Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Secret Passage.
Keeping the lantern lit even with the few rays of sunlight shining down from above, Elliot looked around. Wasn't much of a safe-room with most stuff of interest being gone but the mural was...kinda interesting. THEN he finally noticed whatever invisible force or magic make it difficult to hold his rapier or buckler.
"This has got to be some joke at our expense. ...Or a trap." Elliot remarked, cringing from the sudden pressure.
It seemed somewhat unfair considering despite his inability to use magic that if whatever was happening turned out to be magic, he could still be effected by it...and with the voice from above, he felt the situation get somewhat worse.
He really didn't want to introduce himself to a voice from above. Sure, it couldn't be the thieves since the room wouldn't look so...abandoned and that they probably would've attacked them already rather than run off.
But the fact the rapier in his hand started to feel like it was like a warhammer carved out of lead which forced him to put the blade away while the buckler on his right arm made it difficult to keep holding up the lantern...best to hope that identifying himself and why they were there wouldn't lead to a fight.
...Did he mention Shard? He could probably introduce himself and he'd rather not have him get in trouble if things went poorly as the young man spoke to the voice above them.
"My name is Elliot Etirina, sir. I'm currently checking out a recent disappearance at a villager's request and this is where they've brought me."
...Well, he wasn't wrong.
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
The Light That Blinds
Shard
Shard gasped in excitement as the wall slid open, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Eeeeeeee we found a secret room!" he practically squealed, dashing through the newly created doorway—
—and skidding to a halt when a sudden weight pressed against him, trying to force him to the floor. Shard blinked, then looked over at Elliot. "Uh, you feel that?" Just like back in the forest...
A sudden shout from above caused him to jerk, looking up at the trapdoor in surprise. Whoever was demanding to know who was there...well, Elliot had already given his name, so Shard didn't see much of a problem with giving his.
"Shard Alegyris! I'm with him! Don't worry, we're just here to investigate some thieves!"
Edited by LilyTheLitten on Jan 20th 2021 at 3:57:00 AM
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Verona Auer
Verona felt like a fool for not having thought of it earlier. Etruria hadn't merely been abandoned; people didn't simply pack up and walk away from a place without provocation. It had been raided by Vandians. By her people.
‘Vandian dogs, murderers, raising their pathetic whelps on the remains of slaughter. Taught to fill your bloated bellies with the entrails of your betters!’
Verona, normally a perpetual motion machine of movement and expression, stilled utterly. Her face was, momentarily, expressionless as she looked sightlessly at their employer. Her imagination supplied a vivid picture of Etruria in flames, its people brutalized in every terrible way she’d ever read stories about.
‘Your idols, runt, are aberrations, sins against Menagerie itself!’
She wondered if the Bloodwinds had been to Etruria. She wondered if her parents had.
‘One day your kind will bleed just as they bled my brother.’
She had to clear her throat before she could speak again, and doing so snapped her out of the dark path her thoughts had led her down.
“Yes, we promise.”
Edited by furnacedoor on Jan 21st 2021 at 9:10:09 AM
Freana
By the time their client had sat down and bothered explaining things, Freana was busy twitching and shuffling her feet, looking over her shoulder like the powers that be would come down and smite her without a second thought. She couldn't stop thinking about how far this curse thing went. What if she stepped on someone's toes? Stole a loaf of bread when their backs were turned? Made them sad or anxious because she didn't give them the time of day?
Or if all the misfortune she brought upon others from her wheeling and dealing back home would strike her down in one big balance whammy?
The mere thought was enough to make her fur bristle.
But to anyone who knew a thing about her, it wasn't that hard to believe. She'd always put on a show of being the bold, daring rouge. One step ahead, always giving as good as she got. But the truth of it was...
No-one wants you.
No-one cares about you.
Everyone HATES you.
...she was one step away from coming apart at the seams.
But she had enough of her wits to try and do her damn job. She managed to pay attention to the important bits, even if she missed some of the details. "So, uh, you want us to go check out some old dump in the middle of nowhere and get your sister's ring back, right? Um, I mean, that's fine I guess? But if she really cared about it that much, wouldn't she have, uh, taken it with her? I mean, if I ever got something that precious, I'd keep it on my little finger at all times. But, ya know, that's just me?"
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Secret Passage.
Elliot looked somewhat perplexed at Shard's comment maybe it WAS a trap or curse considering the latter looked a little unsteady.
"Aside from how the rapier I brought with me feeling as heavy as greatsword that it'd that'd be better suited for Ms Freana, Ms Xera or even Lady Rothschilde...I don't feel or notice anything else out of the ordinary."
...Still, he had to ask. It WAS kinda noticeable after all.
"Are you going to be alright? You did kind of go from being really happy at this DID turn out to be a secret passage to, well, not so much..."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Breath of the Sun
Pick
"Understood." Pick said. "We will go to Etruria and retrieve this ring."
Upon realizing that none of his comrades had taken the offered coins, Pick scooped them up and slid them into his pocket, before focusing back on Lord Scaro. "If you would, please describe your family crest, so that we will know what ring to look for."
Noting Freana's question (and how abnormally meek she'd been since being cursed, which was something that probably need to be addressed, though Pick didn't know what to say to her) he turned slightly towards her for a moment. "I am assuming that she did not have time to properly pack her things, given the attack on the town."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Xera, Cathedral of Phiiren
Xera nodded, mentally noting down Lucius’ advice on dealing with the jellies.
“Sounds simple enough.”
Suddenly, the ground started rumbling under her feet. She moved closer to Zyan, waiting to see what happened next. Then she heard two of her classmates approaching their location.
"Shard, Elliot? I'm glad you two are alright. We are hunting jellies, so do be careful of them while you're here."
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Jan 23rd 2021 at 2:13:28 PM
The Light That Blinds
Shard
"Alright? Me?" Shard laughed, but it died out quickly. "I'm fine! No need to worry! I'm still your happy-go-lucky Shard! Everything's fine! Everything's..."
His voice trailed off, and he fell silent.
"You're not buying this at all, are you."
Shard sighed. "I'm...scared. It's silly, I know, but...it's dark, and quiet, and I shouldn't be scared because being scared isn't my thing and I didn't expect this to make me so...nervous."
He looked down at his shoes. "Sorry if I worried you."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Elliot.
"Oh? I do recall you mentioning that back at the Academy, Ms Xera. I hope the hunt's been going well so far! And don't worry, I don't think we've come across jelly-slimes down here!"
...He knew that was tempting fate, but best to make sure they were aware that the tunnel hadn't shown anything. ...Although if that was the case, where were the thieves?
And Shard...well, not quite the answer he was expecting. Okay, he WAS concerned but it was mostly why he asked if anything felt odd and his attitude towards the discovery abruptly changing as he went quiet. Didn't want others to overhear.
"Well, you did kind of go from eager to silent and asking if I felt something after we found this place. Hard not to notice. But being uneasy about the darkness and what could've been down here is understandable. If we didn't have the lantern, I would've been just as worried considering who knows what we could've run into."
For a few moments, Elliot was a little unsure on what to say before he lightly held one hand and lightly held Shard's to try and reassure him and give a friendly smile.
"It's alright, Shard. I'd be quite a horrible person, well, friend, if I didn't worry about you. And to be fair, never know what twists an adventure could bring, so I'll admit I've been nervous myself, especially considering it's our first adventure."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Up on Melancholy hill.
Zyan Zyat
Claws poised and at the ready, Zyan waited for the inevitable scrap to come to fruition...so imagine his surprise when the only thing that came back was the voice of some of his classmates. Wit a sigh, he sheathed his claws and cupped his mouth. "Shard! Elliot! Small world!" he laughed.
Turning to Lucius, he held up a hand. "no worries, they're friends of ours. They mean you no harm. Shoot if anything Shard should be worried more about being hurt down here." he chuckled that last part out quietly as to not offend similar parties.
Is it selfish that I'm happy as we pass the setting sun?
Cathedral of Phiiren
"Oh, friends of yours? Hmm, alright then. We might as well work together then."
Lucius walked to the center of cathedral's main hall, crouching down with his back to Xera and Zyanand placing one hand on the floor. A small ripple of force rumbled through the floor, with a loud clacking of wood rattling out from one corner of the room. Down below, a shower of dirt and dust fell from the ceiling, coating Shard and Elliot in a fine layer of it, while the trapdoor shook. Lucius stood up again, walking over to where the rattling came from, waving Xera and Zyan over.
"Hey, over here. There's something that's not quite like the floor over here. Your friends are beneath us, and if there's any way down it'd be here."
The guardsman got onto his knees, feeling around on the floor until his fingers eventually hooked onto something and, with a grunt of effort, pried the floor upwards, a giant trapdoor being pushed up against wall as the ancient metal hinges cried in protest. Light streamed into the underground room Shard and Elliot were in, and soon Lucius quickly clambered down the ladder, turning to face the two humans.
"Oh, humans. How'd you-Oh." A cursory glance past them answered his question, cutting him short.
The Poison Apple
"Oh yes, poor Erika. I'll forever miss her. I don't know why she decided to move out to the sticks. Always a bit...touched in the head, if you know what I mean. Sometimes she'd even forget I was her brother. It hurt me to find out she never kept any mementos of me. And yes, she didn't exactly have time to pack when the town came under attack."
Although his face spoke of sadness, his voice was...lacking. One would get the impression that he really couldn't care less, and his eyes were still as sharp as a hawk beneath the veneer of sadness.
"As for the crest...it should be a silver rod interlinked with a gold S, all on a piece of smooth jade. Now I have told you all that I know, let us take our leave. I look forward to seeing you all at a later time with my r- my sister's ring. Victoire, my things."
"Yes my lord."
Lord Scaro finished off the last few dregs of his meal and drink, hopping off his seat and hastily making his way to the door, his human manservant quickly following behind him with a few bags. Through the open doors, right as Decius and Victoire left, the figure of Rizilia stood, pushing past them in a hurry, heading straight for Freana. The goddess took a few deep breaths, steadying herself.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...have cursed you. I was angry and stressed and then you just spat in my face and I lost my temper and...I'm sorry. I went too far. I'm so used to just...smiting or cursing whoever offends me." The woman hung her head in shame, clumsily raising one hand and giving a snap of her fingers.
"Freana Gasdvur, you are free from my curse. However..."
Even as the finger snap echoed through reality, a wave of ethereal difference washing over Freana, the mark lit up in golden light. Instead of fading, however, it shifted and moved, one of the sides moving to become more weighted than the other. This time, there was no pain, but a feeling of bliss and euphoria passing through the wolf woman.
"I am a goddess of balance, and what I did was not an equal and just reaction. This small boon should make up for it. When the debt is paid, the mark shall fade. And consider it a small way of making up for some owed justice." Rizilia lifted her head ever so slightly, looking at Freana but avoiding eye contact, guilt reddening and creasing her face.
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Okay, Lord Scaro...~!” Sieglinde waved cheerily, waiting until he and his manservant had completely disappeared before quirking an eyebrow at the others.
“So. This ring-thing hasn't got anything to do with his sister, has it?
Two minutes before, she'd have considered this a bit of a leap. But his continued lack of passion and even him mentioning how ‘Erika’ apparently hadn't kept mementoes had furthered her suspicions. Of course, that incredibly blatant verbal slip he'd had hadn't exactly helped his case either, and she couldn't prevent an odd smile from creeping across her face. Ah well.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as naught but Rizilia hurried in, seeming to apologize to Freana in an awkward manner and allegedly turning her curse into a boon. Her absentminded smile becoming a grin, she flickered her eyes between the others before resting her cheek against her hand and looking at Rizilia thoughtfully—though it was as if she was more looking past her, as she was so distant in expression that it was like Rizilia wasn't even there.
“Looks like gods are only human too~! Or... not... human– you know what I mean! I think it's very brave of you to come back and reverse it, don't you guys?” she encouraged—though directed this more towards Freana, giving her a cautious expression as she did so. She hardly wanted her to keep a grudge up. Especially when it might result in a permanent curse.
“Maybe you can do some sorta breathing exercises next time! Slow, deep breaths whenever you get mad; count to ten? That's what Daddy does when he gets stressed~!” she suggested to Rizilia, her smile euphoric despite her gaze being directed god-knows-where. “Do gods breathe...? You could if you wanted to, right...~?”
Edited by Enirboreh on Jan 26th 2021 at 11:17:48 AM
bork
Freana
Just as Freana was ready to have a panic attack, in came Rizlia, red in the face as she waved her hands and made the curse go bye-bye. She still had the branding, but... it was different now. She wasn't sure how, but she could tell. She was filled with bliss and euphoria, brimming with confidence that she hadn't felt since... what, half an hour ago?
But even if the curse hadn't lasted longer than a puppet show, it had done a number on her. It didn't matter if it was gone. Didn't matter how long it lasted. Didn't even matter if it was real. Because it had put her through hell. And made her think about things she'd rather forget.
Everyone HATES you.
Plus that branding was still there. She didn't care if was it supposed to be a good thing or not. The last thing she wanted was even a trace of what that demon put her though. But if she learned anything, it was that Gods were very, very real, very dangerous, and very prone to fucking you over if they so much as looked at you funny.
So she didn't say a word. She turned her head, picked up a flagon of mead, and glared at her as she gave it a long, slow sip, slamming it back down on the table.
Far as she Freana was concerned, she could go fuck herself.
Verona Auer
Verona crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her biceps vigorously in an attempt to shake off the unease and lingering shame that had overcome her. She had managed to tune fully back into the conversation in time to hear Lord Scaro's parting words, though, and yeah. It was almost impressive how badly the man lied.
Verona nodded decisively at Sigi.
"Oh, yeah, he was lying so much. Question is, why'd he bother? It's not that weird to scavenge for treasure, is it? Unless someone else is looking for it..."
Verona trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of Rizilia, returning so soon. And... removing the curse?
Isn't that a little anticlimactic?
But Freana was apparently getting a boon, and, well, that was pretty damn cool. Verona exclaimed in surprise as Freana's hand glowed once again, and without thought she grabbed for the hand as soon as the glow faded and Freana had put her flagon down. She pulled it towards her, attempting to angle it so that she could better see how it had changed.
"Oh man, that's so sick! I totally want a tattoo like this. Think I could get one that moves?"
Verona belatedly noticed that Freana was not looking quite as pleased about this development as Verona thought she should have been. She also remembered that Freana didn't like her very much.
Verona abruptly took a step away, attempting to subtly hide behind Sigi in case of retribution. She cleared her throat and turned back to Rizilia.
"So, uh, can I tell my parents I met you? It's just that I think they would be impressed. Maybe."
Breath of the Sun
Pick
"Understood." Pick said, watching Lord Scaro leave. At Sigi's question, he nodded. "It was readily apparent that he has ulterior motives. It's possible he was involved in the attack on the town, but we will need to gather more information before drawing conclusions. Dependent on his underlying motives, and the rings purpose, we may not wish to return it to him. But we can determine that later."
Then Rizilia came in, and Pick drew his sword, body tensing as he prepared to attack her at the first sign of danger. But instead she apologized, removing her curse. Pick 'sheathed' his blade, relaxing his body but nonetheless he looked at Rizilia warily.
"I am certain you owe justice to many other mortals, given your temperament." Pick noted, his voice utterly calm despite the circumstances. "If you truly wish to bring balance, to bring justice, I would suggest you come down from the stars and spend more time upon the ground. Speak to mortals, and understand them. Perhaps then you will learn justice from us."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Pick's got the right idea~! If you don't wanna be like the other gods, you gotta commit. And that means not falling back on the same bad habits...” Sieglinde was quick to agree, though at the latter part she frowned and let out a small sigh. “...You've got a lot of anger in you, and you're vulnerable. I... know what it's like. Maybe sometime... come visit, and we can talk it over. Remember, just you're a god, doesn't mean you can't take advice. Especially when it affects the people who can't do anything else to stop you.”
Yet.
With a somewhat relaxed countenance, she shot an assuring smirk over to Verona out of amusement (the thought of anyone trying to hide behind her was just funny) and she placed a kiss on her own fingertips before pressing them against Verona's forehead—only to skip away, heading now towards Freana as she carefully hugged the Fenrir's arm.
“Hey. I get it. I know you're pissed off. But she's blessed you now, so at least say thank you. You can do that even when you hate someone. It'll be better for you, too. I'd just want that thing off me too, but...”
She paused, gaze suddenly becoming oddly dull as she leaned in close to Freana's ear and whispered at a tone only a Fenrir could pick up on.
“...at least take advantage of it...”
Then with a small peck of a kiss to the cheek she'd hopped away again, innocently swaying as she clutched her hands behind her back and stared up at the ceiling whilst humming to herself.
bork
The Poison Apple
When Freana didn't even respond to Rizilia, the goddess could only tilt her head to the side a bit. Light reflected off a bit of moisture that was gathering in the corners as she clenched her fists, before abruptly loosening them.
"Yeah, right. And I'm supposed to believe that'll change anything? It won't matter."
The red-haired woman took a seat at an empty table, folding her arms across it and keeping her face out of sight. The air trembled a bit, leading to a few confused looks by the early morning patrons of the pub, though nothing appeared to happen otherwise.
"I'm not naive. I wasn't born yesterday. Hell, I was born before your entire family lines, or possibly creation in the Mesmer's case. You think I just commit to something, learn about you material-bound beings and your ways and suddenly things will be okay? I tried that with Maya right before you all came along, and you saw how that went. And look how things are going now. I'm out of touch with mortals maybe, but I'm not stupid or dense. The hate and anger is practically rolling off some of you, and I don't blame you. There was a time something like that never used to bother me like this, just like almost every other so-called god. But I hate the things I've done, yet I know I'll never be able to make up for it all. Some things just aren't forgivable, as much I wanted to believe otherwise. Maya's threats don't mean much to me, because I already wish to be freed from the constraints of immortality."
With a slam of her fist, the table shattered into a million splinters, frozen in air for a moment as the whole process played in reverse in an instant. The table was whole once more, though scores and scores of tally marks now riddled its top.
"I've made tallies, lists of all the wrongs and rights I've done while I still counted myself among the others. And...I can't give justice to every person in every world I've held influence over, for every person wronged by myself or others. It's beyond my power. We're not infinite beings, able to change an entire world at our whims. Worlds are made by the many, not the few. I tried to distance myself from them, but I can't go against the others, else I'll end up like my friend, Irene. They didn't even need a reason to cast him down and strip him of most of his power."
The next few words out of her mouth dripped with venom, almost tangible and warped.
"Even your so-called gods toy with each other for their own amusement."
Verona Auer
So, that's probably a no to telling my parents, then.
Verona was puzzled, the warmth of Sigi's fingers and the fear of retaliation fading in the face of it. This was a god, a being of immense power. She should be happy! Or, at least, know how to make herself happy. After all, hadn't all of Verona's problems come from the ways she wasn't strong or talented enough?
If being a god isn't enough to make her happy, how can I ever be?
Verona gazed at the tallies. Something about them didn't sit right with her.
"Why keep track like that? That just seems like a way to hurt yourself. Can't you, I don't know, wipe the slate clean? You seem cool now, besides the cursing thing. Just start your story here, instead of way back then, and do better this time."
Edited by furnacedoor on Jan 26th 2021 at 1:04:57 AM
Freana
A bunch of things happened at once. First Verona went and held up her hand before backing away. She was actually pretty cool with it since she wasn't pissed anymore or anything, and she figured she should probably tell her in case she got the wrong idea. "Hey, don't worry, it's—"
And then Sigi sat down and told her to forgive and forget. She would've gone and sat on the other end if it hadn't been for that last part. As much as she wanted to tear Rizila's guts out, she had a point. If this really was some blessing or whatever now, wouldn't the smart thing be to milk it until the cows came home?
Suddenly, the wheels began turning. Freana could feel her brain cells rubbing together, her old self coming back to the fore with gusto. "Ya know, I like the way you think." She gave Sigi a quick peck on the cheek, more out of gratitude than any deeper aspirations.
She sidled over to Rizilia, mustering up the strength not to tear her throat out while she had the chance. "Hey, totally understand! Everyone's got things they're not proud of, ya know? I mean, I've got enough to fill a whole list! But hey, it's like Vivi said! If you think it's too much to make up for, then just start over. Worked wonders for me!"
By Bashkur's hairy anus did she want to vomit.
Edited by kkhohoho on Jan 26th 2021 at 3:16:16 AM
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
Sieglinde merely winked to Freana and giggled upon receiving the kiss, before clapping happily as the Fenrir managed to bring herself to verbally forgive Rizilia—even if she knew it was sickening to her. The effort deserved applause, at any rate. And as flawed as Freana was, Sigi supposed any kind of progress was good enough for now.
Simply getting her to agree to do something she didn't want to was a major step forward, in her opinion.
“What the other guys said, Rizilia? Listen, it doesn't even matter if you've been alive since forever or alive since last week! Doesn't make finding the answer any easier, you've just been looking for longer. Don't give up now, keep going~! Maya might've pushed you away, but that doesn't mean everyone will. I wanna help you too! Seriously, I'd... like to talk sometime. I honestly mean that.”
She was somewhat proud of their little group, despite them not even having really started their first job yet. But she hoped they'd keep up even this veil of unity for a long while, as she felt almost... powerful within it.
“Irene...?” she found herself asking, more out of idle curiosity than anything else. “Mind telling us more, or...?”
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The Light That Blinds
Shard
"I-I mean, I asked because it felt like it did back in the forest with the Rifts and the monsters and—"
Elliot took his hand, and Shard immediately forgot how to speak.
For a moment, he just stood there, staring at the hand that Elliot was holding. His heart fluttered, and his cheeks heated up. "Thanks," Shard whispered, unable to say anything else.
And then the moment was killed via dust and dirt falling from the ceiling. "Gah—!" Shard coughed, clamping his free hand over his mouth. "What's—?"
Equally as suddenly, light poured in from the ceiling. "GAH!" Shard shrieked, covering his eye from the blinding light. "You couldn't have warned us before blinding us?"
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Elliot, Secret Passage.
The young noble found himself ever so slightly anxious and confused as if he'd overdone it with the hand-holding which seemed more reassuring than a tap on the shoulder. So it did take a few moments for Elliot to regain his composure before finally replying.
"You're welcome, Shard. I mean, there's no need to thank me, tho-" Elliot found himself getting cut off by the dust and Lucius' arrival as he casually dusted off his leather armor and clothes beneath it, doing his best to not cringe from the light and Shard's voice.
"A...slight warning would've been appreciated, yes. Although I suppose it's my fault for not climbing up the ladder and trapdoor to try and meet you up there. But I suppose we're all in one piece at the very least."
And with Zyan and Xera being here...okay, the odds of them crossing paths wasn't that unlikely considering the two groups were doing jobs in the same village...but Elliot wasn't going to point that out.
"Certainly seems that way! Guess it looks like we'll be helping each other out after all! Er, that is if you haven't already cleared out all the slimes already." The young noble cheerfully remarked. "Although I'm guessing no-one suspicious was nearby where you got here?"
Edited by TheRealWren on Jan 31st 2021 at 3:31:23 AM
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Breath of the Sun
Pick
"You may not be able to pay back your individual debt to every mortal you've wronged." Pick said, "But you can atone for what you've done. You can help people as a whole, because you have power. Not just magic, but power over others."
He gestured towards Freana. "Simply knowing that you are a god would make almost any mortal respect or fear you. That can be leveraged. You can influence the people in positions of power, the kings and generals, and steer societies in a positive direction. You can help the poor, the meek, and bring them the justice you claim to desire. Assuming, of course, you actually care, and aren't just manipulating us."
Pick turned away, hopping off his bar stool to head for the door. "Regardless, I think it's best if we start moving out. Come on, everyone."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
The Poison Apple - Inside
Rizilia was silent for a moment as Freana talked to her, bowing her head and clenching her fist as the Fenrir, and Verona as well, seeing as they both were saying the same thing, finished her little spiel.
"...I know you're not being sincere with that, but I can't just start over anyways. It wouldn't be right, wouldn't be balanced. You can't just...reset scales like that. Keeping track of these...it's in my nature. Good should beget good, bad should beget bad. That's how it all works."
When Sigi mentioned wanting to talk about Irene, the goddess's head picked up just tiny bit. "What's there to say? A bunch of gods thought it would be so hilarious to go after some minor god of drama and theater, strip him of most of his powers, and then banish him to some backwater world at who knows where. And that was when I knew...being a god isn't something worth being if I'd be in the same boat as them. But I've come what I came to do, and you have places to be. Important places, most likey, and I'm sure we'll still meet again."
With those words, the goddess simply...vanished, as if reality never recognized her having been there at all, the table once again unmarked and as it was before.
Commercial District
Outside The Poison Apple, the familiar red-headed figure of Principal Alexander greeted Pick, the Alvar impatiently tapping his walking stick against the stony road, dressed in a fine traveling cloak and attire that wouldn't look out of place on a Saoranti traveling merchant, a feathered cap atop his head. With an idle kick of a piece of loose stone with some leather boots, Alexander noticed the small Mesmer.
"Ah, mister Pick. Where's the rest of your friends? I'd have thought you all would be done with the affairs of receiving whatever job you all took."
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Hmm... all seems reasonable to me...!” Sieglinde said in a chirpy tone as she looked at Scaro through narrow eyes, her demeanour thoughtful as she tilted her head a few degrees to one side. “We'll do our best to find it! We promise, right guys?”
She glanced at the others upon asking this, and though a certain degree of (arguably healthy) suspicion was present on her face, she nonetheless seemed happy to give Lord Scaro the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't take advantage of greenhorns such as themselves. Of course, she knew it was a possibility no matter how slight, but it wouldn't exactly stop her from trying to be nice.
“Oh, and...” she realised, a dire thought suddenly making itself known to her as she flushed pink and flicked her eyes over at Scaro with a mix of guilt and sympathy. “I-I'm sorry for your loss. I pray she's at peace now, anyways... sorry, i-it didn't occur to me right away...”
bork