"I don't like seafood much, so no. I can't understand how you like it, but whatever."
-looks over to his kitchen to see if his food is ready-
"When did you get here?"

The Copper Grill

Alphonse had finished chopping the grilled cabbage and was putting it on the plate with the other grilled vegetable, sliced cauliflower. He then put some glazed onion pieces over the vegetables and the tender slices of beef. Looking up to take a five second break, Alphonse saw the customer was looking impatient and decided for once he would forgo the herbs.

He quickly put the finishing touches on the dish, scurried out of the kitchen and put it on the table. "And done. Here you go!" Walking over to Aicha, he picked up the book and muttered, "So, uh, are they actually real?"

edited 21st Mar '16 2:02:24 AM by Nouct

Hirane - Shrine of Restoration

For a while, the only sign that there was anyone in the shrine was a small sign hanging on the altar, saying: "The healer will be with you shortly. Please wait." Aside from that, all was quiet. Then, all of a sudden, Abigail appeared as she opened her black cloak and stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm terribly sorry for your wait. I was in the middle of a prayer to the Aspect of Shadows."

The Aspect of Shadows was a very popular deity among the adventurers that relied on sneaking and surprise, thus Abigail had to refresh her blessings of that Aspect every other day. It required the cleric to fully immerse themselves in shadow at the time the shadows grew longest, and during the ritual, the cleric was completely invisible.

So to the dwarf, it would seem as if Abigail had suddenly appeared from what had previously been an empty corner of the shrine. The priestess shot glances at the four-antlered deer while packing away the cloak.

"Now, that is an excellent offering you have secured. Thank you very much for your help. I am sure Lady Kactia will be pleased."

Abigail took out a small pouch of coins and gave it to the dwarf hunter.

"That is all the money I can offer you, I'm afraid. But as I promised, you may request any blessing or boon within my power for free, friend."

However, what Abigail had not realized at this point was that her headwrap had come undone slightly while taking off the cloak, and the tell-tale horns of a Fallen were peeking out in plain view as well as a tuft of flame-red hair.

edited 21st Mar '16 4:18:17 PM by Lemurian

-Aldivn takes some of the onions and slice of meat and eats it-
"This is -chews- really good! I need to come here more often!" -takes a bite of the cabbage-

Charging Bear Inn

The idea of Magnus' or his adjutant being forced into reinstatement was met with cries of displeasure. Few of them had complaints against Ironclaw (on the contrary, she commanded respect even amongst the guards not under her purview) or Grobhush, but still their loyalty was to their own squadron. It was unreasonable that either of them may be forced to leave, and for such an unfair reason to boot.

"I'm sure we're all professional enough to keep our work ethic strong, but behind the scenes? You think Ironclaw is prepared to deal with someone like Beaumont?" Callaghan was all prepared for Emery to agree, and was already formulating her next speech in preparation for it. So she was taken by surprise when only silence met her. "Beaumont? Beau- where has that blasted girl gone now?"

Khaled's Pawn Shop

"How bold of you to attempt thievery while right under the nose of the Heavy Guard."

Emery followed Fay into the shop, her expression unreadable. She made herself comfortable against the wall and scrutinised the pickpocket.

"And just your luck that one of those guards happens to know a thing or two about trickery and misdirection."

"Oh! Hi miss. I'm almost offended. Attempt thievery!? I go so far past attempt that that hurt, miss. You wound me. Besides, does that really matter? Plenty of those adventurers need taking down a peg or two."

While she spoke, Fay made her way slowly towards the door, and smiled at Emery, and then dropped the sword and ran away through the door, ducking into a back alley.

The Copper Grill

"Glad you like it," Alphonse said. He decided to step outside for a minute to greet potential customers. He looked at the list of requests that he had nailed to the wall and sighed. He hoped an adventurer or someone who had the things he needed had noticed it.

Khaled's Pawn Shop -> Hirane Streets

"And you think the best way to issue karma is to drop yourself to the level of a common thug? Kinder people have been arrested for less..." And she was gone. Emery marched over and retrieved the sword from the ground, lashing it to the side of her that didn't hold her own weapon.

Her armour weighed her down, and she felt sluggish after her meal, but still Emery followed after the sound of footsteps. The likelihood of success had no bearing on her duties as a guard.

That guard was still following her. Fay twisted and turned in some back alleys, then found her way to the crowd in front of the Monmoth and camoflaged herself.

"Common thug? Hah! I'm so much better than a common thug."

Hirane, The Copper Grill

Aicha closed the book and turned to Alphonse "I'm no expert, but some look actually tasty... personally I don't like rats but maybe others do." She shivered on the thought of eating a rat. After that she turned around to the new customer looking if he maybe wanted to talk a bit.

Hirane, Charging Bear Inn

"Behind the scenes? I don't think anyone - including me - is able to properly put up with Em-" He saw that Emery followed the person that shortly peeked in now there were two possibilities, either she reckognized him as a personal aquaintance of hers or a thief, he only saw the person on the corner of his eyes so he hadn't reckognized the face. At this time his adjutant spoke up herself "It wouldn't be a problem for me, Grobhush and I sparred together in the past." The Dragonkin said "If its for the greater good I'll do my share. It will only be temporary I assure you."

Hirane, Temple District, Shrine of Restoration

The dwarf looked as the priestress suddenly emerged from the shadows. Curiously she yed the horns "A Fallen priestress? Aye, times sure change." She crackled a bit at her own 'joke' "As to me boon, I'd like to find more of me magic loot in the Dungeon. Magic loot can be sold much better than normal loot."

edited 24th Mar '16 6:00:23 AM by Sergey_Smirnov

Hirane Streets -> Monmoth

Emery knew Hirane like the back of her hand, so following Fay through the winding back alleys wasn't a problem- though, like she feared, she wasn't quick enough to keep the girl in her sights. She emerged into the Monmoth crowd with little idea as to where Fay could be.

This was far more trouble than it was worth... She exhaled, and put the thought away. She could gripe about it later. For now she entered into the crowd, one hand cupped around her mouth.

"Attention, civilians! A thief has entered your midst! Exercise due diligence, and disperse yourselves so that she may not use you to escape!"

The crowd was too large for the words of a single person to encompass all of it, but most of those who did hear were quick to follow Emery's order. Some because they respected the guard, and others because they feared for the safety of their possessions. Emery marched through the widening gaps, eyes on sharp lookout for Fay.

Charging Bear Inn

"By the gods, I've met children who were less of a hassle..." Callaghan's words lacked the edge of someone who was truly irate. It wasn't like Emery's sudden deperature was a surprise, after all.

The other guards were more focused on the situation at hand. Some of them still grumbled at the unjustness caused by the upcoming conflict, but for the most part they recognised that they would just need to deal with the hand they'd been dealt.

"If we're fortunate," said one of them, "then a shifting of the guards will be the most of our hassles. Let us work hard to protect the civilians from such troubles."

The crowd was dispersing.

"Dammit, why is she so persistent? "

Fay walkef through the crowd, pickpocketing here and there. She then move with the rest of the crowd, until she reached another alley, amd then she took off.

"It really would be a shame. People in this city seem so accepting, normally" Cecilia said, a bit somberly. "The diversity here has been amazing; so many people of different races and backgrounds, and even ages" she went on, gazing out the window for a moment with a bit of a daydreamish expression that wasn't entirely faked.

"Why, just last month I had a demon adventurer in here who talked about serving in the war between Demonia and Avalon two hundred years ago!" Cecilia mentioned with an entirely faked bit of enthusiasm. It was a lie, mostly; there was such a demon in the inn last month, but he had not spoken of the war. In fact he hadn't talked much during his stay at all, but Cecilia, or rather Ysersya, recognized him as one of her lieutenants. Thankfully he hadn't seen through her disguise, or if he had, managed to hide it in a perfect poker face; she didn't want him to know it was her anyway. Although, she was intensely curious about what had happened in her homeland since and why he was here in Hirane as an adventurer; he was still using the clan name, so it seemed he had not been disgraced and exiled like she was. But risking everything to ask him... It didn't seem worth it. Not yet.

"Two hundred years... It truly is a wonder" Cecilia muttered, covertly gauging the responses of the guards at the news of a demon involved in that war having been in town. A wonder that I've lived for this long without someone finding out who I am and killing me she thought to herself.

Charging Bear Inn

"A Fallen One visiting our city?" One of the guards, a boorish-looking half-elf, sighed to himself. "What if there's more of them? To think we have to worry about that on top of everything else..."

"Come off it, Valmir." Augustus pointed his ale glass towards Cecilia. "The lady speaks sense. We should be celebrating diversity, especially with the situation as it is."

"Quite easy for you to say when you know nought of your own history. My relatives served in the Demo-Avalon war, and the effects of that have affected our family to this day."

Augustus rolled his eyes, and when Valmir's back was turned he spoke in a quieter voice to Cecilia. "Never mind the codger. He's had that frown on his face since his mother birthed him."

Hirane Streets

The owners of the picked pockets were on high alert due to Emery's words, and so were quick to discover that their goods were missing. Emery followed their cries of shock until she caught sight of the Nightwalker again, and pursued her back into Hirane's alleyways.

"The more you prolong this game of cat-and-mouse, the less willing I am to let you off with a mere warning." Putting on an extra burst of speed, she got close enough to attempt to grab Fay by the scruff of her neck.

Fei ducked the attempt, but nearly ran into a wall.

"How does she never give up?!"

She turned around, winked at Emery, and ducked into another alleyway. She then, through use of a convaluted set of acrobatics, fod her way onto a rooftop, and began to free run across the rooftops of Hirane.

"Well, for what it's worth I considered reporting him, but I wasn't actually sure what I'd be reporting him for; and I didn't have any proof besides" Cecilia admitted, a bit sheepishly. It was true that short of revealing herself as Ysersya, it would've just been her word against his; and doing that would've defeated the purpose of all the hiding she'd done so far.

What bothered her more though was what the guard Valmir said about the effects still being felt on his family. Even two hundred years was not enough for the wounds to fully heal, but when talking about races like elves perhaps that was a given.

Hirane - Shrine of Restoration

The dwarf's comment made Abigail quickly reach up to confirm that her headwrap had been messed up, and she smiled sheepishly. Thankfully, the huntress didn't seem to mind, so Abigail didn't try to cover it up again. People were so much more open-minded here, Abigail thought to herself. Coming to Hirane had been the right choice.

"More magic loot? Certainly! I shall bestow upon you the Blessings of Owesis, God of Wealth."

To a student of theological matters, Owesis was an interesting study indeed. For a long time, he had been very obscure deity, worshipped only by certain wealthy families and certain very successful merchants. The core of the matter was that Owesis didn't grant wealth, expecting every person to strive for his or her own fortune. Neither did he give any particular boon to those already rich.

So, it wasn't until quite recently that it was discovered what Owesis could offer for adventurers, "of all people" like Abigail's old lecturer used to say. It was only a happy coincidence that lead an adventurer Cleric to realize that while Owesis certainly did not increase the personal wealth of monsters or help detect treasure in any way, the quality of the treasures discovered was noticeably higher for an adventurer carrying Owesis' blessing than other adventurers in the same situation. After a period of extensive testing, theologicians and clerics concluded that this was indeed the influence of Owesis, and the formerly obscure deity's popularity soon soared within the adventuring community.

As a result, the Blessings of Owesis was a blessing in high demand. It was not for the first time today that Abigail took the Shrine's official cashbox (a symbolic one did not work), and carried it before the statue of Owesis alongside the right wall of the Shrine. Pictured as a proud man, Owesis' was a deity of strong features and piercing eyes, and with a victorious smile. Icons of Owesis had to be replaced quite often, as he demanded to be shown with the latest and wealthiest of fashions.

"Oh, Owesis, God of Wealth, I call upon thee," Abigail said, opening the cashbox and stirring the mass of coins with a noticeable clir of wealth. "I beseech thee, master of coins, lord of treasure. Let thine gift of providence be granted upon this brave adventurer, so that her personal wealth be boosted as she pursues her own fortune."

Compared to most prayers, Owesis' was very straight-forward and some might say blunt. But then again, he was quite an honest god, who did not call it greed to wish wealth upon oneself. This made work easy for the priests and clerics as well, although he never otherwise smiled upon them personally.

A faint golden glow shone upon Abigail, and she turned to the dwarf hunter. Holding the dwarf's hands in her own, the huntress' hands shone for a moment before the aura faded from the two of them. "The golden touch", some adventurers called it jokingly.

"The Blessings of Owesis are with you. May they bring you good fortune and prosperity. Are there any other services I may offer you?"

Hirane, The Copper Grill

Nothing right now

Hirane, Charging Bear Inn

Magnus looked at Cecilia "And that is good this way, even in a place like this, racial tensions can get high, reporting somebody merely because of race is something I can't support in any form, neither as captain of the guards nor as a person." He made a little side glance to Valmir "Eventhough my own ancestors had some pretty hard experiences with Orcs, I hold no hard feelings for them."

Hirane, Temple District, Shrine of Restoration

The small ranger looked to the priestress "No, I already have treated me wounds from this trip." She smirked, clearly satisfied with how things turned out "But thanks. I think me crossbow and I will go on another trip today. If youhave another quest, me bow and I will be happy to help."

edited 30th Mar '16 11:46:20 PM by Sergey_Smirnov

Hirane Streets

Emery barely withheld a curse as Fey leapt up and out of her reach. She followed the girl as best as she could on ground, but at this rate she was quickly going to lose the thief. Turning into another alley, she found the solution in an orc that had just exited out the backdoor of a building.

"Hail, citizen!" The orc dutifully paused at the sound of an approaching soldier. What he likely wasn't expecting was for Emery to leap up and onto his back, using him as a springboard to reach the rooftops. By the time he had recovered and started throwing out obscenities she was gone, hot on Fey's trail again.

Hirane Rooftops

When Fei saw Emery still managing to follow her she muttered obscenities, before a thought occured to her. Checking how far the guard was behind her, she stopped very briefly, and dropped half of her pickpocketed gains, before running off again.

The Copper Grill

Alphonse was surveying the passing people to see if anyone would take a look at his restaurant. He was beginning to consider just shouting everything that he wanted to the city when he heard some kind of ruckus above him. He looked up at the buildings but he couldn't see where it came from. Alphonse walked back inside and pointing to the ceiling, he asked the two, "Did you hear any kind of noise from there?"

Hirane Central Bank, Third Office

Bramwell's stomach rumbled quietly. He tried to ignore it while waiting for the client to finish filling out the form and deposit the money. While still looking at the client, his hands began to reach down into a drawer and paw around for something that resembled food.

edited 31st Mar '16 5:28:00 AM by Nouct

"Yeah, sounded like some people are on the roof"
He finishes his meal
"I'll go check to see what's happening" he says as he walks outside.

The Copper Grill

"Hey you need to pay for that if you're going to leave!" Alphonse said pointing at the finished meal, putting his other hand on the leaving customer's shoulder.

"Oh yeah! Sorry, I can be forgetful sometimes."
He reaches inside his pocket and pulls out some money
"How much was it?"

"That is, good to know" Cecilia said to Magnus, sincerely though still with a bit of hesitation. Subconsciously, she drifted one hand to her necklace and gripped it, before it had any bright ideas of suddenly jumping off her neck. There might not be a problem with her being a demon in Hirane, but there would still be problems with her being identified as Ysersya here.

"I'm afraid that I can't help much, but my inn is always open if you need to stop by" Cecilia offered to the guards apologetically.