• Graded • Busting Bandits

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Noth
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Saun 7, 717

He had begun the assimilation of the local crime families in earnest now. He could still remember the young men from only two trials prior who he had beaten into submission, could still recall their surrendering of the whereabouts of their leader. That one would be dealt with in time, but it was only a singular gang in a wasteland filled with them. Of course, none of the groups had ever been quite as powerful as the nationally renowned ones, and so whilst it was somewhat troublesome having to eliminate or assimilate them, they had not stopped him for long. Gradually, he knew, one after another would bend the knee until the criminal underworld answered almost entirely to his commands.

In fact, he was hunting one of the bandit groups now, intent on stopping them and either eliminating them from the equation entirely and thus rendering their territories and operations completely open for him to take, or else bringing them into the fold and assigning them roles as members of Al’Angyryl. Even with the relative ease by which he had begun the process of absorbing and conquering the other criminal groups, there were still issues that constantly reared their ugly heads and interfered in his vile schemes of domination and control.

Namely, it was difficult to actually locate the gangs without some assistance from either their rivals, or their members, and if he chose to get his information from the former then it had a propensity of being somewhat inaccurate, whilst the latter typically attempted to twist their words so as to throw him off the scent. He was a hunter at heart, and so inevitably he would almost always locate them, but the process would have been far faster if he had a more viable way of actually finding his fellow criminals.

The other problem involved those who would attempt to stop him in his endeavors. Admittedly, he sincerely doubted that the local law enforcement, nor the citizenry of the city would detest him eliminating some of the criminals operating around their homes, but he sincerely doubted that they would not take notice of the gradual change of power; crime did not truly disappear, just come under new management.

Even those valiant defenders of the law were not necessarily the primary issue for the hybrid. No, that honorable title fell to his beloved Nightshade. She championed altruistic acts and honorable deeds, activing charitably towards all in an attempt at making the world a brighter place, and in a way she made him feel like a brighter person just by her presence. That said, however, he had already reconciled with himself the fact that he would not be able to surrender his ambition for the sake of her, though he thought if he was wily and cunning enough, then he might be able to have both of his prizes. So many stories and lessons taught never to chase after two prizes, discussing how by chasing both, you would only serve to lose both, but Noth thought himself far more intelligent than those in the stories, and far more cunning than ever they could conceive. It was for that reason that instead of hiding his operations entirely from Nightshade, he had decided to bring her along under the pretense of ‘hunting down bandits’, to further show how far he had changed from his old self, whilst simultaneously accomplishing his goals.

That brought him to his current position, standing atop a slight hill in the midst of the forest, looking for any signs of a fire to reveal the group he was hunting. He was dressed in his usual armored garb, the plate gleaming in the sunlight of the blazing star overhead. His information had told him to be wary of the area, because there were apparently a small group of bandits; reports said somewhere between five and six, who were fairly active. When he had questioned the supposed victims of their attacks further, however, all he had gotten was “Oh yea, those prancing and prissy folk.” Time would tell what that meant, he supposed.

He whistled a tune reminiscent of birdsong into the air as he finished his observation, glancing around for his beloved a moment later, and awaiting her return. Admittedly, he was somewhat less affectionate now that he was hunting, but he still tried his hardest to retain some of his warmth whilst working, because he certainly didn’t want to push her away, but the field was simply not the place for hand-holding, and hugging, and so he had refrained from any acts of the sort.

And there, from within the forest… smoke.




word count: 780
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Credit to Pegasus


As a note: Noth is a Grandmaster in Intimidation. That means that he's at least as scary as the Count from Sesame Street. Beware.

"The tyrant confuses those he can't convince, corrupts those he can't confuse, and crushes those he can't corrupt." - Anonymous
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Nightshade Eld
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Nightshade had of course been brought into the activity under the guise that they would be helping people by taking care of the bandit problem. Innocent were her motives and ignorantly blissful was she of the actual situation that Noth was leading her into. Her dearest had simply told her that they had something of a quest to run off on, and the woman had been more than happy to join. Noth knew well her adoration for helping others, not to mention her habits for hunting down bandits, and he'd used the information to his advantage when convincing her this was the right thing to do. Something that had been happening more and more lately with something of a moral shift. Though Noth held a small part in the equation, it was honestly small. The majority of the shift had come with her own understanding of Etzos and the world around her.

Unlike Noth, her goal in this little activity wasn't to kill as many of the bandits as possible. 'Purging' the bad things in the world like that didn't really work, it was a lesson she'd learned from experience. No, instead it was better to take justice and law to them. A punishment was meant to be tailored by the broken laws as well as the criminals themselves, and under no conditions should the punishment be capital if avoidable. As for the law, well, Nightshade had become rather sick of the 'law' within Etzos so she'd made her own under the ideals of honor and justice, not to mention the preservation of as much mortal life as possible. Battles that could be won without bloodshed were to be chosen over paths of slaughter.

The woman watched Noth quietly, peering at his dark feathers and trying to judge what he was seeing. While Noth tried to remain warm but professional, the woman had a complete shift of nature when it came down to a fight. She had shown no signs of affection past a kiss on the cheek when they had first met up for the little adventure. After that she was all business. Though her posture didn't change much thanks to the fact she was always ready for a fight, her wings had become more braced. In town they usually cradled her body slightly, hiding the marks that she'd been given. Outside the city was a different story entirely. The large black appendages were thrust backwards, tensed in a way that she could take flight at a moment's notice. Her hands remained close to her hips. Whenever she heard a strange noise they would twitch slightly, her head flicking the direction for a single moment before turning the direction she'd originally been facing. She rarely talked and when she did talk it was usually a command or observation of some sort.

Thanks to the positioning of her wings Celarion was on full display. She glanced at the mark for a single moment, sighing slightly. She'd been doing a great job of spreading hope lately. She quietly wondered to herself if Noth would inquire upon the nature of the mark, and part of her honestly hoped that he would. She didn't think she'd ever told him the story about what part she'd played during the fight with the Plague Lord.

Nightshade noticed the smoke at roughly the same time as Noth, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you want me to try and scout ahead or do you have some kind of plan?" She asked, her voice having nothing but a cold professionalism to it. It was the kind of way a general might talk during a fight.
word count: 620
Common ~ Ith'Ession ~ Lorien
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Noth
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At the end of the trial, Noth couldn’t be less concerned with why Nightshade how decided to come along with him. He knew that she was involved in rather protective activities, seeking to better those around her, and he was aware that part of that honorable act involved eliminating bandits and threats to the innocent. It was rather remarkably ironic that she hadn’t attempted to remove him from Etzos once she had learned his true nature, but he supposed that adoration had blinded her, or at least restrained her from taking action, and his own deceptive guiles; the acts he took such as this one, hunting bandits to showcase his reform, had stayed her hand. Still, as long as she was actually involved enough to take notice of his change, and to assist him in eliminating a rival gang, then he didn’t mind where her motivations truly lay.

Surprisingly, he was not altogether intent on actually killing the bandits involved. It did seem to be the easiest answer to both showcasing his reform to his beloved, and eliminating a rival faction, but in reality he had thought of an alternative solution. No, for all of his murderous tendencies he fully intended to spare as many of the vile scum as he could, because it was difficult to muster forces for an army, and if one were to simply dispose of those they saw as immediately unfit, or who initially opposed them, then it would take him several arcs to fully compose his forces. Rather than devoting them to destruction, he was going to grant them the mercy that his cruel title involved, and then, at a later date when they had been either released or else rescued from captivity, he would draw them into his service.

That wasn’t to say that he was squeamish at the prospect of killing one or two of them, especially if they posed a legitimate threat or if he thought that recruiting the others whilst they lived would be difficult. Above all else, Noth liked to consider himself to be a practical evil, perhaps idealistic in purpose, but certainly pragmatic in application. Truly, morality had never stood in the way of his ambitions, and he recognized that his purpose; the grand idea that he held for all of the world, far surpassed the petty limitations of mortal-kind and their arrogant godlings.

The twilight hybrid cast his eyes upon his lover, allowing a slight smile to cross his visage, but otherwise maintaining a fairly steely disposition. She seemed rather tense; not enough to detract any from her exquisite beauty, naturally, though he doubted that she was nervous about the situation facing them. He watched with mild curiosity as the slight cracks and twitches of the assorted beasts of the woods caused her to shoot her gaze in their direction. He was fairly certain the she lived outside of the city; a piece of information he was certain he had gotten during one of their first serious encounters, and yet, she seemed almost unaccustomed to the constant turmoil and movement that existed within the forests. He had taken especial notice of the placement of her wings, and the way that she seemed ready to flick into the sky at the first sign of trouble. Noth legitimately wondered whether or not that was a side-effect of their shared heritage, that is, whether the Avriel as a species all had a natural disposition towards running away from danger as opposed to standing and fighting. If it was, then he was under the impression that his human blood mudded that particular instinct, because it was rare for him to flee a fight unless he was absolutely certain that he could not win it.

Crimson eyes shifted their attention to the strange band which had been raveled about his lover’s flesh. He wondered when she had actually gone and gotten the item, and though he turned away to scan the horizon once more for signs of the bandits, the thought lingered upon his mind until finally it voiced itself.

“Where did you get that thing, anyways?” He glanced over his shoulder, pointing a finger at the band in question.

Then, the smoke had risen out of the forest ahead of them, probably less than a mile away in truth, though it seemed far further out. Nightshade offered to scout ahead, or else questioned whether he had a plan for the situation. In fact, the hybrid had been mulling over what to do with their opposition for the majority of their time spent searching, and whilst he didn’t have a particularly elaborate and guaranteed strategy for dealing with them, he also recognized that they would almost certainly win any engagement that beset them.

“The forest is rather dense for flying, isn’t it?” He questioned, though his tone made it rather apparent where he was going with his thoughts. “Besides, it would be a shame to lose our advantage because they saw an Avriel soaring through the clouds.” He smiled once again, ensuring that his armet was placed upon his head as he continued staring off into the distance. It was true that there was a certain strategic disadvantage that could be had should the foe become aware that there were Avriel lurking about them, but Noth couldn’t shake the feeling that he simply didn’t want to have to sit by and watch her fly through the air. It was a torturous enough affair for him to see her curling her wings around herself as often as she did, but… to actually watch her fly with them? To accomplish something that he knew he’d never have? That was a subtle agony, one possessed of quiet groaning and gentle smiles more than the screams and shrieks that often accompanied suffering. “No. Let’s just approach with caution for now, keep an eye out for traps, and then decide on how to deal with them once we’ve seen more of them than their pollution.”

So, with his wishes uttered, the pair began to move through the forest, stepping over the assorted branches and debris that often accompanied the floors of such vast wooded retreats. Gradually, they neared the fire, eventually coming upon it in a slight clearing. There was a single hooded figure there, his beard protruding slightly from the cover he wore, and the presence of a hide-covered tent behind him indicating that he had been in residence for at least a short time.

The twilight hybrid had thought them both comparatively hidden within the woods, and he was stuck in concentration, contemplating whether or not they had actually stumbled upon a bandit camp, or whether they had simply found a lone wanderer in the woods. It was likely this contemplation, and the fact that the Avriel had grown so accustomed to the noises of the forest that he did not even think to look upwards when there was a slight creak in the branches overhead. It had coincided nicely with a blow of the wind, and so the scurrying figures overhead had gone unnoticed by the bird.

And then, something rather fascinating occurred. The bearded man stood up from his perch, reached down at his side, and picked up a small metallic item, and promptly began to play a tune.

It was a fiddle!

The tune was adventurous and upbeat, but it was somewhat strange that the man would play exclusively for himself…

It was around that realization that the net, weighted down with a pair of large stones smashed down upon his back, and pinned him to the ground. There was a call of several voices from above, a cheerful cry done sympathetically with the music; matching the beat as though the entire ordeal had been planned out in advance. Noth struggled underneath the net to stand, but another weight promptly slammed into his back, pinning him to the ground as the fellow dove out of the tree and drop-kicked him rather harshly.

“Congratulations!” He spoke in a particularly artisanal tone, his garments composed of a surprisingly silky disposition and covered in vibrant greens and browns. “You are being robbed!”
word count: 1373
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Credit to Pegasus


As a note: Noth is a Grandmaster in Intimidation. That means that he's at least as scary as the Count from Sesame Street. Beware.

"The tyrant confuses those he can't convince, corrupts those he can't confuse, and crushes those he can't corrupt." - Anonymous
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Nightshade Eld
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The half-breed nodded quietly, taking Noth's wishes into consideration. She quickly felt guilty for asking, guessing as to what his true reasoning was. Ah! How stupid could she get? Had she not realized that dangling her ability to fly right in front of his nose might upset her poor beau? How ignorant and selfish. She quietly chastised herself for a couple moments longer as the pair continued their search. When they came upon the lone fellow Night displayed a great deal more relaxing preparedness than Noth did. She curled her wings closer around her body, hiding the fact that she was reaching for her sword. She was just at home in the woods as Noth, but she had been trained in the fires of combat to never let her guard down. It was easy for someone to get the upper hand on you if you chocked something to simply the wind or a stray animal.

And take Noth off guard they did.

The woman felt every muscle in her body start tensing up when the man pulled out his fiddle. Her eye darted around quickly, trying to locate where the rest of his crew was. He obviously wasn't playing for himself, this was meant to be some kind of signal! The woman's eyes darted upwards and she was quick to respond, throwing her body backward the moment she caught sight of abnormal movement. It was a good thing too, as she avoided being caught in the net and under the rocks. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the man who jumped down onto Noth. A noise that was almost similar to growl bubbled up in the back of her throat. "What the heck!" She snapped as she allowed her eyes to practically burn into the man.

She was a bit taken off guard by how he spoke and treated the situation. He was so casual and almost comical in the way he said that they were getting robbed. She blinked twice. By the second blink, her hands were already both full with Love Struck and Red Brand respectively. "Alright. Listen, buddy. Let me level with you for a moment. If you don't get off of my boyfriend this instant I'm going to rearrange your spine and sell your clothes to buy myself a new sword!" She snapped, her eyes flickering dangerously. It was one thing to threaten her, it was another entirely to threaten something she was close to and cared for deeply. Since the man's foot was currently diggin into Noth's back he was dealing with the most aggressive portion of Night's personality.

For the way her words came out in a screechy growl and she did her best to deliver a glare, she was still about as threatening as a cream puff or bunny. The man under the net was the scary one in the pair. Night was the adorable one who usually defused situations like this, not caused them. That didn't stop her from glaring and growling and threatening bodily harm in an overprotective rampage that honestly did no good.
word count: 523
Common ~ Ith'Ession ~ Lorien
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He genuinely tried not to enviously covet them. The way that the wind gently pressed against them, twisting the feathers hither and thither in a mock representation of a wave. The way that they adoringly raised themselves higher from their fleshy perch, as if though they were cheering the arrival of each blasting gale which happened to sweep over them. Still, it was difficult not to think of them as a treasure that he was unable to attain, as a prize that had granted to some other victor, despite all of his hopeful wishes. The pair of wings that lay upon her back were something that he wished he could attain, and while he was happy for her in her freedom, satisfied in her satisfaction, he wished that he himself could taste the sensation of the wind blossoming into existence somewhere far above the ground, where even the heavens whispered their secrets.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking and unconscious distractions which verged upon the realm of conscious thought which happened to detract from his ability to maintain a proper vigilance, or perhaps he was simply caught off-guard by the audacious assailment which the several figures scattered in the treeline above had perpetuated. No matter what caused the negligence, the result was the same; the hybrid was netted, and the heavy weight of a man had thrown him to the ground whereupon he was made helpless by the addition of any semblance of abdominous increase; though, in truth the man was quite slim in appearance, gangly with a sense of whipcord muscle underneath his otherwise unbecoming visage.

The light brown of a goatee stretched down upon his skin, taking on the same muddled coloration of the silky clothes he wore, and working well to camouflage at least a minor portion of his pink face. He wielded no weapon in his hand, though there was a particularly blatant and flamboyantly bright sword which hung at his side, the hilt encrusted with a jewel large enough to act as a missile in a sling were it necessary for such endeavors.

The twilight hybrid groaned and growled underneath the weight, attempting to arise from his prone position, but finding the tangling mass of rope holding him down to the ground as surely as a spider’s might to a fly, and for the first time in many seasons, he was the fly. He strained against the taut cords of rope, spying his lover who had thankfully managed to evade the rope net that had been meant to restrain her. She now shrieked at the man who shifted his weight slightly, resting his wiry feet directly into the small of the hybrid’s back, apparently making himself comfortable at the expense of his footstool.

His paramour was quick to wield her weapons, immediately resorting to threatening the vibrant bandit, stating that he needed to quickly remove himself from the back of her… That particular word choice made him grin despite his relatively rough circumstances, and he continued his struggle with anew fervor, managing to trip up the man above him enough to force him to dismount. Admittedly, he turned what was a stumble into an elegant, though uncomfortably long stride, but it was a small victory nevertheless.

The man’s eyes exploded into exaggerated interest at the revelation that the two Avriel were in a relationship, and a grin flickered across his face as he whistled loudly.

“A pair of lovebirds! My, what a splendorous catch to fall into our pleastarant laps!” He exclaimed in vibrant excitement, opening his arms outward as though he were perfectly ready to deliver a particularly brutal hug upon the female hybrid.

A curious and highly accented voice called from above, sounding very much like someone who typically spoke only Ith’Ession, but who was making an effort to learn. He was hidden away in the foliage, though if one were to look, they would find a brown-haired fellow wearing a similar garment hanging from the branches.

“What does pleastarant mean?” The voice rang out, utterly shattering the stage drama of the man upon the ground, who; without missing a beat, jabbed his finger into the air and exclaimed proudly that it meant,
“Pleasant and fine.”

He shrugged briefly, mouthing the word ‘lackeys’ to Nightshade before drawing his own blade and promptly ramming it into the ground, leaving it sticking directly upwards like a pillar to the skies above.

“Now then. Flower!” He shouted, directing his head upwards as a lone rose plummeted from the trees and landed with practiced precision in his open maw.

“We are not in the business of slaying lovers on their journeys, fair maiden.” He performed a slight stage bow as he spoke, “After all, that would be particularly dastidious!”
“Dastidious?”
“Very evil!”
“T'anks!”

The bearded individual who had played upon the flute earlier now spoke, her voice instantly recognizable as feminine, which gave her a rather grave visage when coupled with her unashamedly masculine appearance. Her voice was feckless, though loud as she shouted upwards into the tree for the unseen interloper to
“Stop interrupting!”

“Yes. Quite. So, here is your opportunity at safe passage, maiden! Why were you wandering through the woods? Do be aware, that if you should attempt any harm upon me, then my foreign compatriot there in the tree shalt properly end you with his crossbow."



The bearded woman began to play upon her instrument once more, churning out a series of dramatic notes, but instead making the scene far more comical.
word count: 925
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Credit to Pegasus


As a note: Noth is a Grandmaster in Intimidation. That means that he's at least as scary as the Count from Sesame Street. Beware.

"The tyrant confuses those he can't convince, corrupts those he can't confuse, and crushes those he can't corrupt." - Anonymous
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Nightshade Eld
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The word lovebirds almost seemed to give her chills, a slight cringe resting on her face as she watched the man. When he opened his arms she couldn't help but take a step back. Her senses went on high alert as she glanced around, trying to properly take in everything that was going on around her. Adrenaline rushed her system as she was honestly expecting a fight. She watched the quick exchange about the meaning of words, slowly her face turning further into a cringe. She wasn't sure if she should lower her sword or attack. Should she try to provoke them? They were already starting to get on her nerves and it hadn't even been more than a couple bits yet. If she had half the murderous tendency of Noth and half of her self-control she might have been tempted to attack them. There was also a morbid curiosity tugging at the back of her mind. She kind of wanted to see what was going to happen. It was honestly a lot like watching a train wreck.

She continued to watch in silence as she put on what could only be described as a grand show. Though good or bad had yet to be determined. It was something of a comedy, this group. Why they hadn't gone into acting truly amazed her.

When the man questioned why they were there, she thought about her words carefully. She was going to be honest, she at least knew that for certain. The crossbow honestly didn't scare her much. She curled her wings around her body carefully, trying to judge how to best handle the situation. Her wings could be used in an interesting way. She should use the feathers as something of a shield, trying to make her foe miss his shot if he really did turn aggressive. Raising her wings the way she did could also lead to her pulling out her second sword and using it to handle the bolt. If she used Love Struck to block it, without a doubt she'd be taking the poor thing to a blacksmith after this. Then there was the question of Noth. Oh, she gave up, whatever happened happened. Yolo.

"We came here to deal with the apparent bandits in the area to try and get them stop stealing," she said bluntly, her expression turning into one that was completely unamused. "Before you decide to attack, let's get a couple things straight. First off, I'm not an idiot, I have nothing precious to me right now, so hurting me or my beloved would be completely pointless. Secondly, you might be in control of the situation but you don't necessarily understand what you're dealing with. If you even try to hurt me or my dear, then you'll be going down with us. It was not curiosity, but confidence that killed the cat, and satisfaction is most certainly not going to bring you back. I urge you to make a wise decision. And finally, I had but one simple question. Why? Why take to stealing things when you and your group could easily make a fortune as traveling actors," she said, her expression remaining passive the entire time but a certain weight resting in her voice.
word count: 554
Common ~ Ith'Ession ~ Lorien
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The twilight hybrid felt as though he were watching the proceedings from afar, as though he had somehow been restricted to the position of spectator. In a way, he supposed that he had been delegated to that particular stance, because he was still actively entrapped underneath the rope net, entangled by its many fronds. Slowly and steadily, however, he had been sawing his way through the rope with use of his talons, and he recognized that soon he would be free entirely of his bonds. Once he had been released from his custody, he would be able to assist his ally in exacting justice upon the banditry, though… it seemed as though perhaps it might not come to that.

It occurred to him that the tomfoolery and foolishness was quite obviously being staged, that these were not idiots, or else they would not have gotten the drop on them in the first place. Regardless of that, it seemed reasonable to conclude simultaneously that they were not malignant in the sense of being sadistic, nor quite as greedy as his own band of ravagers who would have slain the pair in a heartbeat. No, there was something else going on that was lingering just out of the edge of vision, some reason for their performance, and whilst he searched for an indication on their persons of what it might be, nothing came to him immediately.

The question of violence apparently relied entirely upon a response from Nightshade on why they had decided to venture into the woods. Noth expected an elaborate lie, a flagrant and valiant ruse, some fanciful story of how they had decided to take a romantic walk hither or thither, or how they were seeking this or that. Instead, the words that came out of her mouth sounded almost akin to a death knell to him, and he promptly began sawing at his bonds with a far more rapid intensity, hoping that the obvious threat she presented would keep the group distracted long enough for him to escape properly and assist her. Thankfully, his lover went into a tirade, a threat to those surrounded them as well as a question that made even he pause for a few moments in consideration.

Why weren’t they actors?

And it clicked. They were.

At the mention that the pair had come seeking bandits, the man in charge, the one holding the rose in his mouth, the one who was almost clearly leading the little band began to smile.
“How fascinating! You’ve been derailed from your regular work to pursue us!” He began to strut around the place, his steps exceedingly exaggerated. “You say that you’ve come to stop us, yes? Well, on guard, then!” He exclaimed, drawing forth a rather elegantly crafted looking sword, a ruby impressed upon its gorgeous hilt. He spun the edge of the blade menacingly through the air, drawing circles like an artist with it, and sliding with grace upon his feet, as though he were an expert dancer.

Admittedly, Noth sincerely doubted he knew even the slightest tidbit of how to properly handle a sword, and he observed as several small mistakes were made by the man in his arrogance. The entire ordeal had drawn the attention of the others who observed with satisfaction, the bard beginning to play an overture of what was almost certainly a song of battle. The twilight hybrid upon the ground saw his opportunity, felt the ropes begin to fall away into nothing more than loose strands, and promptly lashed out with his armored leg, talons slamming painfully into the dancer’s leg and causing him to stumble to the side into his bearded companion.

“Yoww!” He exclaimed, dropping his weapon in a heartbeat and clutching at his leg as though it had been torn away from him. Noth had actually only barely cut him, but it seemed quite enough to throw him off his guard. A voice from the trees, an unfamiliar one rang out with the words, “I told you this was a bad idea!”

The whining fellow shrieked upwards with an adamant,
“Shut up!” and promptly returned to his clasping at his wounded appendage. Meanwhile the twilight hybrid removed the remainder of the ropes from his form and promptly arose from his prone position, reaching out and placing a calming hand upon his lover’s shoulder so as to ease any tension she might have felt. “They’re not bandits.” He stated, nodding towards the leader who exclaimed with pained sarcasm, “Of course we’re not bandits!”

Which left the question. If they weren’t bandits, what in the world were they?



word count: 777
Image

Credit to Pegasus


As a note: Noth is a Grandmaster in Intimidation. That means that he's at least as scary as the Count from Sesame Street. Beware.

"The tyrant confuses those he can't convince, corrupts those he can't confuse, and crushes those he can't corrupt." - Anonymous
User avatar
Nightshade Eld
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Busting Bandits

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This was just too ludicrous. The obnoxious and audacious nature of the entire spectacle... it was just too far-flung and removed from reality. It was almost jarring the flare with which they held themselves. It was subtle but by the way, her eye twitched the weight of her voice was obviously not caution, but irritation. Even though the specifics hadn't exactly come to her mind, it had very quickly clicked that these people, these supposed bandits, weren't actually bandits. Not trained anyhow. Their nature in and of itself was just too showy and while she wasn't necessarily one to underestimate an opponent she could see that they weren't the most... let's just say educated.

Nightshade watched for a single moment the extravagant dance, the flourish with which he wielded the blade and how his feet jumped back and forth like some kind of territorial bird hopping around in hopes of scaring away a hawk twice its size. A couple of trills was all it took, and she doubled over in laughter, her hands clinging to her sides as she shook her head. Those small mistakes that Noth picked up on were massive in the eyes of the sword bred half-breed. She righted herself after a bit of laughter, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "Dear immortals man, don't hurt yourself," she howled before Noth lashed out. her laughter only grew more raucous at the man's response to pain.

"Nooooo, what gave that away?" Was her reply to Noth as she tried to subdue the laughter and promptly failed. It was in the moment that Noth might have realized that she'd begun to cry. The tears obviously weren't in mirth either. She was having a breakdown. Immortals knew why, but she was. Perhaps a build up of stress finally bursting forward thanks to just how immeasurably odd the situation as a whole was. "Fek. I'm losing my feking mind," she muttered to Noth at a volume at which the actors wouldn't be able to pick up on, one of her hands reaching out to wrap itself around his own. Her grip was vice-like, almost as though this little burst of emotion was quickly turning into what could best be described as a panic attack. "Please, deal with it," she hissed a little louder, one of her wings extending slightly in the direction of the group.

Congratulations were in order. Even if they were only a tiny straw that broke the camel's back, they actually managed to 'break' the woman. Congratulations indeed.
word count: 436
Common ~ Ith'Ession ~ Lorien
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Noth
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There was little doubt that the entire experience had been far more theatrical than the hybrid had originally expected when he and his beloved had set out on their mission of annihilation. Of course, there was some inherent drama involved in any sort of combat, the pulsing of the heart as it thudded within ones chest, dispersing their blood to strained and aching muscles who struggled against cold steel and vicious force in a desperate attempt at preserving the survival of the overall organism. Tensions were always high in a fight, because one’s very life depended on how they performed, the ultimate testament to any talents perceived or realized.

Crimson eyes observed carefully as the wounded fellow hopped about as though he had been grievously wounded, and whilst it was true that even the minor cut could technically become infected and lead to the amputation of his leg, the chances of that were astronomically low if Noth understood anything about the nature of infection. Even if it did occur, he doubted that he could be held liable for it in any legal sense, because the man had brandished a weapon, even if he had no intention of using it for anything other than puffing up his pride with a performance of swashbuckling ability.

It took him several moments to register the laughter pouring out of Nightshade at the sight of the scene, and a brief grin broke over his steely façade for an instant until he recognized the tears that had begun to stream from her face. Had she really found the ordeal to be so humorous? She stretched out a hand towards him, taking hold of one of his own with it, and commented that she had begun to lose her mind, insisting that he somehow deal with the scenario at hand. Was she truly so mentally unstable that even the slightest provocation in the form of encountering a troupe of actors was enough to somehow tip her over the proverbial edge? That seemed… unlikely, impossible perhaps, and yet the evidence of it was rather clear.

The Avriel snarled, spinning up his talons to face the most sober of the group, the one who had exclaimed mere moments ago that the entire idea was a terrible one. “We are bandit hunters and killers. I do not think you understand the magnitude of the situation at hand. I understand that perhaps you were simply bribing persons to spread your infamy in some childish pursuit of obtaining recognition, but you’ve attracted the attention of the local law enforcement as well. Do not doubt for an instant that they will string you up for perceived crimes whether real or unreal, and that you will be punished for your misdeeds.” He bore his attention down on their leader, the one whose funds had prompted the endeavor. “You. You will retrieve your things, and go home, or I will finish the work I’ve begun on your leg, and then tie you to a tree so that your blood may seep into its roots. Understand?”

The briefest flicker of a concerned nod was the response he attained, and soon the entire troupe had begun to gather together their things and retreat from the wooded area, directing themselves away from the hybrids.

“Nightshade… what’s wrong?”
word count: 554
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Credit to Pegasus


As a note: Noth is a Grandmaster in Intimidation. That means that he's at least as scary as the Count from Sesame Street. Beware.

"The tyrant confuses those he can't convince, corrupts those he can't confuse, and crushes those he can't corrupt." - Anonymous
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She was overreacting she knew that fully, and was at least partially actively attempting to overreact. She had more control over her emotions than that, but to react in such a way would work to feed the ‘act’ rather nicely. It was obvious that logic was the farthest thing from the minds of these men and women. If they wouldn’t respond to logic, then perhaps they would respond to a deceiving act. So, the half-breed overreacted to the situation, rather willing venting seasons of frustration in a matter of moments. Relying on her pent-up emotions, it was rather easy to pull off.

It seemed most were rather receptive to Noth’s warning, shivering and shying away. They would stop, at least for now. There was no questioning that considering the fear Noth could induce. But, what if they started again? Yes, it was better to drive it home. Besides, there was so much pent-up emotion in the half-breed, Night would appreciate being able to take a moment to vent.

Turning to Noth she winking quickly before letting her expression shift once more. “What’s wrong?” She snarled, her jaw tightening. Her eyes narrowed as she turned towards the men, the muscles in her limbs tightening and shifting. Voice rose in volume as she shouted: “what’s wrong!?” Her only hope was that Noth had noticed the wink and realized what was doing.

“What’s wrong,” she snarled, her voice quickly dropping in volume but becoming far more vicious. Savage in a way almost. It was an easy noise to pull off. She took on a Lorien accent to her words, the feral rasp only enforcing the ferocity of her words. “What’s wrong is these, idiots. These pathetic worms think it’s a good idea to play bandit! Did you have fun? Did you enjoy it? How a-feking-dorable! I wonder how rich his daddy was,” the edge in her words was so sharp it almost cut the air as they left her mouth. Her face twisted with disgust as she eyed him up and down. “Unfortunately life isn’t a game.”

She stepped closer to Noth for a moment, brushing her hand against his in a way that could be reassuring as possible. It was just an act.

“Unfortunately there are hundreds of people who die every single trial to the disgusting scum of the earth who call themselves bandits. They are pathetic and unruly creatures who only have a desire for wealth. They won’t hesitate to slit throats, even if those throats belong to children. And then there’s you. The lot of you are pathetic mockeries! You are living insults to all the lives lost in bandit attacks and you should damn well be ashamed!” She allowed herself to get worked up by her own act, making sure that her voice rose and fell in terrible crescendos of emotion. A fresh wave of tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she continued her tirade.

“Do something useful with yourself you cowardly assess. You should all be ashamed, and you’re an insult to that blade,” she strode forward quickly and with a deft move attempt to snatch the elegant weapon away from the leader of the troop. Though she was overacting to get the message through their heads, the message and theme of her little speech was especially true. It was especially true when she said the weapon didn’t deserve such a pathetic master. Swords were something to be respected, they were protectors after all. It didn’t deserve this.

Should she have not actually managed to snatch it away from the man she would stalk about slightly, her gaze turning even more venomous than it was before. If she did manage to grab it then she would wave it close to his face for a couple trills before stabbing it into the earth. She wasn’t going to try and steal it, but if he left it behind so be it. “And unfortunately, if you don’t change your way and learn how to not be human scum, I can promise you that my companion will be the more compassionate of us two,” she snarled dramatically, trying to make her expression turn malicious. As it wasn’t necessarily in her nature and she had no acting skills, there was obviously something off about the look, like it didn’t fit.

She stalked over towards Noth her expression remaining horribly savage. She tried to smirk as she leaned in towards her beloved to whisper in his ear. “Too cheesy?” She cooed, the hush of her voice leading her to return to her normal tone. Afterward she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder as she returned her gaze to the men. Honestly, the entire act was shown up by the genuine spite that shown in her eyes at that moment, it wasn’t a true burning hate but it was a disappointed fury wrought out of shame that these men could do something so stupid and pathetic.
word count: 851
Common ~ Ith'Ession ~ Lorien
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