Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {2}

[Gabi]

Gabi sighed, and then spoke out. "We've just been involved in a big battle. Can't we have some peace for a few hours?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel returned a look that said she wasn't at all impressed by Gareeku's glare. "Are you going to interrogate me? I would advise against that." She took an unconcerned sip of her drink. "I am here, not disappeared into the night, so obviously I do not want to make things excessively difficult. But quite frankly you are not motivating me to make them excessively easy either."

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha nearly finished her breakfast as soon as Gabi had come to put in her two cents on the situation; and nodded with satisfaction thus when Jakob agreed to it.  This was no time to be reflecting on the past, but rather just trying to keep their mentality about them for what was to come next.  And she couldn't argue with having a time to rest...nor could anyone else it seemed.

But then her ears quirked and she swiveled in her barstool to where Gareeku and the one called Mel were having a verbal stand-off about what information she seemed to have carried.  The panthress sighed...it seemed that the two who had brought the wolf into this mess wouldn't be out of their sight anytime soon.  She felt like arguing too...but more favorably, out of exhaustion, she quite agreed with Gabi.  "Indeed, can we not turn this into a war?  All anyone will get out of it is a headache.  It won't go well with the drinking."  Aisha quirked an eyebrow, also glancing at the bat and Keaton.

"So, please, why not do what my friend asks."

[Sunblink]

Irritation flashed across Keaton's features as she narrowed her eyes at Ignatz and Mel, clearly displaying her displeasure as a growl rumbled in the back of her throat. Wonderful. So these people knew something that they didn't, and they weren't willing to divulge them of any potentially useful knowledge. Not that Keaton was supposed to give a damn--after all, she wasn't affiliated with these travelers. She was merely an innocent bystander (well, as "innocent" as her mind could stretch) who had been irreversibly dragged into their conflict. All she wanted was to find the solitary survivors of her family, and instead those damn Phoenix Oracles...

Gah. She was becoming angry again. Keaton tipped her head back and, in a fit of frustration, swallowed down great mouthfuls of beer to stifle her rage, feeling eerily comfortable as it was smothered. Aisha looked to her beseechingly, remarking that they didn't want any further arguments or fights, but Keaton didn't respond. All she did was continue to nurse her booze, looking increasingly pensive. The alcohol was kicking in.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gareeku]

Hearing Mel's response, Gareeku scoffed.
"Well excuse me, oh mighty and wise one." the wolf replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. As the others spoke up, Gareeku said nothing, choosing instead to drink some more of his dark rum and coke.

"What is it you want, exactly?" Gareeku asked Mel. "It doesn't take a genius to work out what you're doing. Blackmail is something I am not fond of. If you think I'm helping you out or anything after all the shit you put me through then you can forget it."

[Stygian]

The bat snerked and looked down for a bit, clearly amused. 'Well, honestly, I at least am not much for blackmail, mate,' he said. 'If you had something we wanted, I wouldn't be going about things this way to get it.' He took another swig and then leaned his head a bit to the side, looking at the wolf from a skewed angle as he set down his glass. 'We got paid for delivering you, and I'm happy with that. There's not much between us more than that. I can't speak for Mel, but...'
   The bat took a pause, and ordered in another drink. He looked a bit over at Keaton, tested the air with a twitching, flared nosetip, and exhaled heavily. 'Methinks you might be flattering yourself,' he said, and took another sip.

[Tapewolf]

"What do you suppose happened to Arc and Blaze?"  Jakob asked in a low voice, trying to ignore the ugliness between Gareeku and Ignatz.  "Do you think they're okay?  Or have they been kidnapped too?"

[Gabi]

"I wish I knew," Gabi replied. "Arc seemed to have others looking after him, not to mention an agenda of his own. I doubt he's been kidnapped. But I'm worried about Blaze. Perhaps they know something," she gestured to Mel and Ignatz "but I'm not about to ask them. And I wouldn't be able to trust their answer even if they did tell us something."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked insulted. "Blackmail?" She stared coldly at him. "I would get more profit if I took the information I know about all of you north." She sipped her drink, weighing her words. "I am a... collector of stories. This is an interesting one. I wish to collect it, all of it."

[Gabi]

"A story?!," Gabi couldn't hold herself any longer, and stood up. "Is that what this is to you? Real lives are at stake! Does no one mean anything to you?"

[Stygian]

Suddenly and unceremoniously, Ignatz snorted into his drink and sputtered, laughing hard. He slapped the glass down on the table and looked over toward Gabi, wiping his mouth with his left hand.
   'It's live and let die, sweets,' the bat said, still grinning. 'And that's the wrong way to talk to Mel. Trust me.'

[Gabi]

"It's not like either of you has been talking to anyone the right way," Gabi sighed. "I'm going to sit alone for a while. If James, Jakob or Aisha want to come, they're welcome."

She left the table and looked for an empty seat by the bar. She didn't feel right about this, but everything seemed wrong. She needed some peace, and she knew she wasn't going to get it with them around.

[Aisha deCabre]

By now, Aisha was just about as fed up as many of the others were at this sudden exchange of words.  Mel just wouldn't relent the information at Gareeku's request (a pretty dangerous thing to do at this point, it seemed), and what was worse, harsh feelings were rising even from some of the more peaceable types, such as Gabi.  As she watched the vixen walk off to be by herself, the panther couldn't rightly blame her friend.  It was time to just start bringing this to a head...be it for better or for worse.  Now Mel because of how she was acting wasn't proving herself trustworthy to the group, and Ignatz she never trusted at all.  Her hackles raised slightly, still remembering the bat's whole tirade of impersonating her before...

"Alright, alright, cállense! (Shut up!)" Aisha growled, slamming her palm flat on the bar table a few times to gain attention, her face as dead serious as the others.  "We all just came back from a very mind-warped battle, and noticeably that would put a few thorns in our paws.  We also came to get a little peace, and damn it, we're going to have it.  So how about instead of fighting, all of you settle this in some form or another?"

She sighed and shook her head.  "'Cause I ain't about to be dragging bodies out of a friggin' bar fight."

[James StarRunner]

What a happy bunch we are... The only one who isn't depressed, upset, or sadistic is Ephrael and she's too drunk to care.

"Hey guys... let's just take a breather before someone gets an ulcer. Sure, I don't like what Mel and Ignatz did to us, but what they did wasn't a personal attack and was only professional. Many of us hire ourselves out for our services as well. Heck, I attacked Gareeku before for money. Of course my employer lied to me but still... We don't need to pry anything from their lips. We'll run into blatant hints and gather more information the closer we get to our destination. We don't need their 'help' any longer. To me this is no more different from hunting down some of my other bounties. We WILL make our goal. And since you guys are after the same thing I am, I'll be there with you, helping you." James drained the rest of the pitcher of root beer, softly passed a long burp and politely excused himself.

James stood up and walked over to Gabi and (not so randomly) hugged the vixen. "Gabi, I never got to thank you yet for healing me back there. Thank you. And for those of you wanting peace, I took the liberty of ordering us rooms when I put Eph away to sleep. Except for Ig and Mel... I'm sure they'd want to buy their own room."

[Cogidubnus]

 As Gabi sat down, a pair of shaded eyes looked at the vixen carefully, moving aside as she found a place to sit. The pair of eyes regarded her quietly, one eye narrowing beneath opaque lenses, and the turned their attention back to the glass of whiskey in front of them.

The wolf brushed a stray strand of hair out from in front of his face and took a drink, sipping down on the clear-brown liquid slowly, his other hand drumming it's fingers idly on the table in front of him. As he drank, his ear twitched, and he set the drink down with a low thunk. A blue squirrel had walked up to the vixen, hugging her, and with a quick thanks for some healing the fox had done walked away.

Cog raised an eyebrow. All of these newcomers into the bar smelled of smoke and sweat, and not a little bit of apprehension and blood. Heading off to the bar after a particularly difficult fight or a successful hunt was no strange occurrence to the wolf. Still, for a group celebrating a victory, they seemed to be rather on-edge. The wolf fingered a charm around his neck for a moment, the silver glowing, and the air seemed to curdle around him for just a moment before settling.
On-Edge was putting it mildly. Cog's hearing was sharp, but it wasn't as though it was difficult at all to hear the conversations buzzing about.

He turned to the fox, brushing a bit of imaginary dirt off his pants, and took a quick sip of his drink again before speaking.
"You and your group ran into some trouble, I take it?"

[Stygian]

While the bat returned to his drinking, his ears swiveled back and he looked to the side at James' comments. Well, what do you know? he thought. Seems he can be quite helpful after all. Though I hate it when that help comes in such a 'cozy' way...
   The next comment almost made Ignatz smile. What? Our own room? Does he think we're together together? A bit of a foreign scenario, and while somewhat interesting a most improbable one. The bat scratched his chin.
   'Muchacha... Ustedes son los únicos que están molestos aquí. Yo sólo intento irritar a la "Miss-bee-have" que está ahí.' the bat said, and jerked a thumb in Keaton's direction. Then he buried his muzzle in his drink yet again.

[Tapewolf]

"You could say that," Jakob said, as he took a seat near Gabi and gazed at Cog with a neutral expression, gently trying to hear the other's thoughts as he spoke.

"We fell afoul of a rather unpleasant demon chap.  I think he's probably dead now... either that, or wishing he is.  His boss didn't seem too pleased that we managed to defeat him.  Even so, it was something of a miracle we survived and it hasn't really helped us towards our true goal all that much."

"What of you?" he added after a pause.  "What's your story?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked at Ignatz with a shrug. "I offer them the deal of the information in exchange for tagging along and get it thrown in my face. If they only knew my regular prices."  Then her face took on a mischievous look. She turned back to Gareeku, "New offer. Out-drink my friend over there and you get the information for free. He puts you under the table and you accept my original offer plus you all have to lose the attitude."

[Gareeku]

By now Gareeku had turned away from the others, sitting by himself as he faced the bar. The bartender, meanwhile, was pretty nonplussed by the situation. Normally in this tavern the arguements would have broken out into a full-on fight, but he guessed that, considering they had just ended what seemed to be a rather grueling battle, they probably didn't have the energy.

The wolf had noticed that others had started to move away from him. At that moment, however, he didn't care. Normally he might have not been so angry at Stygian and Mel. After all, they were trying to make living etc, even if they methods were questionable. However, from the sheer amount of pain he had gone through, the hideous torture that he had been forced to endure, plus the fact that was on borrowed time, the wolf wasn't in the greatest of moods.

It was then, however, that Gareeku heard Mel speak up again, or more specifically, the wager. Looking at her, the wolf raised an eyebrow. Could he trust her? Well if he wanted the information, he'd have to. Besides, it was a drinking competition; something which Gareeku thoroughly enjoyed. Turning his head some more, the wolf then looked at Ignatz. He didn't know why, but something told him that this guy was a good drinker. Turning back to Mel, a few moments passed as he look at her with a grim expression. It was then, however, that the corner of his mouth turned upwards into a slight smirk.

"You're on."

[Gabi]

Gabi smiled at James, and thanked him back. She then turned to look at the stranger who spoke to her, but Jakob replied to his question before she could think of what to say. She listened. She, too, was curious about his story. She wondered what his interest in their group was, and why there was something a bit familiar and at the same time something very unusual about his scent.

[Sunblink]

While she was keeping her distance from the argument ensuing, for once, Keaton bristled visibly when Ignatz jerked his thumb in her direction and uttered something in Spanish that she couldn't understand. What was it the bastard was saying about her? She wanted to know. When someone was insulting her she wanted to know what the hell they were saying so that way she could properly belt them. Such irritation was only exacerbated by Mel's haughty attitude regarding life and death--not something which particularly concerned her, being rather heartless towards such an issue herself, but it was her manner of speaking which infuriated the jackal, not to mention with how she seemed to be playing with them all. Growling around the brim of her now-empty beer mug, Keaton slammed it on the surface of the booth and directed a virulent glare at the group. Mean drunk, most likely. Keaton was even more volatile when she was intoxicated, a remarkable accomplishment.

Now Ignatz was challenging Gareeku to what she assumed was a drinking contest. Wonderful. Wasn't she the one who was supposed to out-drink him? Of course, she was already inflicting a great deal of inebriation on herself, but she sighed and resigned herself to her competitive streak despite her burgeoning drunkenness. "You know what? I'll join in too," she said. "'Think it'd be better off that way. More the merrier and all that..."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[James StarRunner]

James buried his face in his hand and sighed. "I think I'll go to my room and make some tonics for all the hangovers all of you are going to have... I hope you'll be sober enough to still hold a coherent conversation later tonight Gareeku. If any sober people want to talk to me while I work, I'll be slaving away in room 11..." James paid the barkeep for his beverage and left for his room.

[Tapewolf]

"A drinking contest?" said Jakob.  He looked slightly alarmed.  "I hope they don't do anything foolish."  Like drinking more than a Being would be able to and live, or getting so pissed they forget what they're doing and shapeshift.  We don't know what the local reception to Creatures is going to be like.

[Gabi]

"Anything they haven't done yet, you mean?," Gabi replied to Jakob's comment. "I'll go and check on James, he sounded like he could use some company. Will you please tell me if anything interesting happens?"

She then turned to the stranger who had been talking to her. "Excuse me, please," she said, and left for room 11.

Once there, she knocked on the door and announced her presence.

"I've had nothing but tea to drink. May I come in?"

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog glanced aside, his head tilting slightly aside at the sudden interruption. A grey wolf sat down next to the vixen - the two were apparently familiar with each other. Cog leaned back in his chair as he listened, nodding his head. As the wolf began to speak, however, Cog's eye narrowed, and his ear flicked once in irritation.

As Jakob's probe brushed Cog's mind, he found that instead of trying to read the mind of a single entity, it was like trying to read the minds of two - one rational and thinking, and standard as far as most minds went, if only much more...strong, was the only word, as if mental struggles were no stranger to it. The other, however, seemed to be nothing but confusing, irrational sensory perceptions, a bundle of rage and anger and sensations stitched together into some vicious, confusing entity. It only resided in the corner of his mind, but it was almost painful to even brush over the thing.

Cog continued to listen, however, his shades falling down his nose as he regarded Jakob with yellow eyes. As the gray wolf finished, the other wolf nodded, and took another absent sip of his drink, crossing his legs and sitting sideways on his barstool as he spoke.
"Demons can be bastards, yes. Very tough. And I'm sorry to hear that it was for naught." Cog said, taking in a deep breath. He glanced at Gabi, one eye apprasing, and then back at Jakob.

The vixen excused herself. Cog nodded his head, making a minor bow as he sat. "By all means." he said, scooting back a little bit to give her room, and returned to speaking with the wolf.
"Who am I? I am Cogidubnus." the other wolf said, sipping on his whiskey. "And I am here for a drink. The ones they serve here are bigger than the ones down the street. The wise adventurer makes it his business to know these things."
Cog glanced to the side. "Of course, I find a group just about ready to kill each other during their victory party a bit more interesting than a large glass of whiskey. But then..." Cog stopped, the wolf suddenly meeting Jakob's eyes. Peering over his shades, the wolf's yellow eyes were narrow as they gazed at him.
"You probably already knew that."

[Stygian]

The bat raised his brow and then made sure to keep his face perfectly neutral as he heard Mel's statement. You devious little... he thought, grinning on the inside. It was a very neat, mean and probably effective plan. Mentally he thanked her for her cleverness.
   'Alright. But we need some rules,' Ignatz said, quickly putting his glass down on the table. He made sure to keep his posture and speech loose and relaxed, his gaze just the slightest bit dim. 'No water. We take the same drinks, take turns choosing them, and keep pace. And no retching in the bathroom.' He flicked his right ear and then gave both Keaton and Gareeku a seemingly empty smirk. And be prepared for the morning, kids. You're in for one hell of a ride...

[Tapewolf]

Jakob considered the other wolf.  There was clearly something odd going on in his mind, but he decided to let that slide for now.

"We aren't all friends," he said simply, ignoring the others' insinuation.  "We might have died without their help I must admit, but to be honest it was more a united front against a common enemy.

"It would be so nice if they weren't here," he added with a sigh, and considered for a moment before deciding to throw the other wolf another bone.

"Anyway.  We were led here by a series of kidnappings, but I believe you said you are an adventurer?  Any particular field or specialization?"  In other words, are you hunting Creatures?

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha sighed, rubbing her sore palm after having slammed it on the table before, and caught the incredulous look that the barkeeper had on his face.  She shook her head and returned her gaze to the bar, finishing off the last of her breakfast and ordering another drink while everyone talked amongst themselves.  James had spoken up after she did, and the squirrel seemed more irritated than any of them.  And finally, after Ignatz's sudden retort in her native tongue (though it was hard to understand due to mistakes in intonation...she accredited that to drunkenness), she just scoffed and muttered something below hearing level.  "Tonto."

And that was when a few people excused themselves, and the panthress suddenly noticed a stranger speaking to Gabi, to whom she just quirked an eyebrow to in regard.  Jakob was already speaking with the group of canids, investigating him.  With the party seemingly dissolving for the time being, that left Aisha with little else to do than just enjoy her own drink...if nobody else was going to enjoy what was supposed to be a victory party.  It probably would have been if...

Then Mel spoke up, and the panther just had to lift her head again.  A drinking contest, hm?  Well.  Not much better than chewing heads off, but at least it's sporting, if I know Gareeku.  She rolled her eyes and carried a smirk on her own face and twisted herself on the barstool to watch...unable to stop anyone, but at least to be one of those there to help her friends on their feet afterwards.

[Cogidubnus]

The wolf blinked, apparently thrown off by the other Jakob's reaction, and shrugged. "Specialization? I've never heard that one before..."
Cog seemed to think about that for a moment, sipping down a bit of his drink, making just a slight face as the bitter taste went down, and set his glass down on the bar. He pushed his shades back up over his eyes.

"I suppose I don't really have a field of specialization. I study the sword, so I suppose that's where most of my ability lies." he said, putting his chin in his hands. "Unless you mean, what do I do, as an adventurer?" the wolf inquired. He shrugged again. "Mostly whatever needs doing."

He paused, looking at Jakob carefully, and continued. "I'd describe myself more as a wanderer, really. Adventuring is a side job. A lucrative way to wander about, and said wandering allows me to keep up with...other things." Cog said, a sudden gleam in his eye. "You'll find the strangest things adventuring, really. Sometimes things you were looking for, other times things you never expected to find. People can be in the strangest places." he said, smiling softly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of people, though, I don't think I caught your name. Mr...?"

[Tapewolf]

"Peterson," said Jakob.  "By specialization, I mean a given trade.  James, our squirrel friend who has just gone upstairs is a bounty hunter.  And I..." he paused.

"Well believe it or not, I usually make wildlife films for a living," he laughed.
"That said, one of my more interesting assignments was a series of films about adventurers.  Specifically, Creatures who decided to make a living by the sword," He added, mentally 'listening' to the other wolf's reaction.

Good job I left my trenchcoat in the cloakroom, he thought.