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The sun rises on the 17th day of November, its light peeking from behind a nearby tree over the camp's emplacements and facilities and illuminating an extinguished campfire from a previous night. This region of Leifhrwyn, although flat in places, is primarily hill-covered, with various shrubbery and trees being the main foliage, though at this time of year their growth has long since stopped, beginning to sleep for the long winter ahead.

There's one or two towns near where the camp has settled down at, and the only activity of note is a nameless trader having passed by the camp earlier, more than likely off to peddle overpriced wares to unfortunate travellers.

Alessa was already up at dawn, having finished her morning routine of combat drills and exercises. She was finishing wrapping the heavy scarf she usually wore around her neck. She hated how early it was, and how she was awake, but she stubbornly woke before dawn daily. Still, she could only hope that there was still coffee. Belting her sword to her hip, she stood from the fallen log she was using as an impromptu bench, heading for the mess tent of the camp.

Arrived there, her worst fears were realized. They were out of coffee. With a long groan, she sighed. "Fuck."

It was going to be a long, miserable day.

Cyric had risen from his bed before the sun rose so that he could hunt down some meat for his wyvern Vega as she would be in a bad mood if he didn't get the food in time. Holding a large bird in each hand he headed for the stable where the various mounts used by the mercenary band were kept. Once inside he headed for Vega's stall, who upon seeing what was brought for her rushed up to the gate and began yelling at him as if imploring him to hurry and get the birds into her mouth.

Once he was close enough he threw first one and then the other into her mouth and as she was crunching down on the second bird he said to her, "Ready for the day ahead Vega?" At the nod from her, he headed into her stall and grabbing her harness began strapping it down on her back. Once the last strap had been tightened the wyvern and her rider headed out for some early morning training.

Silver Falcon Mercenary Camp - Dawn

One of the many tents in the camp belonged to Freiherr Roderick von Finsterwalde and his personal bodyguard Kokoro Watanabe. The latter of which was currently preparing food for the two of them while her Lord trained. And, even though Kokoro was currently busy with cooking, she still watched Roderick, and she wasn't hiding that fact. In time, she maybe would come to trust her comrades here, and for most intends and purposes, she did already - though Roderick's safety was the one thing she'd never leave to chance.

Though, apart from that, she so far had made sure to, if not become friends, at least remain on somewhat amicable terms with the other mercenaries, as such, she was always eager to talk with her comrades - admittingly that also stemed from her more or less complete and utter lack of understanding of the local culture - something she wanted to change as soon as possible.

Anyone passing by Kokoro would instantly recognise the mechanist, after all, after having lost both her legs, she had replaced basically her whole lower body with a mechanical contraption. Smooth hardened porcelain and wood covering over a delicate internal structure, cogs numbering in the thousands - maybe even tens of thousands - alongside countless strings acting as mechanical muscles for her.

A Few Weeks Ago...

6 AM, Fort on the Eastern Northland Coast

The morning sun shone through the window of the fort's imperial bedchamber. This caused its inhabitants, a male and a female both with the same hair color of silver and the same height to wake up. A knock was heard on the door. "Who is it?" The male asked as he put his glasses on. "It's Evie, Prince Matthew." The person on the other side of the door replied. "Do come in." The prince responded as he unlocked the door. It opened, revealing a slightly older girl in blue with chocolate brown hair in a ponytail and brilliant blue eyes. She was carrying a tray full of food. "Here's your breakfast, milord!" Evie announced. Matthew took the tray from her and nudged to his bedmate. She nodded and they began to eat. "So, what are your plans for today?" Evie asked her liege. He dipped the bread in the cup of chocolate-infused milk and took a bite of the soaked bread. After munching on it, he began to reply. "Well, it's been roughly a week since we took over this pirate fort and set up the greenhouse. The crops should be ready to harvest for now. Tell the workers to start harvesting, I guess. I've a feeling the cacao trees we imported from home would provide crucial luxury goods for the Northlands in the form of cocoa." "And what do we do once the crops are harvested?" The prince's Imperial Guard asked. "Well, we'll set aside half of our harvest for ourselves, then set up merchant stalls in the courtyard to sell some of the goods, then send out traveling merchants with the rest of it to spread the word that Fort Selenia is open for business!" "Fort Selenia? I admit, that has a nice ring to it." The girl next to him on the bed commented. "Indeed it is, Melina. I myself will oversee the traveling merchant operations, maybe open up diplomatic relations along the way." The prince said as he and Melina finished their meal. "I have a feeling this is the start of something big!"

Edited by PurpleMage555 on Jan 30th 2020 at 11:35:42 PM

In a much less noble and refined tent, the mercenary company's other Lord was hungrily scarfing down breakfast. Hadri had slept like a log but it wouldn't change the deep circles under her eyes, like she'd been punched. The raccoon ears sitting atop her head were up and alert though, fully awake. They were even lightly accented with a pair of ear brackets. She made a point of setting herself a budget, so that she could hoard what loot she could, but that budget certainly allowed for the Food Crime that was her breakfast: sliced ham placed inside a loaf of bread sliced lengthwise to serve as a bun. She growled and snorted while she ate, but then forced herself into an almost dissociative shift after eating: she was a Lord after all!

She emerged a few minutes later to see their wyvern scarfing down a bird just the same as she had. She waved and surveyed the camp, trying to stand up straight. She had herself fully geared, with her hammer, a full noble's cape, and a belted tunic that she thought complimented her chunky, curvy form, even if it wasn't as fancy as what the "real" nobles had. She felt good about today, and it started with a good cup of coffee.

She called out, "Anyone got coffee made yet?"

Mercenary Camp

-Of course, Nyx Branwen was up early as usual, sparring with imaginary enemies in a empty patch of grass.-

-She pauses to swipe some sweat from her brow. Nyx is striking, of course. There's a certain...sharpness to her looks. Jet black hair cut short except for the bangs, a fringe dangling over her right eye. Pale white skin, scarcely darker than albaster. Stormy blue eyes, gray swirling within them. Scars dot cover her face, notably a diagonal scar on her left eye and a small vertical one on her lip. Earrings of all sort. Her muscular, athletic body is encased in dark leather armor, accented with purple trim and crimson metal. A black hooded cloak completes the look, hood down. The hilt of her mechanical sword pokes out from the small of her back.-

Nyx: "We're out. I was about to head into town to pick some up."

Outside one of the tents, a pointy-eared, white-haired young man in white robes is milling about nervously. He seems nervous, but also like that general state of nervousness is a normal thing for him.

He hears Alessa's "fuck" from nearby and approaches. "What's wrong?"

Alessa glanced up from the empty container of coffee beans at the sound of someone talking to her. She angled the container so he could see inside it, revealing a distinct lack of coffee. "That," she stated flatly. "That is the problem." Alessa was definitely irritated. Even beyond the fact that her morning coffee was unavailable, there was the matter of the logistical failure that had led to this. In a profession where logistics could mean the difference between life and death, it was inexcusable.

... But mostly it was the fact that she couldn't have her morning coffee.

The Selenian prince was already inside the mess tent when Alessa arrived, munching on some bread dipped in chocolate milk like he did weeks ago. Melina was outside, practicing her combat skills. He and his two companions (Melina and Evie) were originally on an economic mission, and after successfully establishing relations with the locals in the Northlands, they were advised to head south for more business opportunities. And somehow, Matthew and his allies found themselves traveling with a mercenary company, while Fort Selenia was left in the care of a trusted lieutenant. Traveling with them ensured their safety, as long as they did their part around the camp and in combat. This allowed them to be able to spread the word about Fort Selenia more safely. Matthew heard the commotion about the empty coffee jar, and spoke up. "Well, if you need a substitute, I can spare some of my personal cocoa supply."

Sigmund peered at the container quizzically. It took a few seconds for him to process, but when he did, his expression was dire.

"Oh. Oh, uh, I can see why you're angry... Where do we get replacements?"

And then suddenly Matthew.

"Could work?"

Edited by Umbramatic on Jan 30th 2020 at 11:10:56 AM

From where he's standing the others can hear Cyric say, "Cocoa won't do much for what she's complaining about, coffee and cocoa are both bitter but only coffee has the kick to wake you up quickly. Still, how could we have run out of coffee is the thing, Anna was here for a while so we could have bought it from her, even if her prices are a bit higher than what you'd be offered in town"

Small Town, Adtriyn.

Stepping out of the tavern and giving his arms and legs another stretch, Fel stifled a yawn. It had been a tiring night in dealing with the drunken ramblings of the few patrons that were present, yet without those several cups of mead, they would've thought twice about what they said.

...Not an ideal way of getting information...a bit too pricey, but I 'spose it did at least fill in a few of the gaps. We might just have a job or two...provided it's not just the Mayor being as paranoid as people have been saying.

Still, for them to sound unconcerned with even the slightest mention of a rumor that the Empire possibly planning to expand, at least one town in this part of Leifhrwyn had to be at least somewhat concerned.

Giving a sigh, he swiped an apple from a fruit stall in the town square with one hand and flicked a gold coin in the shopkeep's direction.

...And looking somewhat sheepish as he had to pick the coin off the ground and it hand it to the old man instead. Either way, it was just a matter of waiting now, he'd look rather foolish if he went back to camp and found they'd already left.

"Well, I've had my breakfast already." Hadri said, and thumped the safe end of her hammer down on the ground. "I don't recall hearing anything about orders for the day or anything, so how about we go into town to pick up some coffee on the company dime?"

Hadri couldn't spend her own money, but the company coffers were a different matter entirely, and she smiled at that. "This company is so loaded with nobility that I'd be comfortable rolling the dice that one of us had a claim on that town too, so we might be able to just get it for free."

Sigmund ran over several possibilities in his head, his face kind of going into a pensive expression. Finally he settled on one.

"Did... Someone... Steal coffee?"

He hears Hadri and Cyric and nods. "We can just buy more yeah!"

Edited by Umbramatic on Jan 30th 2020 at 11:34:31 AM

Dawn- Slightly Outside Camp

Business in town hadn't been so great for Adia. Maybe it was because she looked very suspicious, what with her eyepatch, ratty clothing, and general Odd Vibes. Some towns just didn't like the whole "mysterious salesperson" schtick, after all. Or maybe the townspeople here were just allergic to good deals.

.. Nah it was probably that first thing.

Well, whatever it was, the news of a nearby mercenary encampment gave Adia hope. Those places were always in need of supplies right? If she could get herself attached to them, she could be quickly on her way to paying off her "benefactor"...

She passes the crest of a hill and waves her arms at the camp, hopefully getting someone's attention.

Matthew exits the mess tent and notices Adia waving her arms. "Hey, a person!" He then runs up to her and asks, "Are you a merchant who has any coffee, perhaps?"

The offer from the young prince from some other continent elicited no more than an absolutely withering death glare from Alessa. The wyvern rider voiced her retort in a far more diplomatic manner than she would have. Well, Hadri had a point. The only way to rectify the situation was, indeed, to venture into town and acquire coffee. With a longing sigh, she set down the empty coffee can, adjusting her scarf. Perhaps it would be time to start keeping her own personal emergency stash for situations like this again. It was a shame, too. The company's bookkeeper had seemed so reliable.

She turned and nodded at Hadri. "None were impressed onto me, either. Into town, then."

Small Town, Adtriyn

"Hey, hey!"

While the call itself could've been meant for anyone, the hefty footfall approaching Fel would tell him that the greeting had been meant for him. Traipsing up to him was an ox of a woman, with muscles that'd make a grown man weep, clad in leather and pelts so thick they could rival iron. Though her appearance was rugged and untamed, her emerald eyes glinted with warmth, a crooked smile adorning her lips as she attempted to bring her hand down on Fel's head- should she be successful, then she'd give his hair a friendly tousle (albeit with the vigour of a starved wolf digging into meat).

"You're the fella from last night, yeah? The one that came in with that band of mercs." While Bryn was confident that she had the right man, there was still room for doubt- her memory was hazy from drinking half the patrons under the table, after all. She still had the splitting hangover to prove it, but the world didn't need to know of that, so no sign of pain graced her features. "As luck would have it, I've been searching around for a group of fine folks to lend my services to. Don't suppose you have room for a Shairin gal and her muscles, hmm?"

Fel was thankful he hadn't turned around when Bryn had ruffled up his hair. Partially out of embarrasment that his face burnt a slight shade of red, but also from annoyance considering if he were slightly more awake, he wouldn't have been caught off-guard as he eventually turned around to give a small smile.

...The woman seemed friendly enough and considering a simple glance at her was enough to realize she could easily crush him, Fel decided it'd be best to keep things that way. Hell, she'd probably give Hadri a run for her money when it came to physical strength, so it made sense she wanted to pick an occupation where she could use it.

But he wasn't exactly going to give the game away on why he was even in town, but then again, he didn't need to flat out lie either. Not to mention it wasn't exactly his place to make the decision when it came to who'd be permitted to join the group.

"I dunno if I'd call some of 'em mercs. The ones who stuck around for the most part just rowdy drunks that couldn't hold their liquor. ...One or two aside, that is. And I ain't really sure what to make of those that left before the drinking started beyond that I owe one of 'em gold. N-Not enough that it'll lead to a fight mind you, so don't worry." Fel nodded, grabbing a small bag of coins...and one filled with coffee beans out of his pack.

"Anyway, I'm sure they'll all be coming to collect some time this morning, so I 'spose if you wanna stick around and find out who they are for yourself, I'm not gonna stop you." Fel gave a sincere grin.

Adia descends the hill a little more to meet up with Matt.

"Why yes, I am! And-.."

... Well, she was for the most part a medicine merchant. She did have coffee, but she'd bought it for herself. Then again, it was still mostly full. They prooobably wouldn't notice right?

"- Yes I do! I'm down to my last can, in fact."

"Yeah, sounds good, maybe..." Hadri was going to invite Matthew to come along to town with her and Alessa but the noble just turned and vanished out the tent without a moment's notice. She made a chattering noise in irritation.

"I was going to say we could bring Matthew," She said, "but the man decided to excuse us from his presence. Come on, let's go to town."

Hadri headed out of the tent and decided to not even bother with Matthew, who was now chatting up... some damn merchant. She called down the hill after him, "Hey! She have any coffee?"

Small Town, Adtriyn

Fel splitting the group down between drunks and teetotallers, and admitting he had history with one of the latter, drew a hearty laugh from Bryn, the mirth resounding from deep in her chest. It was a good answer, carried with it the promise of flavour, that which was lacking from the dour-faced men who were too focused on their work to trade camaraderie with their peers.

"Sounds like a fun time!" She held out a hand to the willowy man, her sun-kissed skin marred with calluses and scars. "The name's Bryn. I'd be mighty obliged to follow on your heels while we wait for your fellows. Y'got any business to handle round town? I'd be happy to help with it."

Edited by whizzerd on Jan 31st 2020 at 7:54:32 PM

A small figure, wrapped in an ornate blue robe with a silver lining, stands just outside the camp, seemingly looking around for something or someone in particular. The only facial features currently visible are rather-pale skin and light gray hair covering one eye, the other being a light blue, with the rest being hidden beneath the robe.

"..."

Judging from her lack of communication and the fact that she's visibly shaking in place, she seems nervous just being here, yet isn't sure where else to go.

Cyric seeing the curious sight of a robed figure looking around thought they were lost or just hadn't seen who they were looking for walks over to them and says, "Hello there is there anything I can help you with? If you're looking for someone who's part of the Silver Falcon I could point you in the right direction or provide an escort if that's more comfortable for you."