforce that impression. But she couldn't help but be apprehensive all the same.

"Hey," she said to Samira and Sven, "I think we're ready to head down to the theater. Are you coming along or not?"

Grimhilde glanced around the dining room for a few moments before settling on a seat that, while close to the kitchen, was also a good distance away from the other occupants. She just got done dealing with one moron; she didn't want to waste her time with others. With any luck, their reactions to her would be much more proper than that woman's.

Before too long, the mechanical waiters brought out her dinner, which looked exactly like the ones prepared by her own cooks. Grimhilde sampled the meal, and concluded that the contraptions were just as good, if not better than, human cooks. She then started eating, making a mental note to see to it that the owner had properly prepared for her.

[Wine Cellar]

"Okay, here's a few entries."

Frank opened the book and began reading.

• March 5th. 7:57 AM
  • Today I decided to travel to the kingdom of Corroscopes, for treasure and stuff.

• March 5th. 8:36 AM
  • I arrived at Corroscope. I realized I should try to blend in with the locals, so I donned the persona of Esquire Blanc, Jolly Bard. I got some purple bard clothes and a lute with spikes on it.

• March 5th. 8:42 AM
  • A little girl called me "Pig Pen", so I threw her down a well.

• March 5th. 8:59 AM
  • I strolled into a local tavern to wet my whistle. The bartender asked who I was, so I did an elaborate 2 minute musical number about who I was.

• March 5th. 9:10 AM
  • An ogre challanged me to a drinking contest. I subtly tampered with his drinks by knocking him unconcious with my spike-lute.

• March 5th. 9:35 AM
  • I checked out Ye Olde Potion Shop to see if there was anything worth purchasing. There wasn't, but there was a lot worth stealing.

• March 5th. 11:12 AM
  • I did some street performing in town square. I got about $250 and a beaver's liver.

• March 5th. 2:50 PM
  • I headed out into the local woods for some monster fighting.

• March 5th. 4:50 PM
  • I looted a bunch of corpes in the forest.

• March 5th. 6:48 PM
  • I went into the restaraunt for dinner. I had boiled cyclops eye and pie.

• March 5th. 8:56 PM
  • I bathed myself in the fountain. Everybody seemed to be grossed out by this.

• March 5th. 10:35 PM
  • Feeling tired, I settled in an uninhabited house for the night

• March 6th. 6:34 AM
  • I awoke to screaming. Turns out that house wasn't inhabited.

Frank closed the book. "So, what did you think?"

edited 17th Feb '13 11:03:21 AM by BiggerBen

[library]

Met before? Matthias tilted his head. Then again, her energy signature seemed vaguely familiar... But... how? That was years ago, at least.

"Does a... greenhouse sound familiar to you?"

Ryu stepped to the side, leisurely scanning over the people in the room. A large, Kunstler-sized man, an old, scarred woman who apparently recognized Matt somehow, a small girl around Daisuke's age, and a young, fearful woman who seemed to be afflicted with some kind of magicked plague, or perhaps a botched necromancy attempt. He was disgusted and a tad disturbed, but merely smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. It was his cat who seemed startled, carefully shifting her weight atop his shoulders as she stared at Anne, wide-eyed and even more unblinking than usual.

edited 17th Feb '13 5:49:31 PM by CrystalGlacia