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

[Balcerzak]

Wilhelmina reached out to touch the hem of the garment, confirming again what she'd already realized. The enchantment was real, the worksmanship was impeccable; this was no confidence artistry. Alex was willing, and there was no reason to turn back. She was doing this. "I've put 600 down, so you'll need to cover another 300. 900 gold, and telling everyone who asks about it in the days to come that it came from a clothing store in Rolan ought to satisfy her asking price." Seeing that the soldier still looked a little concerned, Mina clarified. "And don't worry, this is from my personal funds. The shopping allowance I've been entrusted for securing the rest of our supplies is untouched."

[Nanami Touko]

"There was nothing valiant there, Astrid... Enjoy your foods, my apologies. I think I shall retire to my room, earlier than expected." Misea left a small handful of gold on the table, smiling at Astrid. "I saw you making eyes a the waitress, but for all our sakes, please find me if you wish to feed. I'd rather the village not have it out for us. Good day to you both, then~" Pulling their hood back up, Misea started back towards the inn. A good six hundred gold wasted, but that was its own form of gambling, wasn't it? Damn you, Lua~ Getting my hopes up so high... And then doing this to me. Foolish girl. A wry smile slipped out, as they stepped through the rays towards a hopeful nap.

---

"Goodness me! What are you doing shopping at a silly little store like this if you've got that much gold hanging about? I won't say no, of course not, but... Well, thank you!" She shopkeep, although a big flabbergasted, retrieved the garment proper and handed it over to Mina with a smile. "Have a nice day, miss~"

---

"Oh... Uhm... Uhm, sure. I'll ask Misea for some advice on what to do tonight... B-Because otherwise I'd just be standing around like a deer in the torchlights. Not knowing at all what to do, or... Yeah. You get it, probably." Almira sighed, and smiled, giggling just a bit. "I'm glad I could clear that up with you," she said, much more sincere now. "I was really surprised, but... I guess there are some really great humans out there." A bit of a fanged smile followed, but she couldn't really hide her feelings, now that things were less embarrassing.

[Balcerzak]

The teacher chuckled a little and smiled, "You probably don't remember when I was younger and poorer, but I stopped in here once before, last time I was visiting. I have a tendency to repeat my patronage, when I've enjoyed the experience. So even if time and circumstance weren't in play, I'm sure I'd have stopped by. And hey, looks like it was the right choice for both of us, wasn't it? Thanks again, and have a wonderful day."

Everything collected, Mina turned and nodded her appreciation to Alex once again, for saving her the extra hassle she would otherwise have been faced with, and headed out of the shop with a bit of a spring to her step, and a bundle of purchases in her arms. "Sephtis? Oh there you are. Could you come give me a hand with this and we can be on our way to see about getting that horse?"

Almira was smiling and looked genuinely happy, almost back to her normal self. But... Wilhelmina remembered back to the changing room. No. If she's already back to acting like this, then that meant the blame for everything must truly fall upon her shoulders, not the girl's. Unable to shake the sense of guilt, Mina tried to steer her thoughts down more fruitful corridors. She would just have to make something of an effort to avoid being alone with the princess, to keep from tempting her unduly. Prooobably not a bad plan to keep that same policy for the countess too? Sigh... this was going to be a difficult trip.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Moblin Major General]

Glendwr looked at Astrid directly. "So, I guess this means we'll have to finish up what we have to do on our own, then. I still think we need probably a case full of pitch, maybe something else if we find it. For right now, though, we should eat. Tell me, besides curiosity, what made you decide to stay with us? Was it your relationship to Sir Misea? Or was it something more personal?" Glendwr was sure it wasn't really any of his business, but the more he knew about everyone, the more he could depend on them. Or exploit them, if he had to, but he certainly didn't want to. Astrid was both the closest, and also, besides the departed Lua, the wildcard in this situation. He already said he wasn't a gambler, but Astrid didn't seem to have any tells in this circumstance. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, I won't pry, but I still don't really know what I'm dealing with here, specifically."

[Ether]

"I'd really rather not wander about under the sun all day, Glendwr. If you need assistance with those sort of things, it might be prudent to find some of the others, or at the least, wait until dusk." Astrid replied, glancing out to the brightly lit area outside the sanctuary of their parasol, her expression growing pallid as she did so.

"To answer your question, that's about it, really. I knew Misea from when we were younger, so I always intended to hear his side of the tale before acting on anything... but Almira is peculiar, and you folk are far too interesting to simply allow that crazed man to have his way with you."

[Moblin Major General]

"Alright, then. If that's all, then I can be satisfied with that. As for the sun, I forgot about that. Perhaps it would be a good idea to retire for the time being, as I'm not really certain I want to be out much longer right now. Besides, I'm sure the bed is going to be much better than the ground anyday." Glendwr finished up his eggs and stood up from the table. He took some extra coin out of his pocket and put it near where he sat. "Whenever you're ready to go back, Lady Astrid, we can. "

[scorri]

"A-ah, right. Misea.... Well if you're sure he won't try and murder me, feel free to ask him whatever. And I'm glad we talked as well. I never really... Well, I hope that things continue to be interesting, if nothing else. You've shown me an interesting time so far and I hope that it continues that way, both as a group and just with us." He smiled at her, considering saying more but thankfully had stopped himself before Mina walked out the door. Right. They were not alone. That was going to make things interesting if Almira continued talking. Hopefully she would stay quiet for now. Holding out his arms, he gave the school teacher a smirk. "I knew what I was signing up for when I volunteered to join. Load me up. Can't have you burdened while looking at horses. I'll be the pack mule so you don't need to buy one of those as well."

[Xinnidy]

"No, no, I figured it was your personal..." They had enough money to do a purchase like that, even if it was... very taxing. And now Alex was quite a deal short of money too, ah well... Guess I'll go with her and talk to Misea. I'd feel bad if she asked for payment only to give me half. It was okay, though, right? Misea seemed to carry more than enough money with he... him. "That's all the clothing we want to buy, right?" Alex almost sounded hopeful, "So, next comes the horse..." As she followed Mina out, Alex was quick to notice Almira and Sephtis. Indeed, the boy hadn't gone too far. "Heh, well, I was going to ask to share the load, but if you want so bad, feel free to carry them." It's not like it was heavy at all, though. It was just clothes.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, Misea? No, no you'll be fine." Probably. As for their next target, it appeared to be a horse, but would it do to have Seph carrying everything? "Er, we could stop back at the inn to drop things off, it's still early... If you don't want to carry all of that around this whole time. Who knows what else we'll get stopped on... Oh! Mina, Mina, guess what! Seph said he likes me~ That's... That's why I ran back into the shop all embarrassed... Eheh, s-sorry about that." Almira stuck her tongue out for a moment, before hopping back to proper attention. "So, a horse, right? That's all we have left?"

[Ether]

"Mmm, you can go ahead, Glendwr. I think I'll take a bit to finish, so there's no need for you to wait on me." Astrid replied, taking a sip of coffee. Things had certainly shifted rather rapidly.

[Balcerzak]

Wilhelmina couldn't but smile as Seph willingly took the load she was passing him. "If only my students were so obedient," she teased lightly. Joke though she might, it was actually quite pleasant. Everyone was working together, chipping in to get things done, and there was no bickering or infighting to speak of. If the worst she could expect on this trip was some teasing about smelling good--and well, what had already happened in connection to that fact--the journey was shaping up to be a good one.

Almira interrupted her introspection with an excited declaration, prompting a "Hoho?" Turning her gaze back from the bubbly vampire to the boy... young man in question, one of her eyebrows raised a little. "Well isn't that nice? I rather like you too, 'Mira. I hope that won't also cause you to go running off now, will it?" Shaking her head a little in a silent laugh, she waved everyone to follow her with a "Come along now," as she led them toward where the part of town where the stables would be, and where they could get a good look at some possible replacements for the horse that had bolted during the night raid.

[Moblin Major General]

"If you say so, Lady Astrid." Glendwr picks up the box with his old boots in them and leaves the cafe. Knowing it had been a somewhat long day, he headed for the Half Calf. Perhaps everyone would be there when he got back. Or not, and even if they weren't, Jackson seemed personable enough just on his own. Besides, a little rest couldn't hurt, especially since Misea and Astrid told him he needed to relax more.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Hylian Air Force

[Xinnidy]

"Uhh... a, horse. Yeah, just that. One of those." What was that? Alex really didn't know what to feel about that. Almira and Sephtis? She looked at the two, suppressing a confused feeling. Does that even work? Besides, don't vampires live for way too long? The two races just seemed incredibly incompatible to her. What good could come out of this? Was it even worth thinking this hard about it. Maybe I should ask... it seems Mina is okay with it, though. Would the other vampires be okay? ...Astrid feels like she would. Hmm, was Alex just overthinking it? "I don't remember if we have anything other than the horse to buy, I think we'll be free for a while after we sort that, yeah?" Mina should know.

[scorri]

"Almira...." Seph let out a small groan as he was loaded up with items and Almira casually spilled the beans on everything. Great. Well that was one more thing to add to everything. Thankfully neither reacted overly much to the news, so he might be getting away with it for now. Casually, or as casually as the teenager could, he added his thoughts to the conversation. "Well, uh, I'm fine carrying all of this. Really. No big deal. So we can go get the horse and then head back to the inn. Cut down on trips. Unless the inn is along the way of course. Then it wouldn't make sense not to stop. Either is good with me though." There. Topic successfully changed. Unless Almira decided to drag them back to it. Which she probably would. Dammit.

[Nanami Touko]

Almira blushed faintly and puffed up her cheeks at Mina's comment. "That's not the same. You're a girl! Gosh." Almira shook her head just a bit and folded her arms, almost huffing, but decided to mellow it out. "If Seph is carrying stuff, I can too. I'm a lot stronger than I look!" She didn't want him doing all the work, and it wasn't like she was picking anything out, her sense of fashion was 'white dress that fits'. She was already carrying her dress, but with a quick snatch, she nabbed one of the parasols Mina had walked out with. "There~ Now I'm helping more!" Success! "Now we just gotta find a horse, right?" Almira headed off after Mina, waving the parasol for Alex and Sephtis to follow them.

The stables were rather close to the inn, meaning they would be able to secure a horse and then drop things off around the same time. A lazy looking farmer... He certainly fit the guise of a farmer, strawhat, a weed poking out of his mouth, overalls and some large boots. How quaint... He sat on a stool near the horses proper, arms folded, watching the sky. He was watching it rather intently, was he looking for something?

"He looks kinda scary," Almira added, slipping a bit behind Seph for cover.

[scorri]

"Ah, Almira, you don't need..." Seph trailed off as the vampire grabbed something else and decided to just not press the issue. It wasn't like it was hurting anything after all. And she looked so pleased. Adorable even. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her march off, helping lead the way after Mina. He chuckled quietly to himself. This all was probably a terrible idea and everything, but it certainly was looking like it was going to be fun. And that was nice. His life could use some fun after so many years.

Lost in thoughts, he hardly noticed when they arrived at the stables until suddenly Almira was behind him. Reaching back as best he could with his load, he gently patted her on the arm. "It will be ok, I'm sure he's very nice." Figuring Mina having the money meant that Mina was negotiating, he fell silent after that, simply remaining where he was. He seemed to be reassuring to Almira at least. Even if he was pretty sure she was stronger than he was from what he knew of vampires, it was still nice to feel needed.

[Balcerzak]

Wilhelmina smiled at Almira's retort, and tried not to think about how she wasn't sure that distinction mattered to Countess. "Well, forgive me for not setting your heart aflutter then," she teased, as the princess chose a parasol, and proceeded to pridefully march along, 'helping'. A casual bystander would scarce think her anything but an excitable young girl, finding enjoyment where she could, as she was forced along for errands.

Their approach to the stables didn't seem to distract the owner from his singleminded study of the sky. Craning her neck a little, Mina tried to figure out what had so captured the man's attention. Frowning, she wondered aloud, "...See a storm coming or something? Oh, I'm sorry. We don't mean to disturb you, but some of these horses are for sale, yes? Mind if we have a look?"

Edited August 16, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Ether]

Taking a bit more time to finish her breakfast, the waitress coming along at some point to collect her pay, Astrid began scanning the nearby area for anything of interest as she finished up. Luckily enough for the Countess, something of interest indeed caught her eye, that being the group that had gone shopping earlier. Replacing her hood and beginning to walk towards them... something was amiss. Mina's smell was... far more sharp than usual, as if her blood had hit the open air. That was strange, she shouldn't... pausing overtly in the street as she got a look at Almira, Astrid's strides became far longer and purposeful, coming up behind the teacher with little effort to hide her presence, placing a hand on her shoulder just a bit South of where she had, at this point obvious to Astrid, been bitten.

"Ahem~ Excuse me, Mina dearest, could I borrow you for a moment?"

[Xinnidy]

The stables weren't her favorite spot either, but Alex could do with a change of scenery after the mess she almost caused at the clothes' store. "Don'tcha worry none, Almira. We've got this." How puzzling that a vampire could be this easily intimidated by some absentminded farmer... then again, she was raised in seclusion, of some kind. Ah well, that was nothing. Since she was mostly unburdened, Alex followed Mina, following up on her question. "Just a healthy one that can help a carriage move along, y'see. One of ours... kinda fled in the forest. Got scared by something while we weren't lookin'."

...And then, a not-so-unfamiliar face. "Uh, hey there, Astrid... what's the matter?" The sudden intrusion did make Alex curious.

[Nanami Touko]

"Whazzat?" The 'farmer' asked, turning his head towards the odd group. He gave them a quizzical look over, chewing on his grass for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, horses 're fer sale. No storm yet, but I'm feelin' somethin' brewin'. Dunno what else t'call it. Fer movin' a carriage, ya say? Some odd two hundred gold should do ya... G'day, miss," he offered to Astrid as she approached, unsure of the cloak, but, some people did prefer their privacy.

"Oh, Astrid? You're... H-Here..." Almira had glanced over at her, but the countess had only returned a stern glare, one that told Almira all she needed, hiding further behind Seph. I didn't mean to! Oh no. Oh please don't be mad...

[Ether]

It had only taken an exchange of glances for Almira to understand what the Countess' approach meant, which was good. Meant less finagling to do. 

"You too, Almira." Astrid added, as she awaited a response from Mina.

[Balcerzak]

At the sound of 'Mina dearest', the woman in question found herself slightly exasperated. Couldn't Astrid see she was occupied? On the very task she'd been sent to do, no less? "Can it wait until after," she began to protest, turning to look at the one who had accosted her, but the look in the eyes that she caught from under the hood, and the added request for Almira's presence stopped her. The teacher almost fancied she could feel the grip on her shoulder growing tighter, and flinched a little.

"Very well. Alex, here," handing the pouch with the leftover allotment she'd been given for the outing by Misea. "I'll leave the rest to you, while dealing with this other business, I guess." Wilhelmina wasn't exactly looking forward to what undoubtedly was to come.

[Ether]

"Wonderful~ Do follow me, the both of you." Astrid began, the seriousness of her expression fading somewhat into levity, her grip moving down from Mina's shoulder to her hand, squeezing the teacher's palm firmly, but not harshly, as she pulled her along around the corner, waiting a moment for Almira to catch up. Once both of the women in question were away from the others, the Countess let out a sigh.

"I am... not angry. I cannot say whether Misea will share that sentiment when they find out but... for now, can you please explain what happened?"

[Nanami Touko]

Almira could only gulp, following after Mina with a small, worried glance up at Sephtis. "Uh, g-gimme a moment," she muttered, disappearing around the corner, after Astrid and Mina. She was definitely surprised to hear the countess admit she wasn't angry, wasn't this something she should never have done? Mina hadn't fled or lost her mind over things, but...

"I-I'm sorry," she blurted out to begin, holding herself and shrinking in embarrassment. "We... We were, trying on clothes, and... I-In the small space, so close to her, I, just... I lost hold of myself. She smelled so nice, something... Something in me reached out and I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry, Mina..." Hopefully Astrid wouldn't be too upset with how things had actually went... Or Misea.

[Balcerzak]

"I should have known better," Mina countered Almira's claim on the guilt, casting her gaze to the ground. "Even after all that talk about my... smell, I never fully considered just how much of a temptation that might end up being. It won't happen again, I'll just have to keep getting better at weighing treating her like a normal girl, with... a healthier eye towards proper boundaries."