Take Back the Crown

Oceana noticed Aggie's furtive glances in her direction and sighed deeply, slightly agonized.
She debated about trying her best to radiate an uninviting aura but eventually decided to give the other elf a slight break.
"Yes?" Came the exasperated inquiry.
A slight break indeed.
Vys Vys
 
Blinking at the tone of the woman's voice, she turned her head again and closed her eyes halfway,"You seemed tense back when you were talking to that one named Jax, was it? You feeling alright? You were giving off mixed vibes."
Leaning forward she went and dumped a bucket of water on her head, rinsing the soap from her longer black hair, gasping ever so quietly as she inhaled.

OlKaJa77 OlKaJa77
 
"Jauquilinne Blaydhart." The forest elf sneered. "The almighty protector of Tarfella." Water splashed as Oceana shook her head. "Except she let those slavers hide out in the bowels of the city instead of wiping them out, too afraid of the dent it would make in this city's economy."
A sick feeling roiled in the huntress' stomach just at the thought, her mouth ranting uninhibited.
"You see, the nobles like entertainment. And many were close with the slaving underworld. Some even were slavers themselves."
"Sick. The lot of them." Came the feral growl, long fingers curling into white-knuckled fists.
"So I did what any aid to nature would do....I cut off the sick bit so the rest could grow."
"I destroyed them and their literal underground operation."
The growling voice lost some of its edge, recalling that fateful night.
"She was just the new captain at that time and I was broken and bleeding, stumbling out of a sewage drain."
A rueful smile graced her tattooed face, bitter humor dancing on her tongue.
"She disarmed me and before I knew it I was bound and unconscious, a burden she carried back to her cellar here in the knight keep."
"A hard interrogation came when I awoke. I was called a savage many times among other things. No doubt the captain had thought I spoiled her career."
The grim set of her jaw returned.
"But it didnae matter. I would have done it a thousand times over. Those filthy human slavers deserved to die."
The huntress shook her head and smirked as if someone had embarrassed themselves right before her. Perhaps herself.
"As soon as the captain left for her duties I escaped and I've avoided this city ever since."
The elf wasn't about to tell anyone about how the knight had patched up her injuries as she slept or that despite the hard language Jauquilinne fed her stew, as the elf's own hands were bound. Or how the elf waited on a nearby rooftop for the knight to return from her mission in the sewers safely, with a curious bundle of rags in her arms.
No one needed to know any of that.
Vys Vys
 
Pulling her wet hair into a half sort of bun, her fingers found the loop and she attentively listened as she put her hair up ontop of her head. Turning on her seat she watched Oceana speak, her face focused on the way the woman's face changed during the time she spoke.
Eventually she stood up and crossed her arms across her chest and made her way to the hot soaking pools, sitting across from Oceana, sinking down so her nose was submerged and eyes open. Nodding every once in a while to show that she was listening, she tipped her head to the side and upturned her brows,"I'm floored...wow." she pondered for a moment before looking up and smiling kindly,"We need more people like you at a time like this. I haven't been out in this world for very long, but my statement still stands." pulling her knees to her chest she rested her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around them.
Tucking a strand from her own face she closed her eyes and allowed the warmth to seep into her joints and she sank down lower into the water with a bubbly sigh. "We barely talked in the time weve been in company but I respect you alot." she offered a smile and closed her eyes for a moment.

OlKaJa77 OlKaJa77
 
Oceana was so shocked her head involuntarily cocked to the side, as if she was puzzled to why the dark elf would say such a thing. To echo Aggie's words she was, well, floored.
"Yeah... w-well- I- um Mhm huh- ahem..."
A flush was creeping up the huntress' neck and she looked everywhere but Aggie's eyes. And then after a mild self-inflicted heart attack she looked only at the other woman's face.
She decided on just closing her eyes, mortified at her inability to interact even with another elf.
After a few deep breaths, Oceana spoke once more.
"I donnae doubt that the knight had her reasons for all of that. I was young and reckless... I'm actually glad she tried to apologize..."
Her eyes shot open at her own admission but she couldn't stop the words now, stumble over them as she might.
"I just got so... so..buachar cruachan... what's the word? flustered? Yes."
She started over.
"I got so flustered and it came out all wrong. I just know I'm nae any kind of hero. I just did what I had to."
The proud huntress then preceded to sink into the water until her mouth was submerged, her ebony hair hiding the rest of her face and swirling about in the warm water.
Vys Vys
 
As the group departed, some went straight for the baths, some went for their rooms, and Svetlana guided Yaroslav towards their own. She didn't want to torment Yaroslav with the social bonding that was community bathing. "I'll probably just scrub you down like I did when you were just a wee lad, tracking in mud from searching for frogs after a heavy storm ." She chuckled at the countless times he had done it. Each time it rained, he would run around in the wet dirt and search through the mire for frogs, toads, worms and all sorts of critters that made his mother quite squeamish. Yaroslav just grumbled in response, but he could recall the scolding he was met with after such endeavors.
Svetlana finally arrived to their room and turned to the group briefly, "I'll join you all for a nice warm bath soon, but first I'll help my grandson settle in." She said before entering, "Try not to have too much fun with me! And hey- keep your sticky paws to yourselves. This isn't that kind of bath." She warned with a grandmotherly scowl.

The others continued onward towards the baths, Hjalmar quickened his steps to be the first so he wouldn't have to undress in front of an audience. He may have lived in Tárfella, and he may have been aware of its customs, but he had never been apart of anything so intimate- thieves tended to bathe on their own, and that was one thing about them he liked. He grimaced at the thought of sharing a bath with others. But his face remained expressionless despite his reservations. He entered the steamy room, and saw that both Aggie and Oceana had beaten him to it. He sighed, and tried to be quiet, though his footsteps became even more evident on the wet floors which made his boots squeak.
As he struggled with the latches to take off his leather armor, he felt particularly self conscious about revealing himself to anyone. His body was covered in numerous scars- he didn't want to be stared at, and what about the mark he had been trying to conceal on his arm? He cursed at himself for forgetting that he had already cropped up a story for that, and he took a quiet deep breath to calm himself down. He unwrapped the bandage covering it and stared for a moment... Were my veins this dark before? He thought to himself. He had just looked at it earlier and his skin was clear. But now the area around the mark seemed to branch off in blackened patterns. Shaking his head, he didn't want to worry about it then.
Just as he took his shirt and pants off, Ashlar had bounded into the room- already naked. Well, someone's in a hurry, he silently stated, but realized that the only reason he was running was to gain momentum for when he jumped into the bath like a cannonball. With a loud splash, Ashlar's jump pounded the two elves with a large wave that went clear over their heads.
Taking this distraction as an opportunity, Hjalmar quietly slunk into the bath without a word; farthest from the others. Ashlar burst to the surface with a loud whoop, "I was hoping there'd be more people in the bath when I did that, but I couldn't wait!" He said, taking a seat against the wall. Though he tried to be subtle about it, he chose the wall closest to Aggie- but he still kept a suitable distance from her like any good gentleman.
 
It continued to surprise him that despite the danger of their mission (and of them, by association), that they seemed to be welcomed in to the shelter of the city with open arms. Or, as open of arms as they seemed able to. Comparatively, the dwarves were probably more of a friendly bunch than the group of soldiers that guarded the city walls, but nonetheless he was grateful that it seemed that they had a nice place to stay for the time being. He knew they wouldn't have the luxury of beds and baths (he was already experiencing that reality in the present, of course), so he was going to embrace it with a thankful heart. The building itself was very impressive and grand, and his eyes danced about, taking it all in.

As he ventured inside, he acquainted himself with the layout of their living space, wandering a bit, and claiming a bed for his own. He remembered that 1. he smelled like a pig pen 2. communal baths always seemed like a compromise of hygiene. He was, however, eager to rid himself of his stank, so he quickly grabbed a clean change of clothes, kicked off his shoes (cause who needs those) and made his way over to baths. He only just entered the doorway before he saw Ashlar leap into the pool and send a splash that rippled across it. Fortunately, he was far enough away to avoid the spray of water, but either way he wouldn't have minded it. He too, actually wanted to jump into the pool, but was disappointed that it wouldn't hold the same shock factor now that he had been preceded by Ashlar's dramatic entrance. So instead, he stood to the side and casually stripped himself of his clothes, setting them down in a dry spot, and slid into the pool, a bit separated from the rest. He made sure to grab some soap too.

He curled up his legs and dunked his head under, and when he popped his head back up, wiped the water out of his eyes.

"Your arrival has already caused waves." He finally commented, although a bit delayed, to Ashlar. "Truly, a grand entrance, that will ripple throughout time."

Lo Alyssa Lo Alyssa @ everyone else?
 
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A nice long soak sounded like the greatest thing in the entire world after all the travelling,exhaustion and sand they had endured. Oh, and the blood and gunk of battles still caked to each of them.

Communal bathing wasn't anything new to Foxrun, but admittedly it had been a long while since participating in anything like that, in fact, he had been a child at the time. And he also did not bare any of the slashes that now riddled his back. He wasn't exactly ashamed to reveal it to the others, yet it didn't sound rather appealing. He was sure it wasn't very easy on the eyes either.

He stepped foot in the room, just in time to witness the tidal wave. He let out a slight, almost nervous, chuckle, as he fluidly tossed his things off and aside. slipping into the warm waters with those who had already gathered, he Subconsciously turned his gaze, and his back, away from them.

He inhaled deeply, taking the steam in, letting it aid in clearing his system. It nearly choked him as he struggled to not laugh at Bo's sudden puns. "I'm going to drown if you aren't careful." He remarked to the other man.

@ all idk. And soundofmind soundofmind Just throwing him in there
 
Oceana sat there with her hair plastered to her face, attempting to take deep breaths and not gut a particular bearded human man with her bare hands.
When her volcanic anger simmered down to a proper white-hot forge temperature she tossed her soaked mane of hair over one shoulder.
And sent Ashlar a furious glare.
If only looks could kill, came the sadistic afterthought.
Trying her hardest not to bolt at the sudden accumulation of people, Oceana turned to regard Hjalmar. She briefly wondered about his mark before shaking her head. He was a clever lad. He probably already had some kind of story.
She caught his gaze and nodded slightly. If he was hassled, she would do her best to play along in his favor.
Then her gaze flitted to Bo, snorting in disbelief at his awful puns. She thought she herself was bad.
Foxrun was the next to pad in quietly, the huntress had never seen him seem so... meek.
A flash of scaring caught her eye and made her wince in sympathy. She knew they were lash marks.
That's right, she thought, he was once a slave.
She curled her fingers into fists to fight the urge to reach out and touch the scars on the fae's back, as if to reaffirm that living creatures were capable of such wickedness.
Every time she was exposed to such cruelty, the elf was nearly dumbstruck. Even after all she had been through, a part of her deep inside somehow hoped that her eyes were fooling her, that her senses were wrong, that such evil didn't exist. But her senses were never wrong. And it did.
She was reminded of the young squire, Galiana, in that moment. Her slave brand broadcasted on the whole of her face.
Galiana's tattoos, Foxrun's lash marks, Hjalmar's curse brand.
The elf reached a hand up to the large scar that divided her chest, where Kigyó had run her through with her sword. A wound that should have killed her. A dozen other marks from stones and sticks and falls; her clanmates' doing.
Finally her hand brushed a tattooed cheek, a question Oceana didn't ever want answered.
Am I a slave too?...Am I just a slave to the cycle of hate and be hated?
Are Hjalmar and I chained to fate as Galiana and Foxrun were chained to masters?
The elf bit her lip, dread filling the pit of her stomach with lead.
Is it even possible for us to break free?

@ anybody
 
"Pff, the jokes weren't even that great, haha!" Bo laughed at himself, aware that the puns were barely sub-par. But of course, he said them anyway, because he was always trying to make as many jokes as possible - no matter how terrible. "But yes, yes, of course," he said with mock seriousness, and a wave of his hand. "I will definitely reign it in. Wouldn't want you to inhale soapy bath water. For we all know, that that's a terrible experience."

GalacticRam GalacticRam
 
Dorian had to admit that a bath did sound rather nice because the layer of mud and blood which had managed to soak through his attire was truly becoming uncomfortable. However, the fact that the baths were communal really did lower the appeal.
It's not like the assassin was shy, he had grown up in the streets and then a thief guild after all, and there shame was a thing you quickly had to forget. However, those two homes of his were also the source of his discomfort. His body was a patchwork of scars from shackles too tightly wound, from lashings he had earned every time his performance at the guild was seen as not good enough, from the times those he hunted had weapons of their own, and from the time he was his own greatest enemy. If anyone asked any questions, he would most likely be very tempted to punch them.
After grabbing a clean change of clothes, the assassin walked into the bath as quietly as possible, slipping off all the belts and armor in a corner before taking a spot in the baths as far away from everyone as he could get.

Garrett, used to communal baths from his time in the garrison laughed as he walked in to see Ashlar cannonball into the water. He then jumped as something brown and green flashed by his feet. The tiny wyvern grabbed the shiniest belt buckles it could find on the floor and promptly ran out the bath as Kacel’la opened the door to walk in.
“You’re catching Sera yourselves.” She told everyone, unwilling to deal with her wyvern’s opportunistic hoarding tendencies.

Unlike Dorian, Kacel’la was actually quite proud of her scars and had no problem showing them off. They were like a proof to her that she could survive something which she should not have lived through, like the giant claw wound that took up her entire back, or the massive bite marks which circled her upper arm and shoulder. Her kinds of adventures were ones few could escape unscathed.
 
Her face was soft as Oceana flushed an proceeded to soak, taking the time to slink back herself and enjoy the warmth of the bath, pressing her hands ontop of her chest in a sense of comfort and a casual way to keep them from floating too much.
Closing her eyes and steadying her breathing, Aggie exhaled and simply relax. Until she heard a quick 'pat pat pat' of feet, making her open her eyes briefly. Seeing a quick flash of Ashlar's behind, she inhaled sharply and her eyes widened, only to be splashed over with warm water, the sudden wave undoing her lazy bun ontop of her head. Sitting up she started to chuckle, her now flushing face was semi covered with wet strands of hair,"You're such a goob." brushing the hair away from her face, she pulled it over her shoulder and exhaled once more.
Looking around the bath again she saw that every once in awhile someone would brush a hand over a scar they had and right away she clasped a hand around the front of her throat, sinking down a little. / I forgot to cover..dammit./

Keeping low in the water she gave a small smile and leaned her head to the side, hand still on her neck as she did her best to now relax.

@all
 
Caked in grime and dried blood, there was nothing that sounded more appealing to Nameen than a hot bath. She, like everyone else, soon broke off in search of a room to claim as well as explore a little of the manor. Nameen took note of several of the halls as to make sure she could find her way around, and also passed the training grounds which she eyed with curiosity. Eventually she found her way to a room where she set down her little supplies, grabbed her change of clothes, and set out for the baths.

Being on the road Nameen hadn't been able to afford to be picky where she bathed, so communal bathing wasn't a first. However, these weren't complete strangers, so a slight discomfort crept up into her chest as she stepped into the room. Off to the side, she quickly peeled off her filthy garments before padding lightly over to the water.

Reaching the bath Nameen immediately slipped under, head disappearing momentarily under the surface before emerging again. Her one eye scanned the room, noticing who had already arrived and who was still missing.
It seemed Nameen couldn't help but notice that almost all of them, whether it be warrior, theif or mage, had old scars that clothes normally kept hidden. Each one with a story, whether it be heroic or tragic. She herself was littered with scars, nicks, slashes, and larger ones such as the crawler wound on her ankle and her most most prominent facial feature.
Leaning back on the ledge, Nameen attempted to relax while resisting the urge to brush a hand across her ruined eye.

@/anyone
 
Bo watched as the little wyvern scrambled away - with his belt, no less. "Well, at least Sera's enjoying herself." Bo commented, beginning to scrub away at his arms with a bar of soap. "I mean, I can see the appeal for wanting to hoard shiny things. I'm just surprised she hasn't tried to steal my dazzling smile." He smiled, flashing his teeth. He wasn't trying to sound vain, really - he wasn't even being that serious - hence, his smile was paired with a little laugh.

L1d1ja L1d1ja and anyone else who wants to pipe in
 
At least making conversation seemed like a good way to distract everyone from stewing in their insecurities. He even noticed Oceana's gaze drifting over him for a moment longer than a simple glance, before she soon seemed to be lost in her thoughts again.

Just as he considered questioning it however, others came into the room and the next thing he knew a dragon was snatching things and more jokes were being thrown. Foxrun, being nearest to Bo, flung his arm out and half-heartedly punched at the man, landing a fist at his chest since he was about a good head taller than himself, snickering as he did "oh come on, lady-killer," he threw the name at him as a jest." you can do better than that, surely!"

OlKaJa77 OlKaJa77 soundofmind soundofmind and who ever else wishes
 
Bo laughed and pulled Foxrun over roughly, shoving a knuckled fist in Foxrun's head, giving him a noogie. "Hoh HOoooH!" He laughed. "I'm sure I can!" He released Foxrun from the headlock and pushed him away playfully. "Just not here, ya know."

At this point, he had no idea what he was doing with himself. He had never had the reputation of being a 'lady-killer' and he hoped to dear god that no one would take any of his words seriously, but for the time being, it was pretty funny.

GalacticRam GalacticRam
 
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At first he didn't even realize what was going on! But in an instant, he was trapped beneath the man's fist, something most children experienced at a ripe age. It felt as if flames set to his cheeks, flushing very noticeably, and certainly not from the heat. He was too shocked to even manage words properly before being released from the clutches of torture, simply sinking down into the water with a grumble, causing nothing but bubbles to emerge. "I deserved that..." was what he intended to say.

soundofmind soundofmind
 
Bo laughed, and went back to scrubbing himself down with soap, working up a bunch of soapy bubbles in the process. "Remember, no drowning." He chuckled to Foxrun, then turned away and gathered a handful of soapy bubbles. He then turned around, and just as Foxrun's head emerged from the water Bo clapped his hands and send foamy bubbles all over his head.

"Congrats! You are now a professional bubble blower." He gave a dramatic wave of his arm and a little bow. "Teach me your ways, bubble pro."

GalacticRam GalacticRam
 
Once again, shock nearly froze him in his spot. Nearly. Despite having brought this upon himself, and beaming with embarrassment, he managed to retaliate this time.

He sculpted the suds remaining on him, fashioning them into a bubble beard. He then cleared his throat, mimicking a scratchy old man voice, holding up a finger he muffled "ah yes. But there comes a time, that every student must surpass their teacher." And with that, he blew the clinging facial foam back at the man. He had never been called a professional bubble blower, May as well own it.

soundofmind soundofmind
 
"Oh!" Bo's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "I can't believe this..." He touched the bubbles on his face as if coming to a sudden, life-changing realization. "I've been blessed by the bubble master."

He put his hands together and gave another bow. "You have dispensed to me great wisdom, master Foxrun. I will try my hardest to one day prove myself a student worthy of surpassing you in skill."

GalacticRam GalacticRam
 
Foxrun finally let out a laugh, shaking his head slightly at all their jokes. Surely nobody else could be self conscious after witnessing such a thing. They had just made fools of themselves!

He took a quick dunk to rinse all the soap from his head, resurfacing and pushing the wet mass of hair from his face. At least his face seemed to be setting at the same temperature as the rest of his body again. Or to that of the water perhaps? Either way, he sighed and sank back to relax again.

soundofmind soundofmind
 
Kacel'la couldn't help but smirk. "You won't keep that dazzling smile-" she made sure to say those words so sweetly that they became sarcastic "-once you try to get back whatever Sera stole. Wyverns are slippery lil shits when they want to be, and Sera will definitely take everything as a game of chase." She chuckled, knowing just how fast the little wyvern was, and just how she knew to keep by just close enough to make catching her an incredibly frustrating affair. Wyverns were not as wise as most draconic creatures, but they were just wicked enough to be a pain for someone not used to dealing with them.
"At least her poison is only paralytic. Acid is not as fun." The elf patted one of her calves which had a pattern of light lines radiating on her skin from a small circular scar, almost like the fractures of glass cracked, but unbroken, by a stone.

soundofmind soundofmind
 
Watching the boys tussle around for a moment she smiled and waded her hands through the water, creating ripples between her fingers,"Pets are a hassle." raising her arm, she touched a clear set of teeth marks that was on her forearm, healed over in a dark blue scar," Pippa isn't poisonous in the bite but he made sure I heard and felt his wrath when I trimmed his nails." lowering her hand she exhaled and pulled her hair up once into a loose bun.

A moment or two later she inhaled and sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees again and placing her chin ontop,"So how did you all come about to travel together? I know briefly about the stones and all but I don't think I ever asked on how it all got started when I joined." with a finger or two, she gave Ashlar a little acknowledging splash,"If you don't mind my asking, that is."

She did not know the history of this land, seeing as she traveled quite far before even being found by Ashlar; she started her travels at 18 and was now about 27. Her travels on going to study magical items kept her from settling and learning the history of the places shes been so she was a little behind on why they were really on this endeavor

@all.
 
Valeiah couldn't bear to even down at herself. She was still caked in her brother's blood, and seeing it on her hands and all over the rest of her body made her heart race and stomach lurch.
At least it made her slightly less upset to think of the fact she would be able to wash it all off soon. She made sure to keep an eye on Oceana, who had said at Alo's burial she would cut her hair for her.
(Ah man idk how to slip back in here so I'll just do this lmao sorry it's short)
 
Oceana spotted Valeiah staring at her and was reminded that she had agreed to cut her hair for her.
It was a shame, really. She found the human's hair quite pretty.
But she understood the burden of regret and responsibility. And perhaps she could find a missing piece of herself mourning together with another creature.
These thoughts brought back the still-fresh shock of losing one of their comrades in battle and the banter all around them sickened her slightly, stomach already full with lead-like sorrow.
"I am ready now if you wish." The huntress murmured to the human girl.
Danika Danika
 
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