Requiem For a Fallen Kingdom (IC)

[Nobudi]

Samira was in awe at how the trio had come together into a cohesive team despite being being soloist originally. While she did have ideas on how she could incorporate her own music into their performance, she suddenly felt self- conscious at the possibility that her own music wouldn't mesh well, or under or overwhelm if they performed together. Still, she squared her shoulders and set her mouth to a firm, solid line. No use in doubting herself now. She came here to realize a dream of hers, after all. If she didn't risk it at this point, why had she left to begin with? All in all, asking to join up together would probably be a good experience for her, win or lose.

"Pleased to meet you Rebecca," she simply stated as her hand rested on her package, reaffirming its weight and presence. "As you can tell, I am a musician starting off on her journey, so I'm really interested in learning how the Mainland enjoys their entertainment." She lit up at the prospect of drinks when Rebecca mentioned it, since she had gone some number of time without a good drink. No one back home seemed to have any left. She smiled and with as much grace as she could muster, cheerily said, "I would love to join you for a time." She watched the crowd for a while longer, before they began to disperse. During that time, she walked up to Ali and Baxter and introduced herself to them before following along to wherever they were headed.

[Blue56]

As expected, the pickpocket was no match for Linda and found herself caught in what seemed to be a powerful grip. Though her companion seemed to have things well in hand, Avacyn still followed through with her plan of cutting off the thief's escape from behind, raising her hands in a reassuring gesture to the panicked citizens around her as she approached. Since Linda seemed to have an idea on how to get the information they were after, Avacyn left that to her as well, but quickly came to regret it. It was one thing for Linda to be giving pointers to this thief on how to improve her craft, but even worse was the way her words made them out to be some sort of lowly criminals themselves. They were members of the Order! They should be inspiring the people and making them feel safe, not masquerading as vagabonds!

Avacyn felt the urge to interrupt rising, to proclaim that they were here to bring the bandits to justice for all to hear. And yet... A more logical part of her mind prevailed. Contradicting Linda would only undermine both their efforts. The mission came above all else, so Avacyn would go along with this charade for now, though she made sure to give her partner a disapproving look while the thief's back was to her. "Yes... Your words ring hollow and your petty theft is beneath us. Take us to these Wildside bandits and then you may be on your way." Avacyn echoes her partner's sentiment, with the added promise of the thief's freedom. This girl's pickpocketing was a crime she may answer for one day, but today they had higher priorities and Avacyn didn't want to drag this woman into a potentially dangerous situation.

[Embers]

The ride was quiet and comfortable, Alicteria had been journeying on foot her entire life, the luxury of the nobility cart eases her to the point of smiling. When Oliver makes his remark about wanting her methods to be flexible the nun replies with a shrug "I also hope to not get my hands dirty, but things don't always go according to plan. Have to look out for my well being, I'm a pure and chaste maiden after all~" Alicteria winks as her hands lift the fabric of her coat until her thighs above the stockings are showing. With a brief giggle she lets the coat drape back down over her lap and turns her attention back towards the window as the city gate was coming into view. Alicteria understood there's a certain style to nobility assassinations, that overly gory corpses might warrant more investigation than a poisoning, but she also understands that confining to unspoken, abstract rules and etiquette is not how the Seven Saints became as gods.

Alicteria's trailing thoughts of power and ascension came to an abrupt halt as the carriage moves through the pristine streets of the Castle Esprit's immediate surroundings, the sight of men and women with collars, tattoos, bruises, and even leashes jumbled her focus. She turned her head towards Oliver, disgust painted across her expression as she spoke with a condescending tone "Slaves." she awaits his reply before lowering the curtain over the window of the carriage. "For the sake of our business, I do hope your princess aligns with a more benevolent school of thought when it comes to servitude." Alicteria then closes her eyes and breathes slowly while sorting her thoughts.

Orphaned at a young age, Alicteria's time in the shelter was limited until the age of 14 where she was kicked out to make room for younger kids. With no home or family to turn to she was the ideal prey for human traffickers. No matter how loud or violent a tantrum she mustered, at that age Alicteria put up a pathetic fight when the black market merchants laid eyes on her. Despite her hands and ankles being cuffed, she fought tooth and nail at anyone that got close. Multiple attempts to gag her failed and the traffickers decided to stop when one of them lost a chunk of flesh off their hand. Alicteria was collared and shackled, fed wet bread crumbs for a week until the night of her auction where she snapped.

The wagon stopping snapped the nun out of her daytime nightmare and she shakes her head a couple of times. Oliver was first to leave the carriage, and Alicteria soon after. The brief conversation between the princess and her servant gave Alicteria enough time to eye up the blond and her maid, the sight of those curves and regal skin calmed the nun's thoughts and receded her childhood memories. As Vivianne introduced herself a smile widens across the nun's lips and she offers a subtle bow in reply "Pleasure is all mine Princess LaCroix~" Alicteria replied, reaching out to kiss the princess hand before straightening her posture and starting another rant: "Just as the morning sun casts away the darkness of night, just as the holy lady's word purifies the sinners' heart, the princess heart shall ratify the wickedness of Espirit!... And this nun will help... For a price."

[RandomRoninKitten]

When Imperia awakes to her fa-... Loyd... sitting across from her, she nods slowly "Good morning to you as well." she says, as she stands up from her place on the ground and begins breaking camp. It was time to begin her miserable trek to Esprit. It no longer bothered her that Loyd watched her sleep, there wasn't really anything to gain out of it, and the worst case was that he could warn her of danger because he didn't seem to need any sleep himself. As she was pondering this, Loyd points out that the sun is up... probably... then melds into Imperia's body, planting a kiss on her cheek. She holds still for him as he does so, allowing the kiss on her cheek, then replies "Eastward indeed. Let us hope for a boring trip, yes?" she states, knowing full well that she had more chance for trouble than not.

Imperia lethargically made her way along the screwy trails towards Esprit, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. She eventually, however, gets lost in thought before too long, contemplating her place in the universe, and how it seemed to merely be as a sorrow sponge, but her thoughts are interrupted when her father tells her to stop, which caused her to spin around into a battle stance, swinging her scythe out as she prepared to block or counter-attack whatever opponent had shown themselves. When she sees nobody, she makes a confused expression to nobody in particular, as her father was currently melded into her body. She doesn't get a chance to ask what was going on, as he father quickly clarifies, directing her attention to the decapitated head of one of the Orthrus, followed by a trail of blood and the sound of combat.

Listening to the sounds of battle briefly, Imperia sighs to herself I suppose I should not be surprised, given this is what I predicted in the first place. It would be irresponsible to leave things as they are, as a weary traveler could be in danger... I would appreciate the assistance if it were me. she thinks, as she rolls her eyes and begins bolting along the trail of blood, towards the sounds of battle, her scythe at the ready.

[Littlemankitten]

Samara did her best to keep to keep a neutral face as Lucian began to guide them to their cargo, even as he groped his 'companion.' Generally speaking the less emotion she showed the better, especially if she was about to receive such a special job. As they walked to their destination, Samara idly glanced at the architecture of the building. It was ridiculously fancy compared to what she was used to, which was mostly just dusty tents and rotten wood shacks. Almost everything in the city was comparatively fancy though, so Samara often did some drifting off as she gazed at the fanciful architecture, though her face never changed. When they approached the two very heavily armed guards, she wondered if they were guarding things from getting in or getting out. Probably both. This became a definitely as Lucian asked about the merchandise and the guards stated 'quiet.' Ah, so whatever she was about to be dealt was alive. That was... Annoying. Alive cargo was complicated to handle and transport, she much preferred transporting inanimate goods. Things that didn't try to escape. Also since it was alive meant it was almost certainly illegal, and the whole point of her merchant life was to stay away from that life which she had already gone through and left behind. Her face remains unchanged as they enter the building and the sight of some very unfortunate and unlucky people greeted her. Internally she sighs heavily, not missing the sight of bound slaves. At least she didn't bound these ones herself. Keeping her steady pace without a hint of hesitation, she remained completely composed. Even as they entered the room of the real cargo, this only slipped a little as her eyes widened. It slipped more as she couldn't help but let out a short, single 'ha' and looked at Lucian. "I'm not one to back down on my word so I'll take her where you want her to go, but I'm not falling for this again. I assume you know of my past, and I left that behind and plan for that to continue being behind me." She states sternly before looking at the dragon girl, wondering how the hell Lucian managed to acquire her. Whatever method he used it was probably quite traumatizing for the girl. She felt sorry for her of course, she was hoping to never see someone in such a state again, but she blundered into it hook line and sinker. Perhaps she could let the girl go midway through the trip, but that'd completely screw any chance of her having a peaceful life. She was a selfish bastard, and was sure this girl could find a way to free herself on her own down the line without help. Samara puts a hand on her forehead and sighs. "Ok, lets get her out of here sooner rather than later, I want to get this over with."

[Mark3000]

GM Note

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

+1 EXP to all players (Regular Posting)
I didn't think we'd reach that point so fast, So I've adjusted it to +1 EXP every six posts

Samara

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lucien’s own confident façade breaks for a moment as he reels back as the captive dragon girl snapped at him. Samara’s small chuckle doesn’t escape his ears. “It’s because of your past that I picked your little troupe to transport the merchandise. You shouldn’t be so eager to throw out such a useful skill set. You could be a wealthy woman in a city like this” He said. The merchant’s tone bordering between light mockery and honest praise.

When Samara made her intentions known that she would start the job immediately, Lucien rubs his hands together in delight. “Wonderful! If you can get your men together, we’ll prepare the merchandise for transport. Mia, go fetch Alabasta. He should be in the training room. You’ll want him around to keep that beast at bay” Lucien said as he ran his hand through her soft hair. The woman, who you now knew was named Mia, tensed up before running to retrieve the aforementioned Alabasta.

It takes almost an hour for Mia to return. During that time, Lucien discusses some of the details of the job. They were to transport the dragon girl to the foreman of the Picktown mine, Valentine. She was to serve multiple purposes. Suppress descent from the other workers, mine in areas too difficult for the other workers and to act as stress relief.

When Mia returned, she seemed even more out of it than before. With a large grin and unfocused gaze she walks towards Lucien, followed by a man. He had light brown hair with a top hat, monocle and cane. His brown coat jacket with bronze trimmings and red scarf gave the man a dignified air. As Mia passed, Samara caught the faint whiff of cum from the captive woman.

“Pardon my tardiness, I was just taking some time to get reacquainted with little Mia hear. It was forever since I last got to play with her” He said with a dignified expression. Mia merely stumbled towards Lucien and clung onto his body while Alabasta stopped just in front of Samara. “Alabasta Cane, at your service. Mia told me a bit about you, lady Samara. So you’ll be the one transporting my latest project” the man said as he approached the cage. As he did, the dragon girl moved to the back of the cage. Alabasta calmly took out a small bell with an interesting design. He rung it once to get her attention, then a second time which caused to shake in fear. Before the third tone could be rung, she was on her hands and knees praying for forgiveness.

“Wonderful work Alabasta, I knew you were the man for the job. I’ll need you to accompany Samara and her company on this delivery” Lucien stated “Of course, I’ll be sending you a few of my men to assist you. Now Jefferies, while your people prepare to leave, we can get this arrangement in writing”

Theresa

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lord Devin nodded along with Theresa’s explanation of what her people had to offer. “Knowledgeable and accommodating. A wonderful pairing. Though I wouldn’t dain to change the name of the product and risk losing the produces’ exotic appeal.” He said giving the glass of wine a swirl.

Seeing his opportunity to gain the land slipping from his grasp, the Thornsworth merchant stepped forward. “I can’t deny that the wealthy citizens of Esprit have a taste for more foreign goods. But such items are readily available from most importers. And how long do you think it will take for our venture to take fruit. By the time they’ve prepared the land, the market for such items may have passed” Reginald said as he gently put his hand on Devin’s shoulder. “How long have we known each other my lord? You’re not just a valued business partner but a trusted friend. We’ve looked after each other since the lordship was yours. Trust me when I tell you I can sell the land now for a profit”

Devin considers both your proposals for a moment. He looked to be deep in thought until he finally turns to Reginald. “I appreciate your counsel up to this point, Reginald. But Thresea makes a very compelling offer. I can’t just turn my back on it” He replies before turning to Thresea. The Mother Nymph can see the disappointed look on the merchant’s face. Though it only lasts for a moment before he brushes it off with a chuckle. “Well best of luck my friend.”

“Now Lady Thresea” Devin said as he raised. “You’ve won me over with your pitch. We can talk details in the morning. But for now let's toast to new ventures. He said as the five of you tap your glasses in celebration. One after another the members of your little group drink from their wine glasses until it’s Thresea’s turn to toast.

Linda & Avacyn

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The captive pickpocket didn’t relax as Linda derided her skills in deception. The spell caster’s iron grip kept the thief attentive yet wincing. “Just my luck I got caught by a pro” She said as she stopped trying to struggle out of Linda’s grip. As Avacyn got closer, the thief laughed. “You really had me going with that horse of yours. No way an actual noble would ride down this street on something so expensive looking”. As word spread through the crowd about the pair’s ‘true’ profession, they began to disperse trying to look for some other source of coin. The thief then turned to Linda.

“Look, we got off on the wrong foot. Why don’t I make it up to you? The Wildside Bandits was just something I made up to scare marks. This schtick usually works. Most people don’t want to mess with bandits of any kind. But if you’re looking for an outfit, I know of some people. If you let go of my arm I can show you to them.”

Samira

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The Lighthouse’s Eye lived up to its name. While part of it looked like a normal pub, on the roof was a structure that looked like a miniature lighthouse. In the small room at the top, one could see a small oil lantern encased in glass along with a ladder for people to ascend and change the light.

The inside had a humble design to it. A wooden bar front stood off the western wall while several glass windows gave the patrons a perfect view of the harbor and the sea. Tables filled with sailors and dock workers were spread across the floor in front of a small stage. Luckily the four of them were able to find an open table.

“I’ll grab us some ale from the bar keep. Why don’t you three get acquainted.” Rebecca said as she left for the bar stand. As Ali and Baxter settled into their seats, they smiled at Samira. “Didn’t expect Becca to make another friend so soon” Ali said as he leaned forward, his fingers interlocked in front of her. “Though she does have a way with words. If she didn’t, I’d still be begging on the streets of Tu-almiah. And Baxter here would still be a blue blood” He said with a chuckle to Baxter’s displeasure. “I was going to give up that life one way or another to practice my art. I just so happened to run into Rebecca. But we all have our stories, right?” Baxter said as he turned to Samira, awaiting an answer.

Before she could, Rebecca returned with four large mugs of the strongest smelling ale Samira had ever come across. “These ones are on the house, courtesy of the barkeep” She said, tilting her head towards the bartender. He was rather young, almost Samira’s age with messy black hair and a black vest over a white dress shirt. From her vantage point, she could see the young man was blushing.

“Now what were you lot talking about?” Rebecca asked as she took a swig from her mug. Baxter smirked as he grabbed his own mug. “I was just about to learn a bit more about Samira” He said as a big grin formed on Rebecca’s face. “Really now, I’d like to learn a bit more about you”.

Imperia

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The bloody trail does lead to a battle, but instead of finding hapless travelers, she finds two woman engaged in a fierce battle with a monster. One woman wore a red hood and shawl over a deep black V onesie that exposed her crimson bra. She had one book in hand and two by her side. Her boots had a red frill that popped to the eye. She was chanting, her tome glowed with an ephemeral energy. But this left her defenseless against the charging abomination. A large orge like monster with a metal mask on its face. The monster’s right arm was long enough for the long claws to drag on the ground. The hulking limb was covered in red orbs and one large eye. By comparison, the left arm was nothing more than an atrophied appendage.

Before it could finish its charge, three arrows penetrated the monster’s body. One even penetrated the eye on it’s arm. “Over here you big bastard!” The archer yelled as she prepared another volley of arrows. She wore her hair in a ponytail tied with a white ribbon. Over her red dress she wore a simple breastplate and single pauldron over her left arm. She wore brown shorts with stockings and black boots. The monster let out a bone chilling cry as it changed direction towards the red-head, leading it away from her companion. With amazing grace, the archer maintained her distance from the monster long enough for the spell caster to finish her spell.

“Beings of Shadow, Answer my Call! Usurpers’ Servants!” She cried as a black ichor flowed from her tome. It spread on the ground and flowed towards the hulking monster. Once it’s feet were submerged in the ichor, three thick octopus lick tentacles rose up and held the beast at bay. With its arms held down, it was wide open for a finishing blow.

Alicteria

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Vivianne smiles as Alicteria makes her proclamation and kisses her hand. “I’m glad to hear that you’re so passionate. If you come inside, we’ll discuss our goals and the aforementioned compensations” She said.as the princess led you inside the mansion. Following beside Alicteria was Oliver who kept just as much of an eye on the nun as he did on his ward.

As you enter, Alicteria could see that like the exterior the mansion was affluent without being opulent. The white stone walls were adorned with portraits which seemed to be of a different family and elaborate art. The center hall was lit by a chandelier that housed almost twenty or more candles. There were two separate staircases that spiraled up to the second floor. From the main hall, there were three openings, one in front of their group, one to the left and one to the right.

“I hope the accommodations are to your liking. It’s one of the few places that allows me to put some distance between myself and the troubles of castle politics for a small time. My father arranged for these mansions to act as safe houses in the event of a rebellion. The study is this way. Mary, could you bring us some refreshments?” Vivianne asked the maid who was waiting patiently beside her. The woman nodded and was off through the doorway in front. Meanwhile, Vivianne took Alicteria upstairs to a room lined with bookshelves. It was more akin to a small library than a study. At the far end of the room was a fireplace with two upholstered armchairs and a night table. Vivianne guided the nun to a seat across from her. Oliver took a dutiful position behind the princess after starting the fire.

“As you may have seen, this city. No, this country has fallen on hard times. While the latest succession war has ended, we’ve yet to recover as a people. My father and eldest siblings have only focused on how they maintain their own power and fulfill their own desires. But a few of us have been trying to return some sense of peace to this land. I’ve already talked with allies to re-establishing the Order of Vespera and rein in the city’s merchants. But I’ve also liked to help reform the Cathedral of Holy Scriptism” As Vivianne spoke, the maid returned with a pot of tea and a dessert stand with various cookies and cakes. The attentive woman poured both Vivianne and Alicteria a cup of tea which smelled of peppermint and lemon.

“Thank you Elizabeth, you are excused for the night” Vivianne said as the maid bowed and departed from the study. “Now where were we? Oh yes, the Cathedral of Holy Scriptism. While Vespera is ruled by a monarchy, the church still holds a sizable amount of power in the country. Not only do they act as advisors to the current rulers, the various churches and chapels in the nation all report to the central cathedral. Like the throne, the church’s highest positions have seen much turnover. The current leader of the cathedral is Chief Bishop Maximus the Third. He is a shrewd man that sees the church and it’s followers as nothing more than tools to secure his own position. He has sought to surround himself with loyal sycophants. But before he could do that, I was able to convince my father to allow me and my sister to aid with the task of filling the church’s ranks” Vivianne said as she sipped on her tea.

“I chose you on the recommendation of an acquaintance from the Holy Pheo Empire. They spoke of a nun with an undying devotion to Saint Pisti. Along with your regular duties, I hoped you would keep an eye on the Chief Bishop and his followers for any wrongdoings. As Oliver has hopefully stated, we will provide you with logging and a stipend of silver coins to deal with your day to day needs” The princess stated, pausing for Alicteria’s response.

[MiscChaos]

Linda resists the urge to grin as her play pays off. Either this girl is an even better bullshiter than her or she has the girl eating out of the palms of her hands. Hope for the second, plan for the first. Also plan for what would happen if Avacyn’s patience wears out since she did see the look of disapproval her partner sent her. Still, she’s glad the woman had the sense to see this was the best path to get the information they were looking for. With how shit the Order’s reputation is right now, declaring to everyone that they were knights looking to put down bandits could do more harm than good. Maybe once it’s been built back up a bit, that’ll be a tactic, but right now it’ll likely do nothing but get them a cold shoulder. Or get them reported to the bandit gang and ambushed. She doesn’t really know how well this outfit controls this area, so she can’t really tell. Ah well. The uncertainty is a spice all its own.

Well, her plan does seem to have unexpected bonuses. The riff raff that were surrounding them have fucked off so moving around should go much quicker since they don’t have to wade through a crowd to get anywhere. And the girl herself has explained away the horse, so she herself doesn’t have to come up with anything better than what she already said. The only real issue is letting go of the bandit. For all she knows, the girl could go running off as soon as she does and then their lead has just vanished. But she needs to build rapport too in order to keep the bandit talking about the crime scene around here so she has a better idea of what they’re walking into. Making it look like she doesn’t trust the catgirl by not letting go would throw a wrench into that. An idea of a compromise begins running through her mind and she can only hope Avacyn doesn’t make a scene about it. Given how pure the girl is, she doesn’t know her idea would be received. She does let go of the catgirl’s arm, but immediately winds her arm around her shoulder. “And why on earth would I want to let such a beauty out of my hands? Surely we can walk and talk at the same time? Get to know each other as it were.” If the girl doesn’t like her approach, then she’ll back off, but really, this is the best way to keep some measure of control over the bandit’s actions. "For example, my name is Linda. Lovely meeting you." And it's not like she would object if things lead to other things because she flirted a little. Sure, it's mostly strategy, but she wasn't lying when she said the catgirl's a beauty. She wouldn't mind getting into that. She'd even limit herself to hurting the girl minimally.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Imperia sprints along the bloody trail, her scythe at the ready for when she spots the danger she suspected would be lurking ahead. What she finds is nothing like what she expected. For one, the rest of the Orthrus is nowhere to be seen, which is what Imperia notices first, however the second thing she notices is the is the giant masked creature attacking two women. While the two seemed to be handling the situation fine, the archer being very skilled and the sorceress displaying powerful magic as far as Imperia knew, and despite neither of them wielding any close range weapons to try to keep the giant creature away from each other with. In other words, she immediately realized that they were two backliners, but with no frontline. Imperia was quite impressed by the magic she was witnessing, especially due to the fact that she had seen little to no magic in the arena, as most who were thrown into the arena had little chance to learn more than the most basic of basic magic beforehand, and had no sources to learn from during their time there.

All of that aside, when the black tendrils restrained the monster, Imperia knew it was her chance to strike. In their positions, she would certainly appreciate any assistance against such a monster, and with the sorceress needing to prepare another spell, while the archer didn't seem to have any real way to put the monster down with that helmet on its head, and such thick skin, Imperia decided it was time to intervene. First, however... she wanted the monster to attack her if she failed, so that she could keep it off her backline.

"EYES ON ME!" she shouts, as she takes off towards the monster, dashing with her body low, close to the ground, her scythe trailing behind her as she moved in a zigzagging motion towards the monster, to confuse it. "Reaping Spiral: Sky-Splitting Rain Over the Accursed Shadow Valley of Death!" she shouts, first dashing across the back of the creature, using her scythe to cut both of the monster's achilles tendons, after which she hooked the monster's arm with her scythe, swung around once, then launched herself across the monster's back again, this time slashing at its neck with her scythe in an attempt to take its head off. After her attack, Imperia lands on her feet, roughly, a short distance from the monster, where she twirls her scythe around into her battle stance, only just now noticing the monster's head trailing after her. She quickly throws a kick, striking the flying head with the top of her boot and unknowingly giving the two women a full view up her skirt of her black and navy blue striped panties, and sending the head flying back at the monster's body, but misses, causing it to roll across the ground at the monster's feet instead. With the monster defeated, she turns to the two women "Good work. You are unharmed, yes?" she says, straightening back up, out of her battle stance, her expression cool and calm, as she flicks her weapon, to rid the blade of the monster's blood.

[Blue56]

As Linda and the thief converse, Avacyn seethes quietly. The crowd dispersing, taking her for a bandit, might just be the greatest humiliation she could suffer as a noble. Why would someone ride a horse down this crowded street, the thief asked? To be an inspiration to the people! To make them feel safe knowing someone was there protect them! She wanted to shout it for all to hear, to proclaim that it was all a lie and reveal her true identity! But alas, this path had already been chosen for her and to deviate from it now would only put their efforts thus far to waste. But Avacyn certainly would not forget this slight, and intended to tell Linda exactly how she felt about this deception once their mission was complete. Her only solace was that she did not need to concern herself with hiding the scowl spread across her face, as it lent itself well to her bandit disguise.

From threatening to flirting in the span of a few minutes... It might have bothered Avacyn if she didn't suspect that this too was part of Linda's act, though she knew not what purpose this particular deception served. "... Ava." Avacyn introduced herself curtly as she got back up into Gideon's saddle. As long as she was lying, she might as well not give her full name. It was unlikely anyone in the city would recognize her, but she might as well protect her name however she could. She had Gideon trot behind the pair, keeping a close eye on the thief, ready to run her down should she try to flee.

[Embers]

Following the rose-scented trail of the princess' odor, Alicteria keeps a gentle pace behind Vivianne as she showcased her home, outright bragging about its size and splendor. The nun had never seen architecture so ornate and decorated, so pristine and sparkling. But somehow, she didn't feel any gravity to the atmosphere of the homestead. She didn't feel impressed, maybe she had seen similarly elaborate interiors before and fails to recollect, or maybe she felt dismissive of inherited grandeur. Whatever the case was, Alicteria plays along with the princess' home tour, giving gestures of approval and nodding her head whenever Vivianne's eyes turned to meet her own.

Once inside the study, the nun follows the guidance of her host and takes place in the cushiony chair with its velvet armrest and pillow lap. While Vivianne was rambling on and on about the nation, its people, and the various factions, Alicteria relaxes and lowers her guard, enjoying this unusual time of peace while the princess' sweet voice enhanced her comfort and enjoyment. As soon as the maid entered the study through the doorway, Alicteria's nose could detect this woman wasn't Mary that the princess instructed to fetch refreshments. A bit unusual that one maid would offload tasks onto another. Alicteria thinks little of it and enjoys her delicious royalty drink until Vivianne reaches a stopping point.

"Princess you've spoken about the shortcomings of your country, your father, your siblings, the church, and its leadership. But you've yet to explain what you'll do different." Alicteria takes another sip of her tea, savoring the flavor for a few seconds before continuing "Vespera is in turmoil, and from the sound of it, you're merely adding to the chaos. Why would helping you be any different than helping you father-- and please spare me the religious rhetoric... Just like how the sun will shine in the summer day, my Lady's holy words will reach the hearts of Vespera's citizens regardless of who rules over them." The nun lowered her cup onto the night table and looked towards her host.

"Say I do agree and tail this Maximus fellow. What do you expect from me? Report that he's stealing money from the church coffers? Report that he abuses his wife? Report that he assaults and molests his slaves? Aren't these all everyday happenings for your people? Are you going to gather enough approval to oust him over some 'wrongdoings'?. No princess. You need a more active strategy if you're to instigate change." Alicteria's looks over to Oliver then back to the princess across the table from her.

"But that's just my humble opinion. I'm a worse spy than I am a cook, if you wish to waste your resources, your opportunity, and my potential... Then I'll gladly take your money and lodging." Alicteria's lips curve into a subtle smirk as she reaches out for the teacup again. The princess was either going to let her in on the actual plan, or there simply isn't one and she had found free accommodations to exploit while deepening her faith to Lady Pisti.

[Nobudi]

As Samira took a seat, the naked awe at everything new was too apparent for the group, who took it upon themselves to introduce themselves. As she took her seat, she unbound the package on her back and laid it against the edge of the table. As she listened on, she was quite impressed at Rebecca's little group. When she said she had an eye for people, Samira guessed that she wasn't totally kidding. A beggar from a far off land she had never heard of, and if her ears hadn't deceived her, an ex- noble? Just who was this beautiful lady?

Just as the introductions wound down, she decided to pick up her mug from the recently returned Dancer. She sniffed the drink, before gingerly taking a sip of the alcohol. Which she immediately regretted for not bracing herself properly. A few chuckles as she fought the burning wince and tears from forming. a few more sips eventually acclimated to a full gulp, and she began to talk with, "I'm from the Southern Archipelagos. Self taught when I traded most of my possessions for this treasure," she said as she patted the package at her side. "I'm still rather unsure of my abilities, but if I get a chance, I could demonstrate my skills." By this point, she had gotten used to the taste of the alcohol and emptied her mug with a satisfied exhale.

"This is some good alcohol, by the way," she mentioned casually as everyone else finished their mugs. "Another round anyone?" she asked as she collected the mugs to return. The second round had become much livelier, and the drinks were gone before long.

Then the third round, and so on carried on. Things had gotten silly by the... fifth round, was it? . As they discussed various topics that came and went, Samira decided that this time would be great to break out a favorite she heard whenever people on the island got together for a party and they were deep into their drinks. So, she sang it aloud. As best as she could remember, anyways.

"... And so this tale will be known forever more,
As the Tale of the Donkey and the Whooooorrrrrreeee~," Samira slurred out, the customary hip thrusts bringing about a fresh wave of roaring laughter, some of which came from herself. She ran her hair through her suddenly unbound hair and smiled as she finished off yet another mug.

"H- have I everrr tolldyuuuu al... How much I lub you gaisssss?" she slurred to her party as she loosed her top. It was really hot in there.


And that was the last thing she remembered before opening her eyes.

[mrblah]

Exotic appeal. Some part of her should likely take some offense in reducing the names of her people's resources to "exotic," but that was an act she initiated on her own for the sake of communication. She'd hardly felt a thing for it with the Lord eating it up like his first meal in a desert, and she might even FORGIVE it in the face of further trust placed in her favor.

Perhaps she hadn't done too great of a job at hiding her worry when Thornsworth brought up an extensive business relationship with Lord Devin. Nepotism is a strong factor in the world's economy; businesses have been built on relations over skills and governments are quite literally ruled under similar principles, so Reginald's move had her gentle wine twirling a bit shook, nearly enough to spill. Once Lord Devin had come to his decision, the Mother Nymph had just the same luck as Reginald had in hiding her reaction. She had to quickly smoothen out her features into the same cordial smile while inwardly relishing her victory. After all, isn't this a test in a way, to see if she could communicate with the aristocracy despite her shortcomings and disadvantages? Reginald Thornsworth is the friend of her target AND an experienced merchant. It speaks wonders of her training that she was able to get a leg up over him in this battle.

"Certainly, Lord Devin." That moment of elation is exactly why she hadn't given the Lord's following words much consideration, and why she so easily clinked her glass of the devil's water against the others without a care. Had she the presence of mind to recall her absolute incapability in holding her liquor, perhaps she would have tried some method of escaping the situation? Maybe by signaling her companions for help?

Too bad for Theresa. At least she'll learn to be much more careful in regards to wine after she wakes up in some dark alley someplace else. "A toast to new ventures!" Goodbye calm nights.

[Littlemankitten]

Samara nearly rolls her eyes as Lucian reels back from the dragon girl snapping at him. Figures that he'd be the most frightened of the cargo compared to everyone else in the room. When Lucian tells her that he picked her specifically cause of her past, and that she could be wealthy if she utilized her skill set, she glared at him in a way many would say could kill. She didn't fucking want to be wealthy, she wanted to live in peace. Sure living in peace and being wealthy would be nice, but the former was definitely being prioritized over the latter. Samara crosses her arms as Lucian tells Mia to go fetch someone. If she had known how long a simple 'hey my master wants to see you' would take she would have gone to gather up her caravan guard, but instead she was left waiting with increasing impatience as Lucian gave them some minor details she really didn't give a shit about. She didn't want to know that the girl was going to be used as a guard dog/sex toy hybrid, nor random bits of info about himself and whatever else, she just wanted to get this over with. She was pretty sure after a while he was just stalling for time, and though she could keep a cool and level head during meetings such as this her impatience was starting to show in her posture and face, and when Mia returned with some guy she exhales heavily in relief. She watched as Mia stumbled to Lucian like a drunk then turned her attention to this Alabasta guy as he introduces himself, she looks him up and down with annoyance. "To think your average bandit would have more common decency than to keep a contractor waiting cause one needed to get off." She snaps, not at all amused by the gesture. If someone did that to the leader of a major bandit camp they'd have their balls cut off. She then watches him show off his little bell thing and how it affected the dragon girl. She was barely impressed. It was pretty common practice for dangerous slaves to need some kind of safety measure assigned to them, if Lucian and Alabasta didn't have something to keep her on a leash she'd be more impressed with how terrible they were at their job.

When it was clear that it was her turn to get prepared, Samara simply nods as Jefferies does his part signing the contract. She hastily leaves the room and back into the main party room, brushing past the party goers and looking around out of habit for anything suspicious before she made her way outside where her crew was. Her crew was sprinkled around the front entrance of the complex, keeping a bored eye out for anyone that looked like they wanted to try something. Her first guard, Hadeel, was moreso checking out her fellow guards. She was definitely the most flirtatious of the entire group, not really hiding her attraction for basically all of them. While sometimes annoying, Samara has gotten fairly used to it, and couldn't deny her ability with a blade.Nadheera on the other hand was much like Samara. She was crude, brash, and sarcastic. Though unlike Samara there was no straight business mode. She was quite proficient with the sword though, and Samara had known her for longer than any of the others. Grave was someone Samara knew substantially less about. She was always cloaked in a ragged green overcoat and wore the skull of some animal over her head. She was very quiet, and generally only spoke when spoken to or if she had something important to say. She was perhaps the best killer of the entire group, able to dispatch of adversaries with scary amounts efficiency. While normally someone like Grave would raise red flags, Grave seems to enjoy the groups company and has done nothing but help them out when needed. Thistle was supposedly once a guard for a very important person before turning to the life of a mercenary for a reason she refuses to explain to the others. She is the newest of the group, and the least trusted. However she has proved her worth in the few missions she has tagged along in. Able mostly kept to himself like a less intense version of Grave despite being the only guy of the group. He talked and joked with the others well enough, but he generally has a distant persona. Hadeel has stated her envy of him being, as far as she knew, the only one with a cock in the group of mostly hot girls, but he's probably one of the least flirty and raunchy of them all.

Upon seeing her group, Samara clears her throat and crosses her arms. "Alright assholes, I managed to get us another job, but this one is going to be quite annoying and complex to deal with... We're dealing with live cargo fully willing to bite back, sentient live cargo, and we have one of Bickerton's cock suckers tagging along with us." Her entire group, except Grave, seems to wince at this news. "Look I don't like it either, I already regret taking this job but the contract is being signed by Jeff as we speak so we don't have much choice in the matter. Just do the job as we always do it, nothing is different. If any of you do something stupid I'm not saving your skin and your putting the rest of us in deep shit." Samara then walks closer to them all and leans against a flag poll flying the Bickerton flag. "Boss, what exactly are we transporting here?" Able says from his sitting position on the dirt. Samara grimaces and waves him off. Dragon girl hybrid thing. Very rare, probably very dangerous. The Bickerton goon as some bell that scares the shit out of her so we should be good. I was told to expect trouble on the road thanks to her value. Nothing we can't handle though." Able grits his teeth but says nothing, simply nodding his head as the others exchange various glances and looks at each other, knowing all they could do now was wait for Jefferies and the package to come outside.

[Mark3000]

Samara

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

It wasn’t long until Jefferies, Lucien and Alabasta returned followed by two horse drawn wagons and two of Bickerton’s personal guards. Both looked like stripped down stage wagons made to look as inconspicuous as possible. The design was simple and it bore none of the Bickerton family's insignias. Upon closer examination, one could tell that the second wagon was larger and reinforced with stronger material. If one were to get close to it, they would hear the faint sounds of breathing. It looked like her cage had been concealed inside the second wagon.

“Sorry for the wait Samara, just have to go over a few small details before you leave.” Jefferies said as he held a few rolls of parchment. With the contract signed, there was no turning back now. “So I managed to get 30% of our debt forgiven for taking the job. Also, even with Alabasta and Lucien’s men accompanying you’re the lead on this job. The rest will be settled when you return from the … delivery” He said as he cleared his throat. Jefferies handed Samara a roll of parchment. “Hand this to the foreman and have him sign it when you get to the mine…” The merchant paused, a look of shame on his face. “I’m sorry to put you in this situation, but taking this job could save the company”.

While Samara and Jefferies were talking, Alabasta had moved over to talk to Samara’s team of caravan guards. “I see talent attracts talent,” Alabasta said, giving the group of five a small bow. “Alabasta Cane at your service. I will be in your care for the duration of this journey” His attention was obviously on the feminine members of the group. The slave trainer had all but ignored Able.

Once the introductions were done, everyone gathered around the front wagon. One of the Bickerton guards pulled out a map of Vespera. Picktown was marked at the northern mountain range. Looking at the map, Samara could see a few ways to chart the journey. There was the road that traveled north to Picktown and ran west of Valleyvale Lake. It was the most common route to that part of Vespera and would run through a few smaller villages. This would give them plenty of chances to rest and restock. On the other hand if they wanted to travel unnoticed they could take the path east of Valleyvale Lake. The area is more densely forested and would slow their travels, but they could avoid unwanted attention. Along with the two wagons, there were also horses provided by both Jefferies and the Bickertons

Theresa

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Alcohol was an extremely rare substance among the nomadic tribes. Most alcoholic drinks they do produce have a low alcoholic volume and are saved for special occasions. So the wine hit Theresa like a ton of bricks.

When Theresa awoke, she was in her own lodgings. Her head was throbbing, as if a hundred birds were pecking at her skull. The rest of her body felt just as sluggish. Looking down at her body, Theresa saw that she was no longer wearing her Spirits' Veil. Her cock was semi-hard and stained with cum and other juices. The fog over her mind had kept Theresa from remembering how she got like this. Then she saw the woman laying face down, ass up beside her. Her pussy dripped cum onto the ground, her lower lips swollen from a night of rough sex.

Even from the back Theresa could tell who it was. But she had to get a better look at her face to be sure. Brushing aside some of her mysterious partner's hair to reveal the sleeping visage of Charlotte Thornsworth. Slowly the sleeping aristocrat opened her eyes and gave Theresa a loving expression. “Hey there my sexy Nymph. I didn’t know you nomads could get so wild in bed” She said with a mocking expression. As Theresa tried to think back on the night, she was hit with a splitting headache. She could only remember scant details:

All five of them laughing at something, Theresa couldn’t remember the joke but it must have been something hilarious

Lord Devin and Reginald leave with you somewhere with a few other party members to another room.

More Alcohol. It was stronger than the wine which only made her memory foggier.

Odd smelling smoke, vibrant sounds, a euphoric high and something soft rubbing on her lap.

Shouting, a kerfuffle and then the feeling of being carried.

As she thought, Charlotte got up and gave Theresa a kiss on the lips and a knowing smile. “What’s wrong? Still hungover from last night?”

(Theresa Gained +1 EXP)

Avacyn & Linda

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The cat eyed thief looked flustered as Linda flirted with her. Her cheeks turned a bright red as she looked to the ground.in embarrassment as she sinks into the woman’s grasp. “N-Nowi. You can call me Nowi. I guess we can walk like this. Our hideout isn’t far.” She says as she leads the two women through the back streets of the slums. Either due to Linda’s flirtations or Avacyn’s obvious annoyance, Nowi pays the backwater noble little in the way of attention. Instead she merely focused on Linda’s strong yet graceful features as they walked.

It doesn’t take long for the three of you to reach what looked like an abandoned house. The roof had collapsed as well as the second floor. “Over her” Nowi said as she led the two to a pair of cellar doors. Nowi bent down and did five quick kocks followed by three long knocks. Suddenly a young voice came from the cellar. “Password!” it whispered through the cracks.”

Nowi replied rather abruptly. ”Lily you bitch open up. You know it’s me” she said, tapping her toes. Avacyn and Linda hear a click followed by the sound of a would block moving. Suddenly the cellar door opens to reveal a young woman with pink hair in long twintails. She had a similar garb to Nowi though without the fur lining. She smirked as she glanced at the new guests she had brought to the door.

“Sorry boss, but I can’t help messing with you every now and then.” Lily said as she eyed Linda’s arm around Nowi’s shoulder. She looked the spellcaster up and down, then gave Nowi a playful grin. “And who’s this wrapped around you, hmmm? I thought you were supposed to be ‘working’?” She said as she stood in the doorway.

Nowi once again blushed in Linda’s arms. “This is Linda and Ava. I tried to roll these two and ended up almost getting conned myself. These two are pros and I figured our crew could use the help” She said, stepping forward from Linda’s grasp to welcome them into their hideout. Lily followed grinning as they walked into the cellar.

When both Linda and Avacyn enter the cellar, they see the remains of a deep wine cellar. Though most of the furniture had been moved to make way for shaggy cots. In a small corner or the room was a small pile of loot which consisted of a few coins, jewelry and food. Though the food pile consisted of a few loaves of bread and a couple apples. But what stood out was the jewelry pile. Most of the items had been reported to the knights as stolen.

The room was open enough that Linda and Avacyn had no problem getting a head count. Aside from Nowi and Lily. There were four other girls in the cellar. All their garbs looked similar to Nowi and Lily but with even less fancy trimmings. None of them looked like hardened criminals and more like young street urchins trying to get by. As Nowi scanned the room she turned to Lily. “Where’s Maggie?” She asked the pink haired cutthroat. Though Lily merely shook her head. “She took one of the newer girls to try and score some meat for dinner.” Nowi sighed and turned to her new companions. “It’s not much but welcome to our little hideout. We mainly roll the odd mark here and there. Just enough to get by. It’s not much but it’s better then selling yourself on the street.”

Samira

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As Samira slowly awoke, the first thing she felt was a slimy warmness on her lips. She could feel a salty taste on her tongue as well. Next Samira felt a soreness in her finger tips. This sensation was more familiar. It was the sort of pain that came after a long practice session with her instrument. Finally, there was her crotch. There was this throbbing heat coming from her pussy along with a strange sliminess similar to what she felt in her mouth.

As Samira opened her eyes, she could see that she was in a small room on a bed. The sheets were damp and her body cool. She looked down to see that she was completely naked on her back. Her hair was still down but her body was covered in semen. The musician’s eyes drifted down further to see her legs were sprawled open, as cum flowed from her pussy.

“Hmmm, you’re awake” a voice said with a seductive tone. Samira looked to the source to see Rebecca on her knees surrounded by four men, all of them naked. She recognized Ali and Baxter. They both seemed to be on the edge of cumming and Rebecca stroked their long cocks.She also recognized the barkeep that had offered them drinks. He was balls deep into Rebecca’s mouth after she had spoken to her. The last man was a complete mystery. He had a muscular build and white skin that had been tanned by long periods in the sun. His black buzzcut had signs of greying. He was underneath Rebecca as she bounced on his throbbing member.

Samira had woken up just in time to see all four men blow their loads all over Rebecca. With a series of loud grunts they plastered their seed all over the dancer’s face, hair and body. While the mystery man filled Rebecca’s flower pot with his cum. Samira watched as Rebecca’s eyes rolled back as her body shook with pleasure. As the pleasurable high subsided, the men backed away from the dancer to give her and the man a chance to get up. The two look up at each other before sharing a long passionate kiss. “Your pussy is a treasure as always Becca” He said, giving her a small slap on the ass. She lets out a small yip before laughing it off with her other companions. “Though your new friend here was a real treat” He said before moving towards the prone Samira as he messaged her inner thigh. His thumb brushing up softly against her clit. While Ali, Baxter and the Barkeep got dressed and left the room, Rebecca and the mysterious man stayed.

“I didn’t think you were such a wild one Samira. Giving a topless musical performance, dancing like a mad woman. Then tell your story about the donkey and the whore to the entire tavern.” Rebecca said with a laugh. “Though that wasn’t as surprising as when you stuck your tongue down my throat.”

“That was the tamest thing you three did” the man added as he and Rebecca chuckled.

(Samira gained +1 EXP)

Imperia

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As the monster’s head fell to the ground, the tendrils dragged the decapitated body into the black ichor. As if being swallowed by the very earth itself, the lifeless body disappears into the inky abyss only leaving the head. With the battle over, the dark energy radiating from the summoner subsides as she closes her tome. The red haired archer holstered her bow and went to collect the head of the metal faced creature.

“No worse for wear. Thanks for the save” She said as she placed the head into a burlap sack. “Though we’d lose another mark to Bella’s magic” She smirked as the hooded spellcaster slowly approached.

“The abyss hungers for sustenance” She said with a quiet expression. Her eyes had a cold intensity to them that Imperia only noticed close up.

“That’s no way to thank our newest buddy” The archer said. In contrast to the summoner’s cold expression, the archer radiated a warm, friendly aura. “Name’s Charlie, Bounty Hunter Extraordinaire. This is my partner Belladonna, but you can call her Belle” Charlie said as Bella nodded in acknowledgement. “A local put out a bounty on these monsters. Wanted someone to collect a couple of their heads to bring back to him. And before you say, yes I know it’s sketchy but he’s paying 45 Gold Coin. Forty-five!” She said with an excited expression. Charlie’s eye slowly drifted to Imperia’s scythe. “Say, you’re pretty handy with the weapon. We could really use the help of someone with close combat experience. We just need one more head and the bounty will be complete. Then we can split the reward three ways.”

“Well you can’t say no to such a generous offer. Especially from two likely beauties such as these” Loyd’s voice said ringing through her mind. Though he didn’t manifest himself, Imperia could feel her father’s leering gaze focused on Charlie and Belladonna

Alicteria

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Vivianne took a moment to reflect on what Alicteria had said. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you to be so forward but I value your honesty.” Alicteria said as she cleared her throat. “As you say it would be extremely difficult to oust the Chief Bishop from within the church. However while their position is strong, Vespera isn’t a theocracy. The faithful are still subject to the laws of this land. Thus with sufficient proof he can be ousted not by the church itself but by the Order of Vespera”.

Vivianne paused to take a sip of her tea. “It is my hope that by the time Lady Maxine has returned the band of knights to their former glory. We will be able to bring the Chief Bishop to justice. This will indeed bring turmoil, but the alternative is to let this moral rot continue. What I’m asking you is to use your potential as a holy woman to show the people that there is another path to worshiping the saints other then Maximus”

It seemed what Oliver had said before was true, the princess didn’t know about Alicteria’s other activities as a nun of the Church of Pisti. When Alicteria looked up to Oliver, the butler had a stoic visage as he stood at his lady’s side. It was clear that he was aware of who the nun really was and was willing to go further than Vivianne when it came to taking action.

“But to answer your first question. The difference between myself and my father is that what I do I do for the sake of Vespera. I don’t want to claim power or control. I just wish to use what power I have available to aid others. It’s the only way I’ll ever be able to face my mother” Vivianne said as she looked down at the table, tears coming from her eyes. “If you can’t believe that what I wish for is what’s best for Vespera then tell me what I need to do to prove it to you.”

[MiscChaos]

Well, the flirting route seems to be serving her well. It doesn’t hurt that the already cute girl becomes rather adorable when she blushes. She obviously hasn’t had many people compliment her on her appearance if a little touching and a few words is all it takes for the girl to melt into Linda. To the point where if Avacyn were to do something more than look like the world’s most unhappy bodyguard, she doesn’t think the newly named Nowi would notice until it was far too late. So she kept her flirting up: Casual touches to areas there shouldn’t be any objections to (unless Nowi makes it obvious she’d like to be touched there), easy conversation that remains flattering to Nowi, and as much eye contact as she can stand while also paying attention to their surroundings to make it seem like she’s hanging on Nowi’s every word. Also occasional peeks at the catgirl’s lips to make it seem like she’s contemplating how they’d feel, but not enough to be overly obvious. Well, it’s not like she has to try all that hard to fake interest. Her interest is pretty real after all. Just a bit played up to keep Nowi’s attention.

She can turn off the charm a bit when they get to where they need to go. An abandoned ass house. She begins to suspect something, but holds that thought for the moment when there’s an obviously secret knock and password system. Well, a knock at least. When they’re introduced, she bows as much as she can with Nowi still in her arms. The problem is solved when the catgirl moves to show them around the cellar, but at this point she doesn’t need a hand on the girl anyway. She’s got what she needed at this point. She does make a small show of being disappointed at the loss of contact though. Might as well see it through to the end. Her suspicion turns into an almost certainty when she looks around the room: This isn’t the band of thieves they’re looking for. The terrible conditions they’re living in and the sparse food isn’t what one would imagine a successful band of thieves to be. And then she locks on to the stolen items and changes her mind. In that hoard were most of the items reported as stolen to their superiors. They may have just stumbled onto their target. Still, better to know for certain than just to guess. Then she catches the other 4 members of the gang present and revises her opinion again. This isn’t the group of hardened criminals she thought she would be hunting, this is just a gaggle of girls trying to get by in absolutely shitty conditions. And if there’s one group of people she’s not likely to victimize, it’s children trying to survive. The opinion is sealed when Nowi mentions selling themselves just to get a meal. Well now she’s in a dilemma: she absolutely is not going to be failing her assignment, but she’s also not gonna be harming these girls. Not unless absolutely necessary. This is a pickle. One that would be best discussed with Avacyn with a little more information. Time to begin building off of the reputation she’s laid the foundations of.

“Not bad at all for a group of survival. A quiet, out of the way place fairly easily defendable. Unless you have other entrances to this place I’m not aware of?” She says, turning an eye to Nowi for an answer. “Not a terrible haul either. Waiting for heat to die down on the jewels? Or have you not found a place to sell them yet? There should be a lot more food on that table for the amount you have there.” She logs in the back of her mind that there’s at least 8 members of this crew, from the sound of it all being female. Then she asks the question that she’s really angling for. “What’s the competition like? Any rival gangs or anything to foul the turf or bring authorities down on our heads?” The girls don’t quite know that they’ve already brought the attention of authorities, but if they do this right, they can end this relatively painlessly. Now she’s more glad than ever for her approach. If they had declared themselves to be with the Knights right off the bat, there’d be almost no way for this to end without harm coming to the girls. She also keeps in the back of her mind she needs to separate to talk to Avacyn. She’s not sure how much longer the woman can go without breaking cover and she’s going to need to decompress (probably by yelling at Linda) in order to make it last until mission’s end. As an afterthought, she says “Anyone I need to worry about putting hands on you before I can?” to Nowi with a wink. Hey, she started the flirting route. She might as well finish it.

[mrblah]

Rustle. Rustle rustle. Only the slightest bit of cloth ruffling. Usually she'd wake with a little more fabric... hm. Perhaps the night before, she'd decided to sleep without a blanket? The air was cool; the sun hadn't been out long enough to heat the day, so she was a little uncomfortable. Then again, her throbbing head also didn't help make her feel more settled. Nor the lack of memory of the night before. Nor the sight of herself naked and dirtied with another throbbing part of herself revealed down below.

... The Mother Nymph shook her head ever so slightly to clear the cobwebs in her brain. This action hurt, but the pain brought her out of her stupor enough to register her current state. Okay. So, she's clearly made a monumental fucking mistake.

Magnificent.

She still couldn't recall a lot of what exactly happened, so Theresa took some time looking around to briefly make out any clues that might help solve the mystery. The sight of a woman laid beside her hadn't been entirely unexpected considering her own state so she took that well. The identity of the woman in question, further confirmed by the Mother Nymph brushing the woman's hair to the side, was quite possibly the least expected and worst possible outcome that could've risen from a night of forgotten debauchery.

Her fight-or-flight instincts briefly kicked in, but Theresa had to strangle the response once Charlotte Thornsworth opened her eyes and flashed her a charming smile. "I— ah..." The color drained from Theresa's face. Tremendous. The possible solution of simply running from her own home as Charlotte slept has been stolen right from underneath her before she could even prep to execute. Even despite its incredibly low chance of working and much higher chance of making things worse, Theresa couldn't lie and say there wasn't some merit to the idea. At least she could act like she was fine later. Now?

"Nngh..." God, her head is splitting. A hand raised to nurse her temple, though that nursing quickly twisted into a more forceful punching as her frustration began to spike at the situation. Really? Alcohol?? What sort of idiocy brought her to even coming CLOSE to drinking?! And where exactly were her Nomads to assist her? Gilly and Arisa would've NEVER allowed her to do something so incredibly ruinous as drink even if not in the presence of important company. The Mother Nymph's alcohol tolerance was prodigiously low even among her own people! She could've only assumed they'd been predisposed some way to keep her from falling into this trap, but... for the life of her, she couldn't remember a single detail about the party past the toast. It was near magical how it was blurred, honestly; she'd almost suspect the supernatural if it were possible.
Well. It just might be.

"I'm..." A complete buffoon, but that's not what she was going to say. Charlotte's sudden movement and following kiss had already thrown out whatever that thought would've been. Spirits damn it all. "... I-I meant to say," Theresa started with a slight tremble in her voice as she successfully turns her gaze away from the naked woman. "... I have absolutely no recollection of the night before." Best to come clean.

"I'm sorry—I'm not... skilled, in handling alcohol. Had we..?" Glance. Still naked. Of course they had, honestly. "Prithee, I'd honestly had no intentions, Ms. Thornsworth. I didn't... n-not to say you're not a beautiful woman, but I do respect your espousal to Mr. Thornsworth, a-and..." The massive fucking hangover is NOT helping her think of something to say to fix this situation. Nor is not looking at the person she's speaking to.

Spirits below, she's NEVER touching alcohol again.

[Nobudi]

Samira woke in a daze. Her memories had been just a huge blank if she tried to think. When had she gotten where she was? As a matter of fact, where was she? She had drunk before sleeping, she did know that for sure, but the taste in her mouth was anything but stale alcohol. Come to think of it; the slimy, salty and slightly bitter taste in her mouth was familiar. Yes... this taste was of...

Her eyes shot open, and she could feel the blood drain from her face as she examined herself.

Naked, sweaty, covered in semen and her womb dripping more cum than she would think could come from a single man. Great, it was almost if she hadn't left the island at all at this rate. The call of a familiar voice rang out, and when she looked to it's origin, all the blood that drained from her face had rushed back in.

Samira knew that Rebecca was quite a beauty, but to watch her immediately get stuffed in all of her orifices and lose her mind in pleasure was one of the most beautiful things she ever saw. She hoped to one day be with her when that happened.

Once everyone had slinked out of the small room they were using, did she realize her nudity and while a blushing mess, took an opportunity to center herself. Hearing of her drunken exploits only made her more red in the face. What she did wasn't too common of her, but it happened enough that word swept through the island, right back to her parents. 'Mortification' was not a strong enough word to express what she felt then, and was feeling now.

"C- could one of you please p- pass me the chamber pot?" she whimpered. Once she had it, she squatted over the pot and flexed her abdomen. A thick stream of semen flowed out from between her legs, but she knew that she couldn't empty the majority of her cumdump of a pussy by squeezing alone. She took two fingers and inserted them as far into her cunt as she could. Attempting, and subsequently failing to stifle the whimpering gasps and moans as she used her fingers to scoop out as much seed as she could from out of her, only stopping once she felt empty enough.

Once she had cleaned her insides the best she could, she could finally gather enough emotional strength to ignore and failed to remember what just happened. Still, that left both girls covered in semen, and only a little time before it because troublesome to scrub out. "Should we get cleaned up?" she asked the woman, before realizing she did not know the man in the room with them, and gave a little wave. "Hello," she greeted him rather timidly. "I am Samira, and I'm pleased to meet you. If I had introduced myself before, I don't seem to remember," she finished with a rueful chuckle.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Imperia watches the abyss swallow the monster's corpse. She thought to herself how the magic seemed quite powerful if it could just eat giant monsters like that. She then stared at the blackness, thinking to herself It's truly black, pure black... as black as my soul. It's a black abyss, blacker than tar... as if it's pure nothingness, just like my heart. she thought to herself, morbidly, until the archer regained her attention. When the archer thanks her for her assistance, and explains that she thought that she would lose another mark to the beautiful woman's magic, Imperia replies "I am glad to have been of assistance, madame." she says, as she spins her scythe around and holsters it across her back, finally standing up straight. The woman then remarks on how the abyss requires sustenance, confirming Imperia's inner monologue's assumption, which would have caused Imperia to smirk or grin, but she felt too dead inside to do such a thing, so she merely nods at the woman, then stares into her eyes.

Her attention is once more grabbed by the archer, as she refers to Imperia as "buddy" and introduces herself. I am their buddy? Have I truly made friends already? I am not one who is deserving of friends... however... I do long for such, and shall take them as offered. If they do not want me, they will make it known. she thinks to herself, the thought of making friends almost bringing a smile to Imperia's face. Rather than letting her inner monologue run away, she interrupts her train of thought herself "Well met, Charlie, Bounty Hunter Extraordinaire, and Belladonna. I am Imperia." she explains, neglecting to mention what it is she does As I myself do not know what I do... she thinks to herself. When the archer then explains that they were collecting heads for a bounty, Imperia nods and stores the information at the back of her mind. I care not what is or is not sketchy, merely that purchasing power is purchasing power. she thinks to herself, after which she briefly considers the archer's offer of assisting them in taking down the last mark and splitting the profit between them. For once, she agreed with her father's assessment, they are indeed being generous, and they are indeed beautiful. If she proves useful enough, perhaps they would continue to allow her to travel with them. "Thank you for your praise, you are both quite skilled as well. I am awed by Belladonna's magic, and your incredible archery." She says, trying her best to express herself as friendly, despite never actually having any friends. she then adds "I am glad to accept your offer, Charlie. It is an honor to be working with you." she says, trying her best to sound friendlier than she usually does, not wanting to sound like her usual cold self to her new companions. She extends a hand to seal their deal with a hand shake, then extends the same hand to Belladonna, looking each girl in the eye as she shakes their hands.

[Blue56]

As intended, Avacyn kept a close eye on Nowi as she walked in Linda's embrace, but the longer she watched, the less certain she was that their flirtations were truly an act. She has hardly educated in the ways of love, but even she could feel the care and consideration put into Linda's gaze and touch, and how receptive Nowi was towards the other woman. A love between a thief and the one sent to arrest her... How scandalous! Though the scene does little to soothe her frustrations with her current situation, the thought does bring a slight blush to Avacyn's cheeks despite her scowl. Thankfully the two were much too focused on each other to notice as they made their way down the streets.

At last, they arrived at a house just as run down as the rest in the area. It blended in well enough to make for a good hideout at least. Avacyn secured Gideon nearby, giving her trusty steed a gentle pat and some feed for a job well done while Nowi engaged in some sort of secret knock to gain them entry. A quaint idea, but one that struck Avacyn as rather pointless. If someone knew who they were and what they were up to and wanted to gain entry, failure to knock properly was unlikely to stop them. Given the structures collapsed roof, it's not like they would even need to use the door. Avacyn had a sinking suspicion that Nowi was not about to introduce them to a group of hardened criminals, and this was confirmed upon meeting Lily and several other young girls that occupied the house. Avacyn's expression softened almost instantly. These girls reminded her of her sister in a way, and the thought of Seraphine living in such squalor was a heart breaking one indeed. Surely they had the wrong group of thieves, she thought, until that hope was dashed when her gaze fell upon the pile of jewels that were easily indentifiable as the stolen items they were sent to retrieve.

Avacyn's mind raced as she pondered what they should do in this situation. They couldn't simply return empty handed and disappoint the Captain. But to arrest these girls... Yes, they were guilty of theft, but it was clear they were doing so for survival and not for personal gain. It was obvious to Avacyn that the nobles of Espirit had failed in their duty to the people of this area. Why should Nowi and her friends have to be punished for their mistakes? But if she couldn't arrest them and she couldn't let them go, what options were left to her? As Avacyn was left to wonder, she was vaguely aware that Linda was asking a number of questions that would gain them useful information and added one of her own. "Who did you manage to steal these from? Such finery doesn't seem characteristic of the people of this area. If we're going to be targeted for revenge by someone wealthy enough to hire help to do so, I'd like to know about it." She inquires, standing over the assortment of stolen goods. It was true that Avacyn was worried these girls had picked the wrong target, but she also needed to know who to return them to once this situation is resolved.

[Embers]

Throughout Vivianne's explanation about the Order of Vespera, law and order, and Lady Maxine Alicteria finishes the rest of her tea and begins twirling the empty cup. If this Princess is preparing to oust the Chief Bishop before she even secures the methods to doing so then she's either planning really far ahead or making a wishlist. There were no hints of malice in her words, no deception or façade that Alicteria could pick out so it might be that she's following someone else's guidance to prepare an exeunt for church figureheads, someone more strategic, someone that looks out the Princess' best interest and also comes with years of experience. Someone like Oliver.

Noticing Vivianne's tears Alicteria leans out of her chair with a warm smile "Now now, Princess no need to cry. It wasn't my intention to call you a liar, Pisti be my witness." The nun reaches out her arm and wipes gently at Vivianne's cheeks, softness and purity like that of blueblood virgins is a delicacy of the highest caliber. Alicteria would salivate at the thought of privately enjoying an unadulterated treat like this Princess, but this was neither the time not the place, with a lick over her upper lips and a subtle swallow Alicteria' contains her lust and Alicteria moves her hand to lift the Princess' chin so their eyes lock. Speaking in an earnest voice "By the Goddess' will, I'll do my very best to help you elevate Esprit into a city Pisti herself will grace with purifying god rays. And Vespera, too. Until your legacy is one your mother would be proud of." Alicteria then moves her hand to pat the Princess hair, gently stroking her golden strands downwards waiting to see if the crying would escalate or not.

After consoling the Princess or at least downscaling the grief, the nun puts her tea cup down and rises from the chair. "Well, now I have the general gist of the plan. I eagerly look forward to the chance to unwind after such an eventful day. I'm sure your highness can relate; a long day in a woman's clothing warrants plentiful rest, no?" In reality Alicteria was more than comfortable in her outfit even with a spinning-blade-scythe folded and strapped to her back, at the time she felt there was little information left to be gleamed from Vivanne compared to a private talk with Oliver. The nun fixes her oversized jacket draping it over the black thigh high stockings and looks over to Oliver then back to the Princess, to Oliver again then to Vivianne and resumes in a light-hearted tone "Can you get that lovely maid to show me my room? Elizabeth? Mary? What was her name? I had already made friends with Oliver on the way here you see"