Ryudo Lee's Legacy

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha's stare hadn't wavered from the imitation-Rynkura...not until a yawn erupting from her mouth reminded the panther that she was still tired.  She took another sip of ale, narrowed eyes still hidden beneath the cowl, though she met Gareeku's eyes for a second and caught the same look that she had...irritated, angry...and perhaps tired as well.  The very NERVE...

Swallowing, she finally nodded in reply to him/her, a small smirk on her face.  "Of course...always more than willing to speak to mi mayor respetable (my respectable elder)," she answered with more life in her tone, with only a slight hint of a sneer.  Then, her gaze was cast back to Gareeku to see what his answer was.

Meanwhile, she had heard Winger's question from the edge of her hearing.  "I'm sure we'll have a better idea after some rest, amigo," she answered simply.

[Azlan]

"Just because you can doesn't mean you have the right to."  Carran said with a chuckle as he stepped past the tiger, panther and wolf.  He stopped a quite quickly patted 'Rynkura' on her shoulder, "that is so quaint, you are such a cute thing for saying it."

Carran stepped quickly away in case the tigress was a violent type.  He approached the bar and the barkeep with a few coins of silver in his hand, "the mention of tea is wonderful.  A kettle of the peppermint variety would be good."

The barkeep, a rather stern fellow had just finished serving Topher and he looked rather troubled.  Looking to the left and right , he shrugged in resignation, this fox would have to do.  He motioned Carran over and leaned over the bar top, Carran leaned in as well, a bit courious as to what would trouble the hearty barkeep.  He whispered something in Carran's ear and the fox perked up at the hearing.

"Indeed, you don't say!  Fascinating, thank you."  Carran said in a lighthearted manner.

The barkeep, looking a little worried at the light tone, gestured and reached for something under the bar, but Carran's firm hand and brief shake of the head stayed whatever action the ursine had planned.  For that brief moment, the fox's eyes were very serious, but his pleasant manner returned as he scooped up the kettle and mugs.

Again he brushed past the rather serious looking trio on his way back to the table.  He put a mug down in front of Alia and where he sat, pouring out the sweet tea, Carran spoke directly to the canid, "Alia, we have a bit to discuss about you."

The poor, tired and hurt female sighed, "after the tea and a rest... I will speak with you."

Carran nodded, "fair enough."   

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel heard Winger's question about finding fallen angels and smiled at him. "That sir, is just what I am trying to calculate. By the description I was given you must be Mr. Winger of the original angel hunting party." She held out her hand to him, "I'm Melissa Madison and I'm working on a thesis that the celestial objects are falling in a pattern."

She moved the small piece of picture jasper that anchored the map closer to him. "As you can see Miss deCabre has been so kind as to add the locations that you found the objects to my research. Is there anything you can add?"

[Cheese Foxlee]

Winger Looked at Mel a bit confuse.  He wasn't used to people using such technical terms around him.  He glanced at the map, and said. "That looks right to me. I don't think I can help you much with that map, but I think I have something you might be interested in."  Winger lifted his bag of coins onto the table, and pulled out the ball of gold. that Topher had maid from the bits of scrap he had found at there battle with the dark angel and handed it over to the young woman.  "This is a small piece of the angel we found in the woods Yesterday."  Maybe it can help you with your studies.

[Gareeku]

Observing the others and Sebastian, Gareeku gave a nod of greeting to Cogi before turning back to "Rynkura".
Oh I'd love to hear it... Gareeku replied mentally with a sarcastic tone. Fine. I'll play along...for now...

Hearing the disguised Sebastian's invitation for a chat, the wolf smirked darkly.
"Why that would be wonderful, madam." he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm before following Aisha and "Rynkura". He was making no effort to be polite whatsoever. It seemed that Sebastian's actions had put him in rather a bad mood.

[Stygian]

The tigress shot the barkeep an expressionless look for a second, and then smiled at Aisha and Gareeku. Without waiting she then ushered them upstairs. Or rather, she placed a hand around Aisha's shoulders and led her to the stairs, while inquiring a bit about what they had done up until then. After that she simply led on up the stairs and toward the rooms in such a way that there really was no dragging one's feet.
   They arrived at a door at the end of a corridor, and "Rynkura" stopped. She didn't take out a key, only placed a robed hand on the doorhandle for a second or two, and then there was a slight clack of the door unlocking. She opened the door and admitted them in. When she entered, she checked the window shortly, then stepped up and pulled the draperies over it, and turned to the wolf and panthress. Her form started shifting, and her shadow flowed up...
   "You have my gratitude for staying so calm," Stygian said to them both, as he returned to his original form, and shot the wolf a very meaningful glance. "I only hope you'll maintain it."

[Gareeku]

Following Aisha and "Rynkura" upstairs, Gareeku watched as the disguised Sebastian unlocked the door, before pulling the draperies over the window and shifting back into his original form.

"Well first I'd like some questions answered." the wolf replied flatly, folding his arms as he kept his eyes locked on Stygian. "Firstly; Where is the boy? Secondly; What are you planning? Thirdly; Aisha obviously knows who you changed in to. Why the hell did you resort to such bad taste?"

Pausing for a second, a smirk appeared on the wolf's face.
"Forgive me for my suspicions, but in my experience, a creatures who appears to have mastery of the shadows normally means trouble." Gareeku commented. "And trouble is something I am hoping you are not thinking of creating."

[topher chee]

    Topher asked the bartender for a pint of water and sat at the nearest stool.  The waitress walked over and placed the pint of water beside Topher's hand.  She gave him a smile and started to walk away until Topher asked, "So, do you know of anything unusual going on.  Adventures perhaps?"  All she did was shrug and point at Winger.  Unsure of what to do, Chee walked over to were Winger was and sat at an open chair.  "Got an update on anything?  Any more fallen angels?"

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha grimaced a little while being led upstairs, still not having been used to the idea of someone imitating her guardian (although he did copy the personality well enough).  But she played along, more eager than not to avoid any kind of complications with the others of her party.  Hopefully, there wouldn't be any questions or concerns.  She kept answering "Rynkura's" inquiries until everyone was out of earshot.

Aisha watched Sebastian as he closed the draperies over the windows, her hand hovering over the side of her belt out of caution while drawing the cowl away from her head.  the pantheress let Gareeku ask his questions, and she nodded in full agreement.  "Indeed, I too would like to know."  Her eyes were set in a frustrated glare.  "Although I guess I could understand using my mentor's shape in a rush to conceal yourself."

Yes, no trouble...I will love hearing this.

[Stygian]

"Yeah, I apologize for that. It was at hand, and I got kind of stressed. These people are much too random..." Stygian said, running a clawed hand through his blond hair. He sat down in a chair, laying his oddly long tail to the side next to his right leg. He took a breath and then looked up at them both with those horrid green eyes, bunching his fingers a bit.
   "Trouble I'm not out to cause. Interference... People seem to mix the both of those up all the time," he said and made a very short smile. "The real reason for this is that I'm worried about that fairy down there getting jumpy, and pulling the rest of the poor lot with him. I don't like useless violence, and I don't like people like him. Quaint...!" He seemed somewhat upset at that statement. Then, his face turned and he grinned at Aisha. "Am I right to believe that Rynkura would have agreed with me on that one?"

[Aisha deCabre]

Thinking about what Sebastian had said, Aisha rolled her eyes.  "I would agree with you on the others, yes...at least those I know of.  Very eager, very hard-headed, some...but good to have on one's side in a fight."

At the comment about Rynkura, the panther had to return a light smirk, though she still had a bit of unease remaining in her demeanor.  "Yes, she probably would have.  Then again, nobody like her is used to being talked up to like that...whether Being or Creature," she ended with a laugh.  "I apologize for the slight rudeness myself.  Rynkura is like a mother to me.  I owe her my life."

Aisha's hand withdrew from her belt, deciding with hesitance to trust Sebastian's word that he wasn't there to cause trouble.  "But, back on the questions," the panther said and glanced at Gareeku, having returned back to the business at hand.

[Joat]

Leon teleports into the bar, next to Sylva. “I see I’m in the right place,” he says to Pan.

“So, what did you come here for? Knowing our luck, probably some fiendishly different one-in-a-million-chance problem that we have to solve,” Pan says from atop Sylva’s head.

“No. I just came here to say that the word is spreading like a wildfire. Adther being a smallish town, I give it a day before the entire town knows.”

“That’s great. I might actually be able to go back and get my magic supplies so I can do some real good,” Sylva says.

“Uh, yeah… about that. Um, your house kinda got burned down by an angry mob shortly after you left,” Leon says.

“At least I have my savings account, though.”

“When you became possessed, the government voided the account and used the money in it to help rebuild Feather Park.”

“Wow, Sylva. It looks like you’re pretty much financially screwed,” Pan says.

Sylva sighs. “Yeah, looks like it. But at least my money went to a good cause.”

[Stygian]

Stygian nodded, as if this was all precisely what he had expected. In truth, it wasn't. Not one of them had touched on that "what are you" again, which only made the whole situation better. That was a question that could be left to answer some other time.
   "The boy is still with the doctor. I 'convinced' him to take care of him until later, so there won't be any trouble there. The second question is a bit harder to answer, but let's say that it's probably in my interest to see the angel pieced together again as well. The third question is the simplest to answer," Stygian said and turned his eyes against Gareeku. "She is your girlfriend's mentor, and teacher, who took her in after her parents... died. I am quite surprised you haven't told him, Schätzchen*." The bat's eyes turned against Aisha. There was a knowing grin on his face. "You two seemed to be on such good terms, last I saw you. But then, you didn't want to kill me then. At least not most of the time." That last statement was directed at the wolf.
   Stygian chuckled a bit. Now there was leading them on. Hopefully, they'd leave the room much better inclined towards him. That just left the question of how to leave and come back later. Or perhaps, he wouldn't have to leave at all...

*(German): Sweetie

[Gareeku]

Listening to Stygian speak, Gareeku was not convinced.
"How is that so if you took his body to manifest yourself?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

It was then, however, that Stygian referred to Aisha as Gareeku's girlfriend. Hearing this, the wolf's cheeks went bright red, looking away somewhat before turning back to Stygian.
"Aisha isn't my girlfriend." he replied, his cheeks still bright red. "And I don't know what the hell you're going on about, either."

[Aisha deCabre]

With her arms crossed, Aisha listened intently as Sebastian went back to answering the questions.  He seemed to answer them honestly enough, and was relieved to hear that the child was alright...although the second answer had a slight concern with it.  The last time the angel fell, most of the people who were keen on seeing it back together were also keen on using its power...but she shook that off easily.  It was far too early in the journey to be making accusations, even through thought.

At the "girlfriend" remark, Aisha blinked and folded her ears back, thankful that her dark fur would have hidden the blush forming on her cheeks.  She quickly glanced at Gareeku, and then to the side.  "...I would have said something about Rynkura.  Eventually."  With a quick growl, she added, "Nice to know that information about my past is safe in my own mind," with a heavily sarcastic tone.

"At any rate," she waved her hands in the air, mostly to dismiss the awkward feeling.  "We should probably head back down to check on everybody, and then find all of us places to rest here."  Aisha crossed her arms again, wondering just how this trip was going to turn out.  Somehow, she deduced it'd be more interesting than the last one.

[Stygian]

Stygian looked up at the wolf with the least sinister expression that they had seen from him as of yet. Then he smiled again, and made a short laugh.
   "What? Does that mean that the court is open then?" he said, and grinned at the both of them. He jumped that topic quickly though. "I didn't possess the boy, which might have cost me my secrecy. That werewolf down there... I'm not sure, but I think he detected me somehow. He didn't show it, but I could hear his heart speed up a bit, and he smelled and felt of wariness. And then there was the bartender, of course," he said, and shifted his position in the chair a bit. "I'm not incapable of manifesting myself without a host. It just makes it harder, that's all."
   Then, the bat turned to Aisha. He gave her an inquisitive look, and spoke seriously.
   "If you're implying that I would have intruded somehow... I'm not an incubus. I believe that you agreed... No, wait," he said, and frowned. He put a hand to his brow, and closed his eyes a bit. "Not that. You didn't confide in me... You haven't seen me before. Why do I keep forgetting that?" He rubbed his temple a bit, and muttered.
   Then Aisha spoke, and he looked up at them both, placing his head in his palm.
   "And just what do you expect me to do? I will not leave this be, but I won't go down there again. That says itself, really."

[Gareeku]

Giving Stygian a somewhat nervous and embarassed stare, Gareku cleared his throat.
"Yes...well..." he began, regaining his composure. "As long as the boy is safe, then that is fine."
Though the wolf didn't like to admit it, he was starting to relax around Stygian, though a part of him was still suspicious.

"Well I'm sure something can be arranged." the wolf muttered in reply, appearing to be in thought of what to do. "Prehaps if you were to assume the form of someone else we know...which reminds me; where did Clarissa go?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked at the little ball in her hand then back to Winger. "Why thank you Mr. Winger. I'll be sure that the University properly marks this as a donation from you and mentions your kindness in the quarterly newsletter." She pulls something out of the long sleeve of her university robe that looks like a decorative silver magnifying glass only with no glass in it and begins looking the ball over.

[Cogidubnus]

[OOC: If this crosses privacy lines, I can change. Merely doing what I said I would do]

Cogidubnus listened very quietly in the upstairs hallway. He was very surprised, and quite alarmed to hear that the Sebastian could detect things such as his heartbeat, but he managed to keep himself quiet anyway. It was no great feat, as he was...not quite himself, at the moment.
Werewolves in a completely feral form were usually indistinguishable from regular wolves, although that came at a price. For most, it was the complete loss of sanity. Cog, on the other hand, had possessed many years to perfect his transformations: He fought the wolf away in his mind as he listened.
Padded feet made no noise, and it had been a simple matter to excuse himself and stash his belongings in the latrine while he transformed. The stairs were right across from the bathrooms, and two seconds later, and he had quite silently made his way to the upstairs hall. He had settled into a shadow, and listened to the Priest talk to the other two. He somewhat regretted having to resort to eavesdropping, but he would be damned if he lost track of that one again.

[Stygian]

"Clarissa is in the bathroom right now. She's feeling woozy, and a bit scared and uncomfortable, which is only to expect. She's also feeling a bit uncertain. Oh, and she's also got a bit of a crush on you, wolf," Stygian said smartly and waited for Gareeku's face. Then he laughed, and tapped his temple. "I escaped through her. The other one which you killed was Slevrani. Of course, I'll give her up as well, so she can go back to normal." He grinned, and leaned back a bit more, looking at the ceiling. He waited a second before going on, and eyeing Aisha and Gareeku very intently this time.
   "Now, I can't go back to her, evidently, so I suppose I shall have to find some other cover for now. I would trail you all, if it weren't for the fact that I want to be able to hear and feel what is going on as well, so that just leaves the option of finding a new identity," he said. Then, he seemed to get an idea, and leaned forward with a gentle smile on his face. "Or perhaps one of you could... cover for me? I am qu..."
   Stygian stopped suddenly. There was something that had shifted slightly in the surroundings. He tensed for a second, and sharpened his senses, using the silence. Quietly he heard Aisha's and Gareeku's respective heartbeats. He took in their heat, their activity and energy, the tingling warmth of their life as it emanated from them and coursed through the air. He stretched his mind, using the shadows to "feel" his surroundings as well. And there it was, a third heartbeat overlapping, more heat from just behind the wall, another nervous system working with speed and intensity.
   Silently, Stygian got to his feet. Then, his own shadow seemed to flow up and merge with him, swirling around him as his skin grayened into ash and cracked, more shadow emerging from within. He became blackness, and then melded with the shadows of the room. And from there, he moved...

   There was a slight whiffing sound that would have been inaudible to most creatures, but was still clear to Cognidubnus, and it came from right behind him. Then, very quickly, there was a trace of that scent, like blood, ash and burned ink again. A fraction of a second later, he heard a low, slithering voice, cruel and dual-edged, from right behind him.
   "Well... Enjoying the conversation, are we?"

   Stygian couldn't really believe himself. First, fumbling as much as he had done, then rushing down in the bar, and now just facing an eavesdropper instead of using him... He was getting sloppy. Still, it didn't matter. Fortunately the rat had turned out to be the more reasonable other member of the party, which meant that in a way he had still made a correct decision.

[Cogidubnus]

Cogidubnus quirked his head at the slight sound behind him, and whirled when Sebastian spoke, unable to suppress a growl from his throat. The long pause in the room had made him worry...but of course, teleportation he had not expected. He bared his fangs at the bat-priest, but did not lunge. He spoke his words in his mind.
I know you can hear me, O river and boatman! You, sir, have much to... Cog trailed off as he finished that thought. In reality, Stygian was simply being reclusive, although the means by which he did that were perhaps a little less than savory. Possession and body-snatching was not usually a good sign, but he had not actually done anything worth violence.
I suppose, you do not have much to answer for. Cog said, relaxing and sitting down. He somehow managed to look austere, caught red-handed though he was. There is the question of why you are trying to hide, sir, although the two in there do not seem to care. Forgive me if I do not re-transform." Cog said, looking up at Stygian from the floor. Modesty forbids me from changing shape. Cog's yellow eyes stared into Sebastian's green. I do not know what you are, sir, and normally I would not care. But you seem to have a affinity for dark that is disturbing...and so far, your methods have had very little concern for those around you. Abducting people to use as cannon fodder falls fairly low in my book. Cog reviewed that last statement in his mind. Although, I do thank you for returning my hat.

[Stygian]

Stygian looked nothing like he had before. Or at least, so it would seem. He had re-formed to something close to his "normal" shape, but there was still the slight change in appearance, the eyes, the tail, and the swirling shadows around him that behind him looked oddly much like a pair of dark, torn wings...
   The demonic-looking Stygian slowly began assuming a more normal shape, his darkness drawing in and away. He looked at the werewolf before him curiously, and cocked his head to the side. The man seemed to want to say something to him. There was intent and meaning mixed into his scent and feeling. Then, he understood.
   "I can't read your mind that easily, if that's what you're wondering. You're clearly trying to tell me something, but..." he said, his voice now having returned to normal. His shadow still flowed and moved eerily, part of it stretching and ripping up from the floor and against the werewolf some. A single "thread" of it moved out, and touched the other creature's shadow, flowing into it. Cognidubnus suddenly felt as if something cold and crawling was moving up his back, inside it, like insects or worms finding their way through his spine. The feeling only lasted a short second though, which was fortunate.
   "You want to thank me for returning your hat?!" Stygian said, as his shadow pulled back.

[Cogidubnus]

Cogidubnus's mouth hung open for a moment, giving the impression that perhaps he was a little warm. He was not: he simply lacked the ability to communicate his particular state of mind: namely, shock. He thought for a moment. Stygian wasn't able to hear his thoughts really, so that left him with few options, none of which he particularly liked.
He looked around for any sort of cover: the Tavern not being an particularly high-class establishment, the furnishings in the hall were sparse, being one table and a lightpole. He glumly turned around so that his back was to Stygian, and transformed back, becoming once again as he had been, an anthro wolf. Of course, lychanthropes do not transform clothing. He was completely naked.
"...forgive me if I make this short. This could be awkward if someone were to walk down the hall." Cog said, fidgeting somewhat. "What I meant to say is...well..." Cog realized that he was having difficulty being angry. "Verbatim sir, I said that though you do not have very much to answer for, there were some questions as to what you are, good sir. I normally would not care, however: your nature has a disturbing affinity for the dark. Which would normally be your choice, of course. Excepting, you seem to care very little about those around you. Possessing others for use as cannon fodder, say." Cog turned his head, so that he could see the priest. " And yes. I wished to thank you for returning my hat."
Cog instantly transformed back into the wolf, hoping that no one had seen him, and turned to face Sebastian again.

[Snuggles]

Rei blinks in. "Sorry about me being gone for a while. I had something to do. So what is going on?" Looking a little bit more torn up but still in her happy state of mind.

[Stygian]

Stygian seemed appreciative at Cognidubnus' response. He shifted his position and scratched his chin with a smile, eyeing the werewolf curiously and listening. He almost made a small laugh. When the man shifted back to his fully lupine form, the creature got down on his haunches and looked the wolf in the face close up.
   "I honestly don't have a clue as to what I am," he said lowly. "I am a shadow, and a shadow I have been for a long time. What I do, I do to further a cause, and I take regard to what would probably be the best course of action. My own discomfort or that of others mostly isn't a great concern there. As for Slevrani..." he said, and grinned, placing a hand on the wolf's neck and scratching it just a bit. "I think she earned it."
   The bat then got to his feet and turned, opening the door into the room where Gareeku and Aisha were, and looking in.
   "Nothing to worry about. Just the dog," he said, and then turned back against Cognidubnus, closing the door and looking down on him. His long and muscular tail swished a bit, and the smile on his face was somewhat malicious now.
   "Now... Off the personal issues and to the imminent ones. What are you going to do now, puppy?" he said.

[Azlan]

Almost patiently watching the precession up the stairs, the ursine bartender waited until they were well gone before he leaped from behind the bar.

He watched Cogidubnus creep up the stairs and nodded, "good fellow!  Let us know if they start back this way!" 

The bartender reached behind the bar and hefted a large battle axe.  Gesturing to one of the serving lasses, he pointed out the rear entrance, "to the house with you and fetch master Hauru, he is wizardly of sorts and best be here if we are to deal with this evil creature."

The cook from the back, a heavy set puma wielding a great sword, burst in from the kitchen, "aye, what's this all about?  Is there a fight brewing?"

Carran waved a lazy hand towards the rear door and it slammed shut in front of the young lass, "now, now... I do not think Hauru would need to be bothered with this.  After all he is busy trying to locate his brother Ryudo and Nephew Koji... I wonder what ever did happen to that Griffon and Sasha?   Darn irresponsible fairy, I sent him to watch Koji..."

Carran turned his attention back to the bartender and cook, "let this play out for what it is, Gareeku appears to be the type that can handle himself and Aisha seems capable... we can always swoop in if it is deemed necessary and save the day or make a mess of things.  It is best to wait for the opportune moment."     

[Cogidubnus]

Cogidubnus mulled over what Sebastian had told him. He had not been referring to Silverani...had he? Perhaps the situation was more complicated than he had thought. Was Greene in actuality someone else, yet again? That thought disturbed him greatly. Wheels within wheels within wheels...yet there was something that he could be sure of. He cared less if Stygian chose to call himself a shadow, as long as he was so merely in name. And, in point of fact, true shadows seldom spoke and seldom listened.
Cogidubnus took a single step back and involuntarily bared a long, white fang. He was somewhat nervous: he did not wish to fight the creature...he was fairly certain. At least, he had done nothing to warrant it. Yet he seemed to think that he wanted to fight. This was bad:  powerful though Cog was, he already knew that in the current situation, any attempt to fight Sebastian would be laughable. A wolf versus the personification of dark energies? Perhaps with his store of light-based charms and sword in hand, but certainly not as a wolf, in a narrow hallway. The battle would be short, to say the least, and probably humorous to any onlooker.
Cog got control of himself and managed to make himself stop snarling. Wolf's instincts were hard to fight, especially in such situations as he was in. Lacking the ability to express himself verbally, he merely inclined his head at Sebastian, turning and sulking down the stairs, back towards his gear.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked up from her examination of the gold ball at the sound of doors slamming and saw everyone running around with swords and axes. "Are we under martial law now?" she asked mildly with a shake of her head. "Over a shapeshifter playing a bit of a trick on Miss deCabre?" She clucked her tongue and put both the ball and the strange device away in her sleeve. "Rather an excitable type for a barkeep, aren't you? Next I suppose I shall be burned at the stake for my little map illusion if magic is such a crime here." The squirrel shook her head again as she rescued a few of her papers that had blown off the table from all the rushing about.

[Stygian]

Stygian merely stood looking after the werewolf as he began trodding off, still and silent. That grin, another one of his masks admittedly, had come off his face, and now there was simply an expressionless calmness to his face. His eyes were focused though, attentive and analytical as they gazed upon the four-legged shapeshifter. He seemed to be waiting for something...
   Then, before Cognidubnus had taken more than a few steps, he started feeling... off. Not weak, really, but rather as if his legs simply had a hard time keeping him up. His knees began feeling wobbly and gelatineous, and he almost felt like tilting over the way one does when somewhat drunk, though he didn't feel drowzy.
   "Sorry, but the ones down there are already coming. I'm not about to let you aid them, but nor will I fight you. You seem a very reasonable man, and it would be bad to squander this opportunity, and you." Stygian was still watching him, just standing there.
   Now, Cognidubnus could barely keep straight. His whole body felt as if it were dozing off.

[Cheese Foxlee]

Winger finished his drink quick and stood up. "A fight?!"