The Darkest Shadow Can Be Found

[Aegis]

Cylus 28th, 718

The snow was heavy over Scalvoris Town, large, fluffy clumps were steadily piling up through town. The sky was dark, completely blanketed beneath the cover of clouds that looked to hold seasons of snow. The shops kept lanterns lit out in front of them, and several animals had been brought through town to help clear the roads, before the crack of dawn. And yet still, the snow was somewhere between ankle and knee depths. At the very least, the wind was feeling a bit generous today, taking it easy after the hail storm it had whipped up two trials passed.

And among all of this snow and ice and darkness, one particular spot in town was showing to be warmer. At the harbor, locals were busy releasing floating lanterns into the waters, thankful that the waters had not yet completely frozen. It was a quiet, somber ceremony. But it was not the only one going on. At the far end of the docks, next to a deep red-brown colored barque with purple sails, was a louder affair, accompanied by the sounds of song, cheers, and chatter.

The ship named the Mauve Maiden had arrived this morning. It was a merchant vessel, having traveled along many ports only to be forced to seek safe harbor here to ride out the rest of the cold harbor here. Their captain was a Naerikk, Lioveh, dark of skin, fierce of gaze, a white tri-corner hat upon her head. She sat upon the gangplank of her ship watching over the festivities. The merchants, through some negotiation both with the harbormaster and a member of the Council, had reached an agreement that a small party could serve as their tax and pay for safe harbor.

So the merchants had spent much of the day, deciding which of their wares to keep, and which to pay to the party. Tents were erected, barrels and crates unloaded, and many small bonfires and torches set all around the northeast side of the docks. The merchants were giving out everything from warmed mulled wine from Rynmere to Desnind spice tea and a melted drink of chocolate, honey, and a hint of rum that a merchant named after himself as Lars' Liqcour. Food was purchased from the city, and given out, meatpies, meat on a stick, fish and chips, the staples of such a town.

And while the merchants were giving all of this up in lieu of tax and tariff, there were still opportunities for them to make money. A Qi'ora man, Tek Dela Norsariqin, had a tent where he was buying crafted goods. His eyes were shrewd and he turned away far more people than he purchased from. There were a smattering of other crew members about, mostly sailors and humans, with a single, wide smiled Lotharro man who kept his name to himself in a manner many woman found mysterious, in a pleasing way.

And the alcohol flowed, the music was played by the various bards that showed up, as only bards can do whenever a party is lacking in music. And as the party began to come to an end, as people started to get tired, as the reserves began to dry up, the Lotharro man, brought out one final barrel of something he called Silviria. The humans that flocked around him handed out wooden goblets of the metallic looking liquor. It smelled of flowers in spring and tasted of citrus, pepper, and something... else that was hard to describe.

And once more, the party was back on, as the Silviria was quite strong and well received. Dancing, talking, and singing were all more vigorous, all of which was because of the drink, the Lotharro man had said. He said Silviria gave energy, strength, and vigor, and it seemed to be true. And as it continued into the night, in spite of the snow and cold and dark, the captain sat alone, in the cold, and watching with her intense stare, her mouth a thin line.

OOC Info

!

Message from: Aegis

This is the Shadow Side of the event, and as such, I seek responses from Vega Kura Mareth Sephira Blackwood Lavana Tharn Max You get 1 post each, any order is fine. Find a way to put yourselves in the area. Bonus: You each may ask of me 2 Questions via PM for additional details to be included within your post. Depending on the question, I may or may not give an answer. But all answers will be truthful. These are considered Official Questions and may only pertain to details that you intend to write with. Unofficial questions and such may still be asked but may not pertain to plot or setting.

Other stuff!

I will post again on Saturday February 10th. If you've not posted by then, nor have messaged me with why not, I will assume you do not wish to join. I "may" post again before then if all participants have posted.

[Lavana Tharn]

Lavana had found herself particulary cozy during the festivities after a yester trial of hard work with Vega. And found herself digging in on the meat on a stick, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven deep there was no shame as she devoured meaty morsels savagely ripping them from the stick with her teeth tearing away as she ate like a barbarian, she had a voracious appetite if the food was right as shed look for sirloin tips.

The the warm mulled wine was nice but she sipped it sparingly knowing she had no resistance to drink but girls gotta eat and red meat and red wine was a fine five star pairing.

Alot of murders were happening and living in Almund there were particular issues. Tea just wasnt going to cut it out in this cold. But she wasnt going to get sloppy and end up on the Lotharo wagon train, she knew better than to trust strangers so eager to feed her copious amounts of liquor.

Just enough wine to feel light on her feat and compliment her meal, and make her the social butterfly she was.

Amber eyes on the Naerik captain as she gluttunously ate her fill moving onto fish and chips when shood from the vendor for being so selfish.

No she was not finished here!

Her conquest had only begun as she sieged the fried fish with merciless resolve! Shed make this woman regret the port tax with free food. If there was shrimp out here in this battle field buffet it would be a death nel.

Rue the day sea wench, rue the day.

As discerning eyes sampled fish looking for the real deal, tilapia and flounder, cod sometimes shark but that did not appear on the menue elusive it might be a surprise ambush.

Regardless she wouldnt be so easily fooled by those bottom feeders as she assaulted them with relentless sampling moving her way down as she looked for the top tier gourmet filets.

The real stuff was haddock its texture distinct and flaky and when she found the vendor she wanted the fish but not the fries because those were filler, Lavana did not want but one but several and several more still.

Finally politely asked to leave, lemon in mouth she absconded in tactical retreat to enjoy the spoils of war.

There was just something about that Naerik, it was pissing her off she hated being eyeballed. Lavana wanted to slap her stupid looking hat off her head, but she was busy indisposed of there was work to be done, this was far from over.

The very best part was Lavana was still dressed in leather armor beffiting a commander of the imperial legion. Her sword distinctly a bronze claymore, her gauntlets and her sabatons still on she carried the grace of black and gold coloring.

Not to many people wanted to give her a hard time, as she sat down with her good dagger using the sinister looking stilleto style blade to carve the lemon and squeeze the juices on her fish before indulging in her supreme victory.

Her body language, charming and arrogant but approachable enough if polite.

But Lavanas steely amber gaze fixated on a woman with her dumb hat that wasnt smiling despite the festivity. She hated people that tried to dominate with body language.

[Vega]

Vega was delighted when the party had started, right on their doorstep ~ so to speak. The Wanderlust, their floating home was docked among the other vessels, having weathered out the super "Scalvstorm" well. Vega was pleased with how the ship had handled and how they'd handled her. She'd become their home, after all, from the end of Zi'da and she would be through the season of Cylus. It was a lifestyle they were both enjoying, the freedom of the life they loved, but the shared cabin below decks was significantly less miserable and cold and unutterably vile than if they'd stayed in the tents. They would have done it, but this was more comfortable and more useful for them. They were able to build up their skills, get used to the Wanderlust and get accustomed to her unique nature.

Every ship, after all, was a woman and every woman? Well, every woman was a mystery.

Yet, for all that she loved their life, the thought of a party was a welcome one and she'd been quick to agree that yes, they should make their way out. With a grin, she'd watched as Arlo had wandered off as soon as he'd spied some food stuff or another. He was always hungry, these trials. In all the trials since Cassion marked him, all of his appetites had increased. Even with a divine mark, Vega wondered just how he could be hungry again. He was eating an insane amount, yet he wasn't gaining any weight or suffering any side effects from alcohol or so on. Definitely not fair, the young woman thought but did not say. Still, he'd wandered off, she'd lost sight of him and had gone to have a look at the chap who was buying crafted goods. Vega had a few things she could sell, if he was interested. Boxes she'd crafted, small wooden bowls and such. It didn't even occur to her to worry about being separated from Arlo; they were a partnership the two of them but they didn't need to live in each other's pockets.

Besides, it would be good for Arlo to spend some time eating and drinking and looking at pretty women, Vega thought. Since Cassion's mark every impulse and urge he had were increased by a factor of ten. It was strange, really, because she was fiercely possessive and would kill (or at the very least, thump senseless) any woman who made a move on him. But him? Well, him she trusted completely. He had been marked, sure, but the way they'd always lived their lives together in the arc since they'd met, he had every opportunity to be with anyone else if he wanted to. He didn't. She didn't doubt it, he'd never given her reason to. Why would she start now?

So, she went to the stall, sold stuff if he wanted to buy it, didn't if he didn't. Vega wasn't bothered, in truth. She mingled a bit among some of the crew. About a quarter of whom seemed to be women, Vega thought, and so she went to speak to one of the male members. As she wandered, drinking in the sights and sounds, Vega couldn't help but wonder where the Elements were ~ there certainly weren't a lot of them. She, as always, wore her sword at her hip and had her bow and quiver of arrows. If she saw Kura, Vega thought with a smile, she'd be sure to tell her that she was too armed for here, too.

She found one of the crew, a male chap who seemed quite happy to talk. Vega had come to the conclusion that she was going to talk to him and then get back to the boat. She didn't want any of the drink going around now, so she didn't take that. She didn't drink much and she'd hit her limit. However, anyone who noticed such things might well notice that Vega drank from her own hipflask and nowhere else. As she'd told Roland in Almund last season - her father had told her there was no such thing as something free and here it seemed to be no different at all. So, she didn't eat the food and she didn't drink the drink. Her belly was still full from the meal Arlo had cooked a few breaks ago, and the whiskey in her flask warmed her.

"Hey, so 'ow long you stayin' in Scalvoris, then?" Vega asked the crew man and then, wondered where they were going to and where they'd come from. When he answered that this was her first voyage, Vega frowned and shook her head. "Aelig's ball-sack, that's not right," maybe she'd had slightly more of that flask than she should, she thought and then realised that no, probably not. "Do I look that stupid to you, sunshine? That there ships arcs old. Why would you lie about that?"

[Sephira]

The mage shivered against the biting cold as she made her way through Scalvoris Town. She had only just returned from Almund, having spent the past trials working to rescue civilians from the rubble of their storm damaged homes. Luckily for Sephira, she had been able to catch a ride with a departing squad of Air Troops and their Enormowls. While she had been spared from a long walk to her home she felt like a living icicle when they eventually landed at the Menagerie. Her attire was not suited for the bitter cold of Cylus. With that in mind she stopped by the local market soon after arriving that evening and purchased a comfortable wool cloak that could easily be worn over her clothes.

Remarkably warmer, the woman glanced up to notice the glow of bonfires tinting the sky in the direction of the harbor. Furthermore, she could hear the distant murmur of an overjoyed and possibly intoxicated crowd. She was aware of the lantern festival, as they had participated in a similar celebration on Faldrass when she was a child, but it was meant to be a holiday of quiet reflection, not bonfires and partying…

Sephira began making her way to the harbor to investigate. As she was still in the midst of completing her preliminary training with the Flame Troops this week, she was still wearing the flame shaped pin attached to her collar that marked her clearly as a member of the Elements. Granted she was off duty, but Sephira saw no reason to remove it as most people tended to avoid openly engaging in criminal activities when the Elements made themselves openly visible to the public.

Granted that was not always the case.

The flicker of bonfires illuminated the party in a heady orange glow. Bards played an overlapping myriad of songs that blended together into a mash of drunken voices and ill-tuned lutes. This was not what she had expected from the lantern festival. Were the customs of Faldrass and Scalvoris Town so different? Sephira’s face fell into a disapproving frown as she quietly took a mug of spiced tea from a nearby table and sniffed it suspiciously. It smelled perfectly fine as far as she could tell. With soft shrug the mage began idly sipping the pleasantly warm tea, enjoying the hints of nutmeg and cinnamon in the beverage. As an afterthought the woman looked quickly around the venue, noting that there were hardly any Elements posted. Had this party not been planned in advance? The Land Troops should have at least been notified to increase the number of guards in case of violence. This event seemed to have been spur of the moment, with little thought given to problems that might arise due to poor planning.

Leaning against a stack of crates Sephria angled her eyes up to an array of purple sails decorating a sizable ship in the harbor. Evidently this ship was the source of the celebration as occasionally crew-members would bring out more supplies to keep the party going. Watching carefully, she noted a woman seated on the gangplank of the ship, her dark skin contrasting sharply with her white tri-corner hat. This must be the ship’s captain; Sephira silently reasoned to herself. There was a depth to the woman’s severe gaze that sent a faint shudder through the young mage’s spine. There was something almost feline about the woman, something inhuman that made Sephira feel as though she was nothing but an inconsequential mouse.

Her eyes remained on the captain, making no effort to hide her intent in observing her.

[Max]

Like predators on the move, Max and her beau had abandoned their usual haunts in Almund for a change in scenery in Scalvoris Town; and what a drunken, celebratory scene it was. The drunken wails attempting to imitate song and the bright lights filling the harbor drew the nomadic woman out to investigate the festivities for herself. A solemn lantern lighting had been violently rivaled by the harbor party. Between the free food and drinks, Max was coaxed into the mix like a moth to the flame.

A hungry traveler, she made a bee-line for the food first. A meat pie was snagged from one of the tables just before a particularly ravenous woman laid waste to the buffet. Once her hunger was mildly satisfied she was quick to find what she'd really come for: the booze. The warm mulled wine was good but the unwelcomed memories of Rynmere tainted the experience. Lars' Liqcour, too, had been a promising bet. The chocolate and honey aroma that came off the cocktail smelled delicious enough to try. Alas, the subtle hint of rum was much too subtle for the hard-drinker. Apparently she'd come too late to the party and the drying up stories indicated she had few other alternatives. Subtle would simply have to do.

Max moseyed toward one of the bonfires with drink in hand. Standing before the flames, the heat radiated against what skin was left uncovered to soothe the goose flesh that had sprung. A few others had huddled close to the warmth the fire provided, rubbing and blowing into their gloved hands with thousand-yard stares. The Rusalka glanced about with furrowed brow.

"What god are you honoring here?" she finally asked aloud to those in her company.
"God?" a rough woman sniffed beside her with a shake of her head. "Nah. See that ship there? The purple sails?" Both women cast their gazes toward the docks. Max narrowed her eyes, searching until she spotted the unique cloth color thanks to her companion's pointing finger. The other woman dropped her hands closer to the flames again. "The Mauve Maiden. We sailed in this mornin'. Captain Lioveh worked somethin' out with the Harbormaster and Council here. Said a party'd suffice for tax and such."
"You're part of the crew then?" Max's brow raised with a bit of surprise.
"Aye," the woman sniffed again. "Quick stop. Then onto Treidhart."
"Sounds like cold sailing. Where'd you start out?"
"Ne'haer."
"There's a city I remember well...and your captain just lets you all run around partying off-ship?"
"Eh. Two stayed behind with the captain to look after the cargo. You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"
"Well," Max shrugged and looked into her mostly empty cup. "I need some distraction from this weak ass drink."

It seemed her sentiment was received with empathetic ears. The Mauve Maiden's crew member grinned and placed an understanding hand on her shoulder. The other extended out to point through the masses at a handsome Lotharro man tapping a barrel. "My friend," the sailor mused. "If you want a good drink, get a load of his Silviria." Max smirked and finished her drink on the spot before gifting the empty mug to her acquaintance. Then she vanished back into the crowd, taking a round-about way to her destination in order to get a good look at the foreign ship and her dagger-eyed Naerikk captain. Most of the crew member's intel seemed to check out so far as simple observation could decipher. While intimidating, there was almost no one Max wasn't willing to trifle with. Perhaps when she returned to her place of stay, she could convince Merces to aid her in a bit of theft.

"Hey," Max smiled back at the grinning Lotharro as she approached him. "I heard you have a proper drink. Can I get some of that Silv-whatever?"
"Silviria?" the man chuckled but conceded to her request by offering her a wooden goblet. Max thanked the merchant and eyed the mysterious, metallic-looking drink with minor suspicion. The Lotharro wasn't ignorant of her blatant misgivings. "You heard right. This stuff here will give you all the energy, strength, and vigor you need to party in this cold."
"Bullshit," Max teased him.
"Don't believe me? Take a look!" the man gestured toward the other partiers within his vicinity, the most exuberant of the lot seeming to indeed be holding one of his wooden goblets. Perhaps it was true, the Rusalka decided. At the very least, it smelled amazing. Her inner turmoil ended. Max took a long sip of the drink, pleased to find it tasted as good as it smelled after all.
"You're from the Mauve Maiden, right?" she dared to steal the Lotharro man from conversation with a pair of wagon naggers once more. "Where's your ship's port of origin again?"
"The Ivorian Empire," the man purred before turning back to the Silviria-drunk women he had firmly on his hook.

Max frowned at the man's answer as she turned to walk away. She could've sworn the last crew member she spoke to had claimed the ship sailed out of Ne'haer. Her mind drifted back to the hard stare of Lioveh where she sat on her gangplank, face darkened by her white tri-corner hat. Maxine glanced down into her drink, feeling solace only in knowing she was sporting her leather armor and sword beneath her warm cloak. Did anyone else here harbor the same unease that she did now?

Boxcode Credit: Poppy

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

To say that Kura wasn't entirely trusting of the Mauve Maiden was something of an understatement. Most ship captains preferred to just pay the shipping fees, but this one went out of it's way to avoid shipping fees to the point of an impromptu celebration. One possibility, admittedly, was the ship was too poor to pay the mooring fees, but that seemed incredibly unlikely. Worse yet, the impromptu nature of the celebration had meant there weren't very many Elements around, and thus security was lax.

So it was that Kura found herself attending a large celebration after a long day in her office. Honestly, she'd much rather be at home with a nice roaring fire and a quiet smoke and some conversation with her familiars before bed. But, she was pretty skilled, all things considered, so she had essentially decided to add to the lacking security of the party by attending. She ate and drank, of course, but sparingly. A bit of meat here, a bit of tea there. And she avoided the Silviria entirely.

As she moved through the crowd, she watched, studied, learned. The Mauve Maiden was officially bound for Triedhart by way of Nekhet, which already seemed odd as there were far more business opportunities to be found sailing past Rharne and down the Crescent Sea. Granted, Nekhet's remote location meant that goods from there were likely of no small value, so that could be the reason for the strange route. So far, nothing at the party hadn't been on the ships listed cargo, so that checked out as well.

A quick conversation with a group of quite happily drunk sailors confirmed that the Silviria was a known factor, so that checked out as well. A conversation with a crew member also revealed that the ship was a new ship, so no one being familiar with the ship made sense. Another conversation revealed that the entire crew was there, except a few the captain had guarding the ship. The crew, Kura had noticed, was mostly female, but that was to be expected with a Naerrik captain. The captain, meanwhile, watched the party like a hawk, but thus far hadn't really done anything to attract attention.

However, then things started to get weird. One of the younger crew members identified the ship as having come out of Rhakros, while another said they were from the Ivorian Empire. Meanwhile, the official manifest indicated that the ship was sailing out of Ne'haer. That was too much to ignore and Kura looked up at the captain, wondering what she was hiding. "Speck, perch yourself on the crows nest, if you would. Phelan, with me but stay in spirit form. Rahmet, keep an ear out for things, would you?" she said, calling her familiars into action. Now, she thought ruefully, if only she had brought her bow. Fortunately, she had left her bow "The Nightmare, and her quiver, in her office, so Speck could retrieve them if need be. Intelligent familiars were truly her greatest asset. For now, though, she looked through the crowd again, this time looking for anyone she recognized.

[Aegis]

And so it seemed that the distant Captain that wanted none of the attention of the party garnered plenty of it. And each and every pair of eyes that watched her would find her staring back. Her eyes, impossibly dark, seemed to have something stirring within them, despite not moving a bit. At Lavana, she even tipped her hat following the gaze. But only one person in the entire party seemed to get anything worthwhile out of the woman.

She leapt effortlessly from the gangplank, and any nearby might notice that she did so without even a hint of sound, and strode right up to the woman who'd earned her efforts. Kura. Captain Lioveh approached her openly, without hostility, making no attempt to conceal her approach. Upon arriving, her face was devoid of emotion, flat. But as she began to speak, Kura, with all of her social dealings, would be able to see something else on her visage. Worry.

"Please remove your bird from my ship. I believe an agreement was made that none were to board my ship unattended. Is the council reneging on our agreement?"

Her accent was thick, but her tone was clearly annoyed. But still, worry. Worry abound. She had a proud, prominent nose, deep, furrowed brows, and thick lips that were pulled into a stressed line. She made no threat on Speck's life, and yet it seemed to hang there, unspoken.

"I have brought respect to your harbor. I demand the same."

And while several at the party, or least many of those who seemed insistent on staring at the captain, kept right on with their nosiness, many turned back to the festivities. After all, there was nothing exciting about politics or business or whatever it was going on between a captain and a council woman. There was some minor hubbub over the wooden goods crafted by Vega. The terms 'raw talent' and 'boldness' were tossed about between a couple merchants who were there also trying to sell their goods.

Tek Dela Norsariqin was not so open with his opinion. He stared at the goods she'd presented to him. Then he'd selected exactly one, a small container, rough hewn outside, smooth as silk inside. The merchants hadn't mentioned a word over this particular item. He ran his fingers over every crevice. Then uttered one word, "Lovely." He pulled out a sack of coins, more than any reasonable person might expect for such a thing, and paid Vega.

Later though, the man that Vega accused of lying became sheepish. "Th-that's just what they told me. I joined up in Almund with those other guys." He excused himself from the presence of the only slightly intimidating redhead. And the party continued onward.

Until a woman's scream from across the way rang out, loud and blood curdling. People looked but only those closest to the shadowed alley saw anything. They were quick to point out that the Lotharro man had followed one of the town's young women into the darkness. But beyond that no one knew, and many were looking around for someone other than themselves to go investigate it. To those in the know, that particular alley was a dead end between a warehouse and some apartments. The problem though, was that it had a plethora of doors, eight in all.

Those that looked into the disturbance would find the alley empty. Of the eight doors, six were on the right with the apartments, three of which were left unlocked, with a fourth slightly opened. One the left, both doors were locked, but one had light shining out from underneath it, flickering shadows out, showing movement within.

The onlookers pushed and shoved to get a better view of the alley. Merchants and cooks that had benefitted from the event decided that now was the time to pack up. No more would get sold after such an occurrence. Wagons and carts began to depart down various streets, a few of the crew of the ship's women hiked the gangplank back onto the ship. And it seemed that the party was coming to a decisive end.

And yet...

A few people began to notice their friends were missing. Many of them shrugged it off, chalking it up to them leaving early or having found a lover for the night. It was odd, but not completely unheard of for them. Nothing to worry about. Some of them even hoped that the missing friends were getting lucky. Everyone could use a warm body on a cold night such as this.

Especially Lavana and Max.

For even prior to the scream, the two could feel a certain lethargy working over them. Easily mistaken for the alcohol kicking in. Neither of them were strangers to drinking after all. But it never shook. And as the woman screamed, it intensified to the point that even moving began to feel as if moving through thick and heavy snow. And speech was impossible through a tongue that seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. And as the crowd frothed at the forefront of the investigation, the last thing either of them noticed was a hand on the smalls of their backs before darkness took them.

Max awoke first, likely thanks to the Silviria. She couldn't see anything. There was a tight cloth around her eyes. Her wrists were bound behind her back painfully, her ankles as well. She was wrapped up in what felt like a burlap sack. She could hear voices, male voices, "...he did his job perfectly."

"Aye. I can't wait to get one wit' it."

Max would feel herself slung about, slamming hard into something. It felt like wood. Very solid wood.

Lavana was not faring any better, for she was in the exact same situation. Same problems, different bag. And it seemed a sack of something heavy had just been tossed atop her, stirring her awake. Both women's tongues were beginning to regain motion. But that wasn't the only movement. They both could feel themselves being moved, a rocking motion. Slow, but steady.

!

Message from: Aegis

Congratulations! You've all earned bonus questions based on choices made in the last round. Once again, answers will either be truthful or withheld for sake of plate. However, there's one big caveat in this round. Your questions shall be answered in private. I can't stop you from sharing, but in the spirit of fun, I do ask that you keep them to yourself. And please, if able, try to use your answers in your next post. Kura - Unlocked 3 Questions Vega - Unlocked 2 Questions Max - Unlocked 2 Questions Sephira - Unlocked 1 Question Lavana - Unlocked 1 Question. I will post again on Saturday, Feb 17. If everyone posts before then, I may reply earlier.

[Max]

It was painfully ironic that she was beginning to get a bad feeling about the whole party only just before things went horribly south. As apprehensive as she was about her surroundings, nothing internally initially felt amiss. The alcohol was settling in in her bloodstream, intoxicating her brain, and slowing her movements as it was woe to eventually do. It was only when her limbs felt entirely too heavy that the hard-drinking woman started to register that something was up. The fuzziness that clouded her thoughts became heavier and utterly alien.

Somewhere beyond the crowd, Maxine could've sworn she heard a scream. It wasn't the sort of sound that came from dramatics or even surprise. It registered as the sort that sent every hair and nerve on end, and ushered that little voice forth that willed other creatures nearby to flee. The Rusalka hadn't the luxury of choosing whether to coax herself closer or to escape the evident danger. The call over the crowd for Merces failed to ever leave her lips. Her tired hand desperately tried to battle the haze to find the hilt of her sword. She was still contemplating whether the scream itself was real or imagined when someone guided her by the small of her back. Then came the all consuming darkness that swallowed her whole.

She hadn't a clue how long she'd been out. The world returned to her slowly at first like waking up from a deep sleep. Light never illuminated her field of view, which she eventually came to understand was due to the piece of cloth that served as a blindfold over her eyes. Confusion came when her hands failed to wrench it from her head upon command. Within a few trills her skin alerted her brain that something was holding her wrists captive behind her back. Her ankles were tied, too.

Shit!

She picked up two distinct male voices before the anxiety-inducing sensation of being swung struck her consciousness. There was no avoiding the painful grunt when her bound body crashed down hard upon some solid, wood surface. Bruises were surely already forming shortly after the rough landing. Unfortunately, those were the very least of her concerns. Her tongue lolled in her mouth until she was convinced it was indeed still there. Who was it that had done his job perfectly? What was that second voice talking about? And...was she stuffed in a burlap sack? Existential panic was beginning to set in. She couldn't help it. Her feet kicked against the confines of the sack and her wrists tried in vain to yank themselves apart. Blind, all of her other senses worked in overdrive to pick up information in her surroundings. The heavy breathing and laughs of her captives. The rattle of keys, clinking of metal, and creaking wood. It only amplified her claustrophobia.

Stop. Think.

Maxine's body calmed after the brief fit. She pressed her face into the wooden floor and adjusted her head until the blindfold slipped down from her eyes. Her next focus was her hands. She couldn't pull her arms up and over her head, not confined within the sack, but it occurred to her that there was another very obvious option. The Rusalka drew her knees up to her chest and pulled her hands down, over her ankles, and sighed when she managed to get her wrists up in front of her. Only a couple of trills were taken to appreciate the alleviation of some pain before she went to work on the knot binding her feet. Thanks to her eyes and the small holes in the sack that allowed some natural light through, it didn't take more than a half bit to accomplish. It was only during the process of shimmying her wrists back and forth in an effort to stretch and loosen the rope, she became acutely aware of the steady rocking of whatever it was she was on. Perhaps a boat?

"I hope you have a sword ready for when I get out of this shit," Max spat her threat as soon as she realized she was capable of speech. "I'm going to beat the first person I see until their own mother can't recognize their fucking face!" The fact her kidnappers had taken her sword wasn't lost on her either. It wouldn't be much longer before her hands were freed and it was only the sack itself containing the very pissed off Mixed Blood. Maxine was ready to bring down a wrath worthy of a god damn deity.

Boxcode Credit: Poppy

[Lavana Tharn]

Tharn

It seemed funny at first like a punch line to a bad joke, wine offered in friendship and good faith. Wine received and drank believing she was safe with the elements and the scalv towns folk. She liked to maintain a buzz a nice walk on air feeling, but she felt lethargic and heavy in ways that had become uncomfortable it slowly gripped her as she tried to get up but weakness wobbled through shaken legs and she fell back down she knew something was wrong. She tried to open her mouth and say something as the tide of people rushed passed her towards the scream, eyes widened as safety in numbers receeded like the tide.

Lavana awoke as a bag fell on her form, as she snapped back into reality as the lethargy was starting to slowly slip away like her sanity. She curled in a ball, she wasnt the same Lavana anymore she had been, disrobbed, disarmed and dismantled helpless and publicly humiliated and was suffering an internal breakdown discarding herself as a weakness for letting her guard down. Wallowing in bitterness letting while submerging herself sinking deeper and deeper in darkness it was serene and tranquil there maybe even beautiful as she let go and wept in deafening silence.

She remembered only snippets, bad pictures that floated capriciously in her mind. Yanking and tugging the rocking of the floor a constant hellish reminder.

Gauntlets unclipped and hastily torn off, leather gear being pulled as buckles and straps were feverishly being undone. She remembered the cold snap of freezing wind as bare form was exposed stripped away as she was disheveled vulgarly to the frost before being dumped in a sack and hauled off like meat to market.

She felt dirty and gross.

Lavana did not remember being penetrated, violated against her will and while she had not. The unknown was not a blessing however, it was a torment that drove hatred it was displaced in blinding fury at everything around her. She was loathsome in a way that prompted wants of sickening revenge fantasies diabolically twisted and sick. It was seething hate, hate for the council for the pirates the elements and the scalvorian citizens it was burning wild savagely ablaze in a way she could not differentiate friend from foe, she was wreckless and volatile anything that came near her would be met with frenzied scorn and cruelty.

Until a voice, as crass and crude broke the silence. She wasnt alone to bare her burdens and shames, her voice was like a siren. It was that mercenary Maxine, she had to refocus and regain composure she didnt want her friend to view her like a sniveling cupcake bitch. She could trust Maxine more then the do nothings that let this happen to her.

Shed tap her with her foot, and tried to quiet her hot headed comrade.

"Bitch! Shut the fuck up! You just asking for a lotharo wagon train!" She didnt want attention brought on them, so she said her piece quietly nudging her for some form of compliance.

Lavana worked on getting her knees to chest, she was a little flexible so the procedure was easy shimmying was a little tougher but shed see it through. She was uneasy and unsteady, but rage pure bitter and strangely sweet fueled on nothing short of murderous intent gave her wings and she was soaring high.

Burlap sack the light brimmed through the stitching and like an animal she clawed, bit, chewed, tearing into the twine as her teeth pinched and snipped as she worked her incissors and would use strength to rip open the bag as fingers would wriggle through a tiny hole and parting it.

"Bitch! You better not hit me, just shut the fuck up."

If she met success shed begin doing the same to free her ally, unless the knot was simple enough to break free with relative ease.

At this point maybe her only one real friend on this shitty island was this crazy bitch. They were the same, they were both betrayed left behind like garbage, she found solace she wasnt alone.

But shed be damned fuck everyone else.

[Vega]

There was some kind of conspiracy going on, Vega knew. There was no doubting it in her mind. That conspiracy was simple - people kept on being nice about her carpentry. It was because they knew that she wasn't naturally good at it, they probably had spoken to Arlo or something, she considered with a grin. However, she had to admit to being surprised when the guy gave her a bunch of money for a box which was unusual. Something that seemed to be one thing on the outside, but was something else on the inside. She liked that one, it was the only one in the bunch of things which she considered to be any good and so, when he said it was lovely, she grinned in pleasure. "Thanks," she said and then took the sack of coins, nodding her head. She didn't look at them there and then, but instead turned to the others who had been clucking like hens and flinging around words like 'talent' and she raised an eyebrow. "Come on, then, you lot. Any of you wanna put yer money where your gob is?" She asked with a grin. If they liked what she did, they could buy stuff too, she pointed out.

Anyhow, she left that tent and made her way around, starting to wonder where Arlo was. Looking in the bag to see just how much money he'd given her, Vega frowned and took out one of the coins, examining it. Then, after she'd checked that they were all like that, she frowned again and glanced around. Where was Arlo come to that? They'd been here a while now and there was no sign of him. Weird. He'd better not be getting himself into trouble without her she thought with a grin and then wandered up to one of the crew and questioned him in her own unique fashion. But even that just frustrated her. There was something weird here, she decided and as they were handing out that drink and stuff, Vega grew more determined that she wasn't having any of it.

No, she was going to go and make sure that Arlo was alright because he was probably missing her and worried about her. That was what she told herself and she quite believed her, too. She was busy convincing herself that she was looking for him for his sake when she heard the scream and Vega didn't hesitate. She was near the alley and she turned down it. Once there, she knelt and looked, examining the scene and then she stood, a deep frown on her face. Turning to look around, if there was anyone else who had bothered to look, she'd say very calmly and very, very quietly. "That one. Tell someone, get the guard." She said it like she fully, completely and absolutely expected them to do as she told them to and then she strode forward.

To the door on the right she had identified as the one which had been walked through most recently. Drawing her sword, she kicked the door open and stalked in, quickly. The reason for speed was that she would be blinded and silhouetted briefly, so she moved as fast as she could to minimise the first and mitigate against the second.

Whatever was in there, she and they were going to have a chat.