Porthca Landing II: Lost & Found

[Wookie Nookie]

"A toast! To new friends and grand adventures!" Magnolia yelled at the top of her lungs, stood on the chair for everyone to see.
Plopping back down on her bottom she realised that the previous explaination was more of a cursory one. She wanted, no needed to know more about their venture.

"So who wants to tell me more about this thieves tomb-a-ma-gig? Is it full of treasure? Fraught with dangerous perils?" Her quiet tone was that of a conspirator, what if this was done great secret that people would kill for? No that wouldn't do, darn rascals.

 

[Ash-6116]

Tyrius smiled as Magnolia brought up the topic he'd spent the last few days studying along with Niradnam. "Well, we worked out from old maps that it's roughly four days North of Wyford," began Tyrius, talking just loud enough to be heard by Magnolia over the general tavern chatter, "And should be full of many magic items." Tyrius nodded towards Niradnam, "Our friend here found the way to get in. We're after a specific item, most likely a pearl, that The Sea would want."

'And, since its all stolen property, maybe we should scavenge as much as we can and return them to their rightful owners?' thought the sorcerer to himself.

 

[NotHaruka]

Virra gave Niradnam an odd look, wondering if he might just be teasing her in his deadpan way. "...It's the spice of life?" she prompted him. Weirdo. Hearing that he didn't plan to give a demonstration of his abilities was another bummer -- and she hadn't been prepared for his accusation, either. "What, no! That wasn't the onlyreason!" she protested. "Do I need to have an ulterior motive for wanting to see you outside of the library? Gosh." He really was getting under her skin to make her say things like "ulterior motive". More and more unpleasant reminders of other people.

Well, whatever. She distracted herself with the toast, declaring: "To new friends, grand adventures and the raiding of thieves' hoards!" before downing her brandy and sitting back. For a minute she was worried that the stuff was going to burn a hole out through her throat, but she managed to recover with a minimum of hacking and spluttering. She was still dabbing at her streaming eyes when the conversation turned to the hoard itself. "It's going to be great," she whistled. "It's been so long since my last proper pay day. Taking the bandits' stuff didn't really do it for me, but I think a cave full of magic artefacts'll hit the spot."

 

[Abrahms]

Wyford | Late Evening | Restless Devil Inn:

Elizabeth openly grimaced as she downed her drink, smiling towards Valerie, "Well then, guess you'll be drinking most of the bottle then!" Hearing Ty mention the treasure hoard, Elizabeth gestured towards him with her glass, "An -- and you're gonna tell me aaaaall about it when you return so I can write a great ballad about it! Maybe you guys should think of like ... like a group name so I don't havta name each onna you separately? That's a lot."

At Virra's answer, Niradnam facepalmed, "... right. Sorry." At her mental answer he replied, "I didn't mean it that way -- just I was always taught to keep my abilities secret as much as I could. I'm hesitant to just start doing things openly." He swirled his drink, "I'm ... also not used to people being around me unless it's for research or they want something. Apologies."

 

[WetHawk]

Valerie hid the disbelief from her expression at hearing Elizabeth’s request and smiled, nodding to her. “Oh, of course! I would be glad to. After all, I love the taste of brandy so much.” Bring it down a level. She chided herself. You wish to be fun and exciting, not an alcoholic. At Elizabeth’s question of a name, Valerie was quiet for a moment as she thought to herself before frowning slightly. “I do not believe it to be wise to name ourselves for deeds we have yet to accomplish, and our group has only recently begun to finalize its ranks. It would hardly be fair to Magnolia or Mr. Niradnam for us to name ourselves for any of our past deeds, however. Unless anyone has any better suggestions, perhaps we should wait to choose until we return?”

Glancing down at the glass before her, Valerie crossed her fingers before picking it up and taking a big drink, finishing her first glass. Rather than the small sip, however, this time it burned going down. She slammed down the glass with no visible change in expression and managed to keep herself from gagging. Looking around the room, however, something seemed a little... off about the world. Why is everyone moving so strangely?

 

[Ash-6116]

Tyrius grinned, "What did you think the books were for Elizabeth? I'm going to write everything we do down and then when we come back I'll give you the filled tomes. And I brought a book for each of us, so if anyone else wanted to join in there's plenty of material." As Valerie spoke up, Tyrius nodded, "We can always think about a group name along the way."

Seeing Elizabeth's concerned expression, Tyrius looked to Valerie and the already downed glass, "Erm, Elizabeth, how strong is that drink?" he asked.

 

[Wookie Nookie]

Looking straight at Valerie, "you, you will dance with me!" Not giving her a chance to respond or resist she dragged her off her chair into the open space between tables.

"Don't be nervous, even if we crash into things, we're still going to have a good time. Now may Yondalla guide us so we can have a good time!" Grabbing her hands firmly, she launched both of them into a bizarre Negrastic jig. Limbs flailing everywhere; summing, twirling, and jumping. If not for heavenly guidance who knows how it would have turned out...

Sometime about halfway through her crazed dancing, Magnolia noticed a group of patrons playing dice... Games... Games were fun... I wonder how you play...

 

[WetHawk]

Valerie was about to respond to Tyrius about how she was quite fine, thank you for asking, before she felt small arms dragging her off before she could resist. She glanced back helplessly towards the table. "Erm, I suppose I am doing this now..." She attempted to follow Magnolia's rapid dancing for a few moments, but her movements felt too slow and delayed to keep up. Instead, she settled into a more graceful rhythm, timing Magnolia's larger movements with a twirl or leap of her own to still make it appear as if they were dancing together. She began to enjoy herself, laughing as she got more and more into the dance... but that also might have been the alcohol's doing.

 

[DevilishEgg]

Faust peeked his sleepy head out of the case scouting the joint keeping any eye out for Cookie lady. Satisfied to see she seemed busy elsewhere he executed his daring escape and hopped out of the case and onto the table looking for that sweet, sweet forbidden juice.

He found Val’s unattended drink and leaned forward to take a sip.

 

[NotHaruka]

Virra looked at Niradnam with renewed sympathy. "Well, consider this a trial run," she said eventually. "You're out with a bunch of people who don't want anything from you except to know you're having a good time. So just relax and get to know a few of 'em." She made sure to cut the mental link before adding, And let them get to know your crazy body-changing powers.

She was in the middle of refilling everybody's glasses (and almost drenching Faust without noticing) when Magnolia pulled Valerie to her feet and started an impromptu dance. Naturally she cheered, especially when Val turned out to be surprisingly good at it. "Okay, we can't let them get all the attention," she decided, turning to the others at the table as she slapped her leg in time with the music. "Who's gonna dance with me?" She looked imploringly from face to face. Tyrius, Elizabeth, Niradnam... would there be a taker?

Seeing something that wasn't a total refusal in Elizabeth's expression, Virra leaped to her feet and gamely extended her hand to the noblewoman. She'd been waiting for an occasion to dance, and the need to one-up Magnolia was as good as any. She quickly reached into the noosphere, intending to grab the necessary skills from someone else and pair them with her own enthusiasm.

In hindsight, that might have been a mistake. She was constantly putting her feet in the wrong places and, weirdly enough, so was Elizabeth. They went staggering all over the tavern floor like a couple of drunks, at one point crashing sidelong into their own table and spilling the unattended glasses.

Virra at least had the decency to sound slightly embarrassed when she laughed. "A little practice necessary, huh?" she said to her brief dancing partner, wincing as she rubbed her hip.

 

[Abrahms]

Wyford | Late Evening | Restless Devil Inn:

Before Valerie got pulled away by the Halfling, Elizabeth gave a knowing smile towards her brother, "If you sip it, it's fine -- if you chug it down, that's where the problems start." She laughed and clapped as she saw the pair attempting to dance, a few glances and stares from across the room of people trying to scoot their chairs out of the way.

Seeing Virra's desire to dance, Elizabeth hopped up -- unfortunately any of the moves she tried to do only worked well with someone her size. Still giggling regardless she nodded, "Practice is always good, even if it might be painful."

 

[WetHawk]

After dancing with Magnolia for a while, Valerie’s attention was drawn to the commotion by the table. She looked over and failed to suppress a giggle. “Are you two alright? Maybe you both should refrain from the brandy for a while.”

Looking over at the two seated, Valerie smiled at Tyrius. “I am sure you know better than I how to dance with the small folk. I am afraid that I can hardly keep up. Perhaps you might wish to take my partner?” She smiled apologetically to Magnolia. “Pardon me, but I am unfamiliar with the dance styles of your people. I would be eager to learn at a later date, however.”

Valerie then eyed Niradnam up and down before nodding slightly to herself. “Mr. Niradnam, you strike me as a man with which I could find a more comfortable pace. By any chance would you be willing to dance with me?” She smiled to him with a hopeful look.

 

[Abrahms]

Wyford | Late Evening | Restless Devil Inn:

Niradnam had stayed at the table, glancing down at the somewhat familiar looking passed out rat on the table before looking up at Valerie's offer. A deep red started to spread around his face as he nervously ran a hand through his hair, "Ah ... uhm ... I haven't really danced before, I ... I wouldn't want to mess you up." He looked over towards Virra, seeming to remember what she said as he stood up hesitantly, "If ... if you're okay with someone who doesn't know what they're doing?"

 

[WetHawk]

Valerie gave him a warm smile and nodded. "Of course I am okay with that! It is hardly a formal ball or anything, merely enjoying the company of some friends. Come on, I'll show you the ropes. It will be grand!" Her head still swirled slightly for a moment before her hand finally obeyed her brain's command and reached out to Niradnam.

 

[Abrahms]

Wyford | Late Evening | Restless Devil Inn:

With a hesitant nod, Niradnam took her hand, not entirely sure what to do, and attempted to follow her lead. However some of the drink still appeared to be in her system as she started to lead the pair towards less friendly tables. Attempting an assuring smile and nodded apology towards them, he managed to lead Valerie back towards where the others were. While they continued to attempt what both considered dancing, he muttered to her, "I really don't think this place is meant for dancing ... and I think some of the other patrons aren't pleased with our antics?"

 

[Ash-6116]

Taking Magnolia's hand, Tyrius did his best to do a jig the way the others were dancing. While he was a little more agile than his sister and managed to avoid trampling Magnolia's feet or bashing into her, it was still a small tavern so there wasn't as much space as there looked, particularly with the number of patrons around. Regardless, he managed to do a reasonable dance with Magnolia. As he danced, he hoped the holy woman was enjoying herself.

"So, come here often?" asked Tyrius, trying to strike up a conversation.

 

[WetHawk]

Valerie actually found herself very excited to be able to share her experience with someone else and happily dragged Niradnam out to a place where she thought they had more space. "Fantastic! Alright, so take this hand here." She held up his right hand, a little less high than she was used to thanks to the man's shorter stature. "Then your other hand goes here." She took his left and placed it against the small of her back. "And now just go where the music takes us!" She led the steps and was surprised to see Niradnam able to keep up so quickly and easily. "Wow, you are doing really well! Now try to move a little more with your right and then step lighter with your le-" She was cut short by a sudden movement from the older man pulling her back and away from a table she had nearly run into. She smiled to the patrons embarrassedly and gave them a little wave. "Oh, I am so sorry about that."

Allowing Niradnam to take the lead them both a distance away, she was happy to resume their dancing, but leaned in a little when she heard him talking. She was shocked to hear his take on the situation, and had to see it for herself. "Twirl me, please." She did a quick twirl and saw annoyance on the faces of the people she was near earlier, and looked back to Niradnam with a look of mild concern. "Should... should I go apologize to them again? I would hate to be ruining anyone else's night."

 

[Abrahms]

Wyford | Late Evening | Restless Devil Inn:

Switching sides with Valerie, Niradnam glanced at the table again and shrugged faintly, "I don't know ... they may just want to be left alone. I'd rather my first night in a tavern like this not end in some large brawl, you know? Right before we're all supposed to head out ..."

 

[WetHawk]

Valerie frowned and slowed her pace. "I would rather a brawl than a blade in my back in the alleys.” Brightening up slightly, she gave Niradnam a smile. “Besides, it never hurts to make new friends. Never know when you might run into them again.” Before he could protest, she slipped out of his grip and made her way back over to the people, smoothing out her dress and putting on a warm smile.

She gave the table a small wave. “Hello, gentlemen! My name is Valerie, it is a pleasure to meet you all. I just wanted to apologize for bothering you earlier. It appears I am unfamiliar with the cultures of this town. Can I buy you all a round?” She looked between them all hopefully.

 

[Wookie Nookie]

Laughing with Tyrius, "you silly boy, we both know I'm new in town." Jumping up to whisper in his ear, "So how about you ask me what you really want to know?"
She laughs to herself as she dances away...

 

[NotHaruka]

Even as Valerie tried to smooth things over with the other patrons, Virra continued to stumble around the tavern floor in a near stupor. No matter what knowledge she plucked from the noosphere, her feet just weren't up to the task of dancing. She couldn't understand it... was the floor on a tilt? Did she drink more than she realised? Was she unconsciously crushing on Elizabeth and losing her focus? It baffled her.

After a few minutes she finally stopped. "You know, I think I'm gonna go guard our table. Make sure our drinks don't get stolen." To cover her embarrassment, she gave the bard a grin and a thumbs-up. "Hope I got you warmed up for your performance!"

 

[Ash-6116]

Tyrius laughed, it seemed Magnolia was a good jolly soul. "Hmm, okay, how'd you end up dedicating your life to Yondalla?" Tyrius asked, curious to learn what would make someone dedicate their life to a higher power like that. As he continued to dance, Tyrius started to feel very relaxed and soon lost track of his other friends and how they were dancing.

 

[maasnssmaamsm]

Ander whistles quietly as he rushes through the halls of the manor. He is uncharacteristically out of his armor, only in the white and gold vestments that he tends to wear beneath it. He seems to be desperately looking for something as he pats his knees.

He looks up at the cracked door to the library and quickly moves for the door. He opens them, seeing Eliza asleep over some books. "Rupert, get yer butt over here!" he whispers mock-sternly as the small piglet trots its way toward the large human. He picks him up and holds the animal against his chest. He quietly moves a few books to keep them from falling as Eliza moves in her sleep, then he sits down in one of the comfy chairs behind her, putting his feet up and relaxing with his new friend curled up on his chest. His hand gently pats the pig's back as the holy symbol that is still tied around his hand bounces slightly.

 

[Wookie Nookie]

A smile lights up her face as she looks to him, "Yondalla was always there, even in childhood. She guides me every day, and all she asks in return is to live and let others live."

The confusion on the boys face was almost cute, he had so much to learn and experience. He was at that wonderful stage of still figuring everything out. "Don't worry hun, you'll get it one day."

 

[DevilishEgg]

Eliza gently stirs awake as she hears some strange snuffling and cracks a sleepy eye open. “Oh, hi there, Ander. What time is it? Are the others back yet?” She says groggily.

She was glad to see that Ander had stayed behind. The idea of going to a rowdy bar wasn’t exactly her cup of tea but she had forgotten how lonely reading alone all day could become. She had grown quite used to having at least someone around this past couple of weeks.