Ryudo Lee's Legacy

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had her back to her room door for a small while, wrenched in thought with herself.  She could hear footsteps from outside of it...but she kept herself there, waiting for the sounds to disappear before thinking of stepping out.  She couldn't stop thinking of Gareeku, still thinking that the most likely course was that he thought she was angry with him, when she wasn't...it had to be just an honest mistake.

That and she had been rude to another guest, running into them upon her swift exit.  She sighed.  Feeling sorry and awkward isn't the way to start a morning.  Especially when there's a journey to look forward to.  None of our comrades want to see alot of sulking.  Her eyes wandered across to the sunlit window.  He's my friend...I brought him here, and we're going on this adventure together.  I might as well try to talk to him, Aisha finally decided, thinking with hope that it won't ultimately turn worse.

She turned around, opened the door fully, and stepped out into the hallway, suddenly perking her ears at some strange noises.  There was Cogi's voice, Gareeku's following with a more serious tone, and something that almost sounded like it was seething...Aisha couldn't tell if it was a voice or something else.  Her tail ring started to glow, which was the event that set off her suspicion.  Pretty much thankful for something to happen that made her forget her own troubles even for just a moment, she unsheathed her boomerang and started towards the stairs, stopping at the top of it when she saw the figures below.  She could only spot the shadows around Cogi for a split second...but already the huntress had a pretty good guess.

"What's going on?" she called from the stairs as she came down, slowly replacing her weapon, her tail swishing to show the now faintly-glowing emerald accessory.  "I thought I sensed something."

[Cogidubnus]

  Cog shook his head at Sebastian's antics and rubbed a hand over his neck. The cool feeling there wasn't blood: the cold had all come from the blade that he had held to his neck. Fool. I had already made it clear that I was on his side... He thought. He heard Aisha's voice and turned. He smiled at her inquiry and continued down the stairs.
  "No, it was nothing." He said. He patted Gareeku's shoulder on the way down to the common room. "I'm sure that's the last we will see of that thing." He said, finally descending the staircase and entering the bar. He took a seat at a table and waved at the barkeep, ordering some breakfast of coffee and toast before leaning back in his chair.

[Gareeku]

Watching Stygian retreat away, Gareeku breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The last thing this inn needs is for a fight to break out...or worse... the wolf thought to himself as he straightened himself out.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice. His head looking upwards, his heart skipped a beat as he saw Aisha standing at the top of the stairs. Upon laying eyes upon her, Gareeku swiftly looked away, a mix of nervousness and guilt clearly evident on his face, glancing at Cogi with a slight smile.

Ok Gareeku...just play it cool...just tell her you're sorry for walking in on her like that...oh god, I bet she's still angry... the wolf thought to himself with a nervous gulp, before discreetly taking a deep breath. Ok...here goes...

"Listen Aisha...about what happened earlier..." the wolf said as he tried to explain himself. "My mind was somewhere else when I went into the bathroom, but it was quickly brought back to reality I can tell you...wait! that's not what I meant! Look, I'm really sorry..."

[Joat]

Sylva feels a light object bouncing beside her on the bed. She opens her eyes to see Pan jumping on the bed.

"Why are you doing that?" Sylva asks.

"Because I needed to wake you up and because I love jumping on the bed. Need I say more?" Pan says, "Leon never let me do that since the mayonnaise incident."

"Mayonnaise incident?"

"Never mind, forget I mentioned it. Let's just go see what the others are up to," Pan says.

With that, the two of them go out into the hallway and easily locate cogidubnus.

"Good morning," Sylva says to Cog.

"I'm sorry, but I am starving. I need to go see what there is to eat," Pan says. He then runs off in search of food.

*OOC: To clarify, he is looking for food to ask for, not to steal.*

[topher chee]

   As Topher walked around in hope of finding an individual who'd like to start a converstation, Topher realized he was in a particular dilemma.   There was nobody oleft to talk to.  He shrugged and decided to go with the old-fashioned sign.  He took a scrap piece of paper that he found on the floor and folded it in half, "Taco/HotDog-Style."  He then asked for a marker and wrote on each half, "Will work for food and money." He placed the folded paper on the small round table in front of him and snoozed off.

[Aisha deCabre]

Hearing Cogi's response, Aisha nodded with a quick smile spared, relieved that the day was going to start out peacefully.  But upon catching Gareeku's eye, her head turned away as his did.  Almost peacefully.  The panther did notice however that he didn't start walking away, so she started down the stairs towards the wolf, about to say something, when he looked to start speaking himself.

For a while she stood there about as awkward as he was, her gaze turned partially away.  But after hearing his nervous stammering for a second, Aisha slowly looked back, her face lightening up.  Definitely nice to not be alone.  "Gareeku," she finally said, interrupting his words by putting her fingers up against his lips, her voice in an understanding tone.  "Shut up."

A slight smile appeared on her face.  "It's okay.  It was a mistake.  I was never angry at you, and I just wanted to let you know that.  In fact," she added, removing her hand.  "I'm partially at fault for not saying anything when I heard the door open.  My head wasn't all there either."  Her face had started to darken again, but not as much.  "Trust me, amigo, if I were angry you'd have a few more lines on your face right now."

The panther's somewhat shy smile then turned into a more comforting one, looking up at her friend.  "So, don't worry about it, and let's just go have breakfast, okay?  I still owe you a drink," she smirked.

[Gareeku]

Before he could say anything more, Gareeku found that Aisha's fingers were covering his lips. Hearing her words, the wolf immediately stopped, blinking slightly as the pantheress spoke, before a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Heh, I guess you've got a point." Gareeku replied with a slight chuckle, following his friend to the bar. "Sure thing."
It was then, however, that the wolf realised that he could not keep thinking about her. Damn it...what's going on...?

[Stygian]

"Breakfast! I could do with some of that too!" a voice murred from behind them all. "Though I'd have to pass up on the drink. Not in the morning."
   A white-blond snow leopard tapped down from the lowest step, dressed in a loose gray and black jacket, shirt and some loose matching pants. He, or she, since it was hard to tell, had her or his somewhat long blond hair put up with a dark green bandana, a ring through a fuzzy right ear, some black wrappings under that shirt and low but rough martial artist's shoes. He or she also carried a black bag, and a very long and long-hilted black-sheathed katana over a shoulder, the butt of the sheath very nearly touching the floor even when leaning at an angle. The feline shot a glance to Topher laying splayed over his table and Cog turned from them all, and then smiled up at Gareeku and Aisha with a sweet expression.
   "Hey!" the person said to them. "You the ones that made the ruckus over the woods last night?"

[Cheese Foxlee]

Morgan poured tea, but Winger refused to sit.  "Sister.  I've come back early because something has happend on the mane land that needs my attention."  Winger said sipping his tea fast.

"Off to save the world again?" Morgan replied coolly. "What is it this time?"  another blood thursty dragon, or one of those angel thingies that you're always ranting about." she laughed.  Emily who was still in wingers arm put her hand to her ears, she knew what was coming next.

Wingers tone got very serious. "as a matter of fact,YES!  An Angel has fallen to earth, Me and my friend, Re,i are going with a group of adventures to see if we can put things right! Winger shouted without realizing it, and Emily whimpered a little.  "I've come to ask if you would mind taking care of your niece a little while longer."

Morgan Sighed "Yes Winger, I will gladly watch her."  Morgan remained cool nd collecte. "but winger you can't keep running off like this.  As it is you are gone 10 weeks a year. Your daughter is growing so fast.  I'm afraid if you keep up this life you are going to miss her growing up."

Winger held Emily tight. before putting her on the floor and asking her to go play with her cousins.  "Morgan you don't have to worry about that.  this is the last time I'm leaving. You know that."

"I'm not worried about you leaving." She laughed "I'm worried about you not coming back.  Emily already lost her mother. If she looses you too, there will be nothing left for her."

"Thanks for reminding me."  Winger said Rolling his eyes. "I'll be back soon. you can count on me." he sighed and dropped the bag of gold he was carring on the table.  "these are my earnings for the year. you know what to do with them right?"

Morgan looked at the bag. "yes yes I know."

"Good. I need to get a few thing from storage." winger said turning to Rei.  "Can I trust you to stay here, Little thief?"

[EDIT: How tired was I when I wrote this last night!]

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha nodded with satisfaction at Gareeku's answer, smiling as she turned towards the bar.  Though her demeanor was as calm as usual, inside of her mind she still couldn't stop thinking about the wolf...not only what had happened that morning, but the night before going to sleep.  I care for him, but...it can't be that I'm...could it?  Bah...I'm doing too much thinking...

For the moment, she cleared her mind and looked about the others in the room.  As it was morning, the bar was only filling up slowly.  Already others were up as early, eager to eat breakfast or get moving...or both.  She called over the barkeep and ordered the drinks and food.  But no sooner had she set the coins on the table then someone had chimed in from behind.

Aisha turned, eyeing the stranger with curiosity, though polite.  "Ruckus?  Heh, if we were, it was for a good cause," she smirked, glancing to Gareeku and around the group, before settling on him--or her?--again.  "Didn't bother you, did it?" she inquired, though there was a curious pause.  She almost felt like new faces were turning up lately that took an interest in everything.

[Gareeku]

Seeing the newcomer, Gareeku smiled and nodded his head in greeting. Like Aisha, the wolf couldn't tell whether the stranger was male or female. Listening to Aisha, Gareeku smirked, though inside his head, the wolf was still deep in thought.
What was I doing last night...? Aisha's my friend, prehaps my best friend...I'm not...Am I...? the wolf thought to himself worriedly, though his facial expression remained calm as he looked around the tavern at the others who had gathered downstairs.

[Snuggles]

Rei takes the tea a little calmer. "Thank you." Watches Winger talk back and fourth between Morgan. When her name came up. "Yes i will still right here... to tell you that truth... no offense... your home scares me... like anyother place.

[Stygian]

"Nah, tha's no worry," it replied to them. "Was a bit busy anyhow, moppin' up some big bugs that came from out of the woods, and then some hounds or somethin'. I just wish tha' I'd have been there myself, to be honest. What were you doing anyway? I mean, didja get a look at it? Tha' thing that came outta the sky?" He or she, whatever it was, had just a bit of an accent that sounded... Welsh? "Blood, I should'a headed after ya, but as I said I was busy. Wha' say we grab somethin' to eat and talk?"
   The feline moved around them with a smile and seemed to want to lead them over to the tables, walking with a smooth yet lively step.
   "Oh, righ'. Tha' was stupid of me," it said, and stopped, turning and proffering them a long-fingered, strong hand. "Name's Robyn. Robyn Leigh'Alen"

[Cogidubnus]

Cog waved hello to Sylva and grinned as his plate of buttered toast and mug of coffee made its way to him. He tipped the barmaid and set to work, draining down half of his mug before even coming up for air. He would refuse to admit it, of course, but he'd had a minor addiction to the stuff for most of his life...about 275 years or so. He'd become somewhat a connoisseur, and he was surprised by this establishment's brew. He suspected they put salt in the grinds, which added a very nice flavor. He sipped the rest contentedly while he munched on his toast.
He smiled to himself at Gareeku and Aisha and suppressed a chuckle. Both of them had their minds written all over their faces. He wished them the best. He made careful not to look directly at the other with them, however, but listened carefully to what 'it' said. Robyn... he thought, chuckling. Well, there went one way of figuring out it's gender, he thought. Clever. He found himself quite bemused this morning as he sipped his coffee.

[Ryudo Lee]

Oh how he wanted to sleep in!  The sun was an unwelcome sight to Ryudo.  He pulled the blanket over his head and buried his face in his pillow.  It had been far too long since he had slept in his own bed, having had to make do with the hard, cramped bunks of a ship for the longest time.  Being back in his own bed was a breath of fresh air.  It was so warm and comfortable...

But Koji had other plans.  The boy was up with the sun, and had played quietly in his room until he decided that it was time for daddy to wake up and make breakfast.  He quietly snuck down the stairs and silently opened the door to daddy's room.

Ryudo was blissfully unaware of his son's presence, as he was happily in the grips of a pleasant dream.  But that dream would soon be interrupted.
"BANZAI!" Koji shouted as he leapt towards the bed.
He had thrown himself forward, arms out in front, and landed square on daddy's back.  Ryudo's wings shot upward, throwing the blanket up and over Koji, which amused the boy to no ends.  With a groan Ryudo sat up, making Koji tumble onto the mattress, further entangling himself in the blanket, further amusing the lad.  Ryudo let out a yawn as he grabbed his clothes.  It would be nice to be wearing his own clothes instead of the pirate-issued rags he was in earlier.
"Come on Koji, get outta my blanket." Ryudo said as he dressed himself.
Koji pretended to stuck in the middle of the tangled blanket.
"Help help!  It's eating me!" Koji cried out in feigned fear.
Once dressed in his usual outfit which consisted of a black vest over light armor, and blue pants under thick boots, he fished his son out of his blanket.
"Yay!  I've been saved!" Koji laughed.
"C'mon, we'll get breakfast over at the inn, and see what we can do about this whole angel business." Ryudo said as he hefted the boy up onto his shoulders.
It was like they had never left...

It wasn't long before the door to the inn opened, and through which strolled Ryudo, with Koji in tow.  He put the boy on a stool and looked to the bartender.
"Hey, let's get my boy here some breakfast... and some coffee for me.  Black."  Ryudo said.
He turned around and surveyed the bar, checking out all the new faces.

[Cheese Foxlee]

Winger laugh a bit at Rei's reply. "All the more reason for us to get out of here as fast as we can."  Winger Said stepping out the door.

he return a few minutes later caring a large mental chest.  Inside was a metal breastplate, the same one he had worn on his last adventure with Ryudo and his group, and some extra weapons, which included some knives small explosives.  He took these and gave half to Rei.

As He strapped on his armor,  he noticed that it fit a bit more snuggly than he remembered.  "I hate getting old." He said to himself reaching into the chest again and pulling out a small bundle.

Morgan Eyes widened when she saw it. "I don't see what you need to take those for." She said to Winger Who was unwrapping the package.  Inside there was a red an gold vest made in the style that the avian females wore and a pare of black pant.

"These belonged to my." Said in a low voice. "Rei  I want  you to have them."  As he spoke 2 large Silver Rings fell out of the bundle.  winger picked them up and looked at hem for a moment  before placing them back in the chest.  "we can't have you running around looking like a beggar, can we."

[Snuggles]

Rei look at winger astonished. "I can't take those.. those are really too..." She paused trying to find a good word, but couldn't. "Beautiful for me to wear... i like the clothes i have on now." But she does takes the daggers winger gives her but because she isn't use to having more then two daggers and a sword she has she is carrying them in her arms right at the moment.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha listened to the stranger talk with a curious expression, though neutral.  That was her way with most strangers usually...being the type to have been traveling alone for a long while, she was naturally cautious.  But she observed the newcomer's demeanor, and decided that their story checked out.  That is if we've had enough illusions, the panther thought to herself, remembering Sebastian.

"We got a good look at it, yeah.  You didn't miss much...the most that we have done up by the crater is bury those dead where it fell."  Her look was somewhat forlorn, but perked slightly at the invitation to talk.  There was a brief glance spared at Gareeku, wondering about his opinion, before she heard someone else come in.  She smiled, upon seeing who it was.

Aisha spared a wave of greeting at Ryudo and Koji before she shrugged.  "Robyn," the panthress repeated the name with a polite bow, shaking the stranger's hand after a brief pause.  "Nice to meet you.  I'm Aisha."

[Stygian]

The felid smiled and took Aisha's hand in a grip that was a lot stronger than his or her frame would suggest, and made a small nod of its own.
   "Nice to meet ya, Aisha," Robyn said, and then sprang a bit on his or her feet when turning to Gareeku. "You then, big guy? You tha' bodyguard or tha' manservant? I'd guess tha' former, 'f ya ask me." A grin played across Robyn's features as it looked up at the wolf. "Not to say ya can't be both." The cat snickered.

[Gareeku]

Listening to the feline speak, Gareeku was somewhat intrigued by his/her accent. However, upon the stranger, calling himself/herself "Robyn", refer to him as Aisha's manservant, the wolf looked slightly for a moment with the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks, before turning back to the stranger.
"Heh, Aisha isn't the type to need a bodyguard." Gareeku replied with a smirk, before bowing in greeting. "My name is Gareeku. A pleasure to meet you."

[Aisha deCabre]

Quirking an eyebrow at the statement that the felid made as Gareeku introduced himself, she released a laugh in agreement with his reply.  "Hah, I should say that I'm not."  Her hand came up to rest on the wolf's shoulder.  "Gareeku's a fellow adventurer, and...a very good friend."

Aisha gave him a brief smile before turning to the bar, noticing that the breakfast and drinks she ordered were arriving, and redirected them over to a nearby table where they were headed originally.  "You said you'd like to talk with us?" she said to Robyn while grabbing a chair to sit in.

[Stygian]

The felid sat down, and then snapped a finger and called for the bartender to serve some pancakes, if they were available.
   "With blueberry jam, if you have, please?" the leopard chimed, and then turned toward them, setting down the sword and bag next to the chair. He or she folded its fingers, and then set its head on its hands, supporting it on its elbows.
   "So, 'f ya didn' get so much to fight, then wha' was it tha' killed... I mean, did ya even get to defend those people you buried?" Robyn asked quite seriously. "I mean, 's not like I think you'd have left them to their fate, but..."
   The leopard seemed to be trailing off, and blinked a bit when a platter of pancakes with cream and blueberries, and a glass of milk, were placed before it. Smiling, it began eating.
   "I mean, I was..." it said, then made a slightly exasperated sound. "I was hearin' all these things 'bout an 'angel' or somethin' since last time, 'n I was wonderin'... what's going on right now?" It looked at them with eyes that shifted in grey, blue and green.

[Cheese Foxlee]

Morgan looked relieved that Rei turned down the clothes, but  Winger just smiles, and puts the clothes back in the chest.  "That's  fine,  I think we are ready to go  then"

"I think you could use a bath before you go Winger." Morgan Snickered.

"Hey! That's not stink you smell, It's adventures musk." Winger joked.  "Tell Emily that I said good bye, And I'll be back soon."

Morgan nodded still smiling. "Just you make sure you come back alive."

Winger cleared his throat. "Let's go, Rei" He said giving Morgan a hard look. "Unless there is any thing else you want to do before we leave."

[Snuggles]

Rei looked to winger. "First i think you should say goodbye to Emily yourself and secondly... could i get a bag for these dagger they are getting a little heavy." She blushes because she just as a total stranger for something and also told someone she barely new to do something. "I'm... sorry i didn't mean it like that" she is still blushing.

[Azlan]

The bartender nodded to Ryudo as he gestured to the serving girl.  Within a few moments, the lass reappeared with a large plate of pancakes of all manner with wonderful fruit compote and a hearty plate of breakfast meats.  These she placed in front of Koji.  Producing a mug from the shelf, she placed it in front of Ryudo.  The serving lady filled it full of coffee.

Carran wandered in from the outside and sat at the table near the door, "that was the second longest night in recorded history."

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog turned and regarded Azlan sagely. "The longest night in recorded history being the Winter Solstice of 580, of course. It's also famous for being the night on which Yord the Strange was burned at the stake for the crime of calculating angles. The legend goes that his blackened spirit, freed from his body, made the night more powerful than the sun, for just little while." Cog smiled and drained the rest of his coffee. "Of course, the currently residing theory is that it was merely an apex of some cycle of solstices, and that his death was mere coincidence. It makes a nice story, however."
Cog turned and spoke to the leopard. "I believe we got off on the wrong foot in the hall, miss: an apology about your bag is in order, but I do believe that I can shed some light on your question. Yesterday, we met a scholar here who believes that all of these angels falling out of the sky are linked. As we have already investigated one crash site, it might be prudent to investigate others, to see if this 'core' that some have been speaking of can be found. It is, apparently, of some value to certain individuals, and dangerous to many to boot. I'm not sure, but surely someone remembered to ask here where those sites were..." he said, pausing for a moment. "In any case, we are now looking for the core of this angel."

[Stygian]

The leopard looked a bit dumbfounded for a moment, tilted its head to the side, and looked at Cogidubnus. His or her perfectly shaped face frowned for a bit, and looked wondering.
   "Core? Ya mean its heart?" it said, and then blinked a bit. Then, its face settled a bit. "Ah, 'n don't worry 'bout the bag. You couln't ha' known."
   The snow leopard went back to eating pancakes and muttering a bit. Then, it looked up at them, thumped its chest softly, and hummed.
   "Powerful, ya say? If there are lotsa angels about, then..." it said, and trailed off a bit. "Wait... you're goin' after this thing?" Its face suddenly looked full of interest at this question.

[Aisha deCabre]

As Aisha listened to the leopard, she started eating her own breakfast, a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs with cinnamon toast.  The panther grimaced a little at its question about the people that they had buried.  She swallowed briefly and held up a finger to speak.  "Look, honestly, the thing fell in a deep part of the woods.  We didn't think anyone was out there, and it came as a surprise.  Agradecido por (thankfully), I think there was only a little farm there.  But the only survivor was a wounded child...I suspect he's still at the doctor," she added with a thoughtful tone.

She was about to talk about the fallen angel, when Cogi started up.  She listened and nodded agreeingly, looking back at Robyn.  "That's...basically it, yes.  There were a few casualties, fighting the fallen one, but it will be worth it once over with," she finished with the excited grin of an adventurer going to quest.  "And of course we're going after it."

A parts of the story had been left out for the sake of leaving out worry and conflict with the stranger, such as one about the shapeshifting priest...and as Aisha suspected was much to Gareeku's relief, nothing was said about the darkness triggering the wolf's feral form.  The adventure was going to be as smooth as possible if she had anything to help for it.

[Gareeku]

After ordering his breakfast, which consisted of bacon, scrambled eggs and toast with a glass of orange juice, Gareeku sat down with Aisha and Robyn, staying silent and eating his breakfast as he listened to the others talk.

As Aisha talked of the battle in the woods, the wolf's mind thought to back to finding out what he had done in his incubus form. Looking away somewhat, a look of uncomfort became apparant on his face.

[Stygian]

The leopard hummed a bit more, and it scratched its chin. Then, it downed the last bit of milk and licked its well-shaped lips.
   "Allright. Where do ya sign up for this then?"