Flight of Fancy: IC (Mature) {Currently Closed}

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel found her way to the casino area, which was now crowded with creatures and beings of all types. Ordering herself a drink she wandered between the tables, carefully avoiding the crowds that might jostle the peppermint striped drink. One table in particular caught her eye, mostly due to the quarter-sized dragon playing at it. She wondered what sort of enchantment he was using to achieve that effect. She made a mental note to speak to him later and find out where he got his charms. Always good to know the competition. From the dragon her eyes were drawn to the dealer. An amphibian of some sort who just seemed a bit off. She settled in to watch the game and see if there was anything unusual going on.

[Sunblink]

Keaton felt adrift in a veritable sea of extravagant colors. For the briefest of moments, she almost felt overwhelmed by the grandeur of the vessel and its inhabitants, her relatively sheltered upbringing having tempered the faint disillusionment her past experiences had instilled. Airships, flying vessels, luxury ships - those all represented a brand new frontier of technology unexplored. The Flame of Freedom's reputation had certainly preceded itself, but it did little to steel her against the strange, fluttering excitement she felt escalate inside her. Almost the instant she stepped foot onto the airship (almost possessively resisting the guards' effort to confiscate her luggage before she realized it was unbecoming), she was thunderstruck by the grandeur of it all. Emotions assailed her thoroughly-fortified mind from every angle, ranging from the sweet citrus-like tang of elation to the low, bitter taste of sadness, probably emitted by those bidding loved ones farewell; a strange mottled mixture of sensations. Tightening her mental shield as a precaution, Keaton strode across the deck, languidly observing the Beings conversing among themselves and the crew struggling to tend to everyone's needs.

Keaton was pleasantly surprised. She was expecting for the grand majority of the ship's occupants to consist of Beings, but she was able to identify various Creatures mingling among the crowds. She hadn't spotted any Cubi yet, but it wasn't like any self-respecting Cubi would flaunt their heritage so openly. Off in the distance, she spotted the crooked horns of a Demon rising out of a small congregation of people. No feathered wings had been noticed yet, much to her relief. If her neighbor ended up being a goddamn Angel, that would ruin her good mood. Yes, Keaton was delighted. Yes, she was able to forget all her past mistakes and problems for just a moment, as she drank in the sights and sounds of the airship. Obtaining those tickets was a godsend in more ways than one.

The ship seemed absolutely gargantuan. She had no idea where to go first. Already on the verge of overstimulation, Keaton visualized her next destination: her quarters. There, she'd deposit her belongings in a nice, safe corner, make sure her quarters matched the luxury of the rest of the ship. Not that she expected to spend much time in bed for obvious reasons, but occasionally she'd need a reprieve, wouldn't she?

[Lisky]

Baseel mixed his drink idly while he observed those around the bar.  It seemed the guests joining them came from a wide array of backgrounds.  An Angel seemed to be making his pass at a being lass.  Possibly an adventurer, or a foreign dignitary.  It was tough to tell given the duality most of her appearance gave off.  He then shifted around the bar, odd dignitaries and businessmen certainly.  They didn't concern him too much, this was a work-vacation for them.  The oddball off to his right certainly triggered a few mental alarms.  His entire appearance screamed cult, that combined with the way he seemed to be drowning himself with alcohol tended to be a bad combination.

He nudged Aleyna's arm and nodded towards Vlad, speaking in a low voice,  "Don't look too obviously, but it seems we may have a troublemaker in our midst.  I'd keep my eyes on him, looks like trouble."

* * * * *

The vixen smirked as she observed the oddly dressed feline with a smirk. She rubbed the Baseel's hand closest her as she took a sip from her martini glass. "Oh, is that big bad being going to bite you?  The demon warlord afraid of a little industrial equipment? He's just a little odd... doesn't mean he'll cause trouble.  Tell you what. Why don't we go invite him over for a drink before you go do anything too impulsive."

Her fingers slid between his as she held his hand, "Besides... it'd be oh so disappointing if you left me all alone on this trip after getting kicked off for assault."

So saying she casually slipped the bartender a note to deliver to the cloak and metal clad being,

Look to your left, about 10 seats down.  You should join us for a few drinks if you're not currently indisposed

:Lady Aleyna Kresedia

She then ordered a small tray of neon-colored shots, who's contents seemed to sparkle and even glow slightly.  "Hurry up with your drink, dear... i think it's time to make this a proper party."

[Tapewolf]

"Puppetry..." Jakob looked lost in thought for a moment.  At SAIA, there had been a fad for puppetry, several in fact.  Wing-puppetry in particular had always ended up with some wise guy morphing their wings into something lewd.

"I haven't seen that done for a while now," he said eventually.  "It might make a change.  I will indeed try to see your show.  I'm kind of curious how you plan to make them visible to a large audience without spells, though."

[justacritic]

Hobbies looked a bit guilty. "Well it isn't as if it's a total magic nulling field on the ship, it's a magic dampener." The incubus then looked much happier though. " Also the theater is equipped for such events, though I'll reserve the best seats for you and anybody with you, it's the least I am able to do." He stowed away the twins and a thought struck him. "What is it like? Working for the Lord Daryil, I've heard..." He paused for a second. "rumors, and the stories that circulate in our clan don't help matters"

[Tapewolf]

Jakob sighed.  "Daryil can be trying sometimes.  Some of this is deliberate, since it puts his enemies off-guard.  Some of it is hyperactivity, and some of it... well, he doesn't always take people's reactions into account fully.  I would almost suspect a defect in his empathic abilities...
"Like I say, this erratic behaviour can be aggravating, particularly when attending a function that requires decorum.  But the one thing it never, ever is is boring," he concluded with a smile.

[Boog]

The cards shuffled and clacked from one of Jeremiah's palms to another, before fluttering in an arc from one hand to another a couple times. His eyes scanned the room for initial marks.
"What about you sir?" The frog's voice hit a pitch exclusively known to auctioneers and carnival barkers as he whirled toward the... Golem? He saw it eye the drinks earlier, generally anything that ever had a desire to turn its brain off played cards. He was pretty sure the ship didn't employ any golems-
Oi, wings, twelve o'clock.
You'll have to narrow it down.
The leopard, giving you the hairy eye. Jeremiah saw her. Big scaly wings, blue dress, looking away just as Jeremiah was looking up. He smirked to himself. Wonder if she gambles?
Don't get stupid.
He tweaked his collar and gestured for a passing waitress to bring another chair over for the golem-fellow. Followed by another requesting she stay awhile; it was all a pretty subtle game, working with the casino. The tells and gestures to the rest of the staff, indicating when to bring over more drinks, when to make a loud noise in the background when a player's trying to focus, when some pretty showgirl should stand over the "big winner's" shoulder and look impressed, keeping him at the table. He'd almost forget to count the cards remembering it all.
Hey, it's a casino. House always wins.

[Aisha deCabre]

"Coming right up, sir!"

The bartender at her end of the table was certainly quick to his orders, Aisha observed with a chuckle, as he skittered off to mix and pour another drink.  He reminded her of one of the librarian's few assistants back at the Monastery, a stoat, who seemed to prefer zipping along the tops of the bookshelves rather than at the bottom.  Mustelines; no lack of energy.

Just as she was thinking that, another whitish ferret had come to her end, taking the stool next to her and waving the bartender down for a pint.  The drink was mixed, poured, and passed over to him in no time flat.  Aisha had to look over the winged individual with brief fascination; of all Creatures, Angels never bothered the panthress...mostly because her mentor happened to be one, a fact not known readily if at all to anyone outside of the Shadowed Depths.  At least there were more people between herself and the pair of Demons, who looked too preoccupied with each other than with the rest of the patrons.  Thank the gods, she thought with a sigh of relief into her drink.

"Refill, Madame?" the bartender piped in as he returned to see her quarter-filled glass already.

Aisha nodded.  "Yes, por favor," she said, and decided to look over everyone else that had appeared around the lounge area while waiting.  It seems she was becoming part of a small group that stood out against the stark elegance of the nobility littered around: There was the angel, a wolf, some 'Cubi littered about, and then...

Her eyebrows quirked upward.  Was that lynx wearing shoulder spikes?

As if reading her mind, the bartender leaned in so that he was heard by both herself and the angel.  "Lot of strangely-dressed fellows here.  Friend of yours?" he asked with a snicker and jerked a clawed thumb the way of the Being, who seemed to be getting some strange looks.

The panthress grinned and sipped her new drink, observing one of her claws.  "Not me, amigo.  I don't associate much with the sharp-and-dark types.  If I do, it becomes a scuffle to see who's sharper."

[Tezkat]

Mateo looked up as a clawed foot poked him in the ribs. "Kid"? The bird girl didn't look all that much older than him. He jumped to his feet, pulling himself up to full height.

"I ain't a kid anymore! And I'm no slave!" His hands balled into fists. This was all a mistake! Locking a collar around his neck shouldn't give anyone the right to order him around like... like...

The collared blue jay looked even more ragged and bruised than he felt. The ocelot unclenched his fists, his face flushed more with embarrassment than anger.

"Damn. I... ah... sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I... um... sorry. Here, let me look at that collar for you."

Mateo examined the iron band as requested. A brass name tag, like the ones rich folks might attach to a pet's collar, hung from a ring on the front.

"There's a tag on the front that says: Jane Wymbly. Is that your name? My name's Mateo..." He noticed an engraving along the side as well. "There are also some numbers on the side: 567. Does that mean anything? Might be a way for them to identify us. But it could just be a blacksmith's mark or something."

He frowned, reaching up to run his fingers along the thick metal encircling his own neck. He didn't have a name tag. "Um... does mine say anything?" He raised his chin slightly so she could see it more easily.

[justacritic]

"Well as long as you're happy" Hobbies said. "Oh yes, do you mind if I take a picture?" The incubus took out a camera.
"I'm on a budget and this seems to be the cheapest way to get some souvenirs of this trip." 

[Tipod]

"Thank you." Terry gave the other players a friendly, if slightly furtive glance as he sat. Now that he was with them, this didn't feel so mysterious and threatening. "But I have to admit," he said, "I've... never actually played blackjack before. I mean, I know the basic idea but I don't know about casino rules or this and that." Obviously, looking at the other players' cards was frowned upon, as was being disruptive. Anything else, he wasn't tremendously sure about.

Little did he realize just how easily he could be played for a sucker here. It was a casino.

[Tapewolf]

"If you must," Jakob said, looking a little unhappily at the camera.  "Just as long as that photo doesn't become 'Jakob Pettersohn: Known Incubus' plastered everywhere."

[justacritic]

Hobbies looked a little confused "Why would I do that? Posting your picture everywhere and saying you are an incubus? Unless... oh" The fennec shook his head. "Don't worry I won't risk doing anything that would harm the relationship between our clans. If you don't really want your picture taken then I'll accept that."   

[Kafzeil]

Kaf's brown furred hand clasped the glass,  taking a hearty swig of the black liquid.

Nice, dry, yet strong. Just the kick he needed. If this didn't calm him down, well, maybe another pint or two would fix that.

He watched the bartender prepare another drink for the pantheress. he had to admire the guy's energy.

As for the pantheress, he was trying to figure her out. Likely an adventurer, but...that ensign. He had seen it before somewhere.

Suddenly the ferret bartender asked him about the lynx.

The pantress was blunt, pretty much boasting about her combat ability.

Yup, Adventurer.Kafzeil smiled. He snickered.

"...Gladly, no, he's not." He took another swig. "I've seen many who dress like him. Usually, those clowns are the first ones the Adventurer's Guild or the League of Assassins toss out of the some Castle Tower window."

"Oh, uh, My Lady..." Kafzeil looked at the panteress. he tried sounding polite, but realized he sounded too formal for guy who's intent was dull his own nerves with booze. "...I think I've seen that ensign before, but I might need my memory jogged."

[Angel]

Kenyan nodded politely at Jake's story and respectfully looked away from the ocelot boy...Mateo, he'd heard him say was his name. A kind young blue jay with an avian accent she was trying to hide was speaking with the young man; from the sound of it, Kenyan was right not to interfere. The discussion between Willard and Jake of their fate deserved more of his attention anyway. They wanted the slaves to fight? To probably die for the men who had tormented them?! Kenyan could hardly believe it. He hated fighting for any reason, and now, they expected THIS of him?! He cursed in the language of rats under his breath, a short, clipped sound of chattering teeth and a low squeak. It was then that he realized escaping from the worst fate of his life might be easier than he assumed.

The black gryphon's murmured hope had caught his attention. Through the fog of the breaking nausea spell, the lion was forming an idea. He was amazed it hadn't occurred to him before. <Su'kedu would be ashamed of me,> he thought with a small smile, thinking of his adopted "father", a wild ferret.

"There is a way I can find out more about where we are and what we can do," he said quietly, aiming his dialogue at Jake primarily. "But it might not work. How clean do you think the ship is?" He smiled, knowing that it didn't matter. No matter how clean a ship was, or so he had heard the traders say, there were always rats.

[VAE]

Vladim looked around, pondering getting another drink.  Nothing exceptionally interesting - the demons, still going at each other... an important looking creature perhaps a foreign dignitary discussing something with a somewhat shabbier incubus.. a musteline angel he'd swear to have seen somewhere appearing to flirt with a being panthress , or was she a cubi as well?
After all, angels were a snobby lot not likely to associate with beings unless they needed dirty work done ,and well, most 'cubi do hide their wings out of habit. Either way, it wasn't a pressing matter.

He noticed a few glancing oddly his way, and some more smirks and sneers.
Bugger.
The lynx sighed. Perhaps he should have gone for the working dress -  grey robe, no spikes and a cloak... but then this one usually worked well enough as a strong "Don't fuck with." signal.. at least in the usual places he went to.  
He pondered going for another drink, when the bartender approached him.
"This one's on the house, mister. Just that it doesn't come in a glass." he grinned as he handed the note to surprised Vladim.

Reading the contents, and a quick glance told him where it came from.
The hell...What do they follow by... Unless the bartender's more cross-eyed than a mythos with knotted eyestalks.
He thought for a moment, then got up from his seat and set off towards the duo.  Vladim was no fan of creatures, but then, demons tend to be reasonably straightforward - if one was pissed at him, it'd be far more likely he'd just walk up to him and plow the bar with his face, rather than sending out invitations.
Besides, if he didn't, someone might interpret it as him being a coward, and that's just asking for trouble.

He approached the table at which the pair sat.
"Greetings to lady Aleyna and her... acquaintance. May I ask what gives me the honour?"  

[Tapewolf]

"It's not so much what you might do with the photo," Jakob said, "It's more what might happen if... Oh nevermind, I guess I'm being paranoid again."
"Very well," Jakob said, "But I'll keep the Angel look if you don't mind."

So saying, he settled into a suitable pose and waited.

[justacritic]

"Thank you!" Hobbies rummaged through his pockets and took out a stick with something on the end of it. "Now would you please smile for the birdie!" There were few that could resist the grin-cracking abilities of the birdie. Hobbies was about to press the button to take the picture...

[Aisha deCabre]

Jake glanced back up to Kenyan, gratefully torn from his attention toward the saddened youngsters nearby.  He blinked, thinking of the question, but shook his head.  "Hard to tell how clean this ship would be...I had my head in a sack coming in here like everyone else."  The gryphon looked around the fairly large space, his feathery ears moving around, but he could catch no strange noises outside of the thrumming engines and occasional speech from the other slaves.  "But I guess they gotta keep it fairly clean, if they want us to stay in shape and disease-free for their little, ah, 'honorable fighting force'," he air-quoted.

"Finally you're gettin' it, kinsman," Willard snorted, but kept an interested eye on the young lion.  "Y'get the seldom sight of lil' pesky stowaways, but this place is run by clean n' wealthy no-nonsense types.  Sooner-er-later they always make a run o' th' ship an' catch 'em.  Might be one or two skitterin' 'round these armpits."  He smirked.  "The critters aren't very nutritious either, trust me."

"There is no condition that would make me want to eat a rat, my friend," Jake grimaced.

"Oh, y'd be surprised..." the other gryphon laughed.

*     *     *

The bartender ferret merely chuckled and went back to his business, though at one point he did poke his nose to his partner's side to see what kind of note he'd passed to the lynx, now making his way toward the demons.  Meanwhile, Aisha allowed herself a short shake of her head and another sip of the strawberry ale.  S'not as flavorful as it's made back home, she thought, but it still had a satisfying kick.

When the angel called to her attention and asked about the ensign he'd seen, however, she blinked once and glanced down at where it lay etched in the metal of one of her hidden-blade bracers.  The mark, which looked like a tiny teardrop with a star in the center and feathered wings splayed out from the edge of the circular emblem around it, wasn't always recognized by anyone she'd ever met.  Mistress Rynkura had sold some of her enchanted items in her youth--hundreds of years ago, Aisha had been told--so it wasn't unlikely that there were Creatures would recognize it.  Otherwise, usually, the only ones who'd seen it on a regular basis were associated with Rynkura herself, or her current business.

"Ah; this is the mark carried by the Shadowed Depths Monastery of Healing.  I was schooled there in swordplay, by Mistress Rynkura Msh'Taan.  'Tis rare that someone recognizes the mark, señor," she hummed.  "The place is rather out of the way."

[SquirrelWizard]

The casino was full of an interesting mix of folks; most were engaged in one vice or another, with the top two being booze or gambling. Not that Evan disapproved of it, he had partaken in both recreationaly at times, but nobody seemed interested in him. He wasn't so narcissistic to think that he was the center attraction here but, damn it, if the people who left the note went to so much trouble to see him here, you would d think they would have met up with him by now. Tired of being the odd guy out in the room, Evan got up and walked over to the bar. He figured that if they weren't meeting him in the bar, then maybe they left a note with one of the bartenders. To be honest he wasn't sure if they did that thing in the sky, but hey, you never know till you tried.

Evan gave the demonic couple next to him some breathing room as he slid onto a stool next to the bar; prior experience had taught him that most demons were overenthusiastic and had little in the ways of inhibitions, and these two seemed to be happily drinking; an act that, after a while, has left many a sober person screwing, dancing or punching anything at arms length. Silently wishing the poor bespiked sod talking to them good luck. He motioned to one of the bartenders to come over.

"Hey Boss, can you get me a shot of something hard. Also, while you're at it, I was wondering if anybody left a message under the name Evan Merrick?"

[justacritic]

*SNAP!* The deed was done. "I hope this turns out good, there's always something that ruins a perfectly good photo snap."

[Tapewolf]

Jakob blinked slightly, waiting for the flash to clear from his eyes.
"Do you develop them yourself?" he asked.  "I'd be a little surprised if there was a processing lab here on the ship, but I guess you never know."

[Angel]

Kenyan snorted distastefully but amusedly at the idea of eating a rat. <I'd need to be absolutely starving to even THINK of eating a rat that wasn't either dead or about to die.> Of course, he wouldn't tell them that, for fear that the traders would find out. Carrion was better fare than what they'd received, but not by much. Either way, Willard's opinion had matched Kenyan's guess. No matter how clean the ship was, there were probably a few rats in their quarters ... at least at the moment.

"Thank you, but that was not what I wanted a rat for. If there are a few rats on this ship, then that is all we'll need. It is a small help, but it could be useful." He leaned down to the floorboards, pressing his ear to the ground and doing his best to ignore the rumble of the engines and machinery he didn't understand.

[Inumo]

It took a long moment for Xyrtia to understand what Mateo had said, even ignoring the outburst. "Name...? Jane Wymbly?" She muttered, thinking hard. "My name's not Jane Wymbly!" She cried in her native, chattering tongue as the meaning dawned on her. "My name is Xyrtia!" Glaring off into space, she noticed the ocelot still tilting his head back. Even without thinking over what he'd said, it wasn't hard to discern his meaning. "Er, sorry," she said as clearly as she could. "Can't read."

[Lisky]

Aleyna snickered as she offer the lynx a shot.  She wasn't one to sugar coat things, and he seemed friendly enough.  He didn't turn down the offer at least, so he had some sense of social etiquette.  Her free hand gently rubbed Baseel's knee as she spoke in a casual, nonchalant tone.  "Well, we were mostly curious about the attire.  Did you choose the look out of some personal taste for the dramatic, or is it some type of ordained piece of clothing via religious beliefs?  It's a little jarring and I figured rather than make speculation or assumption, why not just ask?"

* * *
Baseel gave a shrug, then leaned in to nuzzle against the demoness.  "That's something else i love about you.  Always willing to be direct, rather than beating around the bush." 

She smirked in reply

"Don't you dare, Sweetie... i know exactly what you're thinking, and this isn't quite the place for those types of comments." 

She fired back, "Oh, it's not i'd actually care, nor will you in a few more shots... so shut up and drink!"

[VAE]

Bugger again. But then..  really better than having me for a cultist straight out.

"Ordained?" The lynx smiled weakly.
"Nah. Let's put it this way... the robes are mostly a matter of practicality... and the rest...a habit, really , from a few years in the past. A sort of representative dress or uniform, if you will. In a way, it saved my life then.. you wouldn't guess for how many it was the only thing of my appearance they ever noticed."
He took the offered shot glass, and drank it with a quick motion.

[justacritic]

"No there isn't a developing room, that's why I hope there wasn't anything to ruin the shot." Hobbies said. "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything important." The fennec put away the camera and birdie and took out a small book. "I still have to decide what to perform tonight. Performing the longer plays require several days and I'm not sure if people would like missing out on some information from earlier, and history plays make people... touchy."

[Tapewolf]

Jakob contemplated the puppeteer for a few moments, with occasional glances at the bar and at a pair of Demons who looked like they intended to pickle themselves.

"If I were you," the wolf suggested, "I'd stick with something short the first day or two, see how the crowd take it.  If it goes down well, then try some multi-day stuff.  And if you do that, be sure to include a quick recap for the first few minutes.  Think of how a radio play would be done, or an adventure serial.
"Jumping straight into an epic cycle that takes a whole 24 hours to perform is probably a bad idea.  After all, Creatures aren't noted for our attention spans."

"And now, if you don't mind, I should probably..." he paused.  "Actually, while I'm at it, do you want a drink?"

[justacritic]

"Well, maybe something with as little alcohol as possible, it's bad enough to become overly drunk with all these rich people about, but I am performing tonight." Hobbies looked thoughtful. "I wonder if they have any plum wine, we usually toast an important occasion with that, and my first venue performing for the rich should be important enough, don't you think?"

[Tapewolf]

"Very well," Jakob said, and headed to the bar.

"One plum brandy, please," he said.  "Not too strong.  And a glass of orange juice if you would be so kind."
He glanced again at the Demons.  "Not that this is any of my business, and obviously you've been doing this sort of thing for a while, but I'm curious... how sensible is it to serve alcohol to Demons when we're a thousand feet or so in the air?
"I mean, what stops them from going on a drunken rampage and bringing down the ship?"