Tales of Malaketh: Ritual of the Blood Red Night - Part 1: On The Run

[Nanami Touko]

Lua was still so very interesting, but Glen saw fit to turn everything serious... What a bother. "But you didn't, so why should I care?" Misea asked, almost bored, staring at him with a rather blank face. "What ifs and what coulds have no bearing on the now. I have no control over your lives. Aside from Miss Lua, who hasn't helped us yet, you stared down the monsters of the night to keep us safe. You've paid your way, so if you wish to leave, by all means. And if you wish to stay, then you'll be paid again once we reach the capital... Hopefully by then, you'll be willing to stay for just a bit more, but if not, that's all I've asked you for. I'll have Astrid's help, we should be able to manage. So... My apologies on your hardships, truly, it hurts to lose family. I have as well, and though time lessens the pain, it can't take it away." Misea almost sighed, but remained adamant, sitting up straighter. "So do what you must, Glendwr. I hold no ill will against you taking your life into your own hands, on what you believe is best." Misea nodded, finally smiling. "Yes, that is what I think. As for how much he's had to drink... Mmm, give me a moment... Perhaps just a bit, from our wonderful inn keeper. Have you met Jackson yet, Lua? He's a treat."

Ahhh, there was that thing, though. It didn't really bother them, but... So many people kept saying it, so... "And, all this Milady business... I must be clear with both of you, I am a man. Apologies for the confusion."

Edited July 29, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

Seph stared after Almira, hand outstretched as if trying to grab her hand so that he could pull her back. He wasn't sure exactly how long he held that pose before letting his arm fall back down to his side as he buried his head in his knees again. Ugh, I'm such an idiot. Look at her run off like that. You horrified her. I mean, who wouldn't have reacted like that? I just... I'll have to explain to her that it didn't mean much and that I'll leave her alone moving forward. Just because she thinks you're cute doesn't mean she's interested in more. Idiot.

Sitting back upright, letting his head gently hit the wall, he sighed. Time to continue to wait. Hopefully they would be long enough that Almira would have time to calm down and not just want to run away again the next time she saw him. It would make interacting with each other very awkward if she ran every time...

[Moblin Major General]

"Well thank you for that, mil- huh. I guess it was so dark most of the short time I've known you that I didn't notice it at all. That's going to take some getting used to. At any rate, I'm still yours. I didn't mean to kill the mood, but maybe that's the only thing I'm good at, I don't know. I'm still waiting on that coffee, by the way." Glendwr looked at Lua. "Not enough for me to make much sense to you, apparently. I haven't been making sense since yesterday. Everyone, except for maybe Mina, has taken the time to dig at me since this trip began. Not that I don't deserve it."

[Xinnidy]

"Yeah, no problem. Just, making sure you're alright." It'd be awful if she had been bitten indeed, so Alex had to make sure! Anyways, that was that, Mina had things to do, and Almira was there... well, her mind wasn't. "You sure...? Well, if you start feeling funny, just warn us asap." That could've been the blood, a dangerous venue. She was talking so weird, too... "Well, just wait here for a moment, I'm gonna pay for your stuff, and Mina's paying for hers. Yeah, probably getting the horse next..." Which reminded her, "Ah, guess I'll go seek Seph out too, shouldn't be too far." With that, her coins already counted, Alex walked towards the shopkeeper. "Uh, the 20 for her clothes. Sorry about the trouble, again." Just a bit of politeness, for good measure.

[Balcerzak]

Mina scowled at Almira's childishly aggressive half-threat. Thankfully, the vampire merely grabbed at the offered clothing, instead of raising her arms to push her back by the shoulders again. Then Wilhelmina would've had to start reaching for her light tome, and she really wasn't fond of that idea at all. But, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice... and all that. Luckily the princess's mouth opened no further than to reveal the pink tip of her tongue, amply demonstrating that it was all just playful peevishness. "Very funny. Ha, ha." 

Picking out a periwinkle blouse, that Mina felt a much better fit than that somewhat sad grey top, some long white gloves, and a handful of other pieces, she found herself still a little stumped about what to get for Misea. The armor did a good job of concealing the size of her bust, though she had mentioned being smaller than Astrid. "Formalwear, was it you said? For Misea's preference? Anything in particular standing out here?" There were some nice vests maybe, a couple of white shirts with cravats. Or... that was an interesting piece, sort of a black buttondown on top ending in a bit of flowing robe at the bottom. Picturing a white bowtie on top to seal the deal she had to raise a hand and stifle a giggle. "Oh yes, this for sure, even if she makes me take it back later," Mina murmured to herself.

[Ether]

"Well, Misea and I are incapable of casting magic, so I do find that sort of thing a rather innervating subject... fishing less so." Astrid replied, about to take a drink of her coffee when Glendwr began his tirade... oh dear. Setting the full cup down and pushing it over to the man, the Countess let her cheek rest on her hand as she leaned into it.

"Goodness, Glendwr, take my coffee. You seem to need it far more than I in the moment. And it is as Misea said... what you might have done is irrelevant compared to what you actually chose to do. Now do perk up a bit, could you? Working out those gloom issues is the first step to becoming more sociable."

[SB.]

It seemed that Lua wasn't the only one thinking that Glen was a weirdo. God, I can't believe that I'm agreeing with a vampire lady... Wait. Not lady? Man? She noiseslessly mouthed "What?" as she stared down at Misea in confusion, as if it was the first time she'd looked at him. And to be fair, it might have been - just making eye contact with the beast was unnerving, but... when she looked at it that way, it did seem like Misea was a man. I don't think that makes anything better though...

Another thing that kind of bummed her out was Glendwr's apparent self-awareness about this whole thing now. It was less fun to kick him when he was already down, plus she'd probably look like kind of an ass for doing it. "I don't think that more drinking would help with that." she laughed awkwardly, but it was a short-lived gesture. You guys can deal with this one... Lua sighed quietly, glancing between Misea and Astrid.

[Nanami Touko]

"I'm incredibly funny... A-Alex he's just, uhm, outside. You don't have to look very far." Almira turned right back around to Mina as soon as she let the woman know, not wanting to think hard on him right now. It was a lot easier to think about clothes for Misea, though... "I think he'd just like some pants, and a nice dress shirt. That's... Alright, but it's too much of a dress, and the color isn't really made for him. You could try, but... Well..." Maybe Mina was in her own world again, she seemed to keep missing all the mentions of Misea being a man. If she kept missing it, her loss. She'd find out soon enough~ Almira shrugged a bit, but did smile at the other shirt choice. "I think I'd like wearing that one."

---

"Taking digs at you? Hmm... I suppose. You're simply so... On edge. About seemingly everything else other than us. At least Lua's fear makes sense to me, but you keep acting as though fate is going to slip around the corner and shoot your head off. Relax. We survived the worst of it already, I can't imagine what you're cooking up going wrong." Misea could only shake their head, sighing somewhat.

It was good that their food had arrived them, plates getting put down in front of the first three there. "There y'are. Omelette for you, miss, some sunnyside for the gentle man in the armor, and scrambled for the woman with the wonderfully colored hair~ And your coff... Oh, you got hers. Whoops~ Apologies for being slow, but here's a fourth coffee anyway. Holler when you're done~" Their waitress smiled and dipped back towards the kitchen. Eggs and toast was simple, but Misea could appreciate it, and they could appreciate one more thing.

"At least some people can tell~"

[Moblin Major General]

"Well, maybe I'm not used to peace and quiet, is all." Astrid's coffee arrived as soon as the new coffee did. "Thank you." Glendwr drank it straight, the bitter taste not phasing him. "Well, I feel a little bit better. Sir, is there anything else you think we need to- oh! I just remembered we need some oil for... that. Once we're done here, we should get that." He turned to Lua. "You're certainly right about that. Though I suspect the opposite for you. You, good woman, probably need one or two to erase the day you've had. Or five."

[Balcerzak]

Almira was a lot cheekier than her previously meeker self had been, but as long as it was just meaningless back and forth banter, it wasn't too much concern. Nodding as the princess indicated her approval of the blouse, Mina picked out a nice boring outfit to those specifics, as well as the piece she'd had her eye on, and actually spotted another little something for Astrid while she was at it. Two outfits for everyone should be solid enough, and if it wasn't it would certainly last until they got to the capital and would have even more opportunity to fill in the gaps. Then making her way to the shopkeep, she laid them out so she could be told the price she needed to pay. While the woman was assessing the haul, she inquired after an item she hadn't seen, but might have been around somewhere. "I don't suppose you have any parasols, do you?"

[Ether]

Well, it seemed her gesture was somewhat mis-timed, their waitress bringing food... and more coffee, moments after she had surrendered hers to Glendwr. Taking the new cup as it came, as well as accepting her plate... scrambled, was it? Interesting... Astrid also gave the waitress an appreciative grin at her compliment.

"So, are doing our rounds about the table and trying each of these preparations, or sticking to our own?"

[SB.]

It took until the moment the food was placed in front of her for Lua to realise that she was hungry. Right, I did ask to come here, after all... Cowering in fear of vampires was pretty tiring, as it turned out, so she needed to keep her strength up, but before she could begin Glendwr spoke up. Was he really suggesting that she should have "It's still the morning..." she groaned, rolling her eyes at the suggestion. She wasn't going to get drunk during the middle of the day... maybe. Probably.

Would alcohol make this trip easier? The realisation that it probably would have done made Lua sigh. But then I'd be stuck at the mercy of the vampires. Even moreso than she already was. No thanks... That was a scary thought. "I'll just... eat whatever." she responded, not in the mood to put up much of a fight.

[Xinnidy]

"Oh, he's just outside?" Well, that made things simple. Alex paid off the twenty coins for Almira's outfit, an apologetic smile as she thanked the storekeeper, and calmly made her way back to the group of two. "Alrighty then, if that's all... huh, nice dress, Mina." Was she gonna use that black one for herself? Somehow it didn't seem her style either. Ah, no matter, "Well, if he's just waiting outside, then we'll get him when we leave. Glad you got something you liked, Almira." It seemed to suit her. Alex had no expectations for herself wearing any of these... would a dress suit her? It would probably look silly, or so she thought. She didn't even take proper care of her hair and face, it would look, and feel, weird. 

Edited August 4, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

"I'm sure no one's exactly picky about their eggs... And what Miss Lua needs is a nice day on the town after eating, not drinks. Tell me, Lua, what would you like to take care of once we've put something into ourselves?" Misea idly poked at the white of their eggs, whilst pondering anything they needed to get done in town. "I suppose I wouldn't mind stopping at the armorer... I could use a proper sword, we left in such a rush. Maybe there'll be something there for the group, as well? Who's to say~"

---

"Y-Yeah, just outside... Uh, one, o-one sec, I'll... Hoof..." Things were being paid for, and Almira didn't want to stand around being embarrassed anymore. Stepping outside again, she froze and ended up staring at Seph for a moment. Her feet finally willing, she slid over to him, and hoisted him off the ground, before diving in for a hug. It was about all she could manage, as she staggered away and tried to formulate words. "Uh. Clothes, done. Other... Other shopping... D-Do you still, wanna come with, us...?" This is hard...

Meanwhile, the shopkeep raised a basket onto the counter top, full of several different styled parasols. "Five gold a piece. They're old things, I'm not picky."

[Ether]

That seemed to be that, then. Taking a bite of the eggs placed in front of her, the fluffy preparation holding on her tongue for a moment before melting away. How delightful~ Continuing to enjoy the plate of eggs as she watched Misea and Lua talking, she did wonder just how much Lua would open up. or if that shell was about to clamp shut again.

[scorri]

"Bu,whu, huh?" Seph stared at Almira in confusion. She'd just run away, why was she hugging him now? "Y... Y... I, yeah, I can come still." Just ask her you idiot. Or tell her. "I, uh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you away earlier. I uh..." He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch her for the next bit, knowing that he'd probably just see relief. "I'll uh... I'll back off, alright? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, so I'll just... leave you alone. If that's what you want." I mean, it seemed like it before, when she ran off, but now she's hugging me... Ugh, why are girls so confusing??? He finally peeked back up at her, hoping that she wasn't gone again.

[Moblin Major General]

"Huh. I forgot how early it was. Well, I guess that means we could probably find some other things to do." Glendwr looked out into the street and saw some kids playing with a leather ball. I really do envy them. Getting into trouble, playing their games. Feels like all I've ever known is work, and I can't get it out of my head that maybe I never had a childhood to be robbed of. At the very least, this man has given me a chance to actually be more than just a tool, even if I think it would be best if I was. He looked at the eggs, even though he wasn't hungry. Perhaps he was too used to going without food that he didn't order some of his own eggs to eat. It really didn't matter, he probably could eat when they finally got back to the tavern, anyway. What did matter was taking time to relax.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Hylian Air Force

[Balcerzak]

Wilhelmina selected 3 parasols: a dark, hunter green one; an soft violet one; and a cute white one with black lacing around the edges, plunking the appropriate coinage down on the table to cover them and the rest of the clothes that Alex hadn't. The way the fighter girl phrased her latest compliment on the choice of apparel Mina had picked out for the vampires almost seemed to imply she thought one the outfits had been for the teacher herself, but she couldn't be sure, so didn't bother correcting her. She was saving her money, bigger things were at stake and she had some good options already, there was nothing here that could possibly...

Oh fuck, of course. No sooner had the teacher thought temptation to be impossible than she spied the almost divine garment hanging from a hook near the shopkeep.

...

It was probably safer to store her wealth in the form of goods rather than coins, wasn't it? Yes, just so. It was the only sensible thing to do in this situation.

"Thanks for tolerating our little disturbance earlier, terribly sorry about that," she apologized as she collected everything, the quantity of which was starting to get awkward. Thankfully, their porter was waiting just outside, she couldn't wait to offload onto Seph. "One final thing though, that robe? That is for sale, right?"

[SB.]

They seem... distracted. I could run. Yeah, she could definitely do that. Lua stood up suddenly. She probably should, even. She glanced between faces nervously, taking a deep, steadying breath. "Yeah, I uh-" And then she bolted, never to be seen again, likely leaving everyone present slightly bewildered. 

[Nanami Touko]

Waiting for Lua to give a proper answer ended in her running away. How bothersome... Misea sighed, leaning back, staring up at the blue sky from underneath the table's parasol. "Oh well. Don't bother giving chase, Astrid, she either comes back on her own or it wasn't worth it. I simply hope she manages to make it wherever she's going with what she has left. Wouldn't do for her to gamble the rest away, like that..." They were clearly a bit bothered, leaning back down to enjoy some more coffee, but it hadn't been the first time, and it likely wouldn't be the last. Misea had an eternity to live, after all...

---

"Wha-- No! I, wow, uhm, no no, just... Hhhhhh... I was just, e-embarrassed, that's all..." Almira hid her face again, embarrassed to say she was embarrassed, this was difficult. "This is my first time anywhere and I don't know people and places and feeling and wow it's hard to deal with things like this so... I, d-don't mind, at all, but... I m-might run again cuz... I, uhm. No reference, point. No book to tell me what to, do. H-Haha." Hopefully that... Cleared things up enough.

And inside... "Oh, that? Yes, but... Well, I'm not sure you can afford it, my dear. It's one thousand gold pieces, you see. It's not just clothing, it's magically enchanted to give you more vigor. I'll go no lower than nine hundred, since you've been such a good customer already... Mostly. But no less than that~"

Edited August 9, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Balcerzak]

Mina blanched, and swallowed hard. Maybe she should give up? But... hmm, magically enchanted, could be useful. With possibly more danger in the days to come, extra vigor could help, and after her adventure was done, well then she would simply sell it as planned, right?

Turning to the other member of the party still inside the shop, she entreated, "Oh my. Alex, friend? Could you do me an immeasurable favor and spot me the difference until I can bargain with Misea for an advance on the other half of my pay?" Slightly reluctantly, she pulled out her bag of 600 and spilled them onto the counter. "You, did bring some with you, right? Or..." turning back to the shopkeep, "Failing that, could you hold it here for me while I go to discuss with my employer?"

[Moblin Major General]

Glendwr said nothing. At least, not for a while. "I hope she doesn't do anything rash. She might go running to that Church of the Sun or whatever. Pretentious asses, the whole lot of them. Little do they realize that "the embodiment of sin" is literally only a few minutes' walk from their local chapel. At any rate, I hope you two don't mind me taking her eggs. I may be more hungry than I let on, especially after the day I've had. " Glendwr knew taking food meant for others was rude, but the alternative was wasting it, and that was certainly less acceptable than poor etiquette, not that he even cared for manners when the people he grew up around were just as rude as he was. He began eating the eggs. Stupid girl is probably going to get herself killed, or worse. No matter, at least I got a free meal out of it.

[scorri]

"I..." Seph didn't have a response to that. He didn't really have any reference to all of this either, given his focus in life being as far from this sort of thing as it possibly could be. But she wasn't upset apparently, just not ready for the pace? That was solvable, right? "W--well, then how about this? I'll uh... I'll let you lead? S-so, it's up to you what happens. And when it happens. I don't exactly have much to go off of for this either, but if what I was doing was causing you to run away, then we can just... have you be in control. That way it hopefully won't happen again. Right?" Did that even make any sense? It had made sense in his head but hearing the words actually come out of his mouth made him doubt the sense of them after all.

[Xinnidy]

"Oh?" That was a very pretty robe indeed, the price was a bit staggering for Alex, but as it hit her that this piece of clothing was enchanted, the price started making some sense. Not that it helped Alex feel less bothered by the pricing, getting told that out of the blue certainly made her feel toyed with. "Hmm... one thousand..." She mumbled. Ah well... if it was Mina's decision, she was free to do whatever she wished. As long as she could pay back in time. "Alright. I'll fill in for you and you give me back whenever you get the rest." There wasn't any rush, but she supposed Mina really wanted it... Now to count her coins again. "So, how much do you have with you?" They still needed to purchase a horse too, damn...

[Ether]

Clam up, was the answer. Explosively so, in fact. Lua had been Misea's little pet project, so if the knight didn't want pursuit, there wouldn't be any. Still, it was unfortunate that she'd stayed just long enough to take gold and weaponry... perhaps that had been her play all along? No way to know now.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Misea. A valiant effort, but she seemed a rather tough sell from the start."