Shattered Innocence (IC) [M]

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered kept his eyes and mind open and his mouth shut. He had no compunction about using someone else's ideas, and the one about that the snow shelter had some merit. Snow was cold, but he understood that it had some insulative properties.


"The shelter idea is a good one, provided you can keep it hidd en. And if you can work out someway our returning members can notice it, it would be all the better. But I am starting to think a different plan is better. It would not take half our strength to investigate this Oubliette. We are there to ask a few queries, not fight a battle. Two, maybe three ought to be sufficient. Eilan, because he knows how to reach it, and perhaps two of the 'Cubi. The rest should stay with Kassin, because he has the greater need for guarding.  As a backup, if the group going to the inn cannot locate the rest immediately, we might want to link up the whole of us, perhaps back at this or another area, at a predetermined time, perhaps noon tomorrow."

He cast out another line of thought, a brief spark of irritation forming that he could not transmit so to Tyrian.  Raffiele will almost have to stay here. He is too......... visible to take to the tavern. And he has shown.. reluctance in the past to fight with other Demons, most especially Claws. Perhaps we should deal with him now, before he can cause trouble with Kassin's safety on the line.

He lowered his stance slightly, bending his knees, but not dropping into a crouch, waiting for responses.

[Lisky]

Several things happened at the same time as the party seemed set on not letting Garis continue his flirting with his current target of affection.  The Wolf first gave a bit of a glare at Eilan when he told him to pay attention, and then managed an indignant look when he mentioned wearing a shirt.  He replied, "clearly you haven't been nearly as observant as i'd thought, i haven't been wearing a shirt, i merely formed my wings into a cloak... or if need be, whatever clothing i need."

While his attention was still focused primarily on Kit, he heard Zanfib's projection... Garis responded in kind with something just for the ring-tail, 'You become defensive when your precious Chance comes to me for help, then you act snidely when i show affection for another girl... one would think you'd be relieved that you don't face any competition, and would encourage rather than discourage our little infatuation induced intimacy... For a master of the mind, you really do only think in the very short term...'  He turned his head and gave the psion a toothy grin.

With his responses made, Garis addressed the group as a whole, "I'm rather ambivalent about plans at the moment, once we agree upon something, just let me know what you need me to do."

There was a sudden bit of tension in the air that Garis noted while speaking.  His wings twitched slightly as he received the message from Ked.  He replied, 'You're playing a dangerous game, particularly in such a confined space with such power about you... if you truly wish to have your fight with the demon now, then i must ask you to so as far away as possible, you of all people know how sensitive the boy is to pain.  While i have no qualms with you hurting or killing our... 'friend' i would prefer you do so without causing rather massive agony to the angel boy...  Besides, further away means it will be easier for use to keep him safe... in here, there is too much risk of hitting someone who wishes to remain uninvolved.'

[murmer]

Kit visibly bristled when Tyrian referred to her as an 'inexperienced dragoness'. She was not inexperienced (in her opinion at least, having spent at least 200 years here in Atharra), just a little shellshocked after the random assault that almost cost Kit her life.

Whatever was left of the melted snow that the angel had shed on the inside of the hut snap-froze on the ground around the fur rug. Ketet looked away from the group and fiddled with her fingers, but the mild annoyance could be seen in the fur and ears.

"I suppose more than two hundred years spent living here in Atharra and five hundred more elsewhere is not good enough to be 'experienced' in your eyes, mister Tyrian," she muttered, trying hard to hide her annoyance at being underlooked, "but last time I recall, maintaining your form while in an air form is difficult and has a high energy expenditure for both the caster and the recipient. If low detection magic can be used - such as moulding a simple shelter out of the abundant material at hand, I'd rather conserve my energy and still be able to fight an enemy, then relocate rather than face an enemy handicapped. I have been to permanent housings created entirely out of ice, and they are surprisingly warm and well-insulated within, so there is no worry about freezing within such insulated shelters should that be your main concern."

Kit startled from her own voice. It sounded offended and sulky, and she looked visibly surprised she'd say such nasty things. Maybe I am inexperienced?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't jump to conclusions about age and experience, Mister Tyrian. I just think that it'd be a better idea having a shelter that can be warded from detection would be simpler as opposed to something as complex like removing our presence through airweaving," Kit hastily added, "I'd rather not go into populated districts after today's events though, so staying away and and protecting my rescuer-" here she gave a small smile to Kassin "-would make me more than happy."

[Noone]

Eilan gave an irritated glare towards Garis. However, he decided not to express his irritation, and focus more on matters at hand. He started cycling through bits of information that he thought would prove important.

"The Oubliette is around ten miles away, it would take us around three and a half hours to get there, provided the weather does not worsen. "

"Long range scrying is thankfully unpredictable and unreliable, but a large discharge of magic would be more easily detectable.., definitely give our position away easily enough.

Kassin interjected as he heard suggestions going around. He gave Tyrian a concerned glance, but said nothing. He thought *WHAT* was fun in his younger days!? He remained silent on the matter, but did interject on the thought of turning into air. He briefly recalled what happened when something similar was done to him, and finally spoke. "I'd advise against turning ourselves into air, it's a hazardous procedure. We would be especially vulnerable in a snowstorm... strong winds could easily scatter us and we would not be able to easily reunite."

Eilan, gathering all that was being said, glad to see a coherent plan formulating. He smiled. "I'd agree that if Ketet can create a shelter out in the middle of the snowy plains, we should do so. It's a place Kassin could hide, and we could easily return once we're done at the Oubliette. It should be easy enough to set it up somewhere that is out of the way. I'd caution against using a lot of magic in it's construction, as that could be detected. We'd also want to set it up at the maximum range of long distance communication, if we can manage it, so that we can notify each other if one group has to move hastily." He turned over to Zanfib and Tyrian. "I'll need a more exact figure of how long you can project your communications."

With that, he started off towards the hut's door. "If that's all, I suggest we determine who stays with who, and head out."

[Azlan]

Tyrian smiled pleasantly at Ketet, something he seemed to only ever do for Kassin, though there was an edge of condescension to it, "indeed, seven hundred years is very good for most creatures.  To Dragons, however, that is a grain of sand to a desert of age.  Someone your age shouldn't yet be out from under the wing of their family matron quite yet, but individuals vary I imagine.  A dragon's age has a vast influence over its power... that is what my previous, ahem, employer always told me.  He was a young, adult dragon.  I suppose you are right about the ice shelter, but I don't like working with ice much as it lacks temperature durability.  Though, now that you mention the term, airweaving would be much simpler then what I was going to do."

The fox considered the inquiry from Eilan, "as long as you are not requesting that I extend the communications range to include the moon, or the Fae realm, then I can maintain simple communications networks for months.  The initial outlay for network creation is large, but it can be set up in smaller chunks to eliminate a large spike in magical energy." 

[Ghostwish]

Perhaps to Garis' surprise, he was met with a very smug look on Zanfib's face. Is that what you think? Came his reply, which lacked the usual crystal clarity it usually possessed, Did it occur to you that perhaps I was ensuring you would stay away from Chance? Here, allow me to demonstrate.. He projected, and promptly grinned.

With much of his focus dedicated to watching the surrounding countryside, Zanfib was not able to enact his little prank as precisely as he would have liked. You see, magical mind shields are positively horrid in comparison to a psion's protection. They are static, often flimsy things, and more often than not, they have holes and cracks that a master of the mind can slip past, bypassing the shield entirely. However, since the ringtail's short-range telepathic abilities were drained at the moment, Zanfib did not have the option of probing Garis' mindshield. He was, however, positive that it was not perfect, and that there had to be a hole or two somewhere...

.. so when Zanfib started broadcasting compelling whispers into Garis's mind, he was certain that the incubus would soon begin feeling a growing urge, suffice to say a compulsion, to give Kit a kiss on the cheek. It was subtle, definitely harmless to the cubi mind.. but still there, persistently so.

With that bit of psionic buffoonery done, Zanfib turned his attention back to Eilan. "Over several miles, indefinitely so with perfect clarity. I do not possess the higher ranges of the magical means that Tyrian possesses, but my network will provide faster communication, with the added boon of it being nay undetectable to any means of magical scrying. They would have to be looking for psionics in particular, and here in Furrae, it is rare to even know of psionics, much more to detect it."

[Tipod]

"So the idea is we got one lead at one location, and our best bet is having some stay behind to babysit Kassin while the others search out some guy." Rafa crouched in a sitting position, both hands folded with index claws pointing out to tap his forehead. "Is this person just going to point out some other fool for us to find? And if a bunch of saps like us could find these things out, who's to say the people tailing us couldn't either?" As far as he was concerned, the only person that knew anything was Kassin's asshole brother. Good luck getting him out into the open. "We're going on a giant fucking goose chase here. Isn't there some higher-up we could be targeting?"

His mind rankled with a particularly loud thought. Kassin's brother for one. We need to bait his ass out and jump him.

[Noone]

Eilan started intently at Tyrian and Zanfib. He was skeptical as to whether they actually could make long distance communication easy, with few complications. He briefly recalled the difficulty to which others did such a feat, notably the Thularians. However, he kept his skepticism to himself. "One of you set it up then. Once we're set up, contact the rest of us if you need to move and under no other circumstances."

With that, he turned away, still waiting for the others to decide who would come with him and who would stay with Kassin.

He was briefly interrupted by Raffiele, he looked at him with a disapproving scowl, and let out a soft grumble. He eyed him closely, trying to use something with which to vent his suspicions. However, he found nothing to go after. He replied with an abrupt. "Do you have a *better* idea?"

"In case you haven't been paying attention, we're at a disadvantage here, the people tailing us are everywhere, and have all of our easy escape routes cut off. They're interested in finding us, and yes, if we're not careful in tracing our steps then we will be found. Information is power, we don't have it, they do, or can find it as easily as we can." He stopped for a moment, he let out a grumble, but was careful not to let his suspicions out. Assuming of course, you didn't *help* anyone find us... He resumed. "And we really don't have any 'higher-ups' we know that we can go after. The Claws are after us, but charging straight into Narukh would be nothing less than suicidal." Going after the Thularian military would be even worse... He stopped, and kept a suspicious eye on Raffiele. He really needs to bathe too...

[murmer]

Ketet nodded thoughtfully to the flowing conversation. Her eyes hardened when Eilan finished talking with Raffiele, and she rose gracefully from the rug before approaching Kassin. With a slight bow, she managed a bigger smile to the young angel.

"If what Eilan says is true, then whether or not I even had a choice in distancing myself from this situation has been nulled from the time you saved my life, and not from when Garis gave voice to your bounty," the words were soft, and lost the uncertain stutter in them, "I cannot run from enemies that will use me to get to my saviour, if they have the means to find me like they have you, so I shall protect and help you to the best of my abilities, Kassin. You have my promise as a member of the Tari Family."

Even though the last words might mean nothing to the group, the way Ketet used her family name radiated with a bond stronger than a blood oath. Given the way how open and honest the dragoness' mind already is, it seemed like she was going to keep it.

Then, with an easier smile that seemed to wash the sadness and seriousness from her face entirely, Ketet's eyes flicked briefly towards where Garis sat, before meeting Kassin's squarely (or trying to at least), "Besides that, I'm glad I could make friends amidst the sea of trouble. I'm ready to go whenever you are."

[Sprocketsdance]

She couldn't help but watch Kit and listen to her address Kassin.. however rude as it was to eavesdrop. When the dragoness finished, Chance bounded over and huggled her playfully from behind. "All right! Team Kassin is in formation!" She quickly released the poor gal and smiled. Besides just being her bouncy self she was hoping Kassin would cheer up some from the good vibes between her and kit. If she couldn't do much else at least she could try to pick up the mood.. if not annoy or embarrass some people.

[Lisky]

As the Psion tried his best to force his will upon Garis, the Cubi just sat back and fought every urge to laugh.  It seemed that Zanfib had some serious ego issues for one, and also horribly underestimated the level of self control the cubi was capable of.  Instead of doing as the psion willed, the wolf cubi just sat back and watched as Kit went and tried to help comfort Kassin.  A grin crept across his face as Chance bounded up and squeezed the dragon/wolf in a tight hug.

He eased himself to his feet, and headed over to the group, he wore a smug grin as he walked behind Kit.  He laid his hands lightly on her upper arms, and rested his chin lightly over her right shoulder.  He said to Kassin, " You are clearly brooding on something that is weighing heavily on your mind young one.  You should relax, and put your worries at ease.  You find yourself in the company of friends here, Kassin."

He then backed out of his gentle yet affectionate position with Kit as he made his way towards the psion, he sent a message so that all the cubi could hear as well, 'if you try and influence my mind again psion, especially over something as stupid as a bruised ego, you will find my retribution most unpleasant.'

He shifted his communication so that just Zanfib could hear it, 'Even if you do not with to admit it, you clearly have feelings for Chance.  Your actions are childish at best.  I have clearly demonstrated i do not see your friend in a romantic light, and now i am telling you outright, i wish to neither harm nor bed your precious Chance.  So... can we now stop these silly games? or do you truly wish to test me?'

Shifting his appearance to that of a large, white tiger.   He added clothing and shifted his wings into a long, flowing cloak. He donned the bracers he'd worn earlier.  He adjusted his hair into a short, feathered look, and changed it's color to a bright, sunny blond. He changed his eye color to a brilliant sapphire blue, then added little bits of black to the tips of his ears, and some additional quirks to his tail.  He changed his voice to a thick, and growly baritone.   Once finished, he glanced around and let out a smug grin, "i too, am now ready to travel".

[Noone]

Kassin seemed to get a bit calmer. "Thanks..." he replied to Ketet. "But... we should get going." He remained quiet, he chose not to voice his concerns for the tension he felt in those around him.

Eilan, once everything was ready, called to everyone, "Let's move." He was quiet as Kassin followed, he expected the others to do the same. They were silent as they traversed into the snowy landscape. Eilan mentally kept track of the geography of the region, after deciding on a safe location to set up, they set off.

The weather worsened, it grew colder, the snow fell harder, the winds picked up pace. Kassin's ears seemed to turn red as they were exposed in the snowstorm. He looked to be struggling through it, he shivered as the snowflakes threw themselves against his face. Occasionally he would close his eyes when a furious flurry of wind came over him. He tried to cloak himself in his wings when it got too cold for him. Eilan seemed to have been taking the trip in no better fashion, yet, he was more accustomed to strenuous conditions, and carried on.

What seemed like endless stretches of snow seemed to go on for what seemed like an endless journey. The raging storms slowed travel down, much to Eilan's dismay. They went for about three hours until Eilan came to a snowy plain, which appeared to be like every other that was traversed across. He stopped.

"Set up here, the Oubliette is around an hour's distance away, a bit less than three miles. Don't move from this location unless you absolutely must. We'll be back as soon as we are able." With that, he motioned for those who were coming with him to follow. He made a mental note to the cubi that were coming with him to alter their appearance to look like beings before coming with him.

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Kassin watched Eilan as he and those with him left. He sat himself down in the snow and covered himself in his wings, to the best of his ability. The snow wasn't letting up, and exposure to the cold was wearing on his endurance.

After the others were out of sight, he stood up, and brushed the snow off of his wings and clothes, which was soon replaced by more that fell from the skies. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke to the others. "I suppose we should get started..." He looked around, but saw nothing in the distance but more snowy plain. "I'm not sure where we should start though..."

Almost as suddenly in his pause, he felt a choking sensation, he coughed for a moment, as if gagging on toxic air.

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Eilan led those with him to the Oubliette, the weather seemed to worsen as he went. He was able to take the weather with great endurance, but it was clearly wearing on him. After an hour's travel, the Oubliette was in sight. From the outside, it looked to be a simple wooden building, it was unadorned, it's windows were all closed shut, and covered in a thick layer of snow. A rush of morbid enthusiasm went through him as he neared the entryway. He gulped and stepped inside.

The inside of the Festering Oubliette was bustling with activity. There were many tables spread about, a bar near the front. The stench of alcohol fumes was overpowering, Eilan gagged for a moment on the putrescent atmosphere. The patrons were loud, many of them drinking large, fuming mugs of vicious alcoholic liquid, and make long, obscene rants. The front of the bar seemed to house the most volatile of patrons. Behind it, the portly bartender tended to orders, he wore a scowl on his face. On the tables, various crowds seemed to be spending their time. Two burly looking bouncers stood mutely, silently, but alert at possible problem causers. There was a table at which people appeared to be playing cards, and gambling. Some of the tables appeared to have armed travelers, possibly dangerous ones.

After a moment of scanning through the patrons, Eilan saw a blue haired wolf at the front of the bar. He looked at him intently. That's him,... right there. He thought aloud. Finally, something fairly simple for once...
As he entered the place, trying not to choke on the atmosphere, he saw Mr. Darrins pass an empty mug to the bartender, who then passed him a new one, filled with a frothy, fuming liquid. He took another drink from it. His movements appeared jerky, sudden, and somewhat floppy, as if he weren't in complete control of his motor functions.  Then again... Eilan thought as he gritted his teeth in silent frustration and started moving towards the front.

[murmer]

Ketet remained frozen for a bit even after Garis released her gently from his careful grasp. Inside, the dragon/wolf mentally swooned into a pile of jelly, her mind becoming a small, fuzzy glow that lightened further the ambience in the room. She barely managed to rouse herself when Eilan wandered out, trailing after him and Kassin like a lost little puppy.

~~

The cross-country trip certainly snapped the dragoness out of it. Despite her attire, Ketet did not seem to mind the blizzard weather, rather walking a little bit light-footed on the snowdrifts that blanketed the cold earth instead of sinking into it. When she saw Kassin struggle in the cold, she came over and walked in front of him, her pale snow-covered tail lashing to and fro. It had a mild effect on the cold flakes that whirled and danced into their faces, forking and tumbling aside as Ketet's water-warding parted the sheer film of falling snow. It was akin to that of an invisible umbrella's effects, though the cautious energy Ketet used meant that not all the snow was diverted. Still, it was a bit of a reprieve from having snow full in one's face.

Once they'd stopped at the prospective location, Ketet set to work. Her movements were fluid like a river as she danced across the cold surface, first lowering the snow level before working on the walls of a shelter. Every movement she made - whether it was the flick of a wrist or the turn of the head - wasn't wasted as she caused the snow around her and Kassin to rise like rippling waves. Packs of snow heaved upwards, curling and rising as she 'washed' more packed snow upon the first wave. The magic Kit used flowed and ebbed around her gently, as if inhaling and exhaling in synchronisation to every layer of shelter she built.

Ketet didn't finish off the shelter's domed roof before Kassin began to choke, leaving the open ceiling and allowing snow to drift in. From the outside, it had definitely taken the look of a relatively medium snowdrift. Her graceful dance stopped abruptly as Ketet rushed to the angel's side, eyes full of worry.

"What's wrong! Is there somebody out there?"

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

The stench of ale fumes assaulted Kedered's nose as he got within thirty feet of the Oubliette. Nope, just a normal door after all. He didn't drink in the aqueous sense, and Kedered couldn't even comprehend why someone would willingly take something that dulls the senses and the intellect. There's no accounting for Fleshling taste.

Still, one had a part to play. He had shifted back into his "grizzled adventurer" guise that he used back at the farm, both to back up in the odd case that someone had noted him and reported here, of all places, and because a middle aged adventurer, a somewhat rare sight in any case, would very likely be drowning himself in ale. A simple spell, waved over the mug, would break the alcohol down into sugar and water in any case.

Although the sanitary conditions of the place left him doubtful that drinking anything in this bar could be safe.

Still, he stomped up to the bar, sat in a stool nearby the wolf being, and bellowed, "The house ale, and quickly", as he slapped a handful of copper onto the table. As he waited for his drink, he eyed the Darrin surreptitiously.  I wonder if anyone plays cards here. I should be able to recoup the monetary losses on this drink, at least.

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance grasped the cloak tightly around herself as they traveled. She noticed how the cold was effecting her less but the wind still was cutting through. All in good time I suppose... The trip was wearing on her - only a small part from the traveling and the weather, but the majority came from the boredom. Somehow along the way she found peace with it and calmed her twitching tail. Things are just going to get more and more serious... and I have to be ready for it..

Sad to see part of the group leave again she was glad to be distracted by Kit's intricate dance. How beautiful.. She would've been content on watching her for hours until a choking noise cut into her dreamy haze. Noticing it was Kassin she rushed over to his and Kit's side but looked around the area.. trying to detect anything out there.. she also took out her dagger and redied a fireball.

"Kassin, are you ok?? What's goin on?" Her eyes kept searching as she spoke.

[Ghostwish]

The cold and snow didn't seem to bother Zanfib much at all. Perhaps it was some sort of psionic meditation that kept him impartial to the chill, or maybe it was just his thick fur coat, but he followed along at a leisurely pace, and stayed behind with Kassin and the others. He had watched Ketet's dance with a passive interest, noting it to be a very unique way of concentrating energy, but all came to an abrupt end when Kassin suddenly began choking.

Mentally checking his telepathic abilities for any nearby sentient minds, Zanfib spoke to the group, "He usually does this in reaction to someone else's pain." as he continued to scry about.

[Noone]

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After a moment, Kassin recovered from the ordeal, and stood on his feet. "I'm fine... thanks... it passed." He took a few looks around. "I don't feel anyone else around... but..." He paused. "Thanks for the support, I appreciate it." He turned a smile towards Ketet, and Chance. A gust of wind blew down his face, and then he looked towards the distance in the snowy plane, in a direction they didn't come from, nor did Eilan traverse.
You don't sense any other thoughts nearby either.

"Over there..." He started. "I thought I felt someone, but the signal was faint,.. it must have been a long distance off, I don't know how far it is." He looked up towards the sky, he didn't recognize the area, but he was certain he could locate what he felt. "I don't know what it was,... but it felt unpleasant... I think I felt..." he stopped again, his mood seemed to droop as he turned his head towards the ground. "...someone die." Kassin took a deep breath.

"Normally I wouldn't hesitate to investigate..." Kassin continued, "But... Eilan told us to stay here. I'm sure I could get us there and back, but I'm not sure if we should." He turned his attention towards the horizon once more. He shivered as a cold wind blew past his face. He took a few steps towards that direction, but then turned to face the others, as if silently asking them for their thoughts on the matter.

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The barkeep briefly looked at Kedered, at once, he gave him an unsettling look. "Oh everyone these days is always in such a rush, always running blindly ahead rushing to get whatever gleam is in their eyes. I tell you, back in my day, things weren't like that at all, people would stop, sip a little, have a chat, they got along like family, now everyone's all Rush Rush Rush with their ale, always glubbing it down like they're trying to fill a bottomless pit or something. No one wants to just sit back and relax these days, now it's all glug glug glug! Never there to sit back and enjoy the fine beverage, I swear it would take ten mugs nowadays to satiate what one would have done back so long ago..." His tirade continued for a while. Eventually he put down a mug of vicious brown liquid in front of Kedered, and took the coins. The fumes coming from the mug are palpable, strong enough to make a normal person nauseous from being in close contact with it. A layer of foamy liquid appears to cover the top, settling down, but making an uneasy hissing noise while doing so.

Eilan briefly looked over at him, he raised an eyebrow, but then put a more serious look on. He thought out loud I really would advise against drinking that... He then turned his attention towards Mr. Darrins, trying to figure out a good way to question him. I just hope he isn't too drunk for questioning... I know Kassin could detoxify him but... He stopped and pulled up a seat next to him. He started to address him. "Excuse me sir..."

Darrins interrupted him. "Git ye hence (hic). Just when I think I can enjoy a fine mug someone has to come over and act all friendly, all friendly, oh back in the day they were really friendly! Oh, they'd come here to relax, relax! But now I can't do that, always people pestering me about this and that and that and that...." after that, he took a swig from his mug, his arms flying wildly as he took it to his mouth. The fumes from the drink appeared to be making Eilan uneasy. He briefly withdrew to consider what to do.

[Lisky]

Garis had been careful to wait back while the others had entered the bar.  After a few minutes had passed, he entered in his feline disguise.  He took an empty seat and waved for the bartender, when approached he said, "what would you recommend?"

While getting his drink, he started surfing around the various thoughts that the patrons were casting.  He was particularly interested in those who focused on the newcomers.

[Sprocketsdance]

"You're welcome." Chance smiled back to Kassin. She negated her fireball and returned her long/broad dagger in its sheath. Suicide.. maybe..  "Eilan did tell us to stay put.." She looked to the group, then back at Kassin. She was pretty restless just hanging around until they got back.. and it should take a while for Eilan and the others to do what they need to. Then again... "..and our first priority is your safety, Kassin. Although I feel the need to give whoever died a proper burial, even though it's winter.. we shouldn't move from this spot."

She was never one to tell anyone what to do (other than Zanfib), so she added. "But... I'll follow you wherever you need to go."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered cautiously accepted the mug from the bartender, sniffed distastefully at the contents. and then spun out a little spell to break apart the alcohol in the drink. He gave it a few seconds to take effect, and covered it by another glance at the mug, and then cautiously took in a mouthful.  The ale almost sizzled as it went down the throat, a taste of offal and a texture somewhere between sandpaper and hydrochloric acid. It made his stomach feel queasy, but there was an odd sense of accomplishment after it came down, like beating some sort of onerous task.

Feeling a little elated from the experience, he strode a little to his left, and leaned over Mr Darrin's shoulder.  "A whisper in your ear Master Darrin. I had a business proposition for your brother, but he was.... unable to accept, and you seem to be the best chance of this achieving a satisfactory conclusion. Why don't  you step outside with me, so we can talk it over in private."

[murmer]

Ketet, away from the influences of 'Cubi gushingness, was more level-headed and firm in her resolve. Lifting her hand, and twirling it, she finished closing the gap in the open roof of their shelter while speaking carefully, completing her task. The icy shelter seemed to warm up slightly even as she spoke.

"I would suggest delaying your desire to go investigate for the moment. Our group is split, and death in a direction not in Eilan's way may be a ploy to lure us out into the open. I can now see your sensitivity to others' pain, but we should wait and voice our concerns after our friends come back from the tavern," Kit's blue eyes took on a fierce, protective look before she turned to Zanfib.

"Zanfib, was it? You said you had powers of detection. Is there anything out there?"

[Noone]

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Kassin approached Ketet and Chance, and nodded. "That is an astute point, the Claws took advantage of my hypersensitivity once before, I suppose they could do so again. We'll remain here then." He paced back and forth across the snow, he didn't go inside Ketet's shelter yet.

Time passed by, the snow didn't let up, but Kassin seemed warmer, more alert, confidant. After a long period of silent waiting, he turned his attention towards the horizon, something appeared to grab at his senses. Different direction. He glanced around, but saw no one. Feels lost... tired, scared... He kept glancing around, before finally letting out. "I think someone's coming, I'm getting some odd signals, faint ones though, but they're getting stronger. That way, I think it's a lost traveler, but I can't be sure." Kassin almost reflexively shivered, he wasn't sure if he was feeling cold or was feeling someone else feeling cold.

"Whomever it is feels lost, they're coming this way." He looked around, noting that their tracks had been covered by the snow. "I'll be inside, I can't be seen..." He turned around and went inside Ketet's ice shelter, and looked around to find some place to hide. Tyrian and Raffiele can't be seen either... the others, I'm not so sure...

You pick up some faint thoughts, at this distance, it's hard to tell what they exactly are, but they're becoming more substantial, whomever it is will be in visible range shortly.


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Many of the thoughts around are loud and obnoxious, and often completely incoherent. The sheer magnitude of the traffic however, makes it difficult to get precise readings.

The barkeep turned his attention towards Garis, when asked for his recommendation, he started on a tirade. "Oh people these days can never make up their mind. I always wonder what happened to the good old days whence people had their hardy ruggedness about themselves. Now everyone's so dependent on everyone else, I swear most folks couldn't tie their shoes without getting someone else to do it for them. Now people come yapping to me and go 'well what do you recommend?' Bullocks if I know! I can't go inside people's heads and know what they like, and each and every persons tastes are different, at least that's how it used to be. Now everyone's just trying to copy everyone else, almost like they think all people are just generic replicas of the same exact mold. Bah! What ever happened to the times when people weren't so soft bellied and actually tried to make something of themselves..." He continued for a while in this vein, appearing as though he could go on all day if need be.

Mr. Darrins turned over to Kedered with an irritated, drunk look to his face. He gritted his teeth, quite angry, apparently he resented being reminded of his brother. "Go away! Don't you know what happened to him? I suppose you just love the feeling of rubbing that in my face don't you? Well beat it, I came here to relax, not to hear some jerk I don't know rub all my problems in my face. He took a deep drink from his mug, his movements appeared to be under less and less control. He turned back to Kedered and made some rude, highly obscene comments. He concluded with "I'm not interested in business, I already have money. And I'm not going to go outside with some guy I don't know, now beat it!" He turned back to staring at his mug, mumbling to himself incoherently.

Eilan kept observing Mr. Darrins, noting his hostility. He took a glance at the two bouncers behind the bar, both seemed to be oblivious to their surroundings. He re-focused his attention on Mr. Darrins once more.

[Lisky]

Garis held up a white furred hand to hide his agitation.  Rubbing his eyebrow for a moment he then replied, "Alright, if you don't have a specialty, give me a pint of mead, 2 shots of whiskey and if you have some, a splash of me de' menthe."

After scanning the crowd loosely and coming up empty, with little more than clouds and jumbles, Garis tried the approach of focusing on individuals who seemed somewhat out of place.  Those who were clearly adventurers, particularly older ones, and those who seemed to carry far too light of weaponry.  He focused on then and tried his best to glean their surface thoughts.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib has been gazing towards the oncoming sentients, but he turned his head slightly to regard Ketet. "Originally, no.. but someone has just come within range, and I suspect we will be able to see them shortly. I would suggest you all hide inside." He said, before looking to Chance. "But you can feel free to join me in meeting them if you hide your wings?" He said.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered sneered slightly at the wolf's diatribe. He paused, seeming to draw himself up in indignation, but spinning a little spell about himself, making himself seem grander, more authoritative. Nonetheless, he kept his voice low, too low to be overheard easily over the hum of the inn. "I am not going. You are not staying. You know what happened to your brother? I know who did it, and I have my suspicions as to why. Do you think staying here, in this pit of alcohol, will keep you safe? Do you want to duck and hide for the rest of your short life? Only striking at your enemies will make you safe, and I offer you that opportunity."

He intensified the spell, screwed it tight around his voice. "Come with me now".

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance frowned a bit and shook her head. "Sorry, I still don't have the skill to do that.. and I doubt I can make it look like I'm just a hunchback." Her wings twitched slightly under the cloak.  "Chi or Kit would probably be better to accompany you. Just make sure you tell me if something starts to go awry.." She took a few steps back towards Kit's shelter before turning and walking the rest of the way inside.

[murmer]

Kit turned her head and finally noticed that her wings had been out the whole time. She registered mild surprise and irritation that she hadn't had enough control to remove them after transforming. No wonder she'd received hostilities...

With a frown of concentration, the wings writhed a little bit before sinking into her back, disappearing altogether and making the dragoness appear a lot more... 'normal', save for the fact that she was in summer garb. Ketet shook her head a little.

"Looks like I'm going to have a hard time explaining my tail spikes and my outfit. I'll head in and make sure the shelter is secure. Holler if you need any help," Kit finished before loping into the shelter.

Kit waited until whoever was left that wanted to hide out of sight of strangers to come into the shelter before carefully closing the entrance with natural snow. With skill and precision, she punched a few breathing holes that were near-invisible to the outside, allowing enough airflow to enter and exit, and a relatively insulated temperature meant that the ice didn't melt, but it was comfortable to sit within the shelter.

Then Kit sat down with her eyes closed, waiting with body and mind tensed and strung enough to allow her a quick reflexive action in order to erect a suitable defensive shield or magic in case of trouble.

[Noone]

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A being approached, a feline, around 5 foot eleven, he had grayish-black fur, brown eyes and hair. He looked exhausted, his breaths were heavy and slow. His face was also covered with bruises. He wore a jacket that covered his arms, though he wasn't wearing gloves or a hat. A gust of snowfall and wind made him shiver. He looked quite uncomfortable, and briefly had his right hand grab his left forearm, and made a pained grunt. He looked to be struggling through. He looked surprised when he saw Zanfib,  and his eyes went wide when he saw the snow shelter, though at this distance, he couldn't see the details, or notice that it's entrance had just been closed. He did however, keep his composure, he took a few deep breaths, he made a faint wave to him, and managed a weak smile. Someone out here? Maybe he'll let me stay in that shelter there for a bit... oh my arm hurts... damned adventurers...

He addressed Zanfib briefly. "Well met, it is not often I see someone else along these plains while not traveling upon the roads." He paused, gave Zanfib a cursory glance. I can't let what happened last time get to me... "Normally, I would not like to impose..." He stopped and coughed for a few moments, and rubbed his left forearm some more. After a sharp breath, he continued. "But alas, I'm in poor condition for traveling in this clime, would you mind if I stopped by for a while inside that shelter in the distance to regain my bearings? I am lost, and do not know my way home from here."

Inside Ketet's shelter, Kassin kept calm, though he was leery of possible danger that lay outside. He reduced his voice to a whisper, that it might not get outside. He felt a sharp pain upon his left forearm, but managed to contain it. "The stranger outside, he's injured, tired, and scared. I think he's seen better days, and I think he'll want to come inside to warm himself up." He paused, trying to get more readings. "I wouldn't like to be insensitive to his plight, but if he were to come inside, he would likely panic upon seeing me, Tyrian, or Raffiele, and might hurt himself, or give away our position." He stopped momentarily, trying to get his thoughts together. "Do any of you have any ideas on how we could get him to leave this location? I'm afraid I don't know this place well enough to direct him towards civilization. I also think Eilan's trail has also been blown away." He kept quiet after that. If that injury of his is as bad as I think it is, and it isn't taken care of, it might get infected, and he wouldn't be able to get it treated either...

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The bartender looked towards Garis. "Specialty... he could have said that first... bah..." He continued on a mumbled rant. After a moment, he passed Garis a mug filled with a vicious, fuming, brown liquid, apparently discarding his request. The smell from the liquid starts to make you nauseous from close exposure. The top of it bubbles with a sick, hissing sound. Overall, it smells and sounds rather unpleasant.

With the traffic, it's still difficult to make out any specific inquiries. You do find out that most of the people here aren't armed, but there's nothing oddly suspicious about their thoughts. The small contingent of adventurers occasionally share thoughts about Kassin, painting him as a mass soul murderer, but none of them appear to have any interest in Mr. Darrins, and don't have any good leads.

Mr. Darrins, about to take another drink, abruptly placed his mug on the bar, he turned an irritated glare towards Kedered, he gulped air down a few times, as if trying to shake off the effects of dangerous amounts of ingested alcohol and other unpleasant substances that happened to be in those drinks. He made a coughing sound, and curled his right hand into a fist. Remembering the bouncers, he relaxed his hand and gripped the handle of his mug. Who does this guy think he is? Come over and threaten me like that... saying that I'm not staying and saying I'll have a short life,.. someone ought to teach this guy some manners.

"I'm not going to be intimidated by thugs like you, you're just a wet behind the ears punk who thinks he's tough. I ain't going nowhere that I don't want to and you're not going to force me, and you can go and stuff your offer, like I don't already know what happened there. If you want to try anything, the bouncers are right there. Now if you don't mind, get lost. I was enjoying myself before you happened to come along." He turned his face back to his mug.

Eilan looked over at Kedered and Darrins, and glanced at the bouncers, both of whom appeared large and brutish, but at the moment, were passive. He kept a critical eye on both of them, but saying nothing at the moment.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib kept his expression neutral, although he did return the wave the feline gave. He temporarily switched his telepathic powers back, focusing on his short-range mind-reading abilities while placing the long-range detection back on passive. He carefully and stealthily probed the being's(?) mind, keeping his efforts low-key and undetectable to an untrained mind. Any presence of a mind-shield would tip him off immediately, but not all shape shifters used mind-shields.

"You are welcome to our shelter, friend, although I am curious as to how you managed to procure these injuries that you now bear. I would also warn you, I do tend to keep what some would call 'exotic' company, but none of them are overly aggressive and will leave you be if you offer them the same respect. Also, an ally of mine might even be able to ease your injuries, if you would allow him."

[Azlan]

Tyrian had kept quiet for the entire journey, dwelling on the problems they were facing and the uncertain future that lay ahead.  The fox rarely ever spent so much time considering the future consequences of actions he took currently.  Despite his age, Tyrian lived a life on the moment and at the whim of things.  He had grown selfish and short-sighted ever since others had used him as a tool and a toy in their schemes. 

Things were very different now, and it caused the angel to regard things differently.  It also required that he consider the well-being of others, something he never really was able to do.  Still he tried for the sake of Kassin, his substitute brother.

Breaking the silence he had been sitting in, the fox moved closer to Kassin, speaking low as not to be heard, "I can conceal my wings.  I will treat his injury.  I may not be nearly as capable as you, but I can do enough to insure it will knit properly and not get infected.  Then Zan and I can persuade him to leave.  It is for the best."

After he spoke, Tyrian donned his amulet and watched as his wings disappeared in magical obfuscation.