Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {3}

[Tapewolf]

Jakob could distinctly hear three voices coming from the opposite room.  "What's going on out there?" he called.

[Gabi]

The warp-aci's apparition startled Gabi for a moment, but she still didn't understand why that was troubling Eph. It was unusual, but if she'd got a brick for every unusual thing she'd seen in her travels she could have built a new house by now.

Gabi was shifting her gaze between Eph and the warp-aci and thinking of how to react, when she heard Jakob's question and turned round to answer.

"It looks like Eph has an unexpected visitor," she said.

She didn't want to make Ephrael any more uncomfortable than she already was, but Jakob would have found out within the next minute and she'd much rather avoid making him nervous in the meantime.

"Please relax," Gabi told Eph. "I don't know what's going on, and I think it'd help if you explained it to me, but whatever it is I don't think it'll be bad enough to turn me against you."

[Tapewolf]

Deciding it was probably safe to leave James for a few moments, Jakob hurried over to see.  He blinked, staring at the clan marking.

"That's Paladin's warp-aci," he said.

[Paladin Sheppard]

"I...um." Eph tried to scowl at the aci. "You know for an aci thats assigned to a Ranger you're lousy at stealth Rex."

Looking back at Gabi Eph blushed. "I kinda did some work for Paladin Sheppard...Rex came here to drop a gift off to me."

Rex was now buzzing around, that was until he spotted Jakob. "Why hello there Mister Cross."

[Tapewolf]

"Please don't call me that," Jakob hissed, looking around furtively.  If we're run out of town because of your loose lips, I'm gonna send you back to the Darkness.

"I'm curious about Paladin's abrupt departure, though," he asked.  "What's he up to, and are we likely to get him back?  If the bat-demon turns nasty again we'll need all the help we can get."

[Gabi]

"I'd like to know that too," Gabi nodded.

And what made you so anxious, she thought, but didn't dare say it. Jakob's reaction I can understand, but what do you have to fear from a loud-mouthed warp-aci? Or from letting us know he's here?

[Paladin Sheppard]

"Speaking of which the boss is calling see ya!" Rex said before disappearing in a flash, Leaving a flustered and embarrassed Ephrael standing by her door.

"H-he didn't tell me anything either...Just dropped the package off."

[Aisha deCabre]

After saying farewell to Mel, still with a little bit of reluctance on the whole matter, Aisha shook her head and managed to fetch the key to her own room.  The bar seemed to finally have emptied out a bit, except perhaps for a few lagging patrons.  These places are always too interesting when we visit, the panthress hid a smirk.  Outside, darkness had long fallen into the late-night hours.  Thus, when a long yawn broke through her jaws, she figured it was time to trudge back to the rooms.

On the way, however, she found that there seemed to be something going on in the hall where everyone's rooms seemed to be close together.  Both Jakob and Gabi were standing in the doorway, speaking to a voice that she recognized as Ephrael.  Aisha made her mind to keep walking past, not paying any heed.  It was probably business that she didn't want to get into.

As she passed them, however, saying her good nights, she "accidentally" let out a stray thought.  I hope they realize that talking too far into the night might disturb some of those who DO need sleep.  With a hum, she entered her room and locked the door.

It was only a short bit of work to finally wash the traces of blood from her fur and clothing, sometimes having to scrape off what was dried.  The wounds from the battle hadn't lingered too long...a few scars stayed in places, but those could easily be closed if she lived to manage getting back to the monastery in Soldeluna.  Then, she almost literally collapsed onto the bed, face-first into the pillow.  She had only one wish for her prayer: No.  More.  Kidnappings.

[Gabi]

Gabi heard - and smelled- Aisha walk past, but her friend left too quickly for her to do anything. She turned her attention back to Ephrael. For a moment she wondered how much it would be right to ask, but then she decided that if Eph was trying to keep a secret it was her own job to find the way to keep it.

"Do you know what's in the package?," she finally asked.

[Stygian]

'Yeah, tell's!' a deep voice suddenly exclaimed. Ignatz stumbled up to them suddenly and untimely, leering. He looked like he'd had one too many, though somehow it didn't seem to have had the appropriate effect on the noisiness of his steps. Adding to Jakob's discomfort, the bat somehow saw it fit to lean on him and shake his shoulder a bit. 'Don't mind, pleash. I'm shorry to have upset you so.' He grinned at the wolf, smelling of smoke and alcohol.

[Gabi]

Gabi glanced at Ignatz and stepped aside, then turned to look at Jakob.

Is there any way to take him to his room, or just away from here?, she wondered.

[Paladin Sheppard]

I know I got a little over my limit but this guy seems to have blown past his, gods does he stink...Eph thought as the Bat spoke to Jakob.

"I don't know whats in there, I was going to open it just before you knocked."

[Stygian]

The bat let go of Jakob and went over to lean against the wall next to the door, giving Eph one of those sly, dark looks that he seemed so irritatingly good at. 'Well, go on then,' he said. 'Don't mind me. If you wan' me to leave, you'd better say it, sweets.' He chuckled. 'A guy like me knows when he'sh not wan'ed. But on the other hand, he doesn't give a damn. Not in the company of the likes of you.'
   Grinning a bit off-kilter, the bat laughed mentally at the ambiguity of his own statement, and wondered whether if Ephrael would think he was flirting with her or threatening her. He pondered the look Gabi had just given Jakob. No doubt they were speaking mentally. A penny and an arm for your thought-reading, he muttered in his mind. But then, I'm glad to have my mind impenetrable instead. One point for me.

[Tapewolf]

Jakob was too irritated by the bat leaning on him to concentrate on reading minds.  After all, the bat's mind was impenetrable anyway, which as far as he was concerned was proof alone that he was no Being.  The spell was far too powerful for that.  From Gabi's look it seemed he'd missed something, but it was a pretty safe bet what she was thinking.

"It's a present from her fiance," he said pleasantly.  "One of the top guards from Xe'Pherion city.  A very jealous guy," he added.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Ephrael's cheeks which had held a slight blush now went bight red, as she stared wide eyed at the bat and the wolf.

Haha me with the Captain?!?! Gods I wish b-but it'd never happen...Ooooh dear *Warning! brain is in process of meltdown please stand clear*

[Stygian]

The bat drew his shoulders up and made a snorting little snerk. 'What a shame. A guard,' he said, turning a bit. Then his grin flared up again. 'Ah, well. If he thinks he can hold down an adventuress...'
   Seeing Ephrael's blush made the bat slow a bit and pause, looking quizzically and drunkenly at her. Did I go overboard? he thought. Or hit a nerve? No, wait. She's just not dressed. Phew.
   'Well?' Ignatz asked, tilting his head as he looked at the tasmanian devil, and then poked her nose. 'You goin' to show us, or is it goodnight?'

[Paladin Sheppard]

"I...I don't think I know you well enough...Sorry." Ephrael said to the bat, flinching as he poked her nose. "And I wouldn't  disrespect Paladin like that."

[Stygian]

The bat made another chuckle, then rolled his eyes a bit, something that was most hard to see due to their coloration, and then strolled lazily past. I disrespect anyone I wish, little one. Mostly because they so often deserve it. His thoughts were far meaner than his face.
   'Whatever suits you,' he said dramatically, a hint of disappointment in his voice before it vanished a second later as he turned back to the three, grinning again. 'It's late either way. G'night to ya,' he said. 'I'll see you in tha' mornin'. He barked a laugh, and then turned, walking down the corridor in that overly confident drunken way until he stopped near the end and slipped into his room.

[Tapewolf]

Once the bat was gone, Jakob quickly poked his head back into room 11 to make sure James was okay.  He seemed to be asleep.  Satisfied that the angel was safe, the wolf nipped back into Ephrael's room.

"So..." he asked.  "What's Pal sent?"

[Paladin Sheppard]

Ephrael lead the wolf and vixen into her room. She sat down on the bed and started to unwrap the fairly bulky package.

Finally done, on Eph's bed was a pair of Kukri knives with a faint blue glow to them. Next was a compound bow much like the one Ephrael already had but far less battered and felt much lighter. And last was a quiver of about twenty arrows which were made from steel like most of Eph's others, but these had runes stamped into the shafts.

She pointed out the runes to Jakob. "Um I'm not sure but are those fire runes?" She spotted the card that had been on top.

To Eph
I thought you could use these in your search for Jade. Look after yourself lass.
Pal.

[Tapewolf]

"You know, I think they are," Jakob said, turning one of the arrows over in his hand.  It wasn't just observation, he was feeling the magical flux of the enchantments upon it.

"These aren't cheap... use them wisely.  Whatever you did for Pal it seems to have made a big impression on him."

[Gabi]

Gabi nodded, and covered her mouth quickly as soon as she realized she couldn't supress the yawn.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm sure everything will make more sense in the morning, but it's late and I'm exhausted. I wish I could stay up longer, but I think I should go back to my room."

[Tapewolf]

"Good idea, but do be careful.  I don't trust Ignatz," Jakob said.
Now, do I want to get a room?  I could warp back to the Academy for the night, or I could get a room.  Or I could curl up in someone elses room... heck, I could patrol the corridor until morning.  Ugh, what a boring idea!

Tossing a coin, he eventually came to a decision (best out of nine) and a few minutes later was spread out on a reasonably comfortable bed in a room fairly close to James'.

[Gabi]

"I'd be surprised if anyone here trusted them," replied Gabi, yawning again. "Goodnight, Jakob. Eph."

With that, she went to her room and, this time, sleep came easily. She was too tired to even try to think of all the things that worried her at that time.

[Paladin Sheppard]

"Good night you two." Eph said as they left for their own rooms. Putting her new equipment with her old, she then climbed into her bed. The amount of alcohol she had gone through quickly caught up with her and soon she was snoozing.

[Gareeku]

Softly the sunlight made itself apparent as dawn broke, the familiar golden glow of the sun rising higher into the sky as the morning wore on. Slowly Gareeku came to from his slumber, his eyes opening gradually as the initially blurry vision began to come into focus. Yawning slightly, the wolf began to climb off of the bed that he had been sleeping on, before the headache made itself apparent.
"...Ugh..." he groaned quietly, gently rubbing his forehead as he looked with squinted eyes out of the window to the street below. Already the bustling crowds of yesterday had returned, the people in the town going about their business once more.

Looking over himself, Gareeku frowned somewhat.
Huh...should have had a shower before I started drinking last night... the warrior thought to himself as he looked at his blood stained fur and clothes. Luckily there was an en-suite shower in each room of the inn, and so the wolf slowly lumbered into it, before turning the shower on and feeling the pleasant sensation of warm water washing over his body.

A short while later Gareeku emerged, a towel wrapped around his waist and his fur, now cleaned of the blood and gore that it had sported after yesterday's ordeal, fluffed up some after he had dried himself. After initially trying to press the fluff down, the wolf gave up after not much success (though it was better than what it had first been) and put his clothes back on. Looking down at the stains on his outfit, Gareeku frowned again.
"I should really this cleaned up, but I don't have another outfit on me..." the warrior muttered to himself.

Gathering his possessions, the wolf then made his way to the bar downstairs. Once there, he ordered some breakfast with some strong coffee, taking a gulp of the dark liquid as he waited for his food. It was then that, out of the corner of his eye, Gareeku noticed a newspaper rack, filled with newspapers that the inn's staff had bought for customers to read while staying in the bar. Grabbing one, the wolf then sat down at one of the tables, taking another gulp of coffee as he began to read.

Reading the article on the front page, Gareeku raised an eyebrow. It was a report on the state that Gareeku and the others had left the mansion in after defeating that demon and his hordes of assassins and guards...

The town's security was left shocked and confused yesterday when investigating a report from a member of the public that there had been some sort of battle in one of the mansions located throughout the town. Upon arriving at the apparent scene of the battle, it became apparent that there had indeed been some sort of battle. What had been even more surprising to the security forces, however, was that the bodies that they had stumbled across inside the mansion belonged to members of a gang who call themselves the "Black Claw". Nobody knows who had battled with them, but security forces believe that it was most likely a group of adventurers.

"We are still investigating the incident at this time." One member of of the security force said in a statement given to the public. "However, we are grateful for whoever engaged in battle with this dangerous organisation, as their grip on the local area prior to this incident had been strong, despite our best efforts to try and combat this threat."

Despite calls for a reward to be given to those who had battle the Black Claw members, the security forces have decided not to.
"Thanks to the Black Claw, resources in this town are very limited at this time." the statement continued. "We offer our sincerest apologies and our deepest thanks to the adventurers. Whoever they may be."

"Huh...and I could have done with a bit more extra cash..." Gareeku muttered as he turned the page...

[Tapewolf]

"Good Morning," said Jakob, entering the bar and heading to Gareeku.  He was clutching the cap of a thermos flask, which contained a portion of something which looked vaguely similar to coffee.  He offered it to the white wolf.

"One of James' concoctions," he said.  "Supposed to good for hangover, assuming he made it right.  Anything interesting in the news?  And do we have a plan for today?"

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha grunted as the morning sun seemed to hit her eyelids forcefully, knocking her out of a dream that was already beginning to be forgotten.  It took a moment for her eyes to stop blurring and adjust themselves to the light and to the shapes of the room that she was in, as well as the memories of the previous day to come back to herself.  Yawning, the panthress sat up and stretched while looking to the window.  It was a rather uneventful night--thank the gods...--and she wondered just how late everyone slept.

It took only a moment for her to straighten everything out, including her hair, and put on her clothes.  By then, the faint smell of breakfast that was emanating from downstairs and throughout most of the inn caught her nostrils.  She wasn't as hungry as she was last night, but the sense was quite relaxing all the same.  "Maybe something light will do," she muttered to herself and clasped her weapon belt around her waist before heading downstairs to the tavern.

Already there were people there, mostly strangers who had come inside to eat something or to start the day.  She caught sight of Gareeku and Jakob at one of the tables and smirked to herself.  I thought the fearless leader'd wake up a bit later.  With a hum, she browsed the breakfast items before making her way to a table with a glass of milk and a plate of bacon and sausage.  Doing so, she passed just behind the wolves, nodding her good mornings and noticing that Gareeku was busy reading an article of a newspaper.  She only had to skim a few words over his shoulder to know that it was about their group.

"I see we're famous," she laughed and went to sit down.

[Stygian]

'Yes, how most very pleasant,' a slightly coarse voice retorted to Aisha's comment, closing along with a set of near-silent feet. Dressed in an open shirt and a pair of dark jeans this time around, Ignatz strolled into the bar while eying the others, eyes showing a hint of morning fatigue. 'Coffee, please. Cream, no sugar,' he ordered. 'And do you have any... small things? Mice, perhaps? Lizards? No? Then coffee it is.' The bat sunk down a few chairs away from Gareeku and Jakob, sighing and then giving them a tired look. 'Ending up on the front page is seldom as good a thing as you might think.'

[Mel Dragonkitty]

A bright "Good  morning," preceded the sight of a vibrantly clad figure. Mel was wearing a brilliantly red coat over what at first appeared to be a white skirt but as she moved turned out to be very full trousers. She ordered a breakfast that seemed large for such a slender person then took the seat across from Ignatz. "How is everyone this fine day?"