Main Thread

[SirBlazeALot]

Chapter 1: All That Glitters
Taros
Fort Purus, Totally Regular Tarosian Detention & Rehabilitation Center City
​

The Assembly has finally arrived in Satrella after a lengthy voyage. The Blue Rose reached the end of its journey in Purus, one of many small islands shared between Wynda and Taros connected by a series of grand bridges. When the Assembly landed, they were greeted by the magistrate of Purus, Mother Mercy. The pious woman greeted the Assembly warmly at the pier. She expressed how honored she was to host the foreign party, and that the town plaza was being prepared for a festival in their honor. Mercy welcomed the group to enjoy the forum in the harbor district. She advised that they stock up on supplies and the like for their journey to the next island, which would be the sight of their historic meeting with the Emperor and Wynda's high council. Mother Mercy then left the group to their own devices, and disappeared behind the city gates. And so our journey begins with... a shopping spree.

The market in the forum isn't all that crowded. There's a handful of merchants (all of whom seem to be in excellent shape!) hanging around selling various goods like seafood and ocean themed jewelry. Most of the shoppers appear to be elderly women. The citizens regard the Assembly with nothing but respect. They bow upon greeting them, and welcome them to the nation. But they don't pester them. Hell no. They get back to their own business quickly, as if it would irritate the Nethites to take up too much of their time. But you might catch them sneaking curious glances at the strangers. One of the old ladies might occasionally giggle at Galla's antics. Eurielle in particular seems to be earning quite a few looks, each of which display a varying degree of confusion.

There are guards posted at each of the gates that lead behind the high walls surrounding the forum to presumably the rest of the city. They respectfully instruct the Assembly to "Enjoy the forum until the festival is ready to begin." The Gryphon Riders transporting crates from the other ship in the port appear to be the only people capable of reaching the city. None of the other people in the forum have attempted to get past the guards. All that can be seen of the city within are tall watchtowers overlooking the town below. The rest of the Blue Rose's crew remains on the ship or is simply transporting supplies back and forth from Mainland Goods.

But as we all know, somethin' ain't right in Purus. The Assembly's been lead to believe that Purus is an ordinary Tarosian town, albeit on a tiny island. In reality Purus is a super old school Ordinist convent. In Taros, convents tend to be equal parts extreme religious indoctrination and military boot camps for troubled and rebellious youth. However, Purus, now known as Fort Purus, is one of many convents to be repurposed for the war. The younger acolytes who used to inhabit the halls of convent have either returned home or enlisted in the actual military. Now, the nuns of Purus "rehabilitate" Tarosian criminals. With the power of Ordinism, they give former bandits, smugglers, and bastards of several different flavors a higher purpose and a brighter path toward the sun.

It may not be easy for the Assembly to tell that the "city" of Purus is a farce. Surely after months at sea, the return of land luxuries and amenities may cloud their judgment. Perhaps others will be blinded by their own curiosity toward the western world of Taros and its culture. They might be thrown off by the respectful and endlessly polite hospitality that pours from the people of Purus. Some may find it charming, while others might find it... disturbing. Perhaps even... artificial.

 

[SirBlazeALot]

PLAYER PHASE
Turn 1
Current Battle
​

Hayden Harland
Location: Z36 ⟶ Z37
Kickin' It With: Rose, Vilma, Fira, Arcenix

Today marked the final day of the Assembly's voyage, and Hayden's body couldn't be more ready. He woke up this morning with a plastered grin consuming the entire lower half of his face. Even if they were only landing in Neth he would've been excited to get off of the floating prison that was the Blue Rose. He'd sailed back and forth between the continents enough to last a lifetime, and hoped that this voyage would be his last for a long while. As soon as the ship stopped and he saw Mother Mercy waiting for them at the end of the pier, any desire he had to return home in the future dissipated. A new world waited behind the walls of Purus. And this time, the world would greet him with a festival instead of warships.

For now, he'd satiate his curiosity with the forum. Having spent the last few years in a Tarosian prison, he'd learned the most about the empire out of the four Satrellian nations. It was time to see if reality aligned with his imagination. The first thing he noticed, unfortunately, was his ever present fear of feeling trapped. The high walls surrounding them made him feel anxious despite the forum being quite spacious and relatively empty. Hayden found this to be quite contrary to the bustling metropolis he envisioned every Tarosian city to be. He assumed that everyone else was getting the festival ready and these weak old ladies in the forum couldn't help on account of being weak old ladies.

But don't get it fucked up, weak old ladies still had their uses. One of the women in the forum approached the wide eyed young man as Hayden followed the rest of the Assembly into the forum. She handed him a small wrapped plate as he passed by. "Welcome to our nation," the small elderly woman said with a respectful bow as Hayden accepted the plate.

"Whoa! Thanks, grams!" Against his better judgment, and yes he did know better, he gave the grandma a bear hug and lied, "This is how we do it in Neth!"
"Oh-ho! Oh! E-Erm, al-alright then!" the elder replied with a surprised but pleasant chuckle and patted his back awkwardly.
"Yeah, now you're gettin' it!" Hayden pulled away and added, "Spread the word!" before catching up to the rest of the Assembly.

Hayden fell back into line with the Assembly, this time in the middle of the group instead of the front. He found himself between the Herranese and the Palenians. "Whaddaya think it is?" Hayden sniffed the plate curiously before unraveling the white cloth around it. "Hm. Smells like honey." He revealed a bunch of tiny spheres of what appeared to be some sort of fried dough covered in sesame seeds. "Huh!" Hayden plucked a single honey ball and held it up to his eye as if he was inspecting a fine gem. "Looks like... some kinda cookie?" he hypothesized, and glanced at the maid Rosa. "Hey Rose, I wonder if these cookies are better'n yours! Ya might have some competition for my addiction!"

Without further ado, Hayden bit into half of the treat to appease his rumbling stomach. He hadn't eaten a single thing this morning so that he could gorge himself on the best and worst of Tarosian cuisine. Despite being a self-proclaimed addict, he didn't even have one of Rose's cookies! Okay that was a lie, he had one and he had two stuffed in his jacket pocket, but one cookie couldn't kill an appetite! "Hmm..." Hayden hummed as he carefully studied the Tarosian cookie with every chew. It was light and flaky, and Hayden's nose was spot on in detecting the sweet honey flavor. The fluffy, cake like texture on the inside of the treat was offset by the crunchiness of the sesame seeds.

"I dunno..." Hayden began with a tone of uncertainty after swallowing his first bite. "It's kinda weird," he thought aloud. "We need a second opinion. Hey Vilma, try one," Hayden plucked another cookie from the plate and gave it to Vilma nearby. This second opinion had to be unbiased and Rose could hardly judge for herself. And why stop at a second opinion? Despite being on a ship with them for months on end, Hayden had yet to commit everyone's name to memory.

It also didn't help that he spent more time around the sailors than the royals and their cronies. He knew Vilma because they had chatted a bit, and he knew Rose because he was addicted to her baking. And he knew Ava because she was always bitching at him for something or the other. He knew Galla because he was a fun guy. Though he had trouble saying it right he got the gist of Caelestis's name from sharing a drink with him every so often. But everyone else?

"Here ya go, Dragon Lady," Hayden passed another cookie to Fira, who strangely enough shared the same "nickname" as Eurielle. "Hey grumpy guy! Catch!" Hayden chirped at Arcenix a few feet away. He didn't give the shaman nearly enough time to prepare for a catch, or even enough time to realize that he was indeed "grumpy guy". Hayden simply chucked the treat at the dark mage a millisecond after he called to him, and caused the sesame ball to comically bounce off the side of the shaman's head. "Whoops!"

theplasticdemon Waverly InsaneAsylum KageYuuki


Ava Winfield
Location: U37 ⟶ Mainland Goods
Kickin' It With: Mordimort, Llyr

Ava wasn't impressed, but at the very least she felt safe. Hayden had managed to fuel her nightmares with tales of hideous Tarosian monsters he called Centaurs. According to Hayden, Centaurs were half man, half horse, with teeth like spearheads, that were impossible to escape from once they had you in their sights. They chase you down on foot with speed that could easily dominate a knight's stallion. Even if you took to the air, Centaurs have wings like a Pegasus, only twice as large to carry their massive weight. When they catch you, they butcher your body with axes and feast on your entrails! And they moved in packs!

Her fears were put to ease when she arrived in Purus and saw Taros for herself. The city was surrounded by high walls, and archers were at the ready in towers overlooking the city. A healthy amount of town guards were posted at every gate, presumably to keep the riff raff of the city away from the Nethite elite. Mother Mercy appeared to value the Assembly's safety quite a bit, and that put Ava at ease.

However, they were still set to leave the city walls tomorrow and Ava wasn't about to let the crew get caught slippin'. Mother Mercy had been kind enough to point out the general store before taking her leave. "Yoohoo! Mordimort!!" Ava called to her young assistant before she could act out on any inclinations to fuck about in the forum with the others. "Mordimort my dear, let's get work out of the way now so that we may enjoy ourselves freely at the welcoming ceremony." Her eyes then fell onto young Llyr, who wasn't officially employed like Mordimort. Ava had come to view him as an unofficial apprentice, or perhaps an unpaid intern. In other words, he was free labor. "Llyr, you're going to want to come along as well! This will be quite the learning opportunity for you~!"

Ava began to lead the two of them toward the general store and explained the assignment she had for them. She retrieved two pocket sized journals and tiny pencils from her cloak. "I merely need the two of you to record the prices of as many goods and services as you can, so that later we can compare them to what we're accustomed to back home. If you find anything unusual try to learn as much as you can about it. The value of Tarosian coin eludes us, but hopefully not for long."

Hayden hadn't been able to tell her much about the Tarosian economy, other than that the nation was the wealthiest in Satrella and that gold "looked weird" in Satrella. Coincidentally, both continents had allocated gold as their primary currency. However, in Neth gold coins were uniform little discs. In Satrella each nation imprinted individual designs on gold produced within their borders. She found the gold in the coffers the Tarosians had gifted the Assembly with to be particularly interesting. Each coin had a little hole going straight through it. "STEELE" followed by a bunch of letters in some sort of significant sequence was written around the hole.

"Now, you're not to purchase anything..." Ava informed her helpers with a stern glare before finishing, "...without coming to me first. We're in the market for essentials and essentials only." She stopped in front of Mainland Goods and held a notebook and pencil in each hand for Mordi and Llyr to take. Then, she begrudgingly added, "Once we've completed our task, the two of you may pick out one souvenir for yourselves. Except for books, you can buy as many books as you like. A-And I don't mean spell tomes!"

Orikanyo Pretzel Heart


Carlo Dolores
Location: Dd36 ⟶ Cc36
Kickin' It With: Alvise, Eurielle

Carlo was around the back of the group with the Palenians, close by to Vicar Alvise as always. As a soldier, Carlo had to be ready for battle at all times. On their way to Herranow before the journey, Carlo was prepared for cultists. On their way to Satrella during their journey, he was prepared for pirates. And now that they had finally landed in Taros, he was prepared for Tarosians. He couldn't help but shiver as he imagined himself taking the full force of a long, armor piercing ballista missile aimed at his lord Alvise.

Each of the archers in their watchtowers guarding the mysterious city of Purus seemed ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Though they had arrived under the pretenses of building a peaceful future, Carlo couldn't help but lust for a full blown war with Taros. Hayden had told him about the Tarosian people and their faith to an unforgiving father god known as Ord. Ord was a god who the Tarosians worshiped for his unbending will to dominate the weak with superior strength of body and mind. Needless to say, the implications of such a faith had a degenerate like Carlo pretty fucking thrilled.

But upon landing they found themselves in a sparsely packed marketplace with a bunch of older women. There were some super fit guys here and there that affirmed Carlo's mental image of Taros, but otherwise he was disappointed. This wasn't the nation comprised entirely of alphas that he'd been promised by the little explorer. Instead what he saw was a bunch of little cowards hiding behind the largest walls they could've possibly built. So much for the strong dominating and subjugating the weak.

Carlo wasn't one to build and then bank upon artificial hype, but he had indeed been hyped for Taros. That hype was cucked upon arrival, and that was sad indeed. Yet, Carlo found himself entertained by the Tarosians. He could see them stare out of the corner of his eye when they thought no one was looking. Whenever one of them managed to make eye contact with him, he would lick his lips and make sure the tip of his tongue danced upon his lip ring so that he could maximize on the levels of awko when they looked away. They seemed fond of looking at Eurielle, and Carlo took a sweetly sadistic satisfaction in their expressions of fear and uncertainty. Of course they should be humbled by her presence, she was an aspect of the very goddess their cowardly little nation had lived in ignorance of until now. He wondered if they had ever even seen a Manakete, until he realized that Fira simply didn't get the same brand of attention as his glorious Lady Eurielle.

Don't get it fucked up, by the very nature of his physical size and his shiny ass armor, he attracted a lot of attention all on his own. But he knew he was just one of many curious foreigners to these people. He could tell he was in the same boat with the rest of the Assembly members, because he was regarded with curiosity, but with respect. For Eurielle, it wasn't the same deal. It was pretty fucking different actually. Looks of genuine fear, as if they had just laid eyes upon a long dead relative, were common among the Tarosian people once their eyes landed on Eurielle. But once they either caught themselves or were caught by Eurielle herself for staring too long, they would frantically return to "business as usual." Ironically, when staring at Eurielle, none seemed to notice Carlo's own silver eyes locked onto them.

Now if Carlo wasn't so far up the Manakete races' ass in general, he might've thought that was reason to be concerned for the Assembly's safety, or at least suspicious. Instead, the combination of Carlo's Manakete complex combined with his perception of the Tarosian people as shy lil pussies caused him to overlook the significance. Instead he used it as an opportunity to ever so slightly ruffle some feathers.

"Milord," Carlo said to get Alvise's attention. As per usual he wasn't far from the Vicar, and was able to speak in a lower tone of voice so as not to attract the attention of nearby guards. However, Carlo's tone was fairly neutral, so that Eurielle in her close proximity would hear him. "Perhaps I should focus my defensive efforts upon Lady Eurielle? The natives seem eager to ravage her." Carlo had chosen his words carefully to irritate both Alvise and Eurielle. For Alvise, to suggest he focus on anything other than protecting the lord himself was pure sacrilege in terms of what Carlo had been signed on for, but this wouldn't be the first time Carlo had "joked" about such a thing, especially in relation to Eurielle.

For Eurielle, to suggest that a Manakete needed protection from a human would've been enough to be considered "rude" by any Palenian, but this too was a common tactic Carlo had invoked upon the Ivory Dragon to win her ire before. There was that, and the fact that he was using suggestive language commonly used in Palenian smut in relation to Eurielle.

hosaki theplasticdemon

 

[Waverly]

Vilhelmina
Location: Z38 ⟶ U37
Interactions: Hayden and more or less everyone within earshot

“Sure, I'd love to.”

Vilhelmina accepted the foreign cookie from Hayden with an expression bordering between gratefulness and curiosity, smiling politely as always. Ever since the lookout on The Blue Rose had shouted 'land ho!' Vilhelmina had been on edge and very hyped about reaching land, not only because the trip across the vast ocean had been rather boring and therefore hard on the somewhat spoiled swordswoman who was used to people entertaining her back in Herranow, but also because she finally got to plant her feet on solid ground. See, she had been very seasick.

In fact, the first couple of days of the voyage she spent mostly on deck, leaning over the railing to vomit into the sea whenever there were even a slight rocking from the waves of the ocean. Not exactly striking the impressive and flattering first impression she had planned when meeting the assembly, and the Prince of Herranow more importantly. After a while the sickness had given in of course, and she was able to stand straight, but even so the ship had not really become her favourite of places, and now she was plenty satisfied of finally leaving it behind for a while.

She put the sweet cookie between her lips and bit a piece from it, if only a tiny nibble. Her reaction was a slight shrug and a tilt of her head as she continued to smile just as politely as before.

“Tasteful I'd say. I like the honey flavour very much even if the rest of it is a little bit... different... from what I am used to in terms of pastries and sweets.”

“Is all food here going to be a very different what we're used to back home, Hayden?” She asked, daring to take yet another (much bigger) bite from the cookie. As she was chewing she looked around the forum, not sure if the tall wall was impressive or actually a bit scary. All she really felt was relief of finally being ashore.

“Perhaps we should have a look at what they sell here, no? Perhaps that one over the little island? Anyone want to come with?” She said, hoping that Hayden or anyone would join her as she had a look around. Going alone was something that scared her, not because she was afraid anyone would harm her, but because she was afraid to made a fool of. Interacting with commoners and merchants back home was something Vilma seldom managed to do without a certain degree of discomfort, but here on a stranger continent? It was intimidating?

Hoping that someone was with her she started walking towards Flint's, hoping to see some new fancy weapons of this continent (well, she'll be disappointed once she reaches the store).

 

[Orikanyo]

Abelhard Nickolaus Diederich Dolphus Ivanus Conrado Schwarzwind
Location: W37
interactions: Arcenix KageYuuki Fira InsaneAsylum

The trip had not been a very nice one.

Beyond the fact he had been near constantly face first either off the side of the ship to release himself of his stomach contents his poor dear Sylvia was also very much unimpressed by the constant rocking and shaking of the boat. He was never good during boat rides, but crossing the large sea did nothing to help him build a resistance to the jerking waves below him! his only reprieve was when he took to the skies... But at the same time, the only place they could go is back to the ship...

It was a horrible conundrum.

But now, being on land once more, he felt he could almost kiss the very earth beneath him, but a minute of composing himself before he went ashore prevented such silliness. the prince now sat atop of his loyal steed, the scales of his lovely wyvern polished to a bright sheen and his armor likewise, a true showing of the warrior clad kingdom he called home. The bright blue eyes scanned the world around him, a place that Mother Mercy opened to them, like a good host.

Though Sylvia most certainly didn't like her, nor the new place, nor any of the people here. Bearing fangs and giving a predator's gaze to just about anybody who so much as looked at them. But Abel? He was just happy to have gotten here safely, and even more happy that he could finally shake off the sickness that had been on him since they set off.

"Arcenix, seems we have finally made it to Satrella, I must say it was certainly a long ride to get here.." he paused for a moment, rubbing his plate covered stomach. "It is rather nice.. Though I'll be honest I expected more... Of a welcome?" he looked to his friend, feeling a tad bit unimpressed. A parade, something, would've been nice. he even stayed up all night polishing Sylvia for one, she practically blinded people in the sun if you looked at her for long. "Alas, let us see about finding something to do for the time. A festivale would be most fun don't you agree Syl? lots of food to eat.

I wonder if they have pork in Satrella? Perhaps fish are more common here in the islands?"

He thought about it for a moment as he looked towards his other bodyguard, the horned manakete whom carried the title of "Herranow's Flame" but in truth, even as a kid, he couldn't help but find her to be... Rather adorable... And very warm to stand by. But thats what he imagined would be the case for standing by such a fiery individual. "What do you think Pyra? Do you think they could even match your skill? They may pull out their best fro this you know." he smiled warmly to the manakete, she was his guardian but in truth she and Arcenix were more like his fellows rather than guardians.

He had skill of his own, should he have need to skewer something.

MORDIMORT! THE GREAT AND POWER HEROINE OF THE STORY! ALSO MERCHANT'S ASSISTANT!
Location: X35 staying
Interactions: Ava S SirBlazeALot Llyr Pretzel Heart

To look upon Mordimort at this very moment was like looking into the sun, there was nothing, nothing in this world that could end her level of hype for this. This place made every single moment on that boring ass ship worth it, every single moment she was told to take stock of the stuff they brought along, every single moment of string out into the sea, bored out of her mind, every single moment she nearly got nipped by the wyvern on board,

every single moment,

was worth,

this.

And the stories that Hayden told of Satrella, oh how she wanted to see a centaur and burn it to cinders with her magical might! it would be a wonderful first victory in her great adventure to godhood! Indeed, a fitting first foe, she would burn it to ashes and the whole world would bow before her very feet! Nothing can stand in her way now!!

NOTHING!!!!!!!!!

...Expect maybe her job...

"Ah but..." she sighed, visibly deflating from being told what she was going to be doing for the next hour or so. How BORING! And she had to take along Llyr? Ugh, why did she have to bring HIM along. He was SOOOOO boring, she'd much rather tail the prince~! Cael~! Oh he was SOOO handsome~! The other lords weren't to bad either mind, Alvise had that intelligent aura about him and smelled nice. The Snow prince was the snow prince, how could you NOT like the guy, though some people started making a joke out of his name recently, though she couldn't place the joke right now.

Sighing grumpily like a disgruntled teenager, she reluctantly took up the notebook and pencil before stopping off into a nearby shop to begin her work. "Fine, but once the festival starts I'm on break! Come on Llyr! lets hurry up and get this done.." she grumbled, her catty smile turned upside down as she ordered the already ordered around man.

She had to get this done quick and get back to her "people" watching, maybe she could get another good look at Galla and Cael playing~!

Though the moment that she had entered the shop called Mainland Goods, she spotted them, a very interesting pair of boots that looked JUST(and technically anybody else's) size. She had ignored most the rest of the shop and stared at the boots, only to... Finally look at the price tag... To once again be filled with the crushing weight of being blocked by money... oh those tempting boots, how beautiful they were... And how flattering they would be in her dress~! Oh, maybe they'd add a few inches to her to~! Oooooh.... but they cost so much!!!

If only she could just take em and run...

She noted the price of the very impressive boots and continued down the line under the watchful eye of the shop keep. The assembly had so much money...

Maybe if she buttered up the lords...

Hohohoho~!

GALLAGALLAGAN! THE MAN! THE DOG! THE MANDOG! THE BEST FRIEND TO ALL!
Location: Cc35- Cocoa-Ro
Interaction: Cael KageYuuki


Galla was having the time of his life, new sights, new smells, new people, new food, new places to pee!

He was over the damn moon.

"Cael look! griffons! Look a Nun! Shes pretty! Ooh look a old person! they have old people here to?!" he rattled off pretty much everything he saw, seagulls, griffons again, a tree, a fish. in truth, he was very excited to finally be off the boat, there really was only so much a dog(wolf) man could really do on a boat, aside from look at stuff, be pet, and eat. But now he was free!! Free to do whatever he pleased!!!

The big wolf man looked around the area, being told by the nun to do as he pleased was most certainly a bad idea on her part, as he took up the offer almost immediately by rushing towards a building, what building you ask? None other than a building with a bunch of people dressed up in frilly stuff! "Cael look! They have wolf ears to!' he spoke before rushing off towards the maid cafe, the young lady out front who had the fake ears on yelped at the sudden approach of the man. She whimpered abit as he stared with amazement., sniffing the young woman and getting a little bit to much in the good ol' personal space.

"Hey... You don't smell like us... Your weird." The wolfssegner said, looking a tad bit disappointed she was REALLY one of his kind... her tail didn't even wag... Didn't even look like it was attatched to her. "W-w-w-w-welcome to Cocoa-Ro, please come in." In her shock of being sniffed and being suddenly approached by one of the Assembly from neth she reverted to the sentence she had been pretty much repeating all day.

Much to the pain for the people inside, she had now turned what was going to just be a case of unsolicited sniffing to now the whole restaurant having to feed the man.

"Come in? Well okay! Whats this place about? Do you got food?"

The inside of the place was as one might expect, though with more staring people as they had heard a commotion going on outside, the sight was a little odd for Galla. With girls in dresses that kinda look like that Rosa lady's dress... But a lot shorter... Some of them had the fake ear things on their heads, some looked to be carrying food to people sitting at tables. one of the braver of the dressed up young women walked up to the obviously confused and staring wolfman. "Welcome! Please sit anywhere you like!" she offered, an obviously totally not fake smile plastered over her face as galla quickly sat down right at the door, looking up expectantly at the woman.

"..Uhh... At a.. table.. I mean."

Galla rose an eyebrow and shrugged, getting up and sitting in a table with a cute dog picture on a stand. He guessed that they were expecting him, makes sense with the dog eared person outside. He felt so happy, they heard he was coming and made this all for him!? His own little welcoming party!!! The staff stared at the man as his tail whipped up a storm behind him, the same woman from the door came over with a menu, putting on her cutest smile and making usage of her cutesy tiny frame, she did her usual attempt to try and captivate the wolfman.

"So~! What will you be having today Senpai?"

However, unbeknownst to the young lady, Galla is an idiot.

"Whats a sand-pie?"

And once again, the whole restaurant went silent as the grave.

Mattius Becker, the mild mannered man of meat.
Location: Bb38-> near to lord Alvis wherever he may be.
Interacting: Alvis hosaki Carlo S SirBlazeALot Eurielle theplasticdemon

Mattius grumbled, he was in fact grumbling the whole damn trip over. "Damn manakete... Thinks it has a damn clue how to cook meat." was a line often spoken under grumbling breaths as the grumbling grumble of a man did his duties aboard the ship. But now he was on shore, and still grumbling, for every time he saw that little horned furnace he felt like grumbling even more! "Searing something to cinders ain't cooking, takes time and *Grumble* Doesn't even *grumbling* Damn blast furnace she is *grumbling*-" no matter where he went, no matter what he did, he still grumbled.

A reprieve was only gained when the man met Rosa, yet another graduate of Loris's culinary expertise. She was a charming young woman, and her insistence on adding sugar to everything was endearing, and thought provoking at times. Sweetness with the taste of beef, a sweet sauce to compliment the savory spices and herbs and left to marinade in it for some time...

It was a work of perfection.

Even though they had some experience and age, he certainly gained some respect for her after that bright idea.

Though he still insists that one must always, always eat a healthy fulfilling meal before any sweets!

Nonetheless, despite his grumbling, despite his curiosity of the nature of the sugar sweet maid who seemingly never ran out of cookies, he still stood strong by his lord. He took a moment from his grumbling, looking over his lord once more, a scowl present as he looked over the man.

"...Hmmph... My food has failed, you remain still a man with nary a bit of meat on his bones my lord. I had thought fresh fish may build you up more." he examined the man more thoroughly. "Or perhaps your body plans to vex your loyal servant in spite of his efforts?" he sighed, despite his best efforts, the man was still a twig. At least in his eyes.

But now... leave it to Carlo the degenerate in gleaming gold to say something stupid. "You are as foolish as you are brazen Carlo, I've cooked cows with more brains than you have." the man immediately began berating the gleaming golden boy... Again... he didn't know what it was but he just.... Couldn't help it... it was like he just WANTED to punish the man. Thoroughly, relentlessly punish him, over and over. Unrelenting even when he screams and calls for mercy from his...

"The lady Eurielle is a prime example of the goddess's glory. Simply looking upon her once shows just how true the greatness of her children is. To even think of uttering such words... I have a mind to ravage you.." he clutched a fist tight, a audible growl coming forth from the bearded man. Even IF his choice of words in this context weren't the best... Considering what the word was used to imply none to long ago...

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Fira, the Angry Dragon Loli
Location: Y37–> V37
Interacting With: Hayden S SirBlazeALot , Abelhard Orikanyo

Neverbefore had Fira gone for so long without burning something down. Despite all her urges and desires, she wasn’t allowed to transform into a dragon! Apparently her dragon form itself was enough to set the ship alight. The flame withdrawl forced the little manakete into a deep depression for the majority of the journey, only to be interrupted by Abel or the meat man who refused to admit his cooking skills were inferior to her own. Just the thought of him was pissing her off already, and she had just gotten off that wooden prison.

“Get your nasty ass cookies out of my face!”

Fira snatched the cookie Hayden had handed her, and threw it as far as she could back into the ocean. The little punk’s annoying face would look great charred. Hell, someone was going to get charred today, whether they liked it or not! Fira had no intention of holding back her anger on anyone who might piss her off. Hell, she DARED someone to piss her off.

And then Abel spoke up, asking if anyone here could possibly meet her level of skill in the art of meat. “Obviously not!” Fira replied sharply, stomping towards Abel and his cute lil wyvern. He just had to bring up the damn cooking again, that innocent boy never knew what not to say to her. “I already told you that no human, elf, or branded is ever going to be a good as me!” Fira gently slid her hand across Sylvia, Abel’s wyvern, as she walked around to the opposite of him. She had always gotten along well with Sylvia. She was good with most wyverns. Any other creature seemed to despise her, and for good reason too.

 

[hosaki]

Alvise Merlo
Location: Bb36 to White Lotus
Interacting with: Carlo ( S SirBlazeALot ), Eurielle ( theplasticdemon ), Mattius ( Orikanyo )

This was all rather unexpected. Upon first stepping onto the island, the quietude of the harbor caught Alvise off guard. He’d imagined more fanfare for this historic moment, a greeting from a moderately sized crowd or at least a welcome from a relatively influential official. Instead, a nun (of all things!) claiming to be the magistrate of Purus had been their sole greeter. It was strange that the Satrellians who’d taken the initiative for this international treaty had not utilized their resources to the fullest extent in order to impress their visitors, the foreign dignitaries that they were.

Perhaps he had grown overly used to his Palenian privilege and the little games that came with it. Perhaps the people here disliked flaunting wealth and power. Yet even as he passed by kindly old shoppers, he had the distinctly unnerving sensation that someone was watching them…

Alvise’s gaze swiveled up to note the watchtowers and the archers looming above them within the forum space – the likely culprits. Were relations unwell with their neighboring islands? But if Mother Mercy’s introduction proved to be truthful, Wynda and Taros were on well enough terms to be jointly hosting their visitors.

He looked to the others…who seemed to be too busy amusing themselves with the novelties of Tarosian culture to care much about anything else. The man smiled – or rather, smirked (though to be honest, no one could tell which was which)– at their little Herranese guide’s enthusiasm over some paltry sweets, his wariness momentarily abated. That is, until Carlo opened his mouth again with that inflammatory manner of his. Over the course of the voyage, the man had been a trying presence to say the least; it seemed that wherever he went, a row was sure to follow. At sea, the effect had been magnified all the more, what with the limited space and the general crabbiness it resulted in. And Mattius and Diantha, being as hot-blooded as they were…

In all honesty, Carlo made for a massive headache.

“Mattius.” Alvise placed a hand on the chef’s shoulder, though an edge in his tone warned the other from proceeding further. Showing the Tarosians their infighting would make for a terrible impression.

“Carlo, don’t speak nonsense. There are only elderly women here,” he rebuked. “They merely stare because they are unused to the radiance of Her closest kin, ignorant of Her divinity as they are.”

Turning to Mattius and Eurielle, Alvise attempted to clear the air: “Sometimes Carlo may not mean what he says. I fear his time spent in the army may have accustomed him to uncouthness, but his intentions are well placed. After all, not many were willing to accompany me on this journey."

He gave his bodyguards and his servant a smile of gratitude, though the expression was laced with some pain. His cheer returned when he remembered where the conversation had been going before their unpleasant detour.

"Though I have not been gifted with a body as robust as yours, I must trouble you again for today's meals, Mattius. I'm afraid I am unused to Tarosian luxuries and my stomach will accept nothing less than your personal cooking. In the meantime, shall we explore what delightful mysteries this town has to offer?"

Personally, he was inclined to visiting the storefront down the street with its peculiar architecture. The building looked similar to one of the pictures that Hayden had drawn him once of various Tarosian houses of worship.

Gianni Fairburn
Location: V36 to wherever Caelestis moves next
Interacting with: Caelestis ( KageYuuki )

"Aghh! This is amazing!!!" Gianni exclaimed for the third time as he gave his horses a thorough rubbing down. "Isn't it, Merry? Isn't it, Asher?" Asher snorted and spat out a mouthful of hay. "You're the same grumpyhead as always." Gianni nuzzled the ebony horse, unbothered by its disgust as it hocked up some phlegm to hurl at the human that was invading its space.

Before this moment, he didn't know how much he had missed standing on steady ground. Finally, his carriage would be trundling up the road again, fulfilling its noble purpose of spreading joy throughout all the land. Nethite or Satrellan, everybody loved a good curio with an interesting story behind it. He climbed into the box seat and breathed in deeply.

"Ah, the good old smell of home." He grasped the reins, enjoying their familiar feel. Too bad they wouldn't be hitting the road until after the festival. For now, the most he could do was drive up and down the avenue, which could be an interesting way to experience Purus's harbor in its own right. If only the others thought the same.Miss Winfield, Mister Valeriev, and Miss Mordimort had already disappeared into the closest shop, while Mister Gallagallagan had run off, saying something about people with wolf ears. That there were Laguz here too only proved that their continents weren't so different after all. Well, looking around in the stores couldn't be half-bad. He grinned and urged his horses forward into a trot.

"Senator Tirana, would walking be too much for your lordly self? In that case, Gianni gladly offers his services," he called out.

Ever since the merchant had been made aware of Caelestis's cushy senator life, the rich boy teases had never stopped coming. The man practically drew a target sign on himself with the way he was always lazing about in his free time.

"I think we should check up on Mister Gallagallagan first though."

The shop the wolf man had disappeared into was drawing some stares now, which was always concerning.

 

[KageYuuki]

Arcenix EsdariaLocation: X38
Interactions: Hayden S SirBlazeALot and Abel Orikanyo

To say the shaman was thankful to be back on dry, stable ground would be a massive understatement. While Arcenix had known that the Assembly had a long journey ahead of them, he wasn't quite prepared to spend months at sea. Not exactly what you'd want for your first outing on a boat. At least he'd been able to keep the contents of his stomach where the belonged, using his knowledge of medicinal herbs and hexes to help ease his friend's journey.

Though at long last, the hellish trip was over. Well, one hellish trip was over, with another ready to begin. Arcenix's more... pessimistic nature left him questioning the Tarosian's true intentions from day one. But Abelhard had agreed to go and he'd be damned to let one of his few friends walk into a trap alone.

He regarded Mother Mercy with a polite smile as she welcomed them. The shaman was quick to note the walls that towered above them and the numerous guards patrolling the top. While griffons were more of a rarity in Neth, it seemed they were plentiful in Taros. In the brief few moments since walking into the forum, he'd already spotted three. Impressive...

As they moved along the docks, he found himself more and more unnerved by the way everyone was acting. It just felt so... put on and unnatural and-

"Hey grumpy guy! Catch!"

Arcenix found himself quite literally knocked from his thoughts by the sesame cookie bouncing off the side of his head. He leveled the explorer a glare, brushing sesame seeds from his robes before turning back to Abelhard. "A very long ride, Your Highness," he opted to remain formal for the time being. First impressions were important and it felt like the entire town was staring at them. For now, he was just going to remain close to the prince and keep an eye on things. His fingers brushed one of the tomes that hung from his belt.

Caelestis Tirana
Location: S37 - Cocoa-Ro
Interactions: Galla Orikanyo , Gianni hosaki
Attempted Interactions: Llyr: Pretzel Heart

Well, this was... Anticlimactic? Underwhelming? While immensely thankful to be back on dry ground - even if it still felt like it was rocking on the waves - Caelestis would admit he expected more fanfare for their arrival. Here they were, emissaries from the other side of the world here to unit numerous nations, and they were greeted by a nun at the pier.

He ran his fingers through his raven locks, noting how long they'd gotten. Perhaps he could find someplace to get it cut before the festivities began? May as well make a good impression. Even if it was looking to be a very reserved event.

Gods, please let there at least be alcohol served...

Despite his disappointment, Cael found himself chuckling quietly at Galla's unbridled excitement. It was infectious as always. He gave his friend a hearty pat on the back, "Hey Llyr, why don't you join us?" He looked back at where the young man had been just moments ago only to see him being dragged away by Ava. Sure, he and Llyr weren't exactly all that close. Especially compared to him and Elian. But it was only polite to offer they celebrate their return to dry land together. Plus being stuck with Ava wasn't exactly the most fun thing in the world.

"Senator Tirana, would walking be too much for your lordly self? In that case, Gianni gladly offers his services."

Caelestis had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at Gianni. The younger man always had a thing for his snarky remarks. "I'm rather enjoying being able to walk further than one end of the deck to the other, thank you."

"I think we should check up on Mister Gallagallagan first though."

"Hm?" Cael turned around to find his companion had already wandered off. The rather mortified woman with the fake ears and tail already telling enough of a story. "Ah, hell..." Stepping inside Cocoa-Ro, he gave a faint sigh of relief that the situation hadn't gotten out of hand just yet. "Galla, wandering off already?" He called in a laughing voice as he strode across the restaurant.

Pulling out a chair, he sat beside the Laguz and noticed the menu. "Leave it to you to find food the moment we got here. I've been dying to try something new. No offense to Mattius, there wasn't room for much variety." Cael leaned against the Wolfssegner while idly skimming through the options. Some of them sounded... vaguely familiar.

"What sounds good today, Master?"

Cael blinked, looking up at the woman. It took a moment to realize she was likely just a waitress. Though... that did nothing to explain the fake ears or tail. "Well, I'll admit I'm at a loss here. I don't really know what's good."

"If I may, it's common to share osake with friends during a celebration. Mochi goes rather well with it."

"Sounds perfect then."

Don't let Ava find out...

 

[Pretzel Heart]

☁︎ Diantha Endzel ☁︎

☁︎ Location: CC37 ⟶ White Lotus
☁︎ With: Alivse and Carlo
New opportunities, new horizons!

The light of the sun bounding off the golden city couldn't have been more inviting to young Diantha, gallantly perched atop her mare as the lifelong pair stepped wide-eyed off the Blue Rose for the first time in far too long. Though (being as revered an adventurer as she was) she'd never admit it, the lengthy voyage had gotten to the girl, and, she was sure, the horse as well. At least, given how well she knew her companion, that's only what she could assume. But in actuality, Tünde had been surprisingly well-behaved during the journey, spending most of it laying quietly in the lower decks where the animals were kept. It had even worried Diantha, just a bit, to see her typically wild friend act so calm and tame, but better, she supposed, than dealing with her trying to leap into the middle of the ocean. Besides, there were quite a few other horsies in the surprisingly beautiful (for Fuccinian make) stables, and whenever Diantha went down to check on Tünde (which was, in all honesty, pretty often), the mare seemed to be quite comfortable with the other steeds. Something which warmed her rider's heart.

And anyway, as soon as she had roused her that morning at port, Tünde seemed to have sprung back to life, her sea-glassed eyes becoming once again bright and alert. To celebrate the occasion (and show off for the Tarosians), Diantha had thought to fancy up the dappled horse, giving her a nice bath and brush and doing her mane into elegant braids weaved through with gems and ribbons from the private collection amassed from so many travels.

Thus as the two strode bravely alongside their leader, Diantha couldn't have been more satisfied or proud, feeling that they truly belonged at the regal Vicar's side.

Of course, within seconds, Tünde had to ruin it.

"C-Calm doooown!!"

Not three feet into the city and the mare had already taken off helter skelter, causing the surrounding villagers to blush and scatter in her wake. Diantha herself managed to hang on tight, though the cute clothes she had purchased to make the best first impression were now wrinkled and askew, and she was left feeling flustered and embarrassed, apologizing profusely as her mare slowed down to burry her head into a basket one of the women was holding, emerging with a golden-flaked nose crunching on something Diantha could only pray wasn't poisonous.

"Ah-Ah'm so sorry! She's a gentle creature, sure as day! Just, we're not used ta being all cooped up on a boat fa so long!"

While the Tarosians seemed justifiably riled by the mare's antics, they proved themselves to be no Palenians, seeming, in fact, surprisingly forgiving of the disruption. The elderly woman waved off the horse's theft, giving her a nervous, yet soft, pat on the nose. And others just eyed the two curiously, whispering mysteriously. At first Diantha found it nice that they had nothing mean to say, and none of the words on their lips seemed to be about some "Beast" nonsense, and yet...something rose her suspicions to see the way they pointed towards her section of the small crew. Sure, Eurielle, Carlo, and Mattius were all sights for sore eyes, but she didn't appreciate their kind-hearted leader getting such a rude welcome on a mission of such diplomatic importance.

Well, from what she had heard, giving warm welcomes wasn't exactly Taros's strong suit. And no amount of money thrown at the problem after the fact could ever change it.

Straightening her cloak, the cavalier managed to coax Tünde gently back to where the rest of the Palenians were walking, mentally making a note not to stray so far from the Vicar again. Especially as, upon approach, she gathered him to be in the middle of, yet again, settling a dispute between the other unruly members of their party.

"I fear his time spent in the army may have accustomed him to uncouthness, but his intentions are well placed. After all, not many were willing to accompany me on this journey."

"Ah was in the army, too," Diantha added, nodding her head to the man as she fell into pace by his side, "and ya don't see me tryin ta rile up folks! Well...what just happened back there was an accident, so that don't count! Anyways, Ah know ya don't think many wanted ta be here, but Ah still wish youda been more choosy, Mister Alvise. After all, ain't nothin gonna get past me. The others--" she made a point to throw a childish glare in Carlo's direction, "ain't even necessary."

While the Vicar turned to his cook her eyes wandered a bit, caught by the pleasant sound of chatter coming from another section of the Assembly belonging to the Herranese. They seemed to be having fun...with that cute-- ahem -- lively explorer boy sharing cookies with his friends. How nice.

That's how a party ought to get along, Diantha thought to herself, wishing that the Palenias could be so forthcoming. Even within the Blue Rose's cramped quarters, it seemed as if the representatives from each nation struggled to interact with their new foreign allies. The fact that she was seen by many of them to be a woman of Palenia over Herranow did sting a bit, if she was being honest, and it was queer to be so estranged from those she considered her countrymen. After all, the grey lands to the South was where she had been born and raised, and was still the homeland of her heart. And yet...if it hadn't been for her experiences in the North, she likely never would have been able to come to the new world. Really it was crazy, wasn't it? A poor country gal like herself, with barely any history worth speaking of, now riding high and mighty alongside the future heirs of the continent on the adventure of a lifetime!

She guessed she couldn't be too sad about being here under a foreign banner. Besides, if she had to pick one of the three to pledge herself to, she would choose the Vicar every time. After all, he had already proven to her the kind of thoughtful, empathetic leader he could be. And for that, he had her (and Tünde's) loyalty. Though Diantha had to admit, she'd been mighty curious about Herranow's reputed prince, sneaking side-glances at him on days she'd catch him coming back from a tour of the skies on that big dragon of his. The rumors made him out to be a seemingly perfect man. And he was from Herranow...but, for some reason, Diantha wasn't sure whether she could really trust him just yet.

Then again...she already had a perfect man before her. Turning to the Vicar once more, Diantha noted him gazing towards one of the quaint Tarosian shops.

"Ya want to go over there, Al-- Mister Alvise?" Though she was used to referring to him on casual terms, she had already decided to at least try and be a bit more formal around the Tarosians, "If ya want Ah could take ya. Ah'm sure Tünde'll be good and gentle..." The mare gave a wild toss of her head in response. As if to say that her short jog around the city had done little to calm the spirit risen by their first time away from sea.

hosaki S SirBlazeALot​

◉ Llyr Valeriev ◉

◉ Location: T38 ⟶ Cocoa-Ro
◉ With: Ava, Mordi, Gianni, Galla, and Cael
Decisions, decisions...

Unlike pretty much literally every other Nethite who couldn't be happier to leave the creaking confines of the Blue Rose, taking his first step off the ship made Llyr feel queasy. Was land-sickness a thing? Because his stomach was doing enough bellyflops that he felt it might be.

Having grown up learning the ropes of a boat building company had given him sea legs early in life. Not that he was really used to overly long voyages like this had been, but it wasn't the ubiquitous rocking of the gentle vessel that got to him. Even as a boy he had countless memories of sneaking away from his so-called "classes" to shadow his brother Elian, sometimes even for days at a time, floating up and down this stream or that bay to check on a new shipment or design. Besides, the Blue Rose was Llyr's home turf. The reason he was even here alongside all these- admittedly, somewhat bizarre- but nonetheless amazing people who had proven themselves to some of the highest in the land. And he didn't doubt that he had what it took to stay beside them. He was a genius, after all. But he hadn't really done much to actually earn this position. Quite the opposite, in fact. And, in all honesty...his time at sea had done little to improve the opinion that he really shouldn't have been chosen at all......

At least being on the Blue Rose had given him purpose. A purpose that was now quietly floating further and further behind him as the group moved deeper into the uncanny city. And uncanny it was. The tall walls, sturdy but ugly and lined with soldiers, felt oppressive and mean. Where was the glistening castle? The lavish showers of gold and jewels the Tarosians' ample gift to their Eastern neighbors had him (and many others) suspecting they thrived on? Instead the small party seemed to be surrounded by...nuns. Curiously enough.

So was this Taros a religious nation, then?

Hayden, though a self-proclaimed expert on all such matters, hadn't been able to offer him much on this subject, no matter how hard he tried to corner and grill him. Well, the slippery man certainly had tales to share, but while his current mistress, Ava Winfield, might have fallen for the more outlandish ones, Llyr was skeptical enough to question their accuracy.

But now that he was here, at last! It was time to get in some good old-fashioned learning. He even tried to follow Mother Mercy, the perfect mouthpiece, but was (rather abruptly) held up at the gates she disappeared behind. So he supposed he would have to wait until the festival to speak to her. But in the meantime...

Approaching the nearest of the nun-looking women, the man cleared his throat, smoothed back his hair, made sure his crease-less clothes were fitted straight, and did his best to politely question her.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but I find myself exceedingly curious as to Tarosian customs. This town, for example, appears to be so filled with nuns- as I presume, I hope you don't mine me saying, you are- that it must be located near a convent of some sort. I would love to learn more of its history, or the religions you practice here, if you don't mind sparing a moment or two?"

He had spent three years of his life living and studying under a religious order, so it honestly felt a bit comfortable to be again conversing with such types. Enough to calm his anxieties, even.

"Oh, well..." the nun, however, despite his attempts at pleasantry, seemed a bit overwhelmed by the speech and looked around her as if searching for the right thing to reply. Then finally, seeing no other option, offered him a warm smile and dismissal answer, "I don't know if I could do it justice. But surely you'll learn all about that at the festival. We hope you enjoy it."

Before Llyr, a bit taken aback at the noncommittal response, could begin to probe further, the woman vanished into the surrounding crowd. With everyone dressed so similarly in their strange white headdresses, he could scarcely find her again. And before he could try his luck with another...

"Llyr, you're going to want to come along as well! This will be quite the learning opportunity for you~!"

An all-too-familiar voice beckoned him to trudge dutifully back to a robust woman's side. Though he was technically here as a representative of Senator Caelestis's private guard, he had another master, of sorts, in Mrs. Ava Winfield.

"Yes, Ma'am," he smiled, stepping up, "A learning opportunity?" Obvious eagerness danced in his hazel-colored eyes. Yes...though he was one of the Senator's bodyguards, this is truly what he had been brought here for. To help raise awareness of Valeriev Co. on an international scale. And Mrs. Winfield was the one who was going to show him how. She was masterful in all the ways he was not, good at both people and business, so he had heard, and though he hadn't always been impressed with the demonstrations of her abilities he had seen while on deck, this was a new chance for him to see a true merchant in her element.

"I merely need the two of you to record the prices of as many goods and services as you can, so that later we can compare them to what we're accustomed to back home."

Or...a chance for more busy work.

The monk's shoulders slumped in disappointment. But, he resigned himself, this was a necessary part of this all-important learning opportunity. Even if he was a bit more interested in Tarosian customs than their prices.

He supposed he could protest-- after all, it was only a sense of duty that bound him to Mrs. Winfield. The Senator was the one who had hired him, so wasn't it better that he make sure he didn't get into any trouble by glueing himself to his side...?

"Once we've completed our task, the two of you may pick out one souvenir for yourselves. Except for books, you can buy as many books as you like."

As many as we'd like?

On second thought, perhaps he would go along with Ava's request. Books were a rare and precious item. He had, in fact, grown so sick of the thirty he had brought with him, packed neatly in their own dedicated suitcase, that he had left the entire bundle onboard, hoping to never have to look at them again. Not that he would ever need to. The words were practically imprinted onto his very brain...

"Are you sure you won't live to regret that promise, Mrs. Winfield?" He couldn't help but ask, a bit cheekily, amidst his compatriot's protests.

Miss Mordimort was a strange one, to be sure, and even after spending weeks with her under Ava's tutelage the girl still found new ways to surprise him. She was a handful, always seeming to be running around and getting into trouble, but attacked life (and other people) with the kind of verve Llyr honestly wished he could possess. She was a rascal, but a more or less beloved one. But how such an unruly girl was working for the prim and proper Mrs. Winfield Llyr might never know. Even now the Branded was already complaining. It wasn't as if he was happy about being given work to do the second they were on their own either, but he at least had propriety enough to know when to keep his mouth closed for the greater good.

Well...his father might have otherwise to say on that matter......

"Fine, but once the festival starts I'm on break! Come on Llyr! lets hurry up and get this done..."

"Alright, but..."

He was about to suggest that by splitting up they could cover more ground, thus finish their duties more quickly, but the girl, tossing him a catty smile, was already off. Llyr shook his head, wondering if it would be possible for her to accomplish anything without pure dumb luck on her side...

"Hey Llyr, why don't you join us?"

Just as he was about to resign himself to an afternoon looking after Mordi, an unexpected voice once again drew his attention. It was...Senator Caelestis, inviting him, of all people, to join the rest of their Fuccinian party going into what looked to be some sort of strange shop.

Llyr could feel his stomach do another three bellyflops as he weighed his options. On the one hand, he had been given an order by Mrs. Winfield, which was as good as an order from his father, to assist in her shopkeeping work.

On the other...

Gianni, Galla, and the Senator himself. Llyr would be lying if he said he wouldn't give anything to join them. Even, yes, the promise of extra reading material. They were just in a class of their own, as it had often felt to him over the voyage, and one he scarcely felt like he fit in with. At this rate he was more the shopkeep's boy than a bodyguard. But...no matter what anyone believed, he had faith in his magic. And sticking by the Senator's side would be the first time in his life that he could definitively prove it.

What would Elian do...?

The answer was simple. Elian would never betray Cael, even for the sake of his company. Though Llyr had only ever seen them together a few times, typically when down in Athens to visit his brother, from the little he saw of their interactions, and what he knew of his sibling, he could guarantee that much.

It's alright. They're going into a shop. I was planning to split up with Miss Mordimort, anyway. This way I can investigage Tarosian culture, stay by the Senator's side, and obey Mrs. Winfield all at once!

Feeling sure that he was on the right track, he tossed one last uncertain glance back towards where Mordimort disappeared, and made his way into Cocoa-Ro.

The amount of attractive, neatly dressed men and woman who greeted him in a swirl at the door had him feeling a bit heady, accidentally bumping into one man in a tightly-fitted three-piece tailcoat as a few of the girls giggled.

"Oh! F-Forgive me."

This certainly must be an elegant place for everyone to be dressed up in such a way. Some of the women were wearing oddities like...what looked to be fake animal ears, or long-sleeved robes with colorful patterns. Traditional Tarosian formal wear, perhaps?

More confident than ever that he had made the right choice, he finally spotted where the Senator and his rather dog-like friend were sitting, quietly slipping into a chair next to them.

"I came after all...hope you don't mind, Senator Caelestis," he half muttered, his confidence instantly deflating. How does one outgrow being 'the friend's little brother' into being 'the friend'...?

"Master, would you like anything to get started?" Within seconds of seating, one of the fancily-clad woman was already by his side. He noted her bow-covered headband and lacy gloves with no small amount of approval.

M-Master!? Is that the polite way of address here? No wonder the nun earlier had been offended. Taros certainly was a polite and humble country! He'd have to remember that...

"Oh, so this is a restaurant? Of course it is. Well uhm...I'll just...see the menu, if that's alright."

Upon being handed a lace-covered book, he carefully set it on the table, placing the notebook Mrs. Winfield had given him in his lap to quickly and covertly begin copying down the strange items he saw listed there, praying that no more attention would be drawn to himself.

KageYuuki Orikanyo S SirBlazeALot​

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Bella
Location: R38 - White Lotus
Interacting With: Diantha ( Pretzel Heart ), @Alvise ( hosaki )

Two lime colored eyes gazed across the Nethite party, a soft smile appearing below them. Bella took a deep breath, and adjusted herself atop Massey, her loving mount. Gently, Bella shifted her leaf green hair out from in front of her eyes. Everyone appeared to be delighted to be free of the ship’s confines, and they displayed it in such unique and wonderful ways that Bella. None of their reactions suprised the woman, for she had made an effort to at least talk to everyone onboard her ship, and make sure they were in good health. Afterall, sickness was the last thing they would have needed at sea for months.

Massey let out a quiet whine, and Bella reached down to pat her gently. “Yes Massey, we’ll go see Master Caelestis soon! I’m sure he is doing just fine,” Bella cooed. But as Bella began looking for Alvise, she first caught sight of Diantha and her beautiful horse, Tünde, struggling with each other again. Bella hadn’t known the younger woman long, but she knew that she and her steed weren’t always on the same page. However, Bella knew for a fact that Tünde was a wonderful creature. When Bella went below deck to visit Massey, she would often find Diantha there as well visiting her own horse. It was nice to be able to speak to someone about horses from time to time. The troubadour couldn’t get enough of them. And it wasn’t just horses she loved, Bella would visit all of the animals on the ship, making sure they were healthy and fed. They always seemed to appreciate Bella’s visits, and Bella loved visiting them. So most of the trip was spent with the animals for Bella when she wasn’t curing someone’s sea sickness, and she didn’t mind one bit.

“Good day Lord Alvise, Good day Diantha!” Bella said with joy as she approached the two. Bella didn’t know Alvise well, but he was the Palenian Lord, so she made sure to show him respect. Besides, she had wanted to get to know him better, since they both were wielders of magic, be it different types.

“Where might you two beheaded? I heard one of the Tarosians talking about that building over there and its magical goods!”

 

[theplasticdemon]

Rosalia
Location: Somewhere near Z37
Interacting with: Various people of Purus, Hayden S SirBlazeALot , Vilma Waverly

Rosalia, as expected, had zero suspicions about Purus.

To her, it was a cute island, with a quaint market area occupied by well-trained merchants (to make sure none of their goods were stolen, of course) and security to make sure that the Assembly was safe at all costs. Not to mention, the lady that introduced the ragtag group of representatives had been super welcoming! Not to mention, the citizens were extremely respectful and considerate. Perhaps Taros wouldn't be as menacing after all.

Large bird creatures transported crates flew to some unknown destination. Above all, the watchtowers overlooked the small town to look after all the friendly merchants and villagers. Even if Rosa had not been land-starved for the past few months, she probably never would have suspected a thing either way.

A muscular young merchant with scars across his arms approached the young woman offered her a beautiful teal bracelet laced with shells. "For me?" Rosa asked. It fit her wonderfully. The young man towered over her. However, despite common sense, Rosalia accepted the 'gift' with open arms. Flashing him the sweetest smile she could offer, the maiden saw the merchant blush ever so slightly. It almost seemed sweet, were it not for the unnerving stare the man gave her.

"Why... a gift? Thank you, sir! Everyone in this town is spectacularly pleasant~"

If anyone was around, they could almost hear a snicker from behind. Nevertheless, Rosa was sure to cherish her first Tarosian souvenir. Skipping back towards the Assembly, she found her way back into the middle of the group with the rest of the Herranese. There were no winged half-men half-horses like Hayden had told her, nor did any creature she had seen moved in packs.

Speaking of Hayden...

The maid turned around the second the explorer called her name. "Wow, the people are quite kind in Taros!" Rosalia chirped, referring to the wrapped plate filled with pastries. She hoped that there were new pastries to be mastered, considering she had baked just about every pastry recipe known in Neth. Baking was never a competition, after all. However... sesame seeds? And honey? What an odd combination. Rosa could attempt to create something, depending on her lord's thoughts on the matter.

Fira had not seemed too keen on the cookie, neither did Arcenix. That was two of the Herranow team that had not even bothered to try the pastry. At least Vilma seemed to enjoy it. "Let's not waste anymore! We have to let Lord Schwarzwind enjoy the finest of Tarosian cuisine!" Rosalia frowned, glancing at the two that had just recently wasted good food.

"Oooh! I believe there are some shops up ahead. I heard some comments about a shop named 'Flint's'..." Rosa perked up at the thought of exploring more of what the amicable merchants had to offer. Truthfully, Rosa was not perceptive enough to realize that the 'comments' she referred to by the citizens of Purus were less than positive, to say the least. "I shall escort you, my lady~"


Eurielle
Location: Close to Cc36
Interacting with: Carlo S SirBlazeALot , Alvise hosaki , Diantha Pretzel Heart , Mattius Orikanyo

Contrasting Rosalia's sugarcoated view of the world, Eurielle viewed the town with a bit more... suspicion?

While spending the first two centuries relaxing in her palace and rarely venturing away from Palenia made her rather lazy, even the manakete could tell that Purus was a farce. Sure, she could dismiss the overly buff merchants and old women that travelled in droves. Eurielle could even excuse the amount of people that went the extra mile to appear respectful.

Though... all of these sketchy elements alongside several watchtowers to boot?

Eurielle was not knowledgeable enough on Tarosian culture to comment on whatever this was, but she figured most towns would never operate this way. Not to mention, the stares she received. In Palenia, it was relatively normal for those regarding a manakete with the utmost reverence. Euri even had worshippers of the Goddess bow down at her feet. The old ladies? They stared at her with fear, as if they had seen a cursed ghost.

While she was not one to refuse attention of any kind, this unnerved her just slightly. A part of her wanted to remind the Tarosians of her status and teach them the correct way to address a daughter of the Goddess. Alas, this was only a minor inconvenience; and a sharp amber glare usually forced them to mind their own business. As expected of a symbol of the Goddess, she followed closely by Alvise. Oddly enough, her presence enough made her seem just like another lord.

The silver haired manakete took almost no offense from Carlo. She figured out quickly enough that he was merely looking to be abused, even if it unsettled her just as much as the citizens of Purus were. While a part of her wanted to give him his due diligence, she couldn't complain. Worshippers were always welcomed, even through unconventional ways.

Eurielle gave a hint of an inquisitive eyebrow, pretending not to hear until her fellow Palenians jumped in to defend her. As expected, of course. "Of course, my Lord. Perhaps Carlos needs to be reminded of the way of the Goddess again." Eurielle glanced at the golden bodyguard quite nonchalantly compared to the rest of the Palenians.

"Thank you, everyone. There will be no need for ravaging of any kind." She curtly responded to the groups treatment of Carlo.

Truthfully, Eurielle found this town a bit boring. She couldn't understand how Alvise seemed so interested in making a good impression, when clearly the Tarosians had not bothered in doing the same. Besides, Purus looked like the outside of a prison. Not that she knew how correct Eurielle truly was. Instead, she lagged behind the Lord and Diantha towards the store down the street.

"Carlo." The manakete casually stated, grabbing his attention. "Your comrades are right. As forgiving as I may be, you have dishonoured and insulted a daughter of the Goddess. Kneel and beg for forgiveness at once." At least the knight would provide some form of entertainment during their painstakingly boring visit.

 

[SirBlazeALot]

ENEMY PHASE
Turn 1
The town guards stand diligently at the gates to ensure the safety of the visiting Nethites.

OTHER PHASE
Turn 1
The merchants of the market eye the foreigners, each one hoping that one of the noble lords spends a fortune at their stand.

PLAYER PHASE
Turn 2
Current Battle
​

Hayden Harland
Location: He's going to Flint's, fuck the cells for now I gotta shrink the map guys :T
Kickin' It With: Rose, Vilma, Fira

Hayden nodded vigorously in response to Vilhelmina's question about Tarosian cuisine. "Oh yeah, totally! But it's not just different from what we eat at home! Taros has a ton of variety depending on where you are! What we eat here is probably totally different from what someone in south Taros might eat! I got to try a ton of different Tarosian snacks while I was at the palace. The Emperor has master chefs from all over the continent on demand!" The day of his release still weighed heavily on his mind. Prior to that, he'd been eating prisoner's gruel during his detainment. The gruel mixture had been heavy on rice, and as a result Hayden had been avoiding rice based recipes. Even the sight of it made him slightly nauseous. "They're big on rice down south," he informed her with a detectable contempt despite the enthusiastic tone. "Luckily not so much up north."

He found himself falling quite well into the role of a tour guide, even though he wasn't a native. The explorer gave another nod to Rosa's astute observation. "Oh yeah, Tarosians are all about the respeeect. Th--" Before Hayden could go on to elaborate, he had the cookies snatched by the hot headed dragon lady. "Whoa!! H-Hey! That's not respectful! Jeez! What's up your butt!?" For once Hayden felt embarrassed to be a Nethite in Taros. Even as a prisoner, the guards had shown great interest in learning about and understanding Neth, and now here they were making first impressions for all Nethites. "You're gonna make us look like barbarians ya silly little lizard! Relax... be respectful," he said at a low volume and a soothing tone.

Vilhelmina's offer to join her shopping would be a convenient way to distance himself from the ill-behaved dragon, so he took it up immediately along with Rose. "Yeah, let's go check it out! I'll escort both of you ladies~!" With that, Hayden lead the way through the market and to the island Vilhelmina had pointed out. And quite coincidentally, he found Flint's. "Hey there it is!" He wasn't aware of its reputation like Rose, but it was very clearly a weapon store so he figured Vilhelmina would be quite interested to take a look. He turned to her and chirped, "C'mon, let's go look at the swords!" before rushing into the blacksmith's shop.

His hype was dampened when he got inside and saw the... stock. To begin with, there was barely any weapons lining the walls of the shop. Unlike the cafe, there wasn't a single soul to greet them. Hayden suspected that if he wanted to, he could just take something and walk right out with it. He'd been prepared to spill everything he knew about Tarosian weaponry but... well there was only so much he could talk about in here. On top of that, all of the blades appeared to be used, and worn. Some of them were even rusted and chipped. He lifted a short sword from its brace and went on to tell Vilma about it anyway. "Well uh... this is a Tarosian short sword, it's a very popular variant up north and often paired with a shield..." He wiggled the handle of the sword, and the blade itself appeared to stir and wiggle about as well, as if it would separate from the grip the instant you swung it. "It looks like I made this though..."

theplasticdemon Waverly InsaneAsylum


Ava Winfield
Location: Mainland Goods
Kickin' It With: Mordimort, Llyr

Ava fully expected pushback from Mordimort, and had prepared herself for bellyaching. But, she was proud of the girl for sucking it up and not whining for too long. "Of course! I wouldn't dream of making you work during the festival, Mordi!" she assured her. It was a total lie, Ava often dreamed about the heaps of gold she could do a Scrooge McDuck dive into if only forced labor were legal. Conversely, she expected very little protest from Llyr and was spot on. She scoffed lightly at the bibliophile's playful threat and replied, "I should hope not Mr. Valeriev, I would hate to have to think of you as anything less than the responsible young man I know you to be."

Quite like Llyr, Ava had expected the three of them to split up, but she had no qualm with Llyr and Mordimort working together. Mordimort could use someone to reign her in and Llyr could use the company. She was concerned about the kid's social skills, so she was quite delighted when the Senator passed by and extended an invitation to roll with the big boys. She studied Llyr's reaction, and the conflict within him was evident. Ava gave him a small nod of approval and a dismissive hand gesture as if to say "run along with your friends just don't be late for dinner" to fortify his own decision.

However, now that she was thinking about it more, leaving Mordimort to her own devices in the general store seemed about as sensible as leaving Gallagallagan in a room full of new and very chewy shoes. She followed after Mordi and was met with the polite greeting from the vigilant shop keep. "Good afternoon," Ava replied, offering a small bow of her own. They seemed to be into bowing, so Ava figured she may as well imitate them. Though she made a note to ask Hayden when it was and wasn't appropriate to bow.

She left Mordi alone and went to the opposite side of the store to record her data. However, she would glance over at the girl every so often to see if she was remaining productive. Meanwhile, the merchant also made sure to note a few necessities that they would have to purchase such as vulneraries and antitoxins. In the event that someone got food poisoning or suffered an allergic reaction from some weird Tarosian dish, it would be important to have those on hand. She also noticed a nice little tan satchel that she was heavily considering purchasing for Mordimort. The girl would probably be happy to get a gift and said gift would help her fulfill her duties as a pack mule.

The next time Ava glanced at Mordi, she found her where she had been the last two times she looked: in front of a pair of shoes. Ava could smell a frivolous investment in the works like a bloodhound. She took the satchel and strode across the store to stand behind Mordi. "Ahem." She cleared her throat to get the girl's attention. "Are there holes in your boots, darling~?" she asked in a deceptively sweet tone. Ava looked down and said, "No, the shoes you have appear to be perfectly fine~! You don't need those. But, you know what you do need?" Ava draped the strap of the messenger bag over Mordi's shoulders. "A nice satchel!"

Orikanyo Pretzel Heart


Carlo Dolores
Location: Near White Lotus and Shit
Kickin' It With: Mattius, Alvise, Diantha, Eurielle

No doubt to everyone's staunch disapproval, Carlo met their disapproving words and threats with a subtle ecstasy. His comrades had done a truly excellent job of feeding the troll. He closed his silver eyes and sighed heavily as if he was at a day spa as Mattius berated and threatened him. The butler was so forward and passionate in his aggression, it made Carlo's heart race with anticipation. The butler's final threat to "ravage him" took him over the edge, causing Carlo to make a small little content "Mm~" sound as his eyes opened and came to focus on the butler. "Is that a promise, Becker~?" he egged the butler on with the disgustingly smooth and predatory inflection of his voice.

Unfortunately for Carlo, his lord Alvise attempted to soothe the butler's fiery wrath. Alvise's word was law as far as the rest of them were concerned, and he was even tempered and endlessly understanding. He'd never approve of actually letting Mattius dish out the punishment he desired, and in a way that was why Carlo enjoyed serving him. There was something thrilling for Carlo about constantly being denied the painful retribution he deserved at the hands of the butler. It made Mattius's rage build and build so that every time Carlo said something stupid, Mattius would be even more enraged than the last time. That's how they got to this point already. "Apologies milord," he bowed his head to Alvise. "Your patience inspires me to be a better man."

Diantha wasn't having it though, and while she didn't meet him with the same fire as Mattius, she did meet him with a chilling and "subliminal" blow to his ego. But he wanted her to do better. In fact he knew she had it in her to do better. But now was not the time to provoke her any further. The key to his schtick was to do it sparingly, but sometimes he just couldn't help himself. "You cut me deep, milady," he replied to the adventuring knight. "As a loyal servant of Lord Alvise, I find it quite uncouth that you would proclaim to know better than he. I pray that you don't find your boasts tested during our time here."

But out of everyone, there was one woman who put the rest to shame. Carlo felt his connection to Eurielle deepen as she displayed exactly why he liked her so much. She just... got him, in ways that other people didn't. To Carlo, Eurielle was absolute proof that Her sons and daughters truly were above the rest of mankind, she was as close to Naga as he could get in this life. He looked to her with bright eyes but otherwise masked his thrill behind his usual smug expression. "Yes of course Lady Eurielle!" Carlo took to one knee in front of her, and looked up at her longingly. "I could pray to Her from now until my dying day and I still wouldn't be worthy of standing in your presence." Carlo got on both knees and then his hands even, and brought his entire body into a low bow so that his forehead was on the ground. He'd kiss Eurielle's shoes if he were worthy of touching her, and if the giant sun piece on the back of his armor didn't prevent him from getting closer than he was. "I beg of thee and our great Mother, forgive my transgressions!"

hosaki theplasticdemon Orikanyo Pretzel Heart

 

[Orikanyo]

Abelhard Nickolaus Diederich Dolphus Ivanus Conrado Schwarzwind
Location: W37
interactions: KageYuuki Arcenix, InsaneAsylum Fira

"A very long ride indeed Arcenix, I dare say I almost forgot what lands looks like! hahaha." the pure prince laughed at the small quip, and led Sylvia forwards, the wyvern letting her similarly firey and draconic friend run her small hand across her. "Your words ring true Fira, I would trust with food with any other than you." he always loved to see the manakete fired up, she was such a warm and frank person even if she had only one volume setting. Arcenix was glum but very cool, a soothing balm for the odd nature of the new world and the chaos that comes with it. He knew he could trust these two, but he must remember his duty to lead, even if he wishes to become good friends with the two.

Though what do you two think about taros so far? it reminds me of home with it's military fashion." the prince remained optimistic, or so one would think. His eyes watched the battlements, seeing the archers, the various guards and the griphons flying about.

"Indeed, very much reminds me of home.... Mind yourselves... I don't like the look of this" the prince's demeanor didn't change, he was still looking very amicable and calm, but his compatriots could tell the fire behind it grew. It could be more seen in his wyvern, Slyvia was quite aggitated and looked ready to pounce on somebody, giving eyes to just about anybody who DARED to come in a range of her gaze.

It was only the fact Abel didn't say she could that she didn't let out a triumphant roar to signify her new arrival to the new world. Though as her gaze turned to Fira she let out a little wiggle of a forked tongue and booped her hand with her scaley nose, the warm breath painting the manakete's arm with abit of wetness that quickly left.

The wyvern's scales shined in the sunlight, looking as if she were made of pure bronze in her green scaled godlyness.


MORDIMORT! THE GREAT AND POWER HEROINE OF THE STORY! ALSO MERCHANT'S ASSISTANT!
Location: X35 staying
Interactions: Ava S SirBlazeALot

Her dreams were shattered from the moment Mordimort had the satchel placed upon her shoulders. No boots for her today... The young woman seemed to wither for a moment... Before puffing up again faster than a pufferfish with an anger issues. "I-I was simply looking at them! Goodness! Can't a young lady go five seconds without being access of being against frugality! How.. Silly!" she huffed, before glancing to a nearby mirror...

Goddess damn... She did look good with that satchel.. Much better than that big butt Ava and her stupid big butt. She was actually rather cute with this satchel... She began to turn and sway in front of the mirror. "Hmm.... I guess you have a point... I do look rather cute with this..." she started to come to terms with the idea, a finger tapping her chin in thought like a certain similarly hair colored merchant the world knows and loves. "Hmm... Fine! I suppous this will go well, though it does mean i can quite abit of space..." she paused, looking at everything around them.

"Maybe we should look at other stores as well to see if theres something else out there..." Mordi began to think about that one other shop with the magic tomes in the window... But then there was the cafe... "Do you think we can stop by the cafe? Maybe see if they have any tea? Goodness that ship had piss water for tea I swear, only Rosa could make any goodness out of that cistern filth." the young lady prattled on about tea even as she walked to the counter and plopped the satchel there, knowing Ava was the one who was more fluent in the art of closing the sale she would let her do the talking.

"Hmm.. perhaps the shop keep is right about the anti toxin... the last thing we need is one of our lords feeling Ill before, or after, a dinner... Or perhaps theres snakes out there which might be venomous? I remember takeing down a fair share of snakes back home.. No idea why they kept sneaking into home... Vulneraries might be helpful as well, perhaps two of each for safe keeping?" the young lady's actual professional side finally came out, giving way to some actual forethought as she gazed up at the many little objects around.

"hrmm.... Tea...." which was cut short by the thoughts of tea...

Mattius Becker, the mild mannered man of meat.
Location: near to lord Alvis wherever he may be.
Interacting: Alvis hosaki Carlo S SirBlazeALot Eurielle @theglassangel Fira(From a distance) InsaneAsylum

"Yes my lord, I am sorry for the disturbance!" Mattius seemed to snap to attention at the words of the calm fellow, but was nearly brought to tears by his proclamation that HE shall be the one to attend to him further, which of course was obvious since he was his personal servant but by the goddess's glorious grace he felt pride knowing he was requested by his own lord! indeed, he had been pulling out his best for the man, but now he shall only ACCEPT the very best!

That'll show that wretched little newt!! He glared from his far off point towards Fira, he could almost feel the rage boiling up inside him over her proclamations of being the better chef. They fell on a draw last time, but by the goddess she shall be defeated! Even if she was a higher being of course, bless the goddess and her immence radiance.

But he will not stand to call searing meat so crudely cooking!!!

Ah wait, what was he angry about before? Carlo? Shit what did he do?

Wait, shit he was praying to Eurielle now, what the hell was he planning now. Was he daring to get a better look at lady Eurielle's gorgeous legs? HOW DARE HE!! THAT WRETCHED FOOL LIKELY THINKS HE CAN SNEAK A PEEK UNDERNEATH HER DRESS AS WELL!

WHAT INSOLENCE!!!

Fire seemed to ignite in his eyes once more... But he held himself stable for once. "Our lord moves elsewhere, we must attend to him." Mattius followed his lord dutifully, turning away from the OBSCENITY that was happening before him. Goddess give him strength to survive the tomfoolery that Carlos is bringing about, and smite him good for his transgressions!!

Please?


GALLAGALLAGAN! THE MAN! THE DOG! THE MANDOG! THE BEST FRIEND TO ALL!
Location: Cocoa-Ro
Interaction: Cael KageYuuki Llyr Pretzel Heart

"Mochi sounds wierd..." Galla whined slightly, looking down at the menu that was on the table, but wasn't fully certain what most of the things were. "Red bean... gelaytoo?" The dog man cocked his head, staring at the hard word. "Rasberry... Bleh... peach Slavilam? Shushui? fat vespa? More gellytoo..." the wolf man tried hard to sound it all out, but it really was far to odd for him, he wanted meat already... But the shushui said it had fish... he didn't like fish, the boat ride was full of it and he didn't like dinner anymore due to it.

But now dinner was going to be great!

So many new things to eat!

"Cael! The food has silly names!" Galla blurted out, getting a yelp from the attendant next to him, who looked more than afraid at the moment, but curious about Galla's ears. "Are they real...?" she whispered, causing the wolfskin's ear to twitched, but he was focused on Cael regardless, and the new guy. "oosake? I want some to! wait.. And... gellatoo!" he claimed pointing to one of the two on the list.

The shaking young lady enxt to him seemed to squeak out. "Umm.. Which... one?"

"The... Whats a bannanana?" "okay be right back!' she rushed off with a speed that could rival a pegasus, getting galla once again confused. "Huh... Tarosian people are weird. that tail didn't look real either, looked like it went up her butt.... Or maybe... Nah..." Galla sighed, finally calming down abit, before looking at the newcomer and then Cael.

"...Umm... The stores are weird here... And they got all these.. things around..." he started looking at the charms, alot were pretty in truth. He liked some of them that kinda looked tough enough to play with, though some of them looked really weird... two rings, a bag of... dust? and... was that a whip? hes seen somebody use those before, it was so cool how they could do tricks and suff with them.

He wants to do tricks to...

The furry being's ears twitched left and right as it kept hearing odd noises from the back and around them. whispers, chopping, more whispering, sounds of flapping far off... yea, it was better than listening to the ocean all the time. "So what do you think will be at dinner!?"

 

[hosaki]

Alvise Merlo
Location: White Lotus
Interacting with: Bella, Diantha, Mattias

At Diantha's near slip up, Alvise realized that somewhere along the way she'd taken to calling him with an honorific. It was rather strange, receiving such a formality from her, but also oddly amusing. "I'll take you up on your offer then. Please, lead the way, Miss Endzel."

He could always trust in Diantha to remain on task (that is, when Tünde wasn't misbehaving again). With an oblivious smile, Alvise pretended as if he were unaware of the strange display between Carlo and Eurielle occurring behind him. Hopefully Eurielle's abuse would stave off Carlo's smart mouth for a few hours and peace would finally reign within their party -- especially when an outsider from Fuccino would be watching. Alvise gave Bella a warm greeting as the healer approached.

"Ah, might you be referring to that shrine-like building up ahead?" So that was a shop for magical goods. Such appropriation of sacred architecture for mercantile purposes would never have been acceptable in Palenia, but perhaps Tarosians had a different relationship with their religion. Or maybe Hayden had been teasing him about the houses of worship, like those 'centaur' stories with Miss Winfield -- though Alvise could hardly see the value in telling such a lie.

"Miss Endzel and I were just thinking of going there ourselves. If Miss Del'Fille does not mind our company, shall we go together?"

----

The interior of the store appeared just as foreign as its exterior to the Nethian-born Alvise, but he had to admit that the red lacquered beams running across the ceiling and the ashy, perfumed scent hanging in the air were pleasing to his senses. At first glance, the shop appeared to be entirely empty.

"Should we visit some other time?" Alvise wondered aloud. As if summoned by his voice, a small woman materialized from behind a curtain.

"I had not been expecting customers." She seemed abashed at having been caught unawares by their arrival. If she was surprised by their strange dress, she did not show it. "Welcome to the White Lotus." She bowed gracefully. "You are free to look around. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them."

Alvise wondered what was the appropriate level of courtesy to extend to this stranger, whose status hovered between "priestess" and "merchant".

"Thank you for your warm welcome, Miss- I confess I am unfamiliar with the Tarosian forms of formal address. We are travelers from Neth, you see."

She appeared amused at Alvise's burst of forthcoming. "Please, call me Sister Mie. That is what the others call me around these parts."

Sister Mie. So she was affiliated with the church after all? Alvise turned this revelation over in his mind as he browsed through the humble shop. Its walls were lined with an assortment of tomes and scrolls alike, some with symbols Alvise could make out and others that he could not. Truthfully, Alvise possessed only a cursory interest in the shop's wares; from what he observed, many were not tailored to his natural affinity, after all. His own capabilities in the school of anima magic still needed much work, so he was regretfully incapable of using most of the tomes available.

"Mattius, is there anything that catches your eye?" He would have to buy something if he were to successfully extract any information from Sister Mie, and better that the item were useful rather than not.

As an aside, he turned to Diantha with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Miss Endzel. This must be boring for you." It was strange, having her accompany him as a retainer would, when just a few months ago she had oft been welcomed in his home as a dear guest.

Pretzel Heart , Orikanyo , InsaneAsylum


Gianni Fairburn
Location: Cocoa-Ro
Interacting with: Caelestis, Gallagallagan, Llyr

Hm... To leave his carriage or not to leave his carriage, that was the question. He'd been mistaken about Mister Valeriev; as soon as Miss Winfield had summoned him, Gianni had expected the straight-laced boy to follow. In the end, it appeared that he also had a heart that desired play over work sometimes. The thought was enough to urge Gianni into following by example. He leapt from his seat at the reins and entrusted his most prized possession to a bewildered teenager clad in footman's attire. Well, if anything funny went down, Asher would not hesitate to bite. The horse seemed to think itself a dog at times, though it possessed none of a dog's playfulness.

Gianni hadn't known what to expect with the Laguz wearing servants' clothing outside, but it was nothing like the scene set within. An army of handsome butlers and maids bustled about to serve tea to customers seated at various tables. Oh, so this was a cafe for the poor to experience a bit of the high life. Well, he could get behind that.

Gianni snuck up behind Llyr and slung an arm around the boy. "Peach savillum..." He sounded out over the other's shoulder. "Mmm... sounds good. You should eat something too -- you're all skin-and-bone, Llyr." He attempted to pinch the boy's cheeks as if to prove his point. "It's okay if I call you Llyr, right? Mister Valeriev always felt strange to me, since you're a year younger than me." He flashed a roguish grin and plopped himself down into the neighboring seat.

Gallagallagan, as usual, seemed utterly fascinated by everything and utterly ignorant of everything at the same time. Gianni wondered if the wolf-man had been living in the wilderness before being picked up by Caelestis. "A banana... let's see... It's a fruit that looks like a crescent moon. Most people peel off the skin to eat the white flesh inside. It's kind of... mushy?" Thinking about it that way, bananas weren't particularly appealing fruits, were they.

"Speaking of bananas, that reminds of a true story I heard from a ship hand about an incident that happened at sea..."

KageYuuki Orikanyo Pretzel Heart

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Fira
Location - Near Abel and his Beautiful Wyvern
Interacting with - Abel Orikanyo

“You’d better be careful though kid,” Fira said to Abel, eyeing a group of holy-women passing by. “These ladies keep look at us with weird looks!” By we, Fira really meant her. It was odd to see such a small girl with what looked like a well armed group of nobles and warriors.

“Have these old ass ladies never seen a manakete before? Hell, I bet they don’t even have manaketes here! Maybe I should show them what a manakete can do if they wanna keep glaring at me like I’m just some little human kid!” Fira got progressively louder and angrier as more and more people started looking at her in her outburst. From a distance, it looked and sounded as if a child was throwing a small tantrum. The manakete’s child-like voice didn’t help. But in reality, it was a fire dragon trying to hold themselves back after being holed up in a ship all the time. With the risk of drowning no longer an issue, putting her dragonstone to use would be the most satisfying thing she’d done in ages.

-----

Bella
Location - White Lotus
Interacting with - Alvise hosaki , Diantha Pretzel Heart

“Why I’d love to join you two,” Bella replied happily, as her steed led her after Alvise and Diantha to the White Lotus. She smiled to herself, thinking about how each of the Prince’s had brought such wonderful people along with them, and each group had their own quirks. They were all more than just servants to their prince’s at this point after such a long journey after all. Diantha’s mount was quite the character as well.

Inside, Bella found the White Lotus to be a quaint little store. In Fuccino, she had had access to many magical stores, but this one had its own style that stuck out to her. Taros was an interesting place so far. She briefly gazed over the staves in store. They were different than the ones back home, and yet at the same time they were quite similar. Bella was satisfied with the staves she owned anyway, and doubted she was allowed to spend money on anything too expensive anyway. Bella noticed Alvise browsing over the dark tomes, which the healer had no clue how to make us of. They kind of scared her a bit as well, with all the frightening things they could do to a person. Anima magic was much more Bella’s style. She had been pretty good at it when she used to practice it in Fuccino years ago.

“Lord Alvise, I see that you’re quite interested in the dark magic. Is that the field of magic you practice?” Bella asked, wondering if her hunch was correct.

 

[KageYuuki]

Arcenix Esdaria

Location: Wherever Abel goes, Blaze hasn't shrunk the map yet
Interacting With: Abel Orikanyo Fira InsaneAsylum

Despite having recently assaulted him with a cookie - which a small Drake was now happily munching on - Hayden seemed oblivious to Arcenix's ire. Typical. Maybe one of these days he'd figure out a hex to fix their guide's wavering attention span. Honestly, it was more than a little worrying he was their guide in this completely foreign world.

At least Abel shared his unease with this place. "Of course," his expression was kept neutral as he walked alongside his liege's very tense wyvern. Even Soneth, the Ebony Drake lounging on his shoulders had grown anxious in response to the larger dragon. "It's good to see the journey didn't dull your senses." He jokingly chided.

Arcenix watched a group of Griffons fly overhead. Dockworkers had no reason to be armed...

The druid's attention was quickly jerked back to their group as Fira began yelling at the passersby. "Now, Fira," he leaned closer to the Manakete. "Do remember we're representing the entirety of Neth right now. Whether or not they've seen Manaketes before matters little, we cannot be burning anyone." Arcenix quickly glanced towards the archers on the nearby walls, "Unless we were directly attacked, of course. So I do suggest keeping those flames of yours in check. Unless, of course, you'd like to be stricken with... an unfortunate ailment of some kind."


Caelestis Tirana
Location: Cocoa-Ro
Interacting With: Galla Orikanyo Lyr Pretzel Heart Gianni hosaki

"I came after all...hope you don't mind, Senator Caelestis."

Deep blue eyes flickered over to Lyr as he took a seat beside him, the young man quickly seemed to be second-guessing his decision. Sitting up, the Senator clapped the smaller man on the shoulder. "Nonsense Lyr, glad you could get away from that slavedriver for a bit." A playful, catlike smile crossed his lips as he lowered his voice, "I wonder if she even knows the meaning of the word 'relax'."

Listening to Galla try to figure out all the strange new foods on the menu, Caelestis couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Mmm, the names are definitely different from the stuff back home." He returned to comfortably leaning against the Wolfssegner. Though his friend's confused murmurings on the waitstaff caught his attention, "You know... I'm not sure why they're dressing like Laguz. It's a little odd if you ask me." Could there be some kind of importance with the Laguz here? Somehow he doubted that...

As Gianni dove into his story, their food was brought out along with enough sake for the four of them. Caelestis took a moment to observe the pale pink dessert now sitting before him. The waitress daintily poured out four cups, passing them out and seemingly being careful not to look at any of them. He couldn't help but watch her scuttle away as soon as she was finished.

Shrugging off the oddity, Caelestis picked up the small cup. "Well, it was a long journey to get here, but here's to a pleasant and profitable stay here in Taros."