Realistic or Modern BEING HUMAN

[LoneSniper87]

Non-descript alleyway, bout to encounter Daniel, Arryn, and Elena

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ann?" She found herself asking as she stared down at the portal. Her hands rested on the railing, thinking about her options carefully. Roland and a few others had jumped a minute or so ago, so that tempted her to jump as well. There was also the fact the Lucrezia went down herself was probably the biggest motivator, because to her, the war didn't stop in Aether, it stopped when the enemy either died or conceded. She had no idea what was on the other side, or what happened to the others by jumping, but she decided it was the best course of action. Her hands gripped the rail a bit tighter as she flung herself over it and into the portal below.

The first thing her eyes were met with was a blinding light. After blinking a few times, she found herself in an alley way, with a stone flooring and what looked to be brick walls on either side that ascended for a good hundred feet. She stood up, tugging the mask down to hang around her neck and glanced around. The next surprise was she couldn't find her daggers on her, and that they weren't anywhere nearby. "Where am I..." She mumbled as she ventured out of the alleyway. She began to hear voices, and she crouched low against the wall, trying to listen more.

"Just Daniel dear... As for Arryn and I..." Was that...? Hopefully it was the same Daniel and Arryn that she knew, otherwise she would not only be a fool, but in a really awkward position for listening in. She came out from around the corner, glanced around, and her eyes finally settled on a man, a bit taller than her, in a black coat and some form of tinted glasses. "Daniel? Do you have any idea where we are, sir? I feel very lost... Wherever we are." She said, looking at the other two. They did not look like anybody she knew, but she was hopefully taking a good gamble with this.

koala MagicPenguin ReverseTex

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Blacksmith
Thrift Store changing room

In the changing room, Arryn examined himself in the provided mirror and got his first good look at his new Sol body since arriving. He did not like what he saw at all. He was 26 in fact, but the boy looking back at him could have been no more than 20, if that. No, he decided, even when he was 20 on Aether, he had never looked so small and young and fragile. His brown hair was as curly as always, but cut shorter. His beard was entirely gone and his limbs looked as thin and weak as twigs. On Aether, he had been seven feet tall and near 230 pounds of pure muscle. Part of that bulk had just been lucky genetics, but another large factor had been ten years of toiling daily from dawn to dusk in Hogan's Forge, constantly working with heavy metals and swinging a massive hammer with all his strength nonstop. What kind of sick magic could erase his natural-born size and ten years of heavy labor as if they were all nothing?

He turned from staring at himself in the mirror and got to the task he came in here for. Over his new white shirt, he donned the hooded sweatshirt, the same dark green color as his Aetherian cape. He replaced his boots and trousers with the ones Rose had been kind enough to help him pick out so he did not look out of place. He tried assiduously not to look again in the mirror while he changed, fearing he might actually be ill if he had to look once more at the puny child he'd become. After he had changed everything, though, he could not help but to check the results. He still hated the image he saw, but he had to admit that he did look slightly older and larger now that he wasn't in comically oversized clothing. And at least he looked more like a native of Sol now than a lost and confused traveler. He tried to bring his hair back into a bit of order and adopted a tiny smile at the result, feeling just a smidge more like himself now than he had a moment before.

That done, he had to decide now what to do with all his old clothing. First he took everything of value out of his belt pouches. He had his money purse with some coins and the magic paper inside. He had his belt knife he used for average, everyday tasks. He had Mah'alleinir, of course, in its simpler wooden form. And lastly, he had a small metal flute. The flute was Hogan's when he was alive. The old dwarf hadn't been able to play a lick, but it never stopped him from trying. This was all Arryn had left of the man who raised him as a son and it had great sentimental value. Arryn never went anywhere without it, though his own skill at playing it was mediocre at best.

All these valuable items plus the belt itself, he placed on top of the cape. The only thing he did not leave in the pile was his hammer. He rolled the cape up and tied it off so he could carry it like a sack. The hammer he placed in a loop in the side of his new pants so the handle hung down the side of his leg. The hammer was too big to carry in the sack, but even if it wasn't, after many long years at war, he always felt more comfortable with his weapon within easy reach, even if the thing was no longer enchanted. The rest of the clothes, he decided, he'd throw away. They were far too large now and he had no use for them he could think of. He placed them in a bin used for trash outside the changing room. Then, he hoisted his cape-turned-sack over his shoulder and headed back out to where Daniel and Rose were waiting.

When he emerged from the back of the store, he saw Daniel and Rose from afar having a conversation that he could not hear from where he was. Well, Rose was doing most of the conversing it seemed like. Daniel was just muttering the occasional response and looking a bit uncomfortable under her verbal assault. Arryn could not help but note Rose had a vibrant red flush to her cheeks and she was shuffling her feet and averting her eyes from Daniel anxiously as she spoke. Arryn might just be seeing things, but could she have a crush on the old-timer? Arryn didn't know how to feel about that. While Rose was a very nice young woman--more than that, for helping two complete strangers as she had--and he was happy for his mentor that he might be able to re-experience his youth to some extent while he was here, they had come on a dangerous mission and they would all have to go back to Aether eventually when it was done. Attachments with the natives might be extremely dangerous. Arryn did not think Lucrezia above using their new friend as leverage against them if she had the opportunity. She had done something similar to Roland in order to defeat him at Blackrock, after all. In addition, it would also make it harder to say goodbye when the inevitable time ultimately came. It probably wouldn't matter since they would be leaving her soon anyway, but even if they were not, Arryn was not sure allowing Rose's innocent crush to blossom into anything more was a wise idea.

He approached the two with a loud, purposeful clearing of the throat to let them know he was back. Daniel turned to him with a grateful look on his face. "Now that we're clothed," Payne began, "I do think we need to find a supply store as well as a very secluded place." He turned back to Rose and added, "Also, if you could give us a map, that would be spectacular." Arryn glanced out the store's front window to see the sun's position rapidly dwindling in the sky. They had maybe an hour or two of daylight left before the full moon was in view.

Arryn added his own grateful voice to Payne's. "Miss Rose, you have shown us far less kindness than we expected to find here and far more than we deserved. We are in your debt, but I fear we have a previous engagement to attend to now. If you could tell us where we might be able to buy some tools, timber, and nails, and perhaps let us know somewhere nearby where we'd be unlikely to encounter people? A forest or wide open field would be best, but a private basement or a small, sturdy room could work too. We can find our own way after that." Arryn had no actual interest in tools or timber or nails, but he knew anywhere you could find those, you'd likely be able to find big heavy chains as well. He did not know yet how werewolves were viewed on this world and he did not want to give her any indication Payne was one until he did. He'd seen what superstitious angry mobs did to werewolves back home. It wasn't pretty.

"Oh!" Arryn said suddenly, remembering Roland and Marcus. "Also, if you happen to see a tall red-headed man in a crimson jacket with dragons tattooed on his arms or a smaller dark haired boy with pointed ears, could you let them know we were here? Those are the friends I told you we got separated from. The man is Roland Fairchild and the boy is Marcus Felis."

Arryn was startled to hear another voice address Daniel by name from the store's front door. A woman had materialized there as if from no where while they were in conversation. She was a bit smaller than Arryn and had long, dark curly hair. She seemed to know them, but Arryn did not know anyone who looked like her. He had seen Lucrezia briefly at the end of Roland's fight, though, and she had a small frame and long, dark hair. Was this the Mad Queen after the portal's transformational magic took its effect on her body? Arryn's hand flew to the hammer at his side and rested on the handle just below the thing's head, though he did not draw it from its loop just yet. His gentle, clumsy demeanor from the preceeding hour completely vanished. In its place was the aggressive posture of a man ready to fight a battle to the death, his intense glare boring into the newcomer, his entire body tensed, ready for anything. Could the dark forces have really found them already?

"Name yourself, stranger. Do it quickly." he said in a hard, low, suspicious growl.

ReverseTex koala LoneSniper87

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roland Fairchild
Crowded Street

Roland looked up from his fiddling to see the man with the dark leather jacket covered in "zippers" he'd been talking to in the park earlier. He was accompanied by a woman and a little girl. His affable demeanor from earlier was replaced by a face composed only of pure fury. His entire bald head was bright red. Roland thought it made him look kind of like a tomato. He hopped out of the vehicle and slowly approached the fellow with his hands clearly visible in front of him to show he had no hostile intent.

"Hello again, my new friend!" he said cheerfully, hoping to disarm the man's aggressive attitude with a bit of positivity. "Is this your...car, you called it? Short for carriage, I suppose. Quite clever, that! Anyway, I saw this beautiful creature here and I just could not help myself. I had to try and see how it worked. So sorry if I've overstepped the bounds of decency. You know, you should probably get a roof for your car like all these others so this sort of thing doesn't happen."

"You...You're in MY car like a common thief and you're telling me it's MY fault?! You son of a..." the man approached quick as a snake and threw a heavy, dangerous punch right at Roland's face. Roland ducked easily; his new body was smaller, but his lightning quick reflexes hadn't diminished, thankfully.

"I'm very sorry, my good man. I can see I've upset you very badly. I think my friend and I will just take our leave..." Roland motioned with his hand to create a portal so they could beat a hasty retreat. He could probably take the bigger man in a fight if he wanted, but Roland was not on Sol to beat up its locals. He was puzzled when his attempt to create a portal produced nothing. He ducked another of the man's clumsy punches and tried again. Still, it produced nothing. The man's wife and child looked frightened. Strangers passing by on the walkway either stopped to watch or went wide around to avoid the conflict.

"Um, Marcus!" he said over his shoulder to the terrified looking lad. The man lunged at him, arms outstretched in attempt to grab his shirt collar. Roland ducked and slipped underneath his outflung arms so he was behind the man now. "I'm having a bit of...performance anxiety, I suppose. Magic's not working; can't get a portal up." Quite a few odd looks passed over the faces of the onlookers at the mention of magic. "This never usually happens, I swear!" Roland cried to them defensively. He turned back to Marcus. "Can you still shift, m'boy?"

WillfulWren

 

[Avari]

LUCREZIA
UNKNOWN POLICE STATION
INTERROGATION ROOM
​

Lucrezia had been left alone in a incredibly drab grey room by one of the town Guards. They had been far less heavy handed with her compared to her companion - who had been carted off to who-knows-where. She wasn't concerned however - at least not yet. After all, the Guards had not used the violent behavior she was accustomed to observing (and a very, very long time ago even experiencing) and had in fact been rather civil and professional. It was surprising behavior - especially for humans. They had even asked if she required any sort or sustenance - which she had curtly declined. It simply wouldn't do if they were drugging the food with a truth potion or something more insidious. Dying here in this vulnerable form would just be an embarrassment. Did she even have to eat in this form? She certainty hadn't required it before, having done away with the need to eat, along with a number of other unpleasant bodily functions.

oh that was a thought.

She glanced at the long mirror on her right hand side, that spanned the entire length of the room.

Ah.



She had done the very best she could to mentally prepare herself, but her lips still parted in a small gasp as she stared at her reflection - and her reflection stared right back with a similar bafflement. Gone were her elvish ears, replaced with the rounder tips of a human. Her face was slightly more rounded, lacking the sharp bone structure of her elvish self. She had kept her raven black hair - though it had shortened to a rather scruffy looking shoulder length bob cut. But it were her eyes that were truly different.

Gone were the yellow cat like slits, that many had feared to look into. They were now a dark, deep blue. Her original color.

was that was this form was? A regression to her purest, most original form? No - that didn't make sense. Humans had come long after the Elves - and even longer after her own kind. Still. The form was not entirely unpleasant...she had maintained some beauty, muted as it was by her new human features; and she still had a rather regal air about her. It wasn't a total disaster - and it was something she could tolerate for...well. A few days at least.

But it wasn't just her appearance that had changed. She could feel changes under the skin. There was a...lack of power there. She couldn't sense any mana in the air - the constant static of power that had enveloped her for centuries. It was entirely absent, and was a rather disconcerting feeling - like being deafened or losing her sight. Was this the result of using the Portal? Or some sort of side-effect from stepping into this realm? Far too many questions...

Lucrezia rose from her chair, to more closely inspect her reflection. Those strange blue eyes staring back at her.

She focused for a moment, mentally digging into her own being in an attempt to draw out any remaining mana. The strain was immense, and her face began to contort as she focused - a small pearl of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. And for a moment - just a brief moment - her eyes washed over yellow.

She released the hold instantly, and promptly bent over trying to catch her breath. She felt physically strained - as if she had been engaging in rigorous exercise, but she glanced back at her unfamiliar reflection, who offered her a tiny reassuring smirk.

It would be enough.

She heard the door open, and span around to see a rather overworked woman in a similar uniform to the Guards who had arrested her and Raijin sweep into the room, a large pile of papers tucked beneath her arm and promptly slammed them down on the desk.

"Sorry to keep you," She greeted curtly, not sounding sorry at all - as she gestured for Lucrezia to sit down. The girl did so without a word as the guard began to rifle through the mountain of paper - tutting as she did so.

"I'm Detective Sparrow. You've been arrested for violence towards an officer on duty and suspicious behavior. Now, it seems we haven't been able to pull up any records of you so we're going to..." The woman named Sparrow glanced up at Lucrezia, only to instantly find herself unable to break eye contact with her.

"I have some questions." Lucrezia said simply, her yellow eyes glimmering dimly.


----

INTERACTION: QizPizza

 

[koala]

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Early Evening
Daniel answered Elena's nosey questions to her appreciation and embarrassment. Truthfully, she wanted him to answer them but she hadn't expected him to actually do so. However, it was kind of him not to cast aside her curiosity, which was what normally happened when she met someone new. Although she appeared a quiet and somewhat graceful woman, she was nearly the exact opposite. It was amazing how people haven't ran away from her yet.

The smaller man soon exited the dressing rooms and Elena's eyes seemed to light up. She eyed his attire with beaming approval, thankful that she helped picked out the boots for Arryn. "Well, I suppose I can direct you two towards what you need." When the blonde woman pulled out her cell phone, however, she frowned slightly. It was nearing night and if she did anymore hosting that day, she'd likely end up late for her gig. Sighing, she shook her head and began tapping away, quiet beeps coming from the device. It took less than a minute for her to pull up a near by hardware store.

"Here," Elena stated as she got between the two so they could both see the screen. Her fingers forced the map to zoom in and out so she could explain where the store was. It wasn't that long of a walk from where they were, but she told them that it might be better to take a taxi to be safe. "They should sell physical maps there too. If not, a petrol station will be your next option." As she spoke, she even added that simply calling her 'Rose' was enough and she wouldn't have any of that 'Miss' or formal business.

Even though Arryn had given a strange list of things they needed, Elena didn't question it. She'd come to understand, or maybe she simply decided, that the two were strange and probably had different quirks and kinks compared to the rest of the population. Maybe they were LARPers too, considering they were also looking for some decent nature spots. Speaking of which, she had recalled the town her mother's home was in was surrounded by wide fields and forests. Her hands fiddled with her phone once more to pull up the town's map. "The dark green area should be all trees and the light green should be open field. The town is rather small, considering it's mostly there for farming purposes." Elena said before dropping her cellphone back into her messy purse.

Nodding, the woman made note of the other individuals Arryn mentioned. Probably part of their questing crew, Elena thought as they made their way towards the front of the store. Suddenly, she jumped at the sound of a woman's voice and nearly tripped backwards. The woman was about her height with dark, wavy locks. Extremely pretty if she might add, but also in attire that was unbefitting of modern day. "Someone you know?" Elena asked as she turned to the two men, her eyes locking onto Arryn's tensed stance. "Or... maybe not?"

Outfit: 1
Location: Thrift store
Interacting: Arryn MagicPenguin , Daniel ReverseTex , Unknown female LoneSniper87

Spoiler: V2

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: 1
Location: Thrift store
Interacting: Arryn MagicPenguin , Daniel ReverseTex , Unknown female LoneSniper87

Early Evening
Daniel answered Elena's nosey questions to her appreciation and embarrassment. Truthfully, she wanted him to answer them but she hadn't expected him to actually do so. However, it was kind of him not to cast aside her curiosity, which was what normally happened when she met someone new. Although she appeared a quiet and somewhat graceful woman, she was nearly the exact opposite. It was amazing how people haven't ran away from her yet.

The smaller man soon exited the dressing rooms and Elena's eyes seemed to light up. She eyed his attire with beaming approval, thankful that she helped picked out the boots for Arryn. "Well, I suppose I can direct you two towards what you need." When the blonde woman pulled out her cell phone, however, she frowned slightly. It was nearing night and if she did anymore hosting that day, she'd likely end up late for her gig. Sighing, she shook her head and began tapping away, quiet beeps coming from the device. It took less than a minute for her to pull up a near by hardware store.

"Here," Elena stated as she got between the two so they could both see the screen. Her fingers forced the map to zoom in and out so she could explain where the store was. It wasn't that long of a walk from where they were, but she told them that it might be better to take a taxi to be safe. "They should sell physical maps there too. If not, a petrol station will be your next option." As she spoke, she even added that simply calling her 'Rose' was enough and she wouldn't have any of that 'Miss' or formal business.

Even though Arryn had given a strange list of things they needed, Elena didn't question it. She'd come to understand, or maybe she simply decided, that the two were strange and probably had different quirks and kinks compared to the rest of the population. Maybe they were LARPers too, considering they were also looking for some decent nature spots. Speaking of which, she had recalled the town her mother's home was in was surrounded by wide fields and forests. Her hands fiddled with her phone once more to pull up the town's map. "The dark green area should be all trees and the light green should be open field. The town is rather small, considering it's mostly there for farming purposes." Elena said before dropping her cellphone back into her messy purse.

Nodding, the woman made note of the other individuals Arryn mentioned. Probably part of their questing crew, Elena thought as they made their way towards the front of the store. Suddenly, she jumped at the sound of a woman's voice and nearly tripped backwards. The woman was about her height with dark, wavy locks. Extremely pretty if she might add, but also in attire that was unbefitting of modern day. "Someone you know?" Elena asked as she turned to the two men, her eyes locking onto Arryn's tensed stance. "Or... maybe not?"

 

[ReverseTex]

Daniel Payne
Daniel raised a curious eyebrow at Rose’s device, which appeared to be a light box of sorts? It moved with her taps, but it did more than supply light...? If Sol had devices like this, maybe there was a possibility for stronger devices to hold him down tonight...? Listening to her advice carefully, knowing very well Arryn was most likely to busy admiring the light box, or Rose for that matter.

Studying the map as she made it appear, noting the darker regions like she had suggested, and noticed it’s distance from the city... Giving a grateful nod to Rose as she turned the light box off, Daniel casually tucked his hands in his coat as the trio made their way to the exit...

“Daniel?”

Instinctively he turned his head around to the voice, locking eyes with a rather raveshing young woman who appeared to be around his newer age. Raising a curious eyebrow at her questions to him, revealing her Aether descent as she did. However, his curiousity was short-lived due to his protégées protective nature... Which quickly faded to amusement as the young man asserted his dominance.

Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at Arryn, knowing the man he was on Aether compared to this... Weasel. Resting a firm hand on his companion’s shoulder, he simpered. “Arryn my boy you are as thick as a stone at times... You really believe the woman herself would saunter up like this, and address me as Sir? I think not. Use your wit son.” Tapping his shoulder, he then glanced to Rose, who looked royally confused by the encounter. “Yes I do believe we’re acquainted, nothing to fear. .. More bark than bite I’m afraid with that one.” A playful smirk spread across his face at the jab to little Arryn, knowing very well the man could easily crush him back home.

Turning his attention to the Aetherian, he curled his lip. Who had all went in the portal with them...? Roland of course, but this was a female... Who co- Wait. Ann! “Time has treated you well Ann,” Daniel complimented, hoping it would divert Rose’s focuses elsewhere than the oddity of the encounter. “No but I do feel it’s best we get down the road Rose, and I’ll make sure to let you know if we need more help.” Looking to Arryn and Ann, he gestured to the door. “After you...?”

Interactions / Mentions LoneSniper87
MagicPenguin
koala

 

[LoneSniper87]

Anastazia kept her eyes trained on the three, still crouched low, ready to flee if need be. They all looked up at the same time, and she almost ran then. Her eyes caught one go to their hammer- wait, hammer? She was certainly in the right place. Her hands went to her dagger sheath, but then she remembered that she didn't have her daggers. Silently cursing herself, she braced for a fight, but Daniel seemed to quickly disarm the situation, a thankful grin forming on her face. "Same goes to you, Sir."

She then glanced to Arryn, her grin quickly turning into trying to hide a snicker. "And... I'm sorry for your lost, Arryn... Truly..." she told him, bending over and heaving in a deep breath to compose herself, she came back up with her natural face, seeing Arryn's red flush of a face. "How do I look? I'm afraid that I'm not as fit as I once was." She looks down at herself, looking thin, but certainly not in the toned since she was used to. "Certainly not so..." She mumbled as she pinched some of her stomach. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, looking back up to the other girl. "Who is she? A friend, I assume? And what is this about a general store... Why would we-" it dawned on her why about then. "Right... It's tonight, ain't it? Crap..." She said, then looked up at the two, motioning for them to get going.

With the help of the girl who's name she found to be Rose, they made their way to the 'hardware store' with little problem. Ana had apologized for popping out of nowhere and scaring Arryn, but also caught sight of a woman, talking into the box-like device similar to what Rose had. Perhaps it had some form of arcane recording function? She was no master in magic, but perhaps she could figure it out later. "Daniel, you know what you need, right? I'm going to rely on you for that. Arryn, you and I should look for anything else that could be useful." She said, not that she was trying to be commanding. As they all got to what they needed, Ana laid eyes upon a box cutter, and looked at it with slight interest. It was just a handle to her, and when she picked it up, her thumb slid up the blade, and she grinned. It was no dagger, but it may would do. That is if she could afford it. Did they take gold in Sol?

ReverseTex koala MagicPenguin

 

[QizPizza]

The interrogation went on for quite some time. Raijin was observant throughout the process in order to learn more about his captors. He was quite intrigued with how civil these "police"(as their uniforms indicated) were. Even though he had attempted to tackle one of their members earlier, they treated him with respect, though he was still shackled. These "police" reminded him of the druids in the forests, who rarely took violent action and chose to talk instead of fight. Raijin had determined no long after the questioning began, that being cooperative was a much better policy, as it made the guards much less suspicious of him. He learned that this kingdom he was in was called the United Kingdom, or Britain. He also picked up the notion that the city guards didn't exactly function the same way as the ones back in the Aether.

"Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Kaminari. It's been over an hour. I think both of us deserve a break. If you promise not to jump anyone once we take off your cuffs, we'll get you something to eat. Any preferences?"

"I promise not to attack you, Sir Simmons. I would prefer something with meat."

"Alright. I'll see if the vending machines have any beef jerky. Remember, there's a camera watching."

Raijin sat still as Simmons removed the shackles and left the room. The former Oni knew better than to begin an escape. There was a some sort of magical observation device in the corner of the room called a "camera". It was better to not take any chances, lest he be thrown into some dungeon for attempting a poorly planned escape. Raijin got up from his seat and paced the room a bit before trying to channel his magic. There was very little left in his veins, but he could grasp some of it. Drawing the magic from himself, he channeled it into as small shockwave in his hand. Only for nothing to happen. That was disappointing.

Simmons soon returned with a package of beef jerky. Dried beef, can't possibly be that bad. Raijin picked up the package with a look of confusion on his face. He looked for an opening in the bag only to find nothing. The Oni attempted to tear the bag apart to no avail. "What is this sorcery? Why do you torture me like this? Placing the meat inside an impenetrable bag is unforgivable! Especially when I am hungry!"

Simmons took the bag from Raijin's hands and effortlessly tore it open. "Here you go. Well, Mr. Kaminari, based on your story, we conclude that you and your friend are a pair of illegal immigrants. Neither of you have any identification and you keep talking about this 'Aether.' Never heard of a country like that, but who even knows these days? The British government cannot allow you to remain in the country without proper documentation. Not to mention, you committed several crimes on British soil. Since you are a unique case, we will have to keep you in custody until we figure what to do with you. When we let you free, keep in mind that if you really want to 'get it on' with your 'friend' find somewhere more private. This whole fiasco could've been easily avoided."

The guard asked Raijin several more questions as Raijin ate his jerky. Once Simmons was done, he got up to leave, and right as he did, Lucrezia walked into the room.

"We're leaving, Raijin."

"We have a loose suspect. I repeat, a loose suspect in the station." Simmons had pulled out a black device and spoke into it. Some sort of communication rune perhaps? He turned to Lucrezia and calmly told her to leave. "Miss, please, get back into your questioning room before we force you to..."

"Sit down and put your head on the table."

Lucrezia's blue eyes glowed yellow as she spoke and the guard obeyed her, though there appeared to be some resistance. Raijin finished his beef jerky and casually got up from his own seat. As expected, Lucrezia had escaped, though it took longer a bit than he thought. "You sure took your sweet time." Lucrezia rolled her eyes as she handed Raijin an unmarked black bag containing what was left of his Taiko Drums, Windbag and Thunderclap. Gave an exaggerated bow and tried for a joke. "So did you enjoy your stay at this 'police station,' my queen? And what did you find out about this world?"

Rai Kaminari​

Physical Status: Freed
Emotional/Mental Status: Mildly Entertained
Location: London - Unknown Police Station
Interacting With: Avari
Mentioned:​

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Blacksmith
Thrift Store -> Hardware Store -> Isolated Wooded Spot in Victoria Park.

Arryn's intense expression was quickly replaced by red-faced embarrassment at Daniel's admonishment. When the old soldier named the newcomer as "Ann," Arryn quickly knew who he was talking about. The shadowy informant in the Church's employ who often worked dangerous infiltration missions alone. Distant and aloof, she was known to most only through whispers and rumors as "the spider," and there were few even among the forces of Light who knew what she really looked like. Arryn himself had only met her face-to-face on a small few occasions through Roland, and even then they made no more conversation than necessary for whatever mission they were on together. Though she was dressed in the same Cloudtop ninja getup he remembered from their last meeting, she looked fairly different from her Aether form with her longer hair, shorter frame, and softer beauty. Arryn wondered how Daniel had recognized her so quickly, because he didn't think she'd associated with him any more than she had with Arryn. Curiously, though, the way she spoke to him, she seemed to be just as familiar with Daniel as Daniel was with her. Had they had an extended encounter with one another in the past to know each other so well, he wondered? Or was he just overthinking it?

In any case, the blacksmith muttered a quiet, abashed apology to Ana, who only made his shame worse by snickering and mentioning his "loss" in response. When he realized Rose was looking at him quizzically during the whole encounter, his blushed face grew even hotter with humiliation. What a fool he'd made of himself in front of her! If she'd been a noble as he first assumed, she would've ordered him beheaded ten times over for the kind of behavior he'd displayed. He averted his eyes from the pretty blonde's questioning stare to the floor. He resolved to make a better apology to Ana and perhaps explain himself a little to Rose. "My apologies, Ana, truly. I was overly hasty. And apologies to you as well, Rose, for my inexcusable rudeness. I'm usually able to stay calm and collected in times like this, but between this new body and all the bizzare magic this strange land has, I feel completely out of sorts." Wanting nothing more than to escape this awkward situation, he said another hasty farewell to Rose, thanking her once more for all her invaluable help and adding genuinely that he hoped they would meet again before he had to return home. With that, the Aetherian trio was on its way to this "hardware" store Rose showed them on her magic glowing map box.

Once they were on the streets among the throng of people, Arryn recalled what Rose had advised them to do. "So," he said to his companions, "I know Rose said it might be best to take a taxi to get to the store, but...do either of you know what a 'taxi' is?" The other two simply shrugged. None of them knew, so they just decided to walk the route Rose had demonstrated to them with Daniel leading the way and the others following closely behind. Arryn was still quite disturbed by all the noise and magic lights and strange metal machines, but he was ready for it this time and had resolved to keep his emotions in check after his earlier embarrassments. It was admittedly a lot easier to do now that his new look helped him fit in and he no longer had to worry about his clothes falling off of him at any moment. He was also able to distract himself by making light conversation with Ana. She asked how she looked in her new form, lamenting that she did not feel as fit as she did on Aether. It was true, she did not look as battle-hardened and muscular as he remembered her, but she did not look unfit exactly. Instead, her new body was curvy and lithe and rather pleasing to the eye, fit in its own sort of way. A bit ashamed of himself at the crude thought, he did not tell her that. He tried as diplomatically as he could to let her know he still thought she was quite "fit," though perhaps not the way she was used to. He went on and explained to her how he and Daniel had met Rose and gave her a report with almost military-efficiency of everything they had seen and done since arriving through the portal, sparing her no details.

All in all, he thought he did a better job maintaining his composure this time. After about 20 minutes of walking, they'd found their destination and hurried inside. The double doors opened by themselves when they approached, which startled Arryn, though he managed to avoid letting it show beyond a grimace. Once the doors shut again behind them, Daniel quickly went off on his own, leaving Ana and Arryn to browse. Ana was fascinated by the knives, while Arryn was intrigued by the huge variety of strange metal objects that were on display. There were a lot of familiar tools, like hammers and nails and the like, but there were just as many strange, alien machines on the shelves as well. He stopped and inspected an object with a shaft and a handle meeting at an angle that had a pointed bit on the end of the shaft. There was a button he could press with his index finger when he was holding the handle. It looked a bit like a boomerang, though only in appearance, since it was far too heavy to be used as one. It had a long cord coming off the bottom of the handle and the packaging proclaimed in impressive lettering an "astounding three hour battery life," whatever that meant. The label told him it was called a "drill" and Arryn surmised it was used for boring holes in wood, which made sense, but he could not imagine why it had such a strange shape. Were you meant to twist the entire thing on the pointed end to force it into the wood? That seemed so horribly awkward given the heavy handle. And why the cord?

His reverie was broken when he heard Daniel call them back to the front of the store. He had in his possession a thick, sturdy looking rope, several long, heavy chains, and some red ribbons with strange mechanical devices attached. The label on the ribbons called them "ratchet tie-downs," and proclaimed they were capable of securing cargo loads of up to 200 kg, which Arryn thought was clearly an exaggeration. There was no way for mere ribbons to hold such a heavy burden. The things would do for their purposes anyway, though. The trio put themselves in line at the front desk. They found on a rack nearby a map, as Rose had told them they might, and added that to their list of purchases. The map told them in big, bold letters the name of this strange new place: The City of London in the country of the United Kingdom. When it came time to pay for all their new things, Daniel offered his magical paper this time so that Arryn did not exhaust all the uses of his own too quickly. The man who bagged their purchases had the same blank, faraway look as the woman at the thrift store when he took the paper, but he quickly recovered after he handed it back to Daniel. The three Aetherians walked back out of the sentient, self-opening front doors. They all noted with alarm that the sun was rapidly closing in on the distant horizon. They had to hurry.

They hastily cross-referenced what they remembered of the town on Rose's map box with the information on the map they bought in the store and devised a route to get to their destination. Even with the unfamiliar grid layout of London's streets and all the city's wonders and oddities, if there was one thing both Arryn and Daniel could do from all their years staring at maps and coming up with battle strategies, it was to quickly decode maps. Even after they devised the fastest route, though, the forest Elena showed them was much, much farther than the hardware store had been from the thrift shop. With no other alternatives, the three started sprinting in the direction they needed to go. They barrelled through crowds of people, all but knocking people over in their haste to get to the forest before the full moon broke over the horizon. Arryn struggled to keep up with long-legged Daniel ahead of him. His hammer's handle beat mercilessly against his leg as he sprinted. He carried all the bags, plus his cape with his valuables inside of it. He had not been sprinting five minutes before the weight of his burden began to slow him down. On Aether, he could have carried all this and sprinted for ten miles with hardly any problem at all. After just one mile on Sol, though, he was gasping heavily, gulping down air, and it was a struggle just to put one foot in front of the other. But he had no choice but to keep going; Daniel's transformation would not wait for him to catch his breath. He hoped he would not collapse before they did what needed to be done.

It quickly became evident that there was no way they could get from where they were to the town Rose showed them in any reasonable amount of time, even if they sprinted full throttle all night long. Perhaps she had assumed they were going to use a "taxi" as she suggested, but none of them had any idea what that was. What they did find, however, after running nonstop for about 30 minutes, was a small area of trees and fields, right in the middle of the city. "Victoria Park," the sign on the gate named this fenced off patch of nature in the middle of a sea of lights, metal, and pavement. The trio decided this would have to do. The sun was nearly halfway below the horizon now. The park still had some people lounging or wandering around, but now that the day was coming to a close, they were slowly trickling out to go back to their homes. Arryn and the others roamed the park until they found a reasonably isolated area with a bench and a few trees where no one was wandering nearby. Daniel looked nervously up at the darkening sky and firmly declared they had no time left and this would have to do. He then began to take his new clothes off so that they would not be torn to shreds by his transformation, leaving him as bare as the day his mother birthed him. Limbs shaking with effort and his body covered in sweat from their sprint, Arryn hastily took out the rope, chains, and tie-downs, still trying to catch his breath all the while. Ana bound Daniel's arms and legs together with the rope so he could not pull them apart while Arryn secured two chains separately around the base of the two sturdy tree trunks just behind Daniel. He wrapped the werewolf's arms and torso tightly with the free ends of the chains so that his arms were held immobile in front of him. Then, after fiddling with the ratchets to figure out how they worked, he hooked one end of the tie downs to the legs of the sturdy bench nailed to the floor a few feet in front of Daniel. He tied the free ends to Daniel's upper arms and tightened the ratchets until all the slack in the ribbons were gone. Then he kept on tightening beyond that so that Daniel was pulled down onto his knees by the shortening ribbons. When Arryn was finished securing the ratchets, Daniel was held between the trees behind him and the bench in front of him in such a way that there was no way he could have stood from the kneeling position he was forced into.

Daniel gave his assent that he was properly restrained and thanked Ana and Arryn for their help. Tied as he was, he could move his head, but the man could not budge any other part of his body so much as a centimeter in any direction. Arryn thought the position he was in looked horribly uncomfortable and inhumane, even for a werewolf on the verge of a shift; he offered to loosen the chains or the ratchets just a tiny bit, but Daniel sternly refused him. Arryn hesitated, but surrendered to his friend's wishes. He plopped down on the bench next to Ana and both finally had a chance to relax and catch their breaths after nearly an hour of constant exertion. Arryn looked at the sky. The sun was just about completely vanished, the day's color gone to a dark blue rapidly shifting into the black of night. The full moon was nearly visible, just obscured for now behind some clouds. All they had to do now was wait for the transformation to start.

They waited.

ReverseTex LoneSniper87 koala

 

[koala]

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Mid Evening
The time Elena spent with the two new companions was put to an end once the fourth party member came into view. She didn't want to pry into their conversations, so the young woman tried her best to focus her attention elsewhere. Every now and then she caught the word "Ann" which she assumed to be the other woman's name or nickname. The blonde noticed Arryn's flustered appearance upon realizing that he indeed knew her and his actions were probably. It didn't really bother her though--not a lot of things did--and she tried to show that by offering him a small smile.

Smiling, Elena watched as the three went down the path she had directed them towards. Like a worried mother, she stood in front of the thrift store until they were no longer in sight before going her own way.

The next hour was spent riding the bus back to Camden Town and stopping by her favorite Chinese restaurant. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, had practically adopted her as their own with how often she visited. Ordering the same thing, fried rice with a side of broccoli beef and extra broccoli, she took the meal to-go since she needed to prepare for the showing later that night.

Once she was safe in the comfort of her own home, Elena kicked off her flats and headed straight for the couch. She instantly flopped onto the cushioned seat and sprawled her arms and legs across it like a spider. The exhaustion from the day had finally caught up with her, defeating her normally ravenous appetite.

A half hour later, the blonde woke up dazed and confused and her flat was pitch black. Her dark eyes stared out the window and saw the sun was finally down, although the moon was no where in sight due to the horrible angle. With a deep sigh she decided to eat her late dinner, although it was now cold and the rice was slightly damp from the steam. That didn't stop her from reveling in the taste, a mixture of texture and goodness taking over her taste buds. There was something about Chinese food that really made her night and not just because she was practically addicted.

Late Evening
Brrp brrp. Brrp brrp. The low sound of the outgoing phone call resonated in Elena's ear, as she absent-mindedly hummed her performance song for that night. It was her first performance at the bar in a while, mostly because the business was run by an American and he wanted to focus on giving fellow Americans stage time. The place wasn't even a real bar either. Sure, it had a corner where drinks were made but it was really a place for underground performers to make a name for themselves. It had a stage on one side with tables scattered in front of it. Drinks and foods were served to the customers who wanted to see the upcoming singers, including Elena. It was kind of like a small club but without the rave lights and naked dancers.

"Hello?"

"Did you two get pulled over by the bobbies already?" Elena half joked, half asked in seriousness. The people giving her a ride were her two oldest friends, Sophia and Felix. They were actually twins that kind of roped her into their chaotic lives. Like most siblings, the two were constantly bickering but they wouldn't have it if someone else messed with the other. Their relationship was quite complex, but Elena didn't question it since she had her own fair share of complex relationships. "It's been nearly 30 minutes. I could have walked to your place by now."

The Caymen siblings lived about a ten minute drive from Elena, so it never took them long to get to her place. In fact, they'd made the journey so often that they could probably cut it down by a minute or two. "Oh, calm down. Your hubs here couldn't decide what he wanted to where. We're almost there though." A woman's voice replied, male laughter in the background. The three of them joked about Elena marrying Felix so she and Sophia could be sisters. It was part of them playing "family" as children but it eventually became an ongoing gag. Unfortunately for Elena, she felt that Felix was sometimes more serious than comedic.

A silver Mini Coupe pulled into view seconds after the call ended, Elena sighing in relief as she rubbed the back of her ankles. Her feet were already hurting from the heels she wore and the night hadn't truly started yet. She could only pray that the performance went well and she didn't end up falling from both pain and clumsiness. Oh, jeez. Elena thought as she tried her best to erase the image.

"Get in, we're going to be late. " Felix said as he rolled down the window to the passenger's seat, leaning over Sophia so he could see the blonde woman. They were dressed nice as always, something Elena felt slightly jealousy towards. The twins looked good no matter the occasion whereas she struggled to even get out of bed and make an effort. They both has black hair that seemed to shine under the moonlit sky, their blue eyes like vast oceans. Elena sighed for the millionth time that night as she got in, not really wanting to bicker with the man.

Outfit: 2
Location: Home > Bar/Club
Interacting: Sophia, Felix

Spoiler: V2

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: 2
Location: Home > Bar/Club
Interacting: Sophia, Felix

Mid Evening
The time Elena spent with the two new companions was put to an end once the fourth party member came into view. She didn't want to pry into their conversations, so the young woman tried her best to focus her attention elsewhere. Every now and then she caught the word "Ann" which she assumed to be the other woman's name or nickname. The blonde noticed Arryn's flustered appearance upon realizing that he indeed knew her and his actions were probably. It didn't really bother her though--not a lot of things did--and she tried to show that by offering him a small smile.

Smiling, Elena watched as the three went down the path she had directed them towards. Like a worried mother, she stood in front of the thrift store until they were no longer in sight before going her own way.

The next hour was spent riding the bus back to Camden Town and stopping by her favorite Chinese restaurant. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, had practically adopted her as their own with how often she visited. Ordering the same thing, fried rice with a side of broccoli beef and extra broccoli, she took the meal to-go since she needed to prepare for the showing later that night.

Once she was safe in the comfort of her own home, Elena kicked off her flats and headed straight for the couch. She instantly flopped onto the cushioned seat and sprawled her arms and legs across it like a spider. The exhaustion from the day had finally caught up with her, defeating her normally ravenous appetite.

A half hour later, the blonde woke up dazed and confused and her flat was pitch black. Her dark eyes stared out the window and saw the sun was finally down, although the moon was no where in sight due to the horrible angle. With a deep sigh she decided to eat her late dinner, although it was now cold and the rice was slightly damp from the steam. That didn't stop her from reveling in the taste, a mixture of texture and goodness taking over her taste buds. There was something about Chinese food that really made her night and not just because she was practically addicted.

Late Evening
Brrp brrp. Brrp brrp. The low sound of the outgoing phone call resonated in Elena's ear, as she absent-mindedly hummed her performance song for that night. It was her first performance at the bar in a while, mostly because the business was run by an American and he wanted to focus on giving fellow Americans stage time. The place wasn't even a real bar either. Sure, it had a corner where drinks were made but it was really a place for underground performers to make a name for themselves. It had a stage on one side with tables scattered in front of it. Drinks and foods were served to the customers who wanted to see the upcoming singers, including Elena. It was kind of like a small club but without the rave lights and naked dancers.

"Hello?"

"Did you two get pulled over by the bobbies already?" Elena half joked, half asked in seriousness. The people giving her a ride were her two oldest friends, Sophia and Felix. They were actually twins that kind of roped her into their chaotic lives. Like most siblings, the two were constantly bickering but they wouldn't have it if someone else messed with the other. Their relationship was quite complex, but Elena didn't question it since she had her own fair share of complex relationships. "It's been nearly 30 minutes. I could have walked to your place by now."

The Caymen siblings lived about a ten minute drive from Elena, so it never took them long to get to her place. In fact, they'd made the journey so often that they could probably cut it down by a minute or two. "Oh, calm down. Your hubs here couldn't decide what he wanted to where. We're almost there though." A woman's voice replied, male laughter in the background. The three of them joked about Elena marrying Felix so she and Sophia could be sisters. It was part of them playing "family" as children but it eventually became an ongoing gag. Unfortunately for Elena, she felt that Felix was sometimes more serious than comedic.

A silver Mini Coupe pulled into view seconds after the call ended, Elena sighing in relief as she rubbed the back of her ankles. Her feet were already hurting from the heels she wore and the night hadn't truly started yet. She could only pray that the performance went well and she didn't end up falling from both pain and clumsiness. Oh, jeez. Elena thought as she tried her best to erase the image.

"Get in, we're going to be late. " Felix said as he rolled down the window to the passenger's seat, leaning over Sophia so he could see the blonde woman. They were dressed nice as always, something Elena felt slightly jealousy towards. The twins looked good no matter the occasion whereas she struggled to even get out of bed and make an effort. They both has black hair that seemed to shine under the moonlit sky, their blue eyes like vast oceans. Elena sighed for the millionth time that night as she got in, not really wanting to bicker with the man.

 

[Avari]

LUCREZIA + RAIJIN
​

Lucrezia led her companion out of the Guard's station with minimal fuss - only the clerk guarding the front door attempted to delay them, and like the officer in Raijin's interrogation room he simply walked away the moment she commanded it - though Raijin could not help but notice that she was already looking exhausted with the strain of maintaining even a weak magical power. As they walked down the front steps of the Station and on to the main street, slipping into the crowds - Lucrezia began to inform him of her findings in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she was a tour-guide.
"This realm is known as Earth," She began. "The country we stand in is known as the United Kingdom, once a powerful Empire that controlled much of this world - it is now but a shadow of it's former self. This is the Capital City of this kingdom, known as London. Magic is but a flight of fancy here - and Humans are a solitary race; many of the races of Aether are nothing but fantasy. They have never existed here. Earth itself is divided amongst numerous human tribes - many of which have formed political unions, while others live in perpetual war."

Lucrezia occasionally stopped in her mini-lecture, taking a moment to observe something that earned her curiosity. She treated everything from store windows to rubbish bins with a similar sense of wonder. "The...structure of this Kingdom is odd at best. They have a Queen - yet she does not lead. She's more of a...ceremonial leader. The true power lies with someone known as the Prime Minister, who rules with a...political party. The general consensus of this Kingdom's populace is that their leadership is weak and self serving."

The raven-haired girl came to a halt again - this time gesturing to a pair of Officers who were walking in the opposite direction. They wore the same uniforms as the ones that had arrested them several hours earlier. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice them. "We must be careful to adhere to this society's rules. The law is strictly enforced - that at the very least, is something I can respect. But we must tread carefully...at least for now. I hope the others have the sense to do the same...if they survived the crossing. There is the very real possibility that the Portal may have spat them out at the bottom of the Ocean or something."

She continued to talk uninterrupted for quite some time. Lucrezia had always had a remarkable ability to absorb information - and it seemed her studious nature was proving itself useful. She spoke of how Earth's finances worked (and showed Raijin a wallet she had taken from one of the Officers as they had left with a small smirk), gave a brief history of the city in general, reminded her companion that clothing was vital to avoid unwanted attention. "This society has odd hang-ups when it comes to nudity." she finally explained that they would have to move quickly to ensure they would have a place to stay, and the first step was finding a Government building called a "Registration office"

"Come my friend. Let's go play Human."

---

INTERACTION: QizPizza

 

[IG42]

Tannur - Billy's House

As the stranger introduced himself Tannur inclined his head again. "A pleasure to meet you too Billy." He said politely while inwardly wondering how their host hadn't gotten himself hurt or at least robbed by doing random trespassers favours, in his experience sticking your neck out for someone just made it easier to stab a knife in it.

Leading Silver inside he looked around curiously, the place seemed clean and well maintained and the furniture was of good make but it lacked the overly elaborate designs he had seen when breaking into the homes of the rich back in Aether though he couldn't make heads or tails of a lot of the things he saw, he could see what looked like some sort of stove but it had nowhere to put wood in to burn and a white cupboard made a strange whirring noise.

WillfulWren Dragonlord318

 

[Morbuskid]

Jack Fester

Centrum, London

Jack continued to sit there, circling his metal digits around each other, bringing about the knowledge that the white haired woman had told him. He was apparently somewhere called, 'The Centrum' a recreational area that had shops, places of food and drink. How she described it was completely different to Jack, using terms like 'Cafe' and 'Mall'. These terms were all new to him, each one a little stranger than the last, but Jack tried to hide behind a smiling facade, not giving her the distinction of confusion.

After her less than enthusiastic briefing of the area, and some time spent collecting his thoughts, Jack stood up from his strange metal chair. Grabbing his helmet and sword, he quickly placed the loose fitting helmet back on top of his head, along with his sword wrapped up in his cape. Jack then decided to make his way out into the 'City of London'. He noticed it was getting pretty late, and the moon had already begun to shine.

As we walked along the strange stone road, off along this black stone road where horseless carriages, with high beams of light coming from their fronts made their way at resounding speeds, seeming to flow like a river going both ways. Jack had actually began to stray from his normal path that most of the strangely dressed civilians were taking, and directly onto the black stone road. Immediately he was met with a jarring honk, as well as an awful screech, looking over to see a blinding light, it was a carriage which had stopped before a man looked out the window of the carriage. "Are you daft!? I could've killed ya!" the man shouted at Jack, "My mistake, I apologize," Jack said sincerely. "Well best get yourself off the road before ye get hit, now go!" the man hanging out the window of his red iron carriage had shouted. The shape of it was very peculiar, it was rounded at the front and on the top, but sleek like a sword, it confused Jack but he quickly made his way off the road as the man retreated back inside the carriage seemeing to roll up a glass window without touching it before continuing on.

At this point Jack had shook off the incident and continued forward through the stream of people, staying along the line that was flowing the direction he wished to go, so he would not get caught up in river of flesh and strange clothing again. Jack's loose helmet had actually swung around his head after someone had bumped into him, the helmet which had once protect him, had now obstructed his view, it was getting very hot in the helmet and very close, claustrophobically so. He could feel his hot breath bounce back at his face, he actually ended up swerving through the sea of people, knocking one person over and getting cursed at in some words he didn't truly recognize.

Alleyway- Night Time London

As he landed, his helmet fell from his head, his sword had flung itself a few feet from his resting position, he himself landed face down on the strange rock. He looked to see the lane that he had now entered had been shadowed by two large brick buildings, acting as a lane almost. Quickly jack picked himself up, and dusted himself off, before someone at the end, a rather sketchy fellow, had slowly began approaching Jack's sword before picking it up.

Jack looked towards the man, before giving him a sharp glance, he tried to work up a smile, "Yes, that's mine, thank you." The shady person, wearing a black hooded outfit with some blue pants, looked up to Jack who motioned for the return of his blade. And in the instant the man had turned and ran, Jack now getting a facade of anger, quickly charged after the hooded thief. Despite all of what he was wearing he generally managed to catch up, helmet in hand, he jogged and paced with the thief still running, after what seemed to be a while, Jack noticed they were crossing the street, a carriage almost crashed into Jack before he quickly hopped over the front of it, still in hot pursuit. The thief had actually hoped over an iron bar fence leading into a much grassier and more familiar area to Jack.

The Forest- Night Time London

Upon looking back after running through some of the bush, the panting and tired theif decided to look was was under the velvet wrap that the armored man, probably LARP, was hiding. Still confused why a nerd like that would be so quick and agile especially in that armor, he soon found a very strange sheath and sword, the sword itself had a black leather grip with metal bands creating curves on the handle, a spiked pommel, two parallel black iron snack heads as the guard of the hilt. As the thief made ready to unsheathe the sword, a quick rustling of bushes made him look up, before a heavy weight had tackled him, it was Jack. Jack managed to wrestle the blade off the thief before pinning the thief with his foot and unsheathing his sword, along the portion of the blade, nearest to the hilt, was carved runes with black paint decoration this convexes. The blade found it's way pointed at the man, one thrust and it would be through his throat.

"Fara fa (go suffer)" Jack told the man, he quickly got up and vacated the woody area, the commotion would have not gone unheard. Jack quickly retrieved his sheathe and cape, before resheathing the blade and wrapping it back up into the resemblance of an umbrella. He made his way out of the patch, here in the dark he would not be so easily distinguished, that is until he stepped out into an unnatural light. It made every detail of him very clear.

(I'm sorry for it not being really detailed, this is gonna be one of the last times for the rest of this week that I have a computer to type with. I just wanted to leave my character off with some interaction, and I no longer have time to wait for that response. Sorry if I'm pushing into your arc, I just need something to cling onto for now, I don't feel like falling behind.)

MagicPenguin ReverseTex koala LoneSniper87

 

[Safety Hammer]

Thaddeus "Tad" Dahlton

Tad sighed, and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead as he slaved over his grill, flipping beef patties and shoveling out orders of fries as he struggled to meet the demand of the constant flow of meal tickets. He, of course, was the only god damn one in this kitchen, since the other cook wouldn't be in until an hour later. And of course, since the owners were getting the air conditioning fixed, he was sweating like a sinner in church. The temperature was absolutely sweltering in this kitchen.

Tad rang the bell, and placed the burger and chips on the counter, as he leaned against the wall. He was about to pass out when his other cook showed up, allowing Tad a quick break, hanging up his apron and stepping out of the kitchen, reaching over the bar, and filling a glass of Coca-Cola. This was almost too much. He looked at the slightly populated bar and smiled at the song that was playing in the background. He was always a fan of The Beatles. So he began to quietly sing the lyrics under his breath:
"Day after day,
Alone on hill,
A man with a foolish grin is keeping perfectly still.
Nobody wants to know him
They can see that he's just the fool
And he never gives an answer
But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning round."

 

[QizPizza]

As Lucrezia led the two out of the room, Raijin took the precaution of taking everything out of Simmon's pockets, in case he had any currency or weapons that he could use at a later time. He listened closely at Lucrezia's words, but also took them with a grain of salt. He never swore blind loyalty to her, and he wasn't going to start anytime soon. The two of them were people, no matter their former or current races, and that meant that they were prone to mistakes. There was no sense in placing fully loyalty in a fallible person, and that was a lesson he made sure to teach the Oni, in order to prevent their enslavement once again.

As she talked, Raijin took it in and thought over it. After they returned to the Aether to crush the Church of Light, he would be responsible for ruling his people, and that would require some form of government. Being a tribal society would offer no chance at prosperity, so Raijin often looked to other civilizations for inspiration. He found the humans to be the most intriguing. They were one of the weakest races, with little in terms of strength or magical ability compared to others. However, their intellect has allowed to construct brilliant cities and empires such as this "London" and "United Kingdom". They must have done something right to earn this sort of success, and the Oni have much to learn.

"This society has odd hang-ups when it comes to nudity."

Raijin rolled his eyes at the saying, an action he found strange. He very well knew that all the other races did not like nudity. He did not see why people would hinder themselves with things such as clothing if it served no purpose other than warmth and protection. "I've heard this countless times, and I'll respond the same way as I always do: 'I'll do my best', Lucy."

The Queen of Shadows finally finished and announced, "Come my friend. Let's go play Human."

"Sure, sounds fun. Like some kind of grand prank we're taking part in. An immortal sorceress and the god of Thunder reduced to two weak humans. It's hilarious. Perhaps we should have some sort of alter ego as we play our parts in this 'prank'."

Rai Kaminari​

Physical Status: Freed
Emotional/Mental Status: Entertained
Location: London - Unknown Streets
Interacting With: Avari
Mentioned:​

 

[WillfulWren]

Marcus Felis, main road - MagicPenguin
Marcus closed his eyes, trying to Shift shape, but the familiar tingling sensation of his body disappearing and reforming as something new just...Didn't happen. "I'm sorry sir I can't - "

He cried out a warning as the bald man attacked the prince from behind while Roland was distracted. With an animal like snarl, the black haired boy darted in between the two and punched the man solidly in the face, which had him stumbling back. Not much, as Marcus wasn't exactly the strongest of people, especially not in this human form, and yet...There was a kind of cold fury in the boy's eyes that could almost be called...Well, terrifying as he bared his teeth in what could most definitely be described as a snarl...

It was lucky for the man that Marcus couldn't Shift, as the young shapeshifter would probably have torn him to pieces for daring to assault the prince in such a cowardly manner.

Silver Ferae, inside Billy's house, IG42 and Dragonlord318
As she was released, the albino teenager happily went inside, showing no sign of any kind of worry. After all, normally if anyone were to attempt to harm her, they'd get their head clawed off by a mountain lion. Silver wasn't used to not trusting people, or even feeling the emotion of fear.

And so, she ran around the room, inspecting and touching everything...And then she came to the white box making that peculiar humming. The fridge. "Hey, why is this making this noise? Do all boxes do that here or-"

Crimson eyes widened as her repeated pulling and poking of the box lead to the door falling open and inside...,
"Food!"
She has an obsession, it seems.

 

[MagicPenguin]

Roland Fairchild
Main Road

"Wow. Nice shot, Marcus," said Roland bemusedly when the young shifter decked the black jacketed bald man right in the bridge of his nose. The fellow let out a howl of pain and stood for a moment holding his now bleeding nose with his eyes clothes and his mouth set in a grimace of pain. The man's wife let out a yelp and the little girl started crying loudly and clutching her mother's leg. Roland could not help but feel bad for them; after all, the man had been very kind to Roland back in the place with all the children playing and he had never meant for anyone to get hurt when he started looking at the car. "I think," said Roland to Marcus, "we ought to make a run for it while we have the chance. What do you say, lad?"

Before turning to run down the street, Roland dug his fingers into his coin purse and fished out a random coin. Most of his currency was comprised of golden coins from Alcamoth, but over the past five or six years, he'd been all over the Aetherian continent fighting in the war and so he'd collected all types of different coins from various countries. As it happened, the coin he fished out now at random was a bronze token from the Dwarven settlement of Gulorum with the chiseled likeness of a laughing, bearded dwarf on one side and the banner of Magruhdul on the other. He approached the woman and her child slowly. The older lady immediately placed her daughter behind the leg the little girl was crying into so that she was physically between Roland and her daughter. "I'm very sorry for all the trouble we've caused, milady," he told her genuinely. "It was never our intention to start a fight here. Please take this as a token of my heartfelt apology." The woman made no move to accept the coin Roland offered her, so he gently grabbed her free hand. The woman yelped at this, but Roland held it no longer than it took to place the Dwarven coin in her palm and then he let it go. She looked completely baffled at the strange thing that was suddenly in her hand. Aetherian currency was likely worthless to him here and it might make a nice keepsake for these people if nothing else. He turned back to Marcus, who was still eyeing the man nursing his bloody nose warily.

"Alright, Marcus, let's get out of here. We've still got a lot of searching to do to locate Arryn or Daniel." He indicated a direction to the boy and the two started sprinting down the paved walkway in a random direction, weaving carefully through the thick crowds of people. Before long, the crying child, confused mother, and the man with the bloody nose were well behind them.

WillfulWren

 

[Avari]

LUCREZIA + RAIJIN
BUSY LONDON STREET


​

"Sure, sounds fun. Like some kind of grand prank we're taking part in. An immortal sorceress and the god of Thunder reduced to two weak humans. It's hilarious. Perhaps we should have some sort of alter ego as we play our parts in this 'prank'."

Lucrezia nodded at him as they continued on. It had been difficult at first to move through the crowds, but after a bit of swerving and a few narrow misses they had naturally become part of the crowd's movements. It was something like being part of a school of fish, each member being independent but somehow a harmonious part of the whole. She was doing her best to follow the directions to the registery office she had been given in the Police Station - but the whole city layout seemed to lack any true logical layout. It seemed practically random when streets would end, or suddenly give way to a busy intersection that would lead in twenty different directions.

"More human sounding names is a logical idea, yes." She agreed thoughtfully, as they parted ways to avoid a rather large suited human ploughing in the other direction without much care for what was in front of him. Frankly, from what she had seen so far - the city could do with a bit of population control she noted It was nothing a good plague couldn't fix anyway.

"The girl who tried to interrogate me - her name was Sparrow I believe. Family name; and the other girl on the reception desk was called Lisa. Lisa Sparrow. It will be... sufficient. You would do well to think of a name and quickly. We are almost at our destination. "

They arrived at a crossways. The metal Carriages (Cars, Lucrezia reminded herself) were roaring back and forth, occasionally giving out angry honks and bleeps. They seemed to follow the instructions from a large metal post above them - that would occasionally change color. From Red, to yellow, to green. At the base of the post was a metal box, with the image of a standing man in red glowing at the top. Below that was a single white circle.

Lucrezia rose an eyebrow at it, and gingerly reached over and gave it an experimental press. A flash of yellow text suddenly appeared, bearing the phrase "WAIT"
"You think to command me, little one?" She asked icily, glaring at it. Then she eyed the busy intersection, with no real means of crossing.

"...I shall allow it this once."


----

INTERACTION: QizPizza

 

[koala]

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Late Evening
Felix pulled into a parking spot like a mad man, causing the two other occupants to nearly jerk in their seats. Elena grumbled as she lightly shook her head to rid of the small spots that affected her vision. When she finally came to, her doe eyes wandered up to a bright neon red side. The corners of her lips pulled upwards as she recalled fond memories of her older performances back when she was just starting out. The owner and her really came to know each other then thanks to both of their spontaneous decisions to follow their dreams, even though his involved moving to an entirely different country.

Stepping out of the car, an exposed leg catching the eye of some passersby. She tried not to show her discomfort but it wasn't like she didn't know people might look at her strange. The theme of the night was a bit dark, mysterious, and sexy, which was why her black dress was more revealing than what she'd normally sport.

"Tell the boys to pull around back, yeah?" Elena said as she noticed her "band" also pulling up. They were actually a band, more of a collection of musicians from her university. They came together whenever one of them needed help and for Elena, that meant playing the music for her songs. Although she could play both the guitar and piano on her own, singing solo fit the theme more.

As she maneuvered her way into the pub, a quiet ding from the small bell alerted everyone of her entrance. She offered a small smile before heading straight to the bar for a glass of water. It was always good to hydrate right before singing for the next hour or so.

"Excuse me," Elena called as she noticed a man with mint colored hair, "Do you happen to work here?"

Outfit: 2
Location: Pub
Interacting: Sophia, Felix, Thaddeus Safety Hammer

Spoiler: V2

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: 2
Location: Pub
Interacting: Sophia, Felix, Thaddeus Safety Hammer

Late Evening
Felix pulled into a parking spot like a mad man, causing the two other occupants to nearly jerk in their seats. Elena grumbled as she lightly shook her head to rid of the small spots that affected her vision. When she finally came to, her doe eyes wandered up to a bright neon red side. The corners of her lips pulled upwards as she recalled fond memories of her older performances back when she was just starting out. The owner and her really came to know each other then thanks to both of their spontaneous decisions to follow their dreams, even though his involved moving to an entirely different country.

Stepping out of the car, an exposed leg catching the eye of some passersby. She tried not to show her discomfort but it wasn't like she didn't know people might look at her strange. The theme of the night was a bit dark, mysterious, and sexy, which was why her black dress was more revealing than what she'd normally sport.

"Tell the boys to pull around back, yeah?" Elena said as she noticed her "band" also pulling up. They were actually a band, more of a collection of musicians from her university. They came together whenever one of them needed help and for Elena, that meant playing the music for her songs. Although she could play both the guitar and piano on her own, singing solo fit the theme more.

As she maneuvered her way into the pub, a quiet ding from the small bell alerted everyone of her entrance. She offered a small smile before heading straight to the bar for a glass of water. It was always good to hydrate right before singing for the next hour or so.

"Excuse me," Elena called as she noticed a man with mint colored hair, "Do you happen to work here?"

 

[WillfulWren]

Marcus Felis, Street - MagicPenguin
Blood dripped to the floor, and Marcus grimaced, cringing a little. He'd killed before, sure, but he wasn't used to hurting someone up close and personal like that, feeling the crunch of bone under his hand, seeing the look of horror in the man's wife and child's eyes.... He shuddered. Marcus would definitely be sticking to his throwing knives from now on. He was okay with a bow, but his knives... His aim was phenomenal, due to all the long hours he had spent training since his parents were killed ten years ago, along with his younger brother and (supposedly) his two sisters.

Of course, that train of thought just led straight back to the silver-haired girl he had been trying so hard to keep out of his thoughts, and without really thinking about it, he reached into his jacket to tap his fingers against the hilts of the two throwing daggers secured to the ripped garment's inner lining. Touching the concealed weapons always calmed him down, made his breathing steadier and drove the unwelcome thoughts from his mind... It was a form of security.

Seeing the prince apologise, Marcus bowed slightly in the woman's direction with a stuttered apology. It wasn't like him to be involved in a fistfight, and he did feel really sorry.

He easily kept up with Roland - after all, if there was one thing Marcus Felis was good at, it was running - at first, until he had to slow to a jog, sides screaming out in agony. "...Are you sure it's this way, sir? How are we ever going to find them in a city this large? And what if we've seen them, but didn't recognise them?!" His voice shot up a few octaves as that idea occurred to him.

 

[MagicPenguin]

Roland Fairchild
Busy Street-> Market Area

Roland kept the two running for as long as he could manage it, trying to put as much distance between them and the incident they caused as possible. He soon found, however, that the amount of distance he could cover at a sprint was lamentably less than it had been in his older body. They had not been going for even ten minutes before Roland had to collapse onto a nearby bench in a heap to catch his breath. It was disconcerting how much stamina he'd lost, but hopefully he wouldn't have to endure it long before they killed Lucrezia and were on their way home to their true forms. And even if that took longer than expected, the strength and endurance he'd lost were nothing he couldn't begin to regain with a few weeks of exercise and hard work if need be, so he tried to put his concerns about that out of his mind.

He looked around at the area into which they'd wandered in their blind dash. Along both sides of the street, there were numerous store fronts that sold everything from clothing to food to musical instruments. They'd apparently dragged themselves into some sort of economic district or market square where merchants and street vendors of all types competed to sell their wares to passing customers. As Roland looked around in wonder at his surroundings and gasped heavily in attempt to catch his breath, he addressed Marcus's questions.

"Imagining the worst and lamenting the enormity of our task will not accomplish anything, Marcus. The only thing for it is to roll up our sleeves and keep on searching while there's still an hour or two of daylight left to us." In truth, Roland harbored all the same doubts as the young shifter; he had no idea if they were going in the right direction, nor if they had any hope of finding their missing comrades in such a heavily populated city. But he had learned long ago that he always had to project an air of strength and confidence in the face of uncertainty. If he gave into his fears, if he showed anything less than complete and total control in dire circumstances, the men who followed him would sense it like a shark senses blood in the water and their morale would invariably suffer for it. Like the captain of a ship in the middle of a violent storm at sea, it was a leader's duty--a prince's duty especially--always to be the bastion of stability and hope his followers needed him to be, no matter his own secret fears. This was particularly true with someone as young and anxious and full of doubts as Marcus.

When his breath was recovered, Roland stood from his bench and adopted the straight-backed, military posture of the Prince of Alcamoth leading his troops into battle. Despite the fact that he was smaller than Marcus now, the regal self-assurance he radiated made him seem much larger than he actually was. He looked around at the various stores on either side of the street and quickly devised a plan. When he spoke, it was with a strong, royal voice that lacked any doubt that what it said would go unheeded.

"Look there, Marcus," he said, pointing out a building across the black pavement on which the cars zoomed back and forth. The large sign over the entrance of the structure proclaimed that it was called "Miller's." Inside, he could see a couple of people eating and drinking while distracting themselves with various other tasks, such as those little glowing boxes he'd seen the parents playing with in the park. Not as many people as he was used to seeing in a place like that at this time of day in Alcamoth, but as good a place to start asking around as any.

"That appears to be a tavern. People of all sorts and with all kinds of knowledge congregate in taverns. They are always a great place to sniff out the local gossip. Let's go ask around in there and see if anyone has noticed any oddly garbed men or women wandering the streets of the city in a daze, for surely they must be dazed or amazed as we are by all of...this," he said, gesturing all around him at the magical or technological wonders that Sol had on display. "If we do not learn anything new from the few people in there, we will keep searching until we find another tavern and then ask around in there. Sooner or later, we will stumble upon a hint that will set us in the right direction. While we are at it, we will certainly be able to gain a lot of information about this world and its customs, magic--or lack thereof--and technology, for who would know more of those than common inhabitants of an establishment such as that?"

Without looking back to see if Marcus followed--for he was sure the boy would--he inserted himself back into the crowd and began making his way with the rest of them over to the place with the colored lights where everyone crossed the black pavement, tossing the occasional wistful look at the cars that stopped there.

WillfulWren

 

[Dragonlord318]

WillfulWren IG42

William followed after the pair and laughed Silver's excitement. "I'll whip up some food for you after we get you two dressed. Why don't you come with me and we'll get those clothes? Oh." He turned around before exiting the kitchen. "Please, if you need anything within reasonable limits, just ask. Please dont snoop around or open things without asking," He looked pointedly at Silver, "or try anything sneaky or otherwise harmful to my father, this house or I. If you do, you'll be out on the street before you can say 'what happened'. I'm not trying to be mean, just careful. I hope you understand."

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Blacksmith
Victoria Park

Four hours later, they were still waiting.

The full moon was big and bright in the sky, its light gently showering the Aetherian trio in their isolated little corner of the park. Daniel was still kneeling where they tied him up hours earlier. Arryn thought his legs and knees must be killing him from staying in that position for so long, but the tough old soldier didn't so much as whimper about it. When he hadn't transformed after the first hour, Arryn, growing more uncomfortable by the second sitting so close to the naked man, suggested to Payne that perhaps the transformation didn't occur on this world after all and they could untie him so he could redress. Daniel was most emphatic in his refusal, however, saying there was a chance that the shift was only delayed on this world for some reason. He had no desire to take the risk of untying himself until the moon was below the distant horizon and it was clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that a change wouldn't occur. Arryn wasn't sure if he agreed, but he acquiesced to his senior's reasoning and did as the werewolf asked. He tried to make uneasy conversation with Daniel and Ana, but the situation was just too weird and all their attempts at small talk died in awkward silence. Arryn was left with only his own thoughts to comfort him through Daniel's nakedness. Those thoughts quickly turned to all he had lost in the portal as well as the enormity of their mission to kill the Mad Queen here and it soon became evident that they were of no actual comfort at all. After some more time, regardless of his dark thoughts, Arryn's exhausted body finally gave out on him and he dozed into a light sleep.

Three hours after that, he woke with a start at the sound of a scream. Ana was on her feet faster than Arryn, eyes scanning their surroundings for threats. She pointed to a pathway in the trees maybe 30 feet away from them. There, a woman was standing with a small cylindrical object that shone a blindingly bright light out of one side--some sort of miniature lantern. In the light, Arryn could see the woman who spotted them was pale-faced and wide-eyed and looking straight at the trio, with special attention on Daniel, naked and chained to the trees and the bench. She stared at them for several seconds like a petrified deer before fishing in her pockets with her free hand for the same sort of magic map box that Elena had earlier. She turned away from them and started running back down the path she'd come, placing the device to her ear and speaking softly into it, shooting frightened looks back at the trio over her shoulder as she retreated.

Ana and Arryn both wanted to go after her. She hadn't attacked them, or even indicated she meant them any harm, but she'd likely gone to gather a mob to burn Daniel at the stake, as they did to werewolves back home. They could still catch up to her and perhaps assure her they meant no harm. Failing that, they could knock her out long enough for them to be gone from this place. Daniel was the one who cautioned them against following her. They'd only frighten her more by chasing her, he said in that insufferably reasonable tone of his, and they had bigger problems on their hands at the moment anyway than the remote threat of a mob that it would take at least an hour to round up and lead to them. While the two of them were gone, Daniel might finally shift and then he'd be all alone, free to possibly escape the chains and wreak havoc on Sol. Worse, even if he did not shift when they left him, he was totally defenseless if someone else came along with a knife to quietly slit his throat. Uneasily, Ana and Arryn heeded him. Arryn sat back on the bench, though Ana remained standing to maintain a careful watch for further intruders.

It was not more than fifteen minutes later when Ana alerted him to two newcomers approaching swiftly down the same path the woman had used. Their steady approach was preceded by the bright light of the cylindrical, handheld lanterns that they carried, similar to the woman's from before. It had apparently taken her a lot less time than Daniel had guessed to round up folks to deal with them. Arryn grimaced and drew his sledgehammer in a two handed grip, prepared to defend himself. Ana assumed a defensive stance of her own. When the two figures were close enough for them to see, Arryn noted they were a man and a woman dressed in identical black uniforms, with the same kind of hats and all. They walked with easy authority and were both armed as he had seen no one else armed so far during their time on Sol. He quickly realized these were guardsmen. Part of him relaxed that it was not a mob come to burn them all alive. He did not replace his hammer into the loop on his hip, however. Not all city guards were scrupulous enough not to burn someone on the spot simply on the suspicion of being a werewolf. Many cities and many rulers did not have guards that valued justice as highly as Alcamoth's did.

"Oy," the man called, "What's going on here? We got a call about some suspicious folk doing something naughty out here." When the two were close enough to clearly see Daniel, the man sighed and shook his head. "I can see they weren't exaggerating about that. Just what is going on here?"

Ana and Arryn looked at each other with mutually questioning eyes, neither knowing quite what to do. Then Arryn looked back at Daniel, as if he would know. The man simply shrugged--as much as his bonds would allow him to, anyway--but he didn't seem to have a quick answer for him either. Arryn had no choice but to try and improvise.

"Well, sir, you see...ah..."

"Is that a sledgehammer?" the man suddenly asked, cutting him off. "Drop it, son. On the ground in front of you. Now." To his authoritative tone from a moment before was added now a quiet note of aggression. He was not requesting or suggesting. He expected swift, sure obedience and he would have nothing less.

Though there were three of them to the two officers, the man and woman were both armed, and Daniel was in no position to help them escape. There would be no fighting here. Arryn tried to think of something, but he didn't really see any way out of this but to comply. He slowly lowered his hammer to the ground.

"There, that's good," the man said gently, reassuringly. "Now, my name is Officer Simmons. This is my partner, Officer Sparrow. What's your name, son? Just talk to us nice and calm and we'll get this all sorted out in no time, yeah?"

That the two had opted to talk instead of attacking them right off the bat was evidence the guards in this city were not as lawless and brutal as they could be in some Aetherian settlements. These two struck him simply as two people doing their jobs and upholding the peace rather than people who'd attack or detain them for no good reason. Arryn decided to risk being honest, thinking it might be the easiest way to expedite this with no harm done to anyone.

"Arryn Blacksmith," he said. The man's eyebrow raised in surprise.

"That's not the kind of name you hear everyday, now is it? Are you sure that's who you are?" Simmons asked suspiciously.

"I am," he replied firmly. Simmons' face said that he did not believe him, but the man apparently decided to let it go and move on. For now.

"Well, then, Mr. Blacksmith, mind telling us what you're doing out here at one in the morning with an underage-looking young lady and a naked man chained to a tree?"

Here was the big risk. Arryn braced himself and told the truth. "He's a werewolf. We were restraining him to prevent his shifted form from causing any harm."

Officer Simmons' eyes widened. Then he let out a troubled groan. "Jesus Christ," he bellowed to his partner, "two days in a row with this shit? Why do we keep getting all the crazies? Let me guess: you're a god too? Maybe the god of the roaring forge? Hephaestus's long lost son? Thor's little brother? Freaking LARPers," he grumbled irritably.

Baffled, all Arryn could choke out was a puzzled, "Huh?"

ReverseTex LoneSniper87 koala
QizPizza Avari (borrowed your previously established police officers)

 

[ReverseTex]

Daniel Payne
If being a werewolf is really a curse, you've got to treat it honorably. If werewolves are going to carry on, there has to be an incredibly powerful force. There is the business of the craving, the hunger for the kill. It has to be deeply pleasurable and more than an appetite for meat. There has to be a sensual dimension to it....But why hadn’t the craving come tonight...?

Daniel still sat dumb-founded in the back of the metal carriage, now sloppily dressed in his clothes, not taking much effort into tying the neck piece or his shoes. His hands were restrained in slim metallic cuffs, unlike his personal restraints in the park... But his memory escaped him often as his amazement of not shifting preceded his typically focused mindset...

Now his mind realized he was in a different place. Blinking multiple times, he squinted heavily at the sheer brightness of the fluorescent light above. To his left and right were Ava, in similar restraints as himself, with more aware expressions than his own. In front of them sat a stern looking man, a member of a royal guard of some sort, with anotepad and small metal box beside him. The officer looked at him with a concerned, yet concrete glare, then cleared his throat.

“Now sir, your friends say your name is Daniel Payne, would that be correct?” Daniel nodded, his usual mental-state slowly returning to him. “Ok then Daniel, your friends here swear you are a werewolf... You are a weird lot regardless, but could you do the best to explain why I found you all in a park?” Blinking a few times, he realized zoning out through the night wasn’t the best move... He had to guess, testing what he knew of this world just from pure observation and remembering words Elena had used earlier... “Well Officer... We’re tourists first and foremost. Us three decided to visit a friend of ours here in town, which has gone good so far, but I do have a problem... I’m a former soldier you see.” Pausing to think momentarily, Daniel continued. “And the flashbacks at times will make me a little unstable. Like a werewolf. It’s a silly nickname Arryn gave me years ago... Anyhow, I’d guess that had happened on our little venture in town tonight, and my friends here restrained me for good reasons.”

Taking a methodical breath, he gave a quick glance with his icy orbs to his companions, hoping they would back his story.


Interactions / Mentions LoneSniper87
MagicPenguin
koala

 

[LoneSniper87]

Ana hadn't said a word the entire time. Guards were not her forte, they never liked her type. She simply complied and hoped for the best, all black clothing wasn't overly suspicious, right? Her eyes met Daniel's for a second, hen she looked at the guard, listening to him speak. She instantly snatched up the opportunity. "Yeah! I know we seem crazy, sir, but he does have some problems at times. It took us twenty minutes to calm him down enough to tie him down. And the reason he was naked was," her pause is near imperceptible, barely the time it takes to blink, "he felt like he was burning, something about a war, I forget why exactly." She told the officer, shifting uncomfortably.

"We'd rather he not run off and possibly attack a person... Do you think we could talk to our friend?" She asked the guard, hoping they would allow it.
MagicPenguin ReverseTex koala

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Blacksmith
Police Station

Arryn was silent at the building Officer Simmons had called "the station" while Daniel and Ana all but tripped over one another trying to get their stories straight. They left out a great many key details, but what they said was true enough, he supposed. Officer Simmons was clearly not buying it, however. With each word the others uttered, his face grew darker and darker. It reminded Arryn of something Hogan used to tell him whenever his teenage self tried to hide something from the old dwarf: "Arryn, m'boy, when you cut out the details of a story to avoid sounding like a fool, you end up sounding like a moron instead."

Finally, when Ana asked if they could speak with a friend, the middle-aged guardsman let out a long sigh. He walked out of the sparse room muttering disconsolately to himself under his breath. The only words Arryn could make out were angry grumbles about needing to retire already and about all these "crazy LARPers and their sick games," whatever that meant.

When he returned, he was carrying a box like the one he'd seen Thomas speak into earlier in the day. He placed it on the desk in front of them. "Make your call. And be quick about it," Simmons growled.

Arryn and Daniel looked at each other quizzically, neither knowing what to do with the object in front of him. From what he'd seen Thomas do, Arryn knew you were supposed to put the banana-shaped piece up to the side of your head so one part was on your ear and the other near your mouth. Then you would speak into it. But as to how to use it to contact Rose, he had no clue. He stared at it a moment longer, confused, before all the buttons with numbers etched onto them gave him an idea.

He turned and whispered to Daniel so that Simmons could not hear. "Do you still have the paper with numbers that Elena gave you in the alleyway? Remember she said we could use them to 'call' her? Maybe this is what she meant!"

Daniel's eyes lit up in understanding, but he had to ask Simmons for the paper because all their belongings had been confiscated when they came in. The officer obliged and handed Daniel the paper, who handed it straight to Arryn in turn.

"Alright," he said, mostly to himself, "here goes nothing." He picked up the banana with the long cord uncertainly, as if it were a snake that might bite him, and placed it to his ear. He heard a low, monotone sound coming out of it. He looked at the elegant handwriting on the paper and experimentally tapped at the number it indicated. He was rewarded with a high pitched beep. Invigorated by his apparent success, Arryn tapped at each number sequentially, one by one, and got the same beep each time. When he was done, the monotone from before vanished and was replaced with a rhythmic sequence of two back-to-back beeps that repeated over and over. This went on for several seconds and he started to think he did something wrong. Maybe he should try and put the number in aga-

"Hello?" Rose's voice came out of the piece on his ear.

Even knowing that something like this was supposed to happen, Arryn was astonished. Speaking with someone who wasn't even in the same room as you? Someone who could be miles away for all he knew? Instantaneously, and without a messenger bird? What black witchcraft could possibly be behind this amazing banana-shaped object?

Abruptly aware that he hadn't said anything for at least ten seconds, Arryn hastily told her where they were. He tried to leave out the details of where they'd been found and what they'd been doing. He still wasn't sure her position on werewolves. After a bit more back and forth with her, she asked him for the building's address. He relayed the question to Simmons, who impatiently provided a series of numbers and words that were apparently some sort of code that meant something in this city. He gave the information to Rose, who then assured him she was on her way. He was about to respond, but her voice was suddenly cut off with a click and replaced eventually with the same monotone noise the device had been making before he pushed the numbered buttons. He placed the banana back in its holder. Simmons took the device and walked back out of the room.

When he came back, the man plopped back down in his chair across the desk from the trio with another tired, resigned sigh.

"Let me be straight with you three," he began, motioning the trio to silence with his hand, "I don't believe a lick of anything you've told me. A war veteran? That boy can't be more than 19 or 20, no matter how tall he is. Whatever you were doing, though, you seem like nice enough kids who just made a stupid mistake; not like that pair from yesterday, certainly. Only reason we brought you down here, aside from the obvious public indecency, was because we were afraid Ms. Kochenkov might be underage or that Mr. Payne might've been forcibly tied up against his will. Even if I don't believe your story, I'm satisfied that neither of those things is the case and, being that my shift is over in a couple hours and I don't want to do any more unnecessary paperwork than you've already given me, I'm willing to let you off with a warning this time rather than officially charge you with anything. Keep your weird kinks in the bedroom next time and we won't have any more problems like this, is that clear?"

The trio let out a collective sigh of relief. Then Arryn processed the last part of what the man said and, when he realized what the guard actually thought they'd been doing, his face paled. "No, you've got it all wrong! It wasn't like...like that at all! We told you, we were restraining him for his own protection!"

"Sure, whatever, kid." Simmons countered. "You're getting lucky this time, but be aware that if we catch you doing something like this again, you can be sure you won't get off as easy." He slid the trio's possessions, chains and tie-downs and all the rest, back to them across the desk as he spoke. Last, he held Arryn's hammer a moment, considering. "You might even say that we'll really...bring down the hammer on you...hah!" He guffawed at his own perceived cleverness and handed the thing back to Arryn, who promptly put it back in the loop in his trousers at his hip. The blacksmith put his palm to his face, shook his head, and suppressed a groan. Ana rolled her eyes. Daniel was the only one who let out a small chuckle. Figures the old man would be the only one amused by such a cheap pun.

"Just wait here for your friend," said Simmons as he got up and walked to the door. "We'll bring her to you when she gets here and you can all leave together." Simmons left the three of them alone in the small room to wait for Elena.

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