Of Steam and Steel: IC (Mature) {Currently Open}

[Lisky]

Wolksheem Aerodrome

Bas nodded towards the small detail waiting at the far end of the lobby area, "Well, for the evening, I'm planning on heading back to the castle.  Tomorrow morning, we're getting resupplied in Nhylamar, and doing a patrol along the Orabatos mountains, watching for Ahnk'Ator activity. "

Turning his head to acknowledge that he'd heard Zelah, and understood, "For tonight if you need a room, you're more than welcome to come with me... There's several dozen open guest rooms at the castle.  We can get you accommodations in the city at one of the inns... either way, it's up to you.   Just be here tomorrow at 8am for boarding the MJOLNIR, assuming  you're seeking accommodations elsewhere."

At the main counter, the little weasel quirked an eyebrow as Addy cast her spell.  He looked annoyed, even irked.  "Things are quite busy, Miss... please sit down and wait a few minutes.  I'll see if i can't get things moving... You could always try bugging someone else in the mean time."
With a glare, the being went back to his paperwork.


Nhylamar Badlands

The half-circle flattened to a firing line, and with all 8 weapons drawn, they unloaded every slug their weapons were prepared with at the duo.   They didn't care what the others had to say, they were in panic, their thoughts were easy to read, 'Kill or be killed'.  The hail of bullets led to no actual hits, fired in haste, an attempt to stop the riders, rather than the precision aim required to hit a vital organ on a moving target.  
That's not to say there weren't a few close calls.  Tez felt his coat flicker in the wind as a slug passed under his arm, and Seth would hear the sound of grinding metal.  Should he check his helmet, between the ears would be a fresh scuff mark.

Bart would find an uneventful and slow walk as he headed for the city.  It took him a little over an hour with his limp, and any action he could have helped with had long since passed.


Sevastia'Nyad Market

Locke would find conventional firearms nigh impossible to find in the market.  Wands were easy, and everywhere, but  all he found were a couple of cheap and grossly underpowered derringers and a few larger pieces who's quality were questionable at best.  One of the wand-smiths, who appeared to be a being lynx in perhaps his early to mid 30's watched the angel for a few moments.  He seemed to take note in Locke's interest in a conventional firearm.  "Oy you! with the spots."  

Waving with a free hand.  The lynx suddenly pointed east, towards the city wall, and said, "If you're looking for something a bit more corporeal, Yagsandras is but a hop-skip and a jump away.  Friendly enough to creatures, and they tend to have Nhylamar type weapons, since that seems to be what yer' lookin' for."


Aeliseium Riverbed

With a surprising bolt of speed, the Ahnk' Ator war-machine surged forward.  It was coming in at a clockwise rotation.   Sweeping in like a hinging door, the larger machine tried to push the other mech into the open of the clearing.  

Lucy could see on the far side of the mechs, something moving.  The ground shifted, and an insectis appeared to be literally coming out of the ground, without actually disturbing the soil.  It's leathery outfit, hid most of the features, but she'd recognize the blade and pistol it carried.   They were of obviously foreign design, and the colors said the metal came from Ahnk' Ator.


Nhylamar City Streets (Kyirri)

The roo-rat would find nothing that seemed to fit his search at first,  after around 20 minutes of searching, he manages to find a little hole in the wall type inn.  He was greeted by a creamy white mink.  She was slightly shorter than Kyirri, and had a pleasant smile.  "Welcome to the Westwynd Inn, sir, would you  be looking for a meal, or, perhaps a room?"


At the Bar (Challam)

Dequlin nodded, "Well, for starters, we've practically doubled the size of Mesrahal, built 2 areas, 3 court houses, a pair of churches, a new hospital, several being-schools, and they've got a factory on the southern outskirts.  That's for starters... you'll have  to be a bit more specific as to what you're looking to know about... it'd take far far too long to tell you everything."
Sipping his own drink again, the other incubus watched Challam intently.


Strip Club

The fan-dancer continued, and the patrons seemed content with ogling the staff.  One of the scantily clad women appeared.  A tall and statuesque lioness.  Her tail flicked back and forth, and she said in a pleasant, feminine, and rolling alto, "Anything i can get for you, hun?"

Just outside, Johan Ledwinka was out, heading for the market.  He passed an unusual 2 headed mythos, along with the small club.  The sounds of an active and bustling city filled his ears as he went about his usual weekday routine.  

[Tapewolf]

Seth winced as the bullet grazed his helmet.  For a second he thought it had hit something vital, but he gritted his teeth anyway.  Shit, he thought, 'Good cop, bad cop' isn't going to work here.  These guys appeared to be so desperate they were beyond reason.
He cast a stun spell at the nearest attacker, and then turned the gun on the others.  It wasn't something he enjoyed doing, but if they could thin the numbers down the survivors should - in principle - be easier to overpower.

[SpottedKitty]

Zelah quirked one ear higher and twitched her whiskers as she grinned a little bit despite the stress and nervousness she felt. "A real castle...? I've never been in a real castle before. I'll take that offer, I think, Captain." While she waited for Wolkshammer to lead the way, the feline 'Cubi glanced for a moment at the wolf, her emotions in considerable turmoil. Was this really another 'Cubi? Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to hide her headwings again, although she felt naked leaving them hanging out for everyone to see. Elkan hadn't said anything, even when she'd almost had a heart attack in the middle of the tour when she abruptly realised she'd completely forgotten her wings were showing.

She felt, in rapid succession, anxious, hopeful, terrified, and heartbreakingly lonely. Was there anything she ought to say or do when she met another one of her kind? Would they like each other? Hate each other? Fight each other for... prey? After a moment looking the wolf up and down Zelah realised there was something she could do. A little concentration, and there were subtle changes to the line of her jaw and muzzle, the shape of her ears, the sheen of her fur. Then one more change, although it left her shirt again almost uncomfortably tight. There — now who was bigger and prettier...?

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Addy noticed the irked expression on the ferret. She took it that her guess had been correct and she now had an irritated cubi trying to get rid of her. He just wasn't bright enough to realize that the simplest way to get rid of her was to give her what she wanted.

She smiled, which was still a rather uncomforting sight, "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll wait right here. I wouldn't want to put you to the trouble of finding me once you find out what happened to my conveyance." With that she fluffed her wings and settled them down in a manner quite like a bird settling down for a long nap. She was going to be right there causing tons of frustration he wasn't going to get a taste of.

[Arroyo Milori]

The short evening passed by in the market. Arroyo only had enough money to get a little bit of food for his boat. He spotted a small kid on a moped, Arroyo looked at it with jealously, only letting a few words pass his mouth. "I want that..."

The day has finally reached the end for Arroyo. He walked back into his boat, locked the door, stocked up his fridge with the food he bought and sorted out the spoiled food from the food that was still fresh. He leaped onto his bed, smiling a bit as he fell into deep slumber.

[Noone]

Kyirri made a sharp glance around the place, making sure that there were no obvious imminent threats in the vicinity. After taking his quick observations, he turned his attention back towards the mink. "Both. How much are they?" He scrutinized her and her surroundings carefully, making sure that there wasn't anything out of place.

[techmaster-glitch]

Aelisium Forest

  Unfortunately, it seemed as if the initial volley did not sufficiently disorient whoever the pilots were. As the Storm Scorp was making it's way around the clearing, hidden by the forest, there were suddenly crashing sounds very nearby. The Ahnk'Ator mech had to be moving in their general dirction, pushing trees down. In fact, at the maximum visual distance through the trees, Gaak saw a few topple over. Not good.
  "Back up, keep us out of sight!" Gezzemocht shouted, and Gaakronacht complied, the Storm Scorp halting in its tracks, then moving in reverse, and angling deeper into the trees. "They must have been able to see which direction we went, but they shouldn't be able to see us now, and we've got to keep it that way! Do not fire unless they see us! I'll guide our path!"
  As the Storm Scorp moved backwards into the trees, Gaakronact was more focused on peering forward, looking for the enemy mech and ready to fire if necessary, and less on where the Scorp was going. Gezzemocht fulfilled this by looking behind the Scorp, and calling "Thunder" or "Lightning" for "left" and "right" respectively (corresponding to the sides of the two main weapon mounts to avoid mixing up directions from different perspectives), and Gaak automatically replied. By doing this, he hardly had to divert any attention from actually being ready to fire the cannons at the Ahnk'Ator mech, should it somehow get lucky and stumble across them.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Cyril arched one eyebrow, and glanced back and forth between the (pretty, and determined) grey squirrel with the extremely large battle hammer and serious demeanour, and the apparently overmatched weasel in charge of the port. He stifled a smile at the predicament, and cast about briefly before appropriating a chair behind, and to one side, of the doctor, where he could survey both parties.

He parked himself neatly in the chair, straightened the seam of his trousers, and reached into a pocket to produce his pocket watch. Popping it open, he glanced into it, then reached in and extracted a saucer, and a full, and steaming, delicate bone china cup of tea, placing it neatly on the saucer. A pocket produced a pair of sugar tongs, with a cube of sugar, then swallowed the tongs again without impacting upon the line of his suit at all. Following that was a small milk jug, condensation beading the outside in the moments it was out, and, finally, a silver teaspoon to stir the resultant concoction. Slipping the teaspoon back to whence it came from, he placed the cup and saucer precisely upon his knees, adjusted the fall of his suit to his satisfaction, then lifted the saucer once more.

Smiling perhaps just a tiny fraction too pleasantly at the weasel, he blew carefully on the tea, and took a sip, apparently perfectly willing to wait just as long as necessary. As an afterthought, he extracted a shortbread biscuit, and took a nibble.

Satisfied that everything was perfect, he took the moment to comment, in a deep, even baritone not at all out of place coming from his barrel chest. "If I were you, I would expedite the ladys' request. Just my opinion, mind." With that opined, he went back to enjoying his cup of tea.


And the show.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Will's muscles ached, especially around his upper ribs. He had moved into Mesrahal upon hearing that they needed construction workers, with the town growing rapidly. It took some convincing of the foreman that his tiny frame could handle the work, and, truth be told, he probably wouldn't have gotten his employment if it weren't for them hiring every person they could get that was even remotely qualified.  Still, he was hardy, and he had long since learned to disassociate most of his mind from his task at hand. It was almost like going to sleep, he would awaken, long past sunset, with the foreman doling out his pay; sweaty, tired, and aching, and little memory of what had transpired that day.

The joys of hot water were tempting, but tonight, he had further tasks to perform. He scurried over to a little boarding house erected for the laborers in the town, opened up his footlocker assigned to his bunk.  He got out his coat, he'd need it against the chills of the night, and sluiced off his hands and face on the way out. Shrugging on the bulky garment, he thrust his hands into his pockets. He didn't have a clock, but walking outside, he saw an uncomfortable number of oversized people. Maybe he should have stopped to take that bath. Still, even in a town under construction as this was, it was easy enough to find a drinking establishment, and he spent perhaps two hours nursing a rye. A small one. He had to be careful. Alcohol hit him quicker than larger folks.

When he left, it was pitch black. Lamps hadn't gotten around to being erected yet, so Will produced a small bullseye lantern out of one of his coat pockets, and staggered his way around. The rye on his breath would give him ample cause to act drunk, and pretending to be deep in his cups was a very useful way of allaying suspicion.

He made his way toward the "older" section of town. Bigger buildings there, while he was sure that grand structures would be thrown up, most of the stuff under construction was utilitarian, small. Plus, older structures meant older wood, and dry rot was his friend.

He had spent previous nights wandering about, had his approach and his escape memorized. He should be able to see this from half the town, as bare as it was. Walk along Sturnpike street, duck into the alley, climb the short wall over, quickly quickly quickly, darting along the cobbles. He took a second to catch his breath, and beheld the perfection.

Something large and heavy must have crashed into the back of the massive wooden edifice, and then tarred up to keep the weather out. Sloppy work, sloppy. He hummed, as he pretended  to fumble with his lantern, and as he turned the illumination off, he mimed adding more  oil into the back, instead emptying half his flask onto the beams. A little more as a trail, and then came the hard part.

He knew, from previous observations, that the inn had a little coal pile, for heating most likely, kept behind a gate. Picking the lock was out of his abilities, as was scaling the structure. So he dabbed his fingers in his oil, making a trail of quick burning fuel across the side of the structure, flinging drops as he walked, from his lead to the coal pile.

When he was done with that, he went to his leading trail, and took off his gloves, wiped his hands on his handkerchief. Breathing quickly, he carefully opened up one of his inner pockets, withdrew a tiny stick with a fat head from the sealed pouch. He blew on it twice, and then rubbed it on the cobbles before it burst into flame, which he dropped into the little trail of oil droplets. He waited a second to make sure it caught, and then scooped up his lantern and walked off briskly, but unhurriedly. He estimated it would take about a minute and a half before the trailing lines of oil reached the coal pile, at which point the conflagration would really start. As he walked, he whistled a little tune that he had heard somewhere, working on a rail line in one of those transient territories.

[Ghostwish]

"Criminey." Challam said, taking another long sip from the wine. "I'm not even sure where to start!" He said as he set his glass down and leaned on the bar. "Well, I suppose I should ask what you think they'll do with the school boy when he comes back?" He asked, smirking at him. "Used to be just patrols around that little village we had. Not sure what I will do with what sounds like a blooming city."

[Paladin Sheppard]

Wolksheem Aerodrome

Bas nodded towards the small detail waiting at the far end of the lobby area, "Well, for the evening, I'm planning on heading back to the castle.  Tomorrow morning, we're getting resupplied in Nhylamar, and doing a patrol along the Orabatos mountains, watching for Ahnk'Ator activity. "

Turning his head to acknowledge that he'd heard Zelah, and understood, "For tonight if you need a room, you're more than welcome to come with me... There's several dozen open guest rooms at the castle.  We can get you accommodations in the city at one of the inns... either way, it's up to you.   Just be here tomorrow at 8am for boarding the MJOLNIR, assuming  you're seeking accommodations elsewhere."

Zelah quirked one ear higher and twitched her whiskers as she grinned a little bit despite the stress and nervousness she felt. "A real castle...? I've never been in a real castle before. I'll take that offer, I think, Captain." While she waited for Wolkshammer to lead the way, the feline 'Cubi glanced for a moment at the wolf, her emotions in considerable turmoil. Was this really another 'Cubi? Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to hide her headwings again, although she felt naked leaving them hanging out for everyone to see. Elkan hadn't said anything, even when she'd almost had a heart attack in the middle of the tour when she abruptly realised she'd completely forgotten her wings were showing.

She felt, in rapid succession, anxious, hopeful, terrified, and heartbreakingly lonely. Was there anything she ought to say or do when she met another one of her kind? Would they like each other? Hate each other? Fight each other for... prey? After a moment looking the wolf up and down Zelah realised there was something she could do. A little concentration, and there were subtle changes to the line of her jaw and muzzle, the shape of her ears, the sheen of her fur. Then one more change, although it left her shirt again almost uncomfortably tight. There — now who was bigger and prettier...?

"Is your room still available Baseel?" Paige asked the Captain with a grin, as he mentioned the castle to the feline, who it seemed didn't realize she didn't have a mind shield.

Pouring through the jumbled thoughts Zelah was broadcasting, the older succubus smiled, then laughed as the feline finished her shape changing. "Oh hun," Paige said with a mix of pity and amusement, "That's not the best way to trap a man's heart, sure the boobs help, but mostly with whats in his pants." The wolfess stepped closer to Zelah and focused her otherworldy senses on her, confirming that other had indeed never met one of her own species before.

"And no I don't think we'll be fighting, or hating each other. But if you like I can teach you who we really are." She said as she approached the feline to hug her.

[Tezkat]

Nhylamar Badlhads

Tezkat scowled, a passable imitation of the annoyed face the red jaguar had shown him earlier. In their mad panic, the pirates had missed him entirely. But they didn't have to know that. He made a show of plucking flattened illusionary slugs out of his fur and coat. He playfully tossed the spectral bullets up and down a few times, as if testing their weight, and then pitched them over his shoulder. They disappeared into the grass behind him.

"So everyone's chosen the breakfast option? I'll be taking heads now. If you want to keep yours, best get on your knees and beg."

He hopped off his bike into the cluster of frantically reloading pirates. At this range, he no longer had to be faster than bullets--merely faster than Beings. Despite his bloodthirsty grin, it took excruciating effort not to be seen favouring his wounded leg. If the wolf Incubus was a pain feeder, he'd be getting a feast, but it couldn't be helped. Best to end this quickly. Once they'd thinned the ranks a bit, it shouldn't be too hard to leave one of the scoundrels mostly intact for questioning.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

[Azlan]

Locke smiled cheerfully at the lucid lynx, or at least gave his best try, "ah thank you sir, good advice indeed."  He really wanted to add, spotted guy with the bob tail, but held his tongue on that part.

He was familiar with Yagsandras, having been there a few times, so it was a mere matter of finding his bearings from here and plotting the course.  He mulled over charts in his mind and by the time he reached the lift, he had the plan laid out.

The angel cheetah settled his paper work and fees before heading up to Flamehaze.  He boarded and sent a message to her, prepare to get underway, we are heading for Yagsandras.  Lay in a course once we have cleared the dock.  

The dock workers cast off the moorings once the gangway was stowed on the ship and Locke had radioed from the bridge.

With little ceremony, the sleek vessel was on its way to the city of Yagsandras.  

[insidexml]

"Hmm?" Sikici hadn't even seen the lioness approach, having been too busy standing there and wondering what he was supposed to do. Well, that problem seemed to have solved itself. That was certainly handy. Although now he had to think about whether or not he wanted anything. Well, something to drink would be nice. The angel wasn't very hungry, though, and he wasn't even sure if stripper clubs served food. Did they serve any drink that wasn't alcohol?

Sikici turned to look at the lioness. "Oh... I suppose something to drink would be nice? What kind of beverages does this place serve?"

Now that the angel thought about it, he didn't even know the name of this establishment. He needed to pay more attention to things like that.

[SpottedKitty]

Zelah's eyes widened as she realised the wolf was replying to what she was thinking. She dropped her travelling bag — fortunately not on her toes or tail-tip — and made a few quick gestures with her right hand. Her eyes and fingertips glowed a deep violet for a few seconds as a crude but effective Being-type mind shield lumbered around her thoughts like a badly fitting sweater. "I'm, uh, sorry, I did it without, ah, thinking," she babbled nervously, "but I wouldn't go after Captain Wolkshammer, he's my CO, I couldn't hurt himmmf...!" She grabbed her muzzle with both hands and held it shut before she put her feet, complete with boots, any further into it. These people had to know what a 'Cubi was capable of, but how could they know she'd never gone on a seduction rampage before? She still didn't know if it was something that would just happen sometime, when the urge came on her. It didn't help that said CO was standing in the corner of her vision, one ear visibly cocked to hear their conversation.

She watched the wolf uncertainly, but still her lunge and hug took Zelah by surprise. The shorter feline 'Cubi made a squeaky meep noise as her tail fluffed out and her ears and whiskers laid back. The unexpected glomp pinned her arms against her sides, and she fought hard against the instinctive reaction to struggle, or rip a wing-tentacle through the back of her jacket to defend herself. "T-t-teach me?" she stuttered nervously. "Hmph, I suppose there's a lot I don't know... yes, I think I'd like that." She made a conscious effort to at least try to smile and calm herself down, smooth her tail fur, and bring her ears forward a little. She raised her hands and patted the wolf's back uncertainly as she began to return the hug. Her earler near-panic was fading. She was still very much on edge, but... was that a little hope she felt now, at last?

[JamesCray]

For Johan, this particular morning's routine was anything but, as he trudged through the rain possessed of a singleminded determination. Being entirely lacking in any sort of magic talent he was unprotected from the elements, which were in this particular instance rain but had been a variety over his career. In addition, the diminutive fennec was of no illusion that his foot speed was remarkable in the least. Despite this, he was often given long-distance assignments to outposts which had no direct transport, thus he spent a great deal of time in long overland trudges carrying valuable cargo.

At the beginning of this mission, as usual, they had given him a stipend, meant to cover his food, lodging, transportation, and any medical care he may need. Continued exposure to the elements could have a significantly deleterious effect on his health, and given that travel was intrinsic to his occupation, when he had heard of a maker of quite high quality and compact steam carriages in the city, he had managed to string together justification to himself of the validity of finally purchasing one with embassy funds he had expressly been told were only for the necessities of discharging his duties.

Now, the only trick would be FINDING the bloody place.

[Tipod]

An hour had passed before Bart's tender anklebone finally mended enough for him to put any amount of weight on it. But with his luck, he had already approached the front gates of glorious Nhylem by then. ...fuckin' A, just my luck. At least none of the guards bothered to hassle him on the way in, aside from a few small comments ("What happened to you, step on a landmine?").

Man, why's my cheek hurting? Slowly undoing the straps to his mask revealed the problem: a considerable dent on the lower-left side of the iron slab, no doubt from his equine opponent's punching. He'd need to find a blacksmith before heading back out into the wild frontier, and probably a tailor to help sew up some of the holes in his jacket. Not that the marketplace of the biggest Creature-and-being city in the region wouldn't have those, but between the quadruped formal menswear, chiropractors, shell-cleaners, magic ingredient and charm outlets, claw-sharpeners and talon shiners-- It was almost impossible to find a regular smithy between all the damned specialty shops. God damn, who demands this much shit? I could probably find a professional nose-picker in this zoo.

[Lisky]

Nhylamar Market

The first thing to appear in Gabe's field of view as he came into the market was a rather imposing candy store... it was as if someone had taken a small, yet imposing, gothic style church, and then covered it with bright, happy colors, rounded out the points by slapping gumdrops on them, then proceeded to shift everything into the girlishly pink, faded neon orange, and a hideously bright green.  It's garish appearance, however, attracted children from all direction, as kids both winged and wingless could be spotted sprinting in with coins, and leaving with their sugary gains. 

A mythos was working the counter, a faded yellow and white creature made of tentacles and eyes... one could almost mistake it for a pointy cotton-candy monster, as the bulbous, body had loose, fluffy hair around the lumpy eye sockets.   A tentacle waved to Gabe through the glass door.


In front of the Wagons

The last thing Stephan saw, which came seemingly out of nowhere, was the metal-capped grip of the boxy weapon.  The blow came immidiately after he finished his ultimatum.  The hit took him just above the brow, and on the side of the head.  The squirrel felt dizzy, and for about a half second, his vision faded before he collapsed to the ground.

When he awoke it was difficult to tell how much time had passed.  It was still dark out, and the only thing that really seemed off was the entrance to his wagon seemed to have been left wide open.  The only sign of the being were tracks in the dirt, and if Stephan checked inside, he'd note a lot of stuff had been rummaged through, but most of it had been deemed junk.  Some of his coins were stolen, others still remained hidden.   A splitting headache ripped through the entirety of his skull, worse than earlier.  He could hear voices again, faint, but there, and he could taste something... almost as if it were in the air.  Bitter, sour, and salty.  It was a strange sensation as the headache grew with intensity.


Lamylar

The sun began to rise as night came and went.  Arroyo's boat was left undisturbed.  The morning mist was rolling across the slowly flowing gully.  The river itself was filled with heavy traffic, heavy boats were carrying large cargos delayed by train after yesterday's incident, along with the normal craft going through their usual routines.


Wolksheem Aerodrome

Bas hadn't been watching Zelah change, his focus had been on the Squirrel and Badger at the front desk.  They seemed to be doing their own thing, and as such, he left them to hug it out.  He approached from behind the pair.  "I'm terribly sorry to bother you, Sir and Miss... Is Joshua being rather unhelpful today?"

Flashing a knowing smirk at the man at the desk, Bas continued, "If you'll pardon the intrusion, I am Baseel Wolkshammar, and if there's anything i can do to assist you, please let me know."

The canine demon wore similar colors to the man at the desk, his uniform or more tailored, and flashier version to that of the weasel being.  Cyril would note that the signet ring, on the hand laid on the back of his chair matched that of the flag pinned to the wall behind the weasel being. 

Sister Adelaide would note the name sounded familiar.  The family was a patron of the order, and a rather generous contributor as well. 

Neither could detect any deceit in his words.


Westwynd Inn (Kyirri)

"it's 4 silver for a room, 1 for a meal... If you stay the night, the  5 for dinner and a room, also gets you a breakfast in the morning"  She replied in a chipper, pleasant tone.  Flashing a pleasant smile, as she waited for Kyirri's reply.


Nhylamar Badlands

Tez's first blade swipe caught the grip on a pistol, cleaved inward and took off the being's hand clean off.  The follow-up strike, an upward slash to position the next swing in a proper position to take the next target, slashed clean through the being's upper torso, spraying bits of gore and blood as it passed through.  However, his next slash was met with metal.  The being was holding a knife in his one hand, and a partially loaded revolver in the other.  The chocolate lab being flicked his hand to the side, slamming the half-loaded revolver drum into the ready position. 

Seth's stun spell knocked a long-haired feline off her feet.  She was out cold before she crumpled to the ground in a heap.  His attempt at firing the large-bore weapon one-handed proved rather fruitless, however, as the scattering of pellets passed between a pair of masked individuals who were both in a panic.  One carried a repeating pistol, the elegant design was simple, and it seemed to flow into position.  The being pulled a toggle, readying a round, as the masked figure's hand drifted towards Seth's chest.


Bar (Challam)

"They'll probably just send him along somewhere else to be more productive... We've got clan holdings in several towns in the area.  Several joint ventures with other clans, demon families, several mythos run cartels... we've expanded immensely in the last few decades, and we're always in need of talented individuals to perform various tasks."

As Dequlin finished his drink he gave a 2 fingered wave and got up, "I'd rather not get myself too sloshed... Take care, and perhaps i'll see you again."

The other Cubi started heading for the exit, leaving Challam 'alone' at the bar.


Yagsandras

In the market, Johan would find himself completely surrounded with just about any and every tool, trinket or toy he could conceive, along with several who's purpose he himself could not even begin to fathom.  The carriage maker, however, was nowhere to be found.  Several shop owners had waved to attempt to get the attention of the fennec. 

Sikici was greeted with a rather playful grin from the scantily clad lioness, "You lookin for something with a kick, something that's smooth... or something a bit lighter?"
A playful giggle as she crossed an arm under her bust, making the form 'enhancing' corset she wore, seem to prop her up even more.

The Cheetah angel could already see the towers as he made it to the upper deck of the Flamehaze, it wouldn't be but 5 minutes before he was at a docking tower.  A rather gruff and well armed looking officer, in the faded blue/gray of the Nhylamaran army greeted him.  He looked to be a mixed breed feline,  being, perhaps in his late thirties.  He waved Locke into the docking slip, and gave a shallow bow.  "Welcome to Yagsandras, Sir.  If you'd be so kind as to sign in, we can get things moving from there."
The airship had not completely docked yet, and could still maneuver.  The being was following along on a walking platform that ran well beyond the slip.  "Just a few questions before you land, good sir.  I can tell by the design that your ship is of Sevastia' Nyad build, and as such, a foreign vessel.  Could you please state your business, and how long you expect to stay in our fair city?"

[Tapewolf]

Seth swore and holstered the weapon as his shot went astray.  Now was not the time to experiment with new weapons - it looked like he'd have to do things the old-fashioned way.  If I get out of this okay, I'd better invest in some firearms training, he thought.

One of the foes aimed at his chest - instinctively he wrapped one wing around it for protection, 'Cubi wings being the toughest part of their body.  Nonetheless, it might not stop a bullet completely and he wasn't about to find out the hard way.

The wolf threw himself sideways, still shielding himself with one wing and morphing the other into a long, thin - and razor-sharp - tentacle.  Thanks to the stun spell, it looked like they had one captive, and that made taking the others alive into a much lower priority.  A quick beheading might be enough to convince the others that they meant business.

[WhiteFox]

Gabriel's eyes locked onto the candy shoppe, and he immediately pulled Walsh over. Five minutes later he came out with an eight pound sack of jujubes in his arms, and the stick of a lolly-pop thrusting boldly from the corner of his mouth.
     Right, then... He thought. Now that that's taken care of, back to business. Gotta find a job. Packing the sack into Walsh's baggage compartments, he mounted up and continued driving down the road.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Cyril turned his head, lowered his cup and saucer, and raised one brow. "Unhelpful? Oh, no. I wouldn't say so." He paused, delicately, for a fraction of a second, then delivered the next line, deadpan. "He hasn't done anything yet to be unhelpful about, that I've seen." He glanced down at the signet ring for just a moment, matching it to the crest he'd seen behind the aforementioned Joshua. Not to mention his memory of the more influential families in the surrounding kingdoms - something about Wolkshammer tickled the back of his mind, but failed to actually come forth and enlighten him as to what it was. Oh, well. It couldn't be that important.

He went on. "I, myself, am merely attempting to enquire after some associates, who appear to be somewhat delayed. However, I believe the lady there was before me, and I would hate her to think I was lacking in civility." He indicated the aforementioned doctor in white with a courteous wave of a paw. "If, after she has been assisted, I find myself still waiting on Joshua, however, I would be most grateful for any assistance you might feel it appropriate to provide."

[Paladin Sheppard]

Zelah's eyes widened as she realised the wolf was replying to what she was thinking. She dropped her travelling bag — fortunately not on her toes or tail-tip — and made a few quick gestures with her right hand. Her eyes and fingertips glowed a deep violet for a few seconds as a crude but effective Being-type mind shield lumbered around her thoughts like a badly fitting sweater. "I'm, uh, sorry, I did it without, ah, thinking," she babbled nervously, "but I wouldn't go after Captain Wolkshammer, he's my CO, I couldn't hurt himmmf...!" She grabbed her muzzle with both hands and held it shut before she put her feet, complete with boots, any further into it. These people had to know what a 'Cubi was capable of, but how could they know she'd never gone on a seduction rampage before? She still didn't know if it was something that would just happen sometime, when the urge came on her. It didn't help that said CO was standing in the corner of her vision, one ear visibly cocked to hear their conversation.

She watched the wolf uncertainly, but still her lunge and hug took Zelah by surprise. The shorter feline 'Cubi made a squeaky meep noise as her tail fluffed out and her ears and whiskers laid back. The unexpected glomp pinned her arms against her sides, and she fought hard against the instinctive reaction to struggle, or rip a wing-tentacle through the back of her jacket to defend herself. "T-t-teach me?" she stuttered nervously. "Hmph, I suppose there's a lot I don't know... yes, I think I'd like that." She made a conscious effort to at least try to smile and calm herself down, smooth her tail fur, and bring her ears forward a little. She raised her hands and patted the wolf's back uncertainly as she began to return the hug. Her earler near-panic was fading. She was still very much on edge, but... was that a little hope she felt now, at last?

Breaking off the embrace Paige stepped back and again stared at the feline, a Smirk on her face. "I mean I can teach you the basics and our history, but for the more advanced stuff you'd need to go to the academy...But that's for later! For now lets go harass our boss." The wolfess said with a wink.

Grabbing at Zelah's hand she full intended to drag the smaller succubus over to where Baseel was standing if she had to.

[Noone]

Kyirri did some quick mental calculations on his finances, factoring in what he had, and what he'd need coming back. He nodded his head, counted the coins carefully, and then gave the mink the requested amount. He then proceeded to go off to where he would have his meal.

[SquirrelWizard]

Stephan sat up and cradled his head in his hands. Whatever the being had hit him with had caused his headache to return with a vengeance, "I should have just blast him..." he mumbled. He stood up and took in the aftermath, it looked like they had been robbed; thankfully most of their money was in a bank. So he probably only made off with a few hundred or so silver at most.

Stephan fumbled with the door of his cart, and stumbled into the interior, and crashed into his bed.

[SpottedKitty]

Zelah semaphored her ears for a moment at the wolf's reply. Academy? What did she mean by that — a school for Creatures like her? With what little she knew about her own nature, her mind boggled at the thought of what some of the classes there might be like... and some of the teachers.

The feline 'Cubi grabbed for the handle of her travel bag as the wolf towed her across the room. She cocked one ear and twitched her whiskers at the idea of giving her new CO a hard time already, but the wolf's cheerfulness was infectious. She reminded herself that over the years she'd had a few ideas she'd always wanted to try, but she hadn't dared do them with — or to — a relatively fragile normal Being. Besides, she thought rather mischievously, weren't Demons supposed to have a lot more natural — and unnatural — toughness and stamina?

As she came within earshot of Captain Wolkshammer she got a better look at the two winged Creatures he was talking to: both Angels, she thought. A grey-furred rodent of some kind with pink hair, possibly a squirrel, although some features didn't look quite right for that, and a... a pink badger? She'd seen some odd fur colours among the airship's crew, but this was nudging the line into downright funny-looking. Their emotions were just as varied. The grey... squirrel? some kind of fluffy mouse? had so much annoyance pouring off her, she seemed almost ready to bite someone. The badger — and where had he got that cup (with saucer!) of tea? — appeared calmer, but Zelah thought she could feel something else, some kind of dark humour maybe, lurking below the surface of his mind where she couldn't sense it clearly.

[Kafzeil]

The four legged mech loomed over the Undead ocelot, the metallic behemoth and it's occupants completely unaware of of her. A stray round, the mech stepping in the right direction, and Lucy would be killed.

Or would she? True she heard that an Undead could be dismembered and not only survive, but  not feel a thing. Some Rather disturbing reports even pointed that an Undead could still control their severed body parts.

never the less she did not want to figure out for herself.

She peaked out from behind the fallen tree, spotting the Raider. Well, she thought it was a Raider. He seemed Ahnkian but she doubted these guys were military. Maybe Deserters. Too small and far away to be a full blown unit and too heavily armed to be a scouting party.

Lucy readied her trusty revolver, pulling back the hammer, her yellow eyes looking down the sights. The raider hadn't seen her yet...she had a clear shot.

[Arroyo Milori]

Arroyo yawned as he got up, followed by a sudden fall from the passing boat's horns. "What the-" He looked at the clock that hung on the cabin's wall. He knew from that second that he overslept by half an hour and traffic has started up. He quickly ran up the ladder, dressing himself and stumbles a bit as he starts up his boat.

The boat moved and started to slowly drift into the backed up river for his destination.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Adelaide recognized the name. After all, it was the Samara Wolkshammar Memorial Hospital she was now assigned to and she had brushed up on her new assignment during her long zeppelin ride. "It seems that your employees are in need of customer service training. They appear to believe that leaving passengers standing for two hours without even asking if they need assistance is acceptable." She nodded a slight bow to the young demon, "Dame Doctor Adelaide Montague. I'm trying to locate my missing transport to the local hospital." As an afterthought she added a companionable nod to the badger who had backed her up on the ferret's uselessness.

Past Baseel's shoulder she could see two cubi approaching. They would get quite a surprise if they got too close to her emotion dampening spell.

[Ghostwish]

Challam waved farewell to his kin, and then set about finishing his drink. He felt a little overwhelmed with all that had happened. Sure, there had been letters back and forth, but the focus had always been Challam, his school-work, and any odd encounters with cubi from other clans (or the near constant probing to see if he'd found a mate). Yes, his family had never relented with the pressure, not for a moment.

He smirked wistfully at the memories for a moment, but then felt the anxiety of his return home set back in. He'd rather expected to be the city boy returning to the rural town, not the other way around! But it seemed that near-constant school-work had made him forget that the world kept turning outside of SAIA.

He finished his drink, and left his payment on the counter, before heading for the door. He'd decided to follow his kin's advice instead, and get a room at the local inn to relax. He passed the mythos guard on his way out, gathered his things, and set off into the night.

[Lisky]

Market Place and Job Hunt

The unicorn was wandering northern Nhylamar, and attempting to find a fresh soul-stone for her armor was proving a bit more difficult than she'd have liked.  The governmental channels seemed to be out, so, she had to go to the private sector.  Rumor had it there were both legal and black market stones in this northern city, and given the proximity to Voethfel, she could always try some of their cities if this trip proved unfruitful.

Her mech was safely stored in one of the several armories this city held.  The magical locks there would prevent anyone from even considering an attempt at stealing her war machine.

She was in a rather populated part of the market, several airship captains could be seen around her, along with a couple mercenary recruiters... of the ones she could see advertising, none were very reputable.  Most were little better than pirates, if that.


Gabriel would see the brightly colored unicorn as his bike headed further into the market district.  The area was where many ship captains could be found buying supplies, weapons, and hiring people for various missions.  It was fairly easy to tell which captains were better off.  The clothing was a decent clue, but the weapons, and fine details were far more telling.  

He'd note a wolfish angel sporting a truly impressive hat, wearing a fine long-coat of a dark navy laced with red.  What appeared to be solid gold buttons.  She appeared to be shmoozing around a couple of mechanic shops as far as Gabe could tell. She looked looked like a promising start.  Other than the angel, a large pair of horns peaked out over the crowd by a good several inches, though Gabe couldn't see the owner.


Nhylamar Creature Market (Bart)

As the demon stumbled into the market, the first thing he'd note was the sheer number of buildings, kiosks, and carts.  Everywhere he could see, there was a venerable wave  of creatures.  Gryphons, Angels, Phoenixes, Demons, and Mythos of all kinds.  Beings seemed to be rare here.  They seemed to avoid this particular section of the expansive markets here.  A massive mythos, a ball of slimy green tentacles, and massive muscles was busy making swords of truly impressive size.  

A phoenix had a stand full of rather massive firearms.  The shells she was selling were of an extraordinary size compared to the small pea-shooters Bart was used to seeing.  I say shells because bullets is the wrong word, the mental  image most have when one says bullet is of something small, concealable ammunition.  These projectiles and casings are neither small, nor very concealable.  The hand-portable cannons before the shark-ish demon seemed more akin to something a being would weld onto a war machine, than something a creature would saunter into combat with.  They were all revolvers, and all were polished to a bright sheen in the afternoon sun.  Most had chrome barrels, emphasizing their size and power.    

Another booth seemed to house a general purpose metal-worker.  A gazelle angel, who'm seemed rather busy repairing a section of plate with a couple of holes the size of Bart's fist.


Westwynd Inn  

Kyirri couldn't sense anything off as he was brought a good sized bowl of hearty soup, and a large roll.  Looking to be a meal portion designed for one of a larger race.  Compared to what he was used to, the chunks of meat, and vegetables swimming about in the thick broth.  The pleasant aroma, combine with the warmth made this meal feel like a feast.  Especially compared to what he was used to.

The mink smiled warmly from the counter, giving a clear "hope everything is to your liking" look.


Aeliseium Forest  

The Ahnk Mech shoved several trees out of the way.  Realizing it was losing this chase.  The mech made an abrupt turn towards the river.  It seemed to be heading off, possibly trying to leave the area before the brothers could report the raider's position to the authorities.

Lucy's pistol snarled as it's heavy metal slug flew forth.  It caught the masked insectis square in the back.   The figure crumpled instantly, twitching as it's bodily fluids drained through the new opening in it's carapace.  The taller mech started strolling into view, a little further away as it headed into and the across the river.  It appeared to be fleeing.


Wolksheem Aerodrome  

Addy was greeted with a toothy smile from the demon dog.  His attention went from the weasel at the desk, then back to Sister Adelaide, "Apologies for this offence, madam.  If you'd care to accompany me for the evening, i'm in grave doubt of anyone being available this time of night to take you to the hospital.  However, my family's hospitality is always extended to members of the order.  If you don't mind spending the night in-city, we can get you a transport first thing in the morning.  I myself can assure you of that, as tomorrow's flight-plan for the MJOLNIR takes us almost directly over the site."

His back was turned, and gave no sign at all he was paying attention to either cubi girl.  They had complete and utter surprise for whatever they had planned for Bas.  


(OOC NOTE: i'll add more tomorrow, however, sleep needs are starting to effect the quality of writing and thoughts...)