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

[Gareeku]

(Ok then, here we go! I know this intro bit may seem a bit basic, but i'll make it better later)

The tavern was dim and noisy, with various people, beings creatures alike, sat and talked while swigging their drinks. This part of Furrae was one where beings and creatures lived in relative peace. In one particular corner sat a figure, his face concealed by the hood of his brown cloak. I his lap was a small black creature, with floppy rabbit like ears and a paper-thin tail, snoozing peacefully. Reaching out a red gloved hand, he picked up the glass of beer on the table in front and took as swig, before setting the glass back down on the table and pulling out a letter, reading the writing on the paper once again.

"Dear Mr. Manoko,
                               As you may have noticed, your mother and uncle have disappeared. I am sorry to tell you that they have actually been kidnapped. I cannot tell you where they are, but i can tell you where to start looking. Tomorrow evening, you must go to the tavern near Harkhun; "The Smoking Dragon". There, you will find something which will aid you greatly in you search. Good luck to you."

It had been two days since his mother and uncle, Alica and Jacob Hannack, had disappeared. Only yesterday had Gareeku received his letter. Altough greatly puzzled by it, the wolf had decided to follow its intructions, as he had no other clues to where he should start looking. As his visible deep blue eyes scanned the tavern, Gareeku wondered what exactly he was looking for...

[Tapewolf]

Spring, 1992.  A pale, gaunt figure wearing sunglasses strode down Charing Cross Road, before pausing outside Soho Soundhouse and gazing at the equipment in the shop's display.  After a few seconds he went inside, looking at the array of recording equipment on offer.  Here he spent several minutes browsing before one of the sales staff intercepted him.

"Can I help you, sir?" said the younger man.  "I'd like to buy a Revox, please.  The B77." said his customer, his voice tinged with a faintly Nordic accent.  "Certainly, sir.  The B77 is two thousand, one hundred pounds.  Although if you don't mind me saying, it's a little primitive by today's standards.  Have you considered the C270 instead?" he said, wandering to where the newer machine stood on display.  It cost half as much again.

The older man looked at it critically and bent down to inspect it.  To the salesman's surprise, he sniffed twice.  "Microprocessor controlled," he said, straightening up.  "Thanks, but I'll stick with the B77, I think.  It will be easier to repair."

At the till, the salesman offered an extended warranty, but his customer declined with a faint growl.  "I will probably be leaving the country fairly soon.  I'm not sure a warranty will be practical for me."

He paid by credit card and left, carrying the box containing the recorder with both arms and walking quite briskly despite the 17kg weight of the machine.  The salesman shivered, despite himself.

There was something not quite right about that customer... he thought, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it.  It wasn't the way he had stood while the credit card was being authorised, with one hand in his coat pocket and his face lined with concentration, or the creepy way he seemed to have been smelling the more expensive machine, it was just after that, when he was straightening himself up.

The salesman had been able to see over the shades that Mr. Cross was wearing, just for a moment.  The colour of his eyes was unusual, but what was truly unnerving was the way they reflected the lights on the display, like the eyes of a dog sometimes do.  But that was ridiculous.

The salesman never saw what happened to Mr. Cross, which was probably for the best.  His misgivings so far would have been as nothing had he witnessed Cross entering the dark alleyway and vanishing in a flash of black light.

***

Jakob put the box containing his new recorder down on his workbench at SAIA.  He had reverted to his usual appearance, which would have scared the shop assistant shitless.  Charing Cross Road is a somewhat exclusive part of London and the staff would have objected to serving werewolves.

Jakob reflected for a moment about the way he had paid for the recorder.  It was better this way, he decided, and although it would have been easier to use gold, the shop steward would have been even more suspicious and probably refused it outright.

It meant a long time spent apparently browsing, while he was actually monitoring the credit card traffic from the other customers with the device in his pocket, part science and part magic.  The shop had got their money, it just hadn't come from the account on the credit card, because that didn't exist.  Instead, he had routed the money from one of several accounts that he and Azrael had set up some years earlier.
500 years earlier.. he mused, although it was maybe ten years to the inhabitants of the human realm.  If the shop and the bank ever noticed that the number on the card and the number actually sent by the store's computers were different, it would probably be written off as some kind of freak error.

Just as he was about to unpack the deck, Jakob spotted a note sitting on his desk, evidently placed there while he was out shopping in the human realm.  Reading the note, he gave a muted sound of dismay and read it again more slowly.

Pulling out a small CB radio, Jakob called Fa'lina to request a short leave of absence.  As usual, she replied without using her own CB at all, instead modulating the radio waves directly by mental force, a skill that Jakob envied.  Leaving Izak and their assistants to keep shop while he was gone, Jakob packed his rucksack, made a small gesture and disappeared in a flash of blackness.

Jakob suddenly appeared in one cubicle of the gents in The Smoking Dragon, fortunately unoccupied at the time.  Concealing his headwings, he strode out into the bar, looking for the small group of adventurers promised by the note.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Parking his bike outside the tavern, the large armored wolf reached for the door...No one looked up as the red fox in a shirt and jeans entered the tavern. Sitting at a table the fox ordered a drink from the waitress. Paying for it when she returned with a rather large tip he received a smile and a wink in return. Reaching inside a pocket he removed a packet of notes and Began to read them.

Captain Sheppard
Sir as per your orders for any unusual events occurring to one Gareeku Manoko, we are informing you of reports of his relatives being taken/kidnapped. Command has also received reports of numerous other kidnapping/missing persons in the same area, Command requests you look into both cases with urgency. Following we have attached these reports and a map of locations of suspected abductions. Maintain cover if possible.

Support Operations, Royal Guards Commando Regiment, 3rd Battalion

Frowning, the fox flipped through the reports, the only thing linking them was the times and the skimpy information on all of them. Following Gareeku here without him noticing had been difficult but he had wanted to observe from afar first. He sat back and sipped his drink, Pal waited to see what would happen.

[lucas marcone]

marco sat at the bar. it had been a long time since walking the beat made him want to get drunk. " a shooting on south holly and main two dead victims. when cops arrived the suspect was still at the scene, and a fire fight ensued two injured cops one dead." the events played in marcos mind like an american football clip on review. " i could have done something.... i really could have." he picked his head up off the bar and tried to sober himself. "i cant forget why im here. that monoko fella needs help." south holly and main wasnt more than three blocks from the tavern. when marco arrived he herd shots and ran like a bat out of hell but was too late. sure he caught the suspect but that sight would have broken down anyone. sarge told marco to go to the bar whare the contact was and have a few. and so back to present time. marco looks over the bar for the white wolf.

[Nikki]

The robed figure sat at a table, the only showing was their muzzle, and their hands are heavily gloved and feet covered by huge boots. The figure looks over to the men, their curiousity rising. Taking another swig from their bottle of Rum, a low voice growls as the Bottle is thrown to the floor, breaking into pieces upon contact. This lowdown bar wasn't like it thought it would be. They were expecting many men with money and valubles to come in, but all they had seen so far were a few adventures and people down on their luck. "What a stupid place..." a female voice snarls. "And the rum is gone..."

[lucas marcone]

marcos head nearly snapps,truning to see the robed figure. he gets up and walks over to the table. "might i ask what the problem is here?"

[RJ]

An orange squirrel looked across at the tavern as he walked by. The place was bright and full of life, unlike the dark road ahead of him. He scratched at the red bandana that was carefully tied over his purple hair. The hand he used had a symbol like that of a tear (or maybe it was a flame?) embedded in the fur in purple. He shrugged suddenly.

"What the hell, I might find some good emotions in this place. Might even have a drink myself."

The squirrel walked through the doors, taking care not to bump his orange and purple batwings on the entrance way. As he walked over to the bar, there was a certain confidence in his stride. He motioned at the barkeeper for an ale and leaned back on the stool to stretch, barely noticing the fox beside him.

[Suwako]

Alex shuffled along a road, finding the tavern to stay. He looked around and saw  light in the distance. Finally finding a tavern ofcaurse Alex had to make a comment about everything he disliked about the Inn before entering.  He walked over to the bar and sighted. This place is awful, To crowded. There's not enough beer smell and the tables are ugly He sat down and waited for the bar keeperto come and help him.

[KarlOmega1]

A young Fox came into the tavern whilst wearing casual clothes as not to cause trouble with his regular appearal...this fox was a ninja looking for a certain someone... when he spots him out of the corner of his eye...

"ah...Gareeku Manoko..." he said to himself " I guess I should talk to him..."

the Fox cubi, named Issac Shinji Prower, went to sit by the white wolf...

OOC> edited to keep canon>

[Gabi]

Gabi took one last look at the mysterious letter before putting it back in a pocket of her backpack and walking into the tavern. She took a look around. The place was very crowded; it was probably the most popular tavern in the town. Everything looked normal. She wondered for a moment if she'd arrived at the right place, but what were the odds of there being another tavern named "The Smoking Dragon" in the area?

She took a deep breath and looked for an empty table in order to take a seat and wait, but the sound of a familiar name disuaded her. It had been little more than a whisper, but she was almost sure she's heard the name 'Gareeku' being called, or at least mentioned. She walked in the direction the sound had come from, searching with her eyes, ears and nose, and soon she found him. He looked worried, and lost in thought. Another fox, one she hadn't met before, was taking a seat next to him. She walked to their side and, for lack of better words, greeted them both with a simple "Hello".

[Gareeku]

Noticing the people who were now sat the bar, the polar bear barman made his way to them, a welcoming smile on his face. "Hey there, can I get you guys some drinks?" He asked, the smile refusing to leave his face.
"Yeah, you can get me another glass of ale." A gruff voice suddenly said to the left of the group. Now stood at the bar was Gareeku, his hood now taken off to reveal his face as Li sat on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry sir, but these guys will be served first." The barman said sternly to the wolf, before turning back to the group to await their orders.
"Damn it..." Gareeku muttered under his breath, running a hand through the bangs of hair that cascaded down over his forehead. Looking around the bar again, he noticed that  a few new faces had arrived, although he didn't seem to notice Jakob or Gabi.
"Cheer up Gareeku, we'll find them!" Li said to the warrior, trying to cheer Gareeku up with her reassuring words.
"I hope that we do, Li." Gareeku replied, forcing a small smile for his warp-aci before finishing the rest of his ale with two large gulps.

[Supercheese]

*How long am I going to have to keep avoiding these guys...* Chris wondered as the winged fox walked away.

"More $#@! henchmen sent out to look for me..." the panther muttered under his breath as he stepped form the shadows. He padded silently over to the area the searcher just vacated.

"What's this?" Chris picked up a letter form the ground. It was unmarked, but positively reeked of danger and intrigue. Chris looked around him, ensuring he was alone. "Ah, what the heck."

He opened the letter. It was not clearly to or from anyone; it contained only one block of text.


People are disappearing. You could be next; I could be next. There is more going on than what you know. Important people are being targeted. You know what that means.
If you want answers, you may be instead called on to provide them.
At The Smoking Dragon, everything will begin.


Chris frowned and read the short letter again. "One might think that $#@% searcher might have even wanted me to find this..." The panther threw up his arms in frustration. "What the heck. I've got nothing to lose. If nothing else, I could get a drink..."

...

Chris rummaged around in his pockets for money. "Just enough..." He flagged down the bartender. Or at least, he tried to. "What's going on over there..."

He felt the faint tingle of suppressed magic in the room. This made his sour mood even worse. *Hope nobody's looking for me... that would really make my day.* He noticed the barkeep trying to serve the sudden influx of customers he received.

*Looks like a busy night...* Chris thought, observing the others in the room. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation, and contented himself with sitting at the bar to wait to order his drink.

[Arcalane]

The merc had tracked his target this far - to this tavern, no less - "The Smoking Dragon" - and it was about time he got his mark, too. The problem was... it was far too busy inside to make a move, so instead he settled for finding a hiding place nearby, with a clear view of the entry to the tavern.

Arcalane slung the assault rifle over his back, and, using training and natural agility, scrambled up into a nearby tree, then up higher into it, perching near the top where he had something to lean back against, with a semi-clear view of the entry to the tavern. Unslinging the rifle again, he brought the butt to rest against one shoulder, watching the doorway through the 3.5x optical sight.

[Ah, perfect positioning... now I wait... hr hr hr... and I can wait all day.. and all night, too.]

He waited patiently, tail wrapped around his waist.

[Eibborn]

Bent sits at a rowdy table in the corner. He seems to be involved in a loud, ahem, debate.
"Hey, good thinking," he says sarcastically, " 'DURR HURR I'M A STEREOTYPICALLY DRUNK MAN, I KNOW EXACTLY WHY THOSE BUMS DON'T CONTRIBUTE TO MY SOCIETY!' Yeah, good thinking. They're definitely too lazy. It's the only logical explanation, after all. Congrats."
The man goes red-faced. He's not nearly drunk enough to mistake that sarcasm. You'd have to be deader than dead to miss it.
"Look, They can go be bums sum'ere else, in another city, like. Get 'em outta here." he says grumpily. "I dun see why they've got to hang around on my street."
"Yeah, why should they hang around your house? I mean, it'd be below you to give them, oh, a bit of money or something, right?" Bent says with a twisted grin. "Or hey, why don't they go home to their Hillside homes and order the butler to put some coins in their hats? I really think you ought to head right outside and tell the first beggar you see just that. With luck he'll knife you and steal your wallet."
It was a testament to the man's strength of will that he didn't attack Benetier then and there.

[Nikki]

The figure looks over at the group forming around a white wolf, and they sigh. "need more Rum..." they say before calling over a waitress, who seems to read their mind, and brings over another bottle of rum. As the figure gulps from the bottle, the hood falls off to reveal a female with black fur, fox-like ears and a wolf-like muzzle. Her hair is Black with red at the top (trickling down) and Purple stripes on each side of her face and a purple crescent-moon on her left eye. as she sits the bottle down, she opens her eyes and looks at the group again. her right eye is gold and slitted, while the left is light blue with no pupil. She growls at the noise, a headache forming. "Bloody Idiots..." she says, a drunken slur to her voice.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Paladin nearly chokes on his drink as Blaze walks up to the bar. Bloody hell whats he doing here?!?! Checking his mindshield is inplace, Pal keeps an eye on Gareeku's small group and the other on Blaze. "This is getting complicated" he mumbles.

[Suwako]

"Give me something sweet and light on alcahol." He made a gesture that looked like he was throwing stuff at the bar man. This Tavern is getting more busy by the minute, He looked at the bar and found a letter. He read i with little care. I'm already here. What Jester did this?

[Tapewolf]

Growing impatient, Jakob did another circuit of the bar.  This place is bigger than I remember, he thought, how am I going to find anyone in this crowd?
Suddenly his eye caught on a previously-hooded figure. Jakob swore and chided himself for being too shy to ask.
"Gareeku!" he said, shaking hands.  "I've got your letter.." he trailed off, as he saw Gareeku's expression.  "You mean you didn't send it?  But it's signed with your name, and it told me to meet you here!"
Noticing that Gareeku was also clutching a letter, Jakob placed them side-by-side.  The handwriting was identical.

[RJ]

Blaze's ears twitched as he downed the ale.

'There's something strange about this place. The emotions; anger and saddness... though also confusion and anxiety. That's not something I'd really expect in a tavern full of drunks.'

The squirrel's wings shifted uncomfortably behind him as he placed a slightly stronger mind-shield up to dampen the incoming emotions.

'More of an irritation, if anything... though still, rather curious.'

[KarlOmega1]

Issac went over to sit by Gareeku and ordered some sake....

" I heard from a source that  your mom and uncle were missing, Mr. Manoko...Have any idea what's going on?" he said to Gareeku.

OOC> post has been edited to keep canon...and not to tick Gareeku off...

[Hilary]

   On the second floor of the Smoking Dragon, Anzimani woke up from her evening nap.  Falling asleep like that was unusual for her; an hour before, she had gotten unusually sleepy and decided to nap for a while.
   She got out of bed, stretching her feathered black wings, and buckled on her belt that held her sword and dagger. She combed her long black hair, and, setting the comb back on the small bedside table, she noticed something that hadn't been there before. Frowning, she picked up and opened the letter that sat beside the washbasin.

Go downstairs. Manoko needs your help.

   The rest of the paper was blank. Perplexed, she turned it over. There was no seal to mark the sender, and it was unadressed. She shivered; someone must have slipped in while she was asleep. She checked her worn backpack to see if they had stolen anything, but everything was in its place. She put the letter in her pack, slipped the pack onto her back, and exited the room.
   Who the heck is Manoko? she wondered.
   She padded down the stairs into the tavern's main dining room, going slowly in case it was some sort of trap.
   Like they'd need a trap, when they just snuck into my room like that... whoever 'they' is, she thought uneasily.
    She looked around the room, but there was nothing out of the ordinary except that the tavern was more crowded than usual. She walked over to the bar and ordered a small cider, preferring to have her wits about her in case someone meant her harm. Seated on a small stool, she surveyed the room from lidded chocolate brown eyes.
    Most of the Dragon's customers were on thier own, sitting at distant tables and looking appropriately shady and inconspicuous. She recognized a few of them from that morning, when she'd eaten breakfast at the bar. If there were groups, they were slightly drunk and having loud, bawdy conversations. The only outstanding table was  where several figures were gathered, seemingly looking at something on the table.
   She tuned her keen avian ears to the group, only catching snatches of conversation. "...Seems to be the problem... cheer up, Gareeku... I hope that we do... Gareeku!... your letter..."
   The feathers at the base of her neck pricked as she heard the name. Gareeku... Gareeku... I know that name! Frustrated, she tried to pick out where she had heard it before. Wait... Gareeku Manoko, the adventurer! she thought, giving a small smile of triumph as she made the connection. She had heard the name in connection with several heroic acts during her travels.
   Why would he need my help? I suppose it was him that put that letter in my room... She scowled. She was still a little perturbed that she hadn't heard the messenger; she had always fancied herself a light sleeper. She hesitated for a moment, before she convinced herself that nothing could be solved by just sitting there. She padded over to the group.
   "Excuse me, is one of you a Mr. Manoko?"

[Nikki]

Manoko, Manoko...wher have i heard that name before? The female says to herself. she takes another swig of rum, then stands up, taking off her robe. Her red and black dragon wings unfurl, and her long (and extrememly fluffy) purple-striped tail plops to the ground. as she walks, slightly drunkenly, towards the group, the extremely large sickle claws on her feet click on the ground. her ragged brown trousers are extremely filthy, and her 'Shirt' is naught but a rag tied around her chest area. She cintinues to walk towards the group around the white wolf, but she trips on...something, and falls to the ground. "Bloody Floor tastes awful..." she snarls

[Gabi]

A large group was beginning to gather around the table. Gabi recognized a few... especially Jakob. When he arrived shouting something about a letter, something began to feel even more suspicious.

"Jakob!," Gabi called him. "Something odd is going on here. I got a letter too."

She fished the letter out of her backpack and showed it to the incubus.

"Mine wasn't signed, but it seems someone's trying to gather us here for a reason."

She looked around, and then asked: "Is everyone else an adventurer of some sort?"

[Nikki]

"Is everyone else an adventurer of some sort?"

This catches the Female's attention and she raises her hand in the air, still lying face-down on the floor. "Aye!" she says, a bit muffled by the floor. her longs tail starts to swish about, clearing off the dust that's on the floor.

[Eibborn]

Benetier's tufted ears perk up at the mention of adventurers, and he misses the large dog's response to his latest sarcastic comment. He turns around and looks at them, almost glaring at the group gathering near the white wolf.
The canine grows even more enraged as the Lynx blatantly ignores him.

[Gareeku]

As he waited for his drink, the white wolf glanced at the figure next to him, slightly raising an eyebrow for a second. Something about the stranger seemed oddly familiar. There was also a squirrel present, Gareeku again raising an eyebrow, as the squirrel almost looked like a male version of someone he had met before...

Having received his new glass of ale, Gareeku proceeded to take some more big gulps of the liquid, before two familiar voices suddenly spoke to him. Turning around, he found the voices to belong to none other than Jakob and Gabi, two of many who had accompanied him on his journey two years ago.

"Jakob...Gabi...its good to see you both." Gareeku said with a warm smile to the two of them, taking the incubus' outstretched hand and shaking it. Jakob's next comment, however, would greatly confuse the warrior.

"I didn't send you a letter, Jakob..." Gareeku began, before the wolf incubus put his and Gareeku's letters together, finding that the writing was indeed identical. It was soon found that Gabi had also received a letter, again with the same handwriting. It was then that he suddenly noticed a figure on the floor. Shaking his head, Gareeku picked up the figure, finding it to be none other than Xzeliea.

"Heh...I think someone's had a bit too much to drink. Either that, or you just can handle it." the warrior said with a slight grin, seating Xzeliea down on the barstool he had previously sat on, before turning to the others with the serious look back on his face.

"Whoever sent these letters obviously wanted us to meet up." Gareeku growled, his eyes scanning the tavern to see if anybody was acting in a suspicious manner. It was then that another voice spoke.

"I'm Mr. Manoko. How can I help?" Gareeku asked the stranger who had spoken.

[KarlOmega1]

" I am Issac Shinji Prower...I come from the Guardsmen of Sune'nok..." said Issac.

[Hilary]

"What, exactly, are you playing at?" Anzimani whipped the letter out of her backpack like an arrow from a quiver and held it out for the wolf to see. "Normal people knock, you know." On the outside she appeared angry, but she also was curious as to why Gareeku needed help. She hadn't been in this area for very long, and hadn't had the chance to catch up on the town gossip.

[Gareeku]

"Nice to meet you, kid." Gareeku said, before suddenly finding what appeared to be an angry phoenix shoving a letter in his face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Gareeku asked, a growl in his voice as he spoke. Reading the letter, it appeared as if it was the same person who had sent all the other letters, as the handwriting was the same.
"It wasn't me who sent you this letter," Gareeku said calmly, "It was the same person who sent all these letters to all of us. As I said, someone obviously wanted us to meet with each other. The question is; why?"

[Tapewolf]

Jakob decided to share his theory.  "Well, your letter and mine both relate to the fact that members of our family have been kidnapped.  I can't speak for the others as I've only seen our letters in detail.
Now, I don't know about your uncle, but I seem to recall you saying that your mother is a succubus, correct?" he asked, looking directly at Gareeku.
"Well, my father was kidnapped too, and that means whoever is doing it is strong enough to overcome at least two 'cubi.  Now it might be that our letter man - or woman - is trying to raise some kind of army of adventurers to prevent further kidnappings."
Jakob hesitated and looked around at the others.  "Of course, it could also be a ruse, so the kidnapper can take us all in one fell swoop."