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Post by Coaster on Jun 10, 2014 17:11:45 GMT -5
Kaldora wordlessly cursed Duskglimmer for not attacking straight away as the stranger seized her arm, presumably to take her somewhere less visible to finish the job. "Be more careful."...What?As he brought her to her feet, he was staring at her with the same intensity that, minutes earlier, was fixed on the crash scene. "Just what are you?""As if you don't know." It seemed that he was either playing the fool to be safe, since she hadn't revealed her identity, or... She sighed heavily and glanced at Duskglimmer, who was grooming himself indifferently nearby. No air of untrustworthiness to speak of. Perhaps her hasty conclusion might not have been the most accurate, plausible given that her legitimate adventuring and investigative experience was limited, to say the least. He might have even been a fellow cosplay enthusiast; dark cloaks and silver hair were very common in some circles, although they typically also included anthropomorphic animals and unwieldy giant keys. "Forgive my brusqueness. Kaldora Verdana, priestess of Elune and emissary from the remnant of night elves in Kyth in order to establish an alliance with this human nation's inhabitants." Maybe I should throw it in for a bit more mystique...She glanced around furtively as if to check for prying eyes, then continued in a softer whisper: "But ere long, the the rumor of an enemy from across time supposedly seeking the lives of the royal family has been circulated, and I have taken the burden to investigate that as well." She examined his face for signs of sudden unease, but it was hard to tell beneath the shroud he wore. In any case, the real enemy wouldn't have allowed her to remain this long unscathed. Besides, that one had a prominent beard and fierce temper, and even without seeing him, she should have sensed his presence immediately. ...Which she did for a moment, strangely enough, but not anymore, as she stood face-to-face with this... chiseled? No, nearly hollow--specimen of a male who had the decency to help her up. She concluded in her normal voice: "In any case, I could ask you the same question. What sort of character are you supposed to be?" Kaldora revises her suspicions as Ignotus ( Kozma) helps her up, explains a bit of her backstory to him (with some addenda about a certain bearded, angry time traveling hitman), then asks him in kind what sort of character he's supposed to be.
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Post by Avery on Jun 10, 2014 20:49:39 GMT -5
Coordinator Note: Everyone recall that your Day One moves are due by tomorrow evening at 11:59pm Eastern.
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Post by Pixie on Jun 10, 2014 22:08:14 GMT -5
"How...?" was all Xavier could manage to whisper, and he swallowed. "Who are you?"The reaction to his little gambit was much more impressive than Frederick had been looking for. It was a pleasant surprise to find that the worker boy had kept hidden an apparent enormous secret. His mark staggered backwards, looking like he had been struck by hammer instead of words. The way Xavier clutched his shoulder, he revealed to Fredrick more about what he had to hide. A motion of feigned acknowledgement could be excused as a stray gesture if his intuition was off. The boy was unlikely to notice if it was irrelevant, as he appeared like a scared animal at that moment. Xavier was so vulnerable. He could be of great use to him as an agent, with his fear and position. "I am merely a friend. Frederick Arcanus, pleased to make your acquaintance.” he declared “It may be best for your safety to keep an ear open for absolutely everything everyone says tonight. It would not be wise to tell you what’s vital information in this case, but if you report to me tomorrow with what you have learned, I can make sure you remain protected,” He gestured offhandedly at Xavier’s shoulder while giving another mental shove “I am quite surprised that someone with that to fret over is working such a public position.” Frederick is satisfied with Elcie 's reaction and "recruits" him as part of his racket.
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Post by Omni on Jun 10, 2014 22:35:31 GMT -5
"Mhm."Orrin could tell that the girl got distracted by how weird he was. He'd had people gawk at him often enough to know what it looked like. And sounded like. But he figured he'd run along with it. "Well, if ya think so." He walked over to the pile of produce. Bending down over it, he looked for carrots that seemed unsellable, but not too bad. He spotted a couple and proceeded to pick them up. "I think these'll do." He walked back over to the horses, and proceeded to give them each a carrot, as well as continued to pet them. He turned to look it the girl. "So what's yer name?" Orrin can tell that Ginz ❤ got distracted by his appearance, but pretends not to notice. He gets a couple carrots that he figures are unsellable, gives them to the horses, continues petting them, and asks Corinne's name.
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Post by Zylaa on Jun 10, 2014 22:39:15 GMT -5
Unfortunately, mere words were clearly not enough to dissuade this boy who smelled of goats. From the way he was talking, and seemed to be unaware of the concept of personal boundaries, she guessed he was a very lonely goatherd. He took her hand again as he rhapsodized. Ruth began to ponder the best way to momentarily incapacitate someone. She just needed him stunned for a few seconds while she slipped out the door. Fate sure did cause some inconveniences to young heroes and heroines. "-- oh, no! I'm doing everything all wrong, oh Woo for shame!" I can at least agree with that, Ruth thought. "I do not even know you name!"Ruth wasn't about to tell him her name, but it didn't really matter, because then he was calling out, "Ilsa! Or Xavier! Or anyone! My giantess is starved! Please, get some mutton stew for her at once!"Excuse me? What in Woo's name had he just called her? My giantess? Ruth took a deep, calming breath as she pondered how much force she would need to apply to momentarily daze him. He was about the height of her youngest brother, but much scrawnier, probably not nearly as thick a skull. But then he put his hand on her knee and called her "my pet." So she raised her fist and slammed it down into his head. The lonely goatherd crumpled to the ground. Ruth recollected that this was not exactly the sort of inn where one starts fights. She was very glad that most of the attention had been elsewhere. "He had it coming," she said, in case anyone was listening. "Sorry about the mess." She put some coins on the table, to cover any inconvenience the innkeepers had in dragging an unconscious body out of the way, then fled the scene. Well, walked with purpose away from the scene. She was pretty sure people wouldn't try to stop her. People outside her family rarely did that. There was still plenty of commotion going on by the spot where she'd heard that crash from earlier. This seemed like it would be a prime place for fateful events to happen, but Ruth had experienced her fill of destiny for the day. And the crash site was also right out in the open far too close to the inn, where that boy would be waking up, probably in agony from a splitting headache. And, if the boy had friends, friends would be coming to his rescue and maybe even plotting revenge. Ruth wasn't very good at explaining herself to large crowds of people, especially when they were angry. Far better to give everyone some time to calm down. She saw a building with some sort of harp on its sign on the opposite side of the crash from the inn. She nipped inside. It looked like this was another pub. She hoped the ale here would be less expensive. Ruth, extremely creeped out by Avery, bashes him on the head and he falls unconscious. She decides to get far away before he wakes up and heads into Stal' in to hide out.
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Post by Shinko on Jun 10, 2014 22:49:37 GMT -5
Morgaine smiled at Orrin's words, though smiling was not exactly how she felt like reacting to his assertion that the nobles probably wouldn't take the horses. It was the truth, unfortunately. Though they certainly had the means, that didn't mean they had the basic human decency to do so. By and large nobles were rather vain, selfish creatures. The ones here for the funeral had only shown up in the crowd around the carriage crash once or twice before leaving again. Presumably they were more interested in toadying for political influence by being good little mournful lieges crying for their dead king up at the castle. In other words, shallow, selfish, and boring. Perfect for the locksmith's particular brand of fun. "Keys?" the woman who'd spoken before asked, interrupting Morgaine's thoughts. " What kind of keys?" The old woman hadn't expected the girl's interest to be caught legitimately, but she certainly wasn't going to pass on the opportunity to advertise. "While we sell normal padlocks, door locks, and keys for those, for everyday use, we also run a little fun on the side. I produce lockboxes that have miscellaneous items of varying usefulness in them, and my partner makes keys to open the boxes. A game of chance, if you will. My partner also makes some very special keys though- keys that are more like miniature sculptures of metal and jewels then common lock openers. Those you'll have to ask her about yourself, if you're interested. They're beautiful things- if nothing else, they make fine jewelry." She gestured at the key that was hanging from her neck. It was rather simple by Rosie's usual standards, but that was fine. It was still very pretty, and being simple meant passersby were less likely to try to steal it. "As for the horses," she said, turning back to Orrin, "I suppose for now the best thing to do would be to find a guard or constable. They'd have better luck finding the cart driver then we would." Normally Morgaine would also have suggested taking the horses to the local convent, since such places tended to be open and welcoming of wounded animals. But she'd lived in Medieville long enough to know to steer well clear of the First Holy Church of Woo. From everything she'd heard, it was rather a... different sort of church. Morgaine plots fun times for the noble visitors who probably won't take the horses on and suggest that Omni could just turn them over to the local constable (sorta medieval police of sorts.) She also explains her and Rosalie's business, both the boring day-job and the stuff that is actually relevant to our game's proceedings. Advertising to both Ginz ❤ and Orrin at the same time- multitasking!
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Post by Elcie on Jun 10, 2014 23:14:26 GMT -5
"Miss Wright, I take it that you must be in good spirits. The king's death is a tragedy, but it certainly doesn't hurt your business, does it?"Ilsa grinned. "It certainly hasn't been slow today. We'll be full by tonight, I'll wager. ...Not that wagering is an appropriate pastime for a time like this, of course. My condolences to House Ascension on this sad day." She really was trying her best to look serious and sad, but was interrupted by the sound of someone calling out her name across the room. She straightened up hastily. "Oops. Excuse me, Aines. Someone should be feeding this crowd." She hurried across, her show of grief entirely gone. "What can I get you, my-- why, Kelcey! What's this?" She grinned as she made her way towards him. To someone who knew Kelcey this was possibly one of the least surprising things that had ever happened in her inn, but it was clear that Ruth had no idea what was going on. In fact, before she reached them, the woman had delivered Kelcey a truly impressive blow and knocked him unconscious on the spot. "He had it coming. Sorry about the mess." With that, she left some coins on the table and was gone. "Probably true," Ilsa murmured. "Ah, well. It's mostly surprising that it never happened sooner." She hastily scooped the coins into her purse before bending down and hoisting Kelcey up, throwing one of his arms over her shoulder. "Xavier," she called out, but by this point there was too much of a crowd. He was probably in the kitchen still and wouldn't be able to hear her. Instead, she caught sight of Elin and waved to her. "Elin, would you mind giving me a hand with this dunce? Thought I'd put him in one of the empty rooms to sleep it off." Across the room, Xavier was completely unaware of this drama unfolding. He was still standing transfixed and terrified in front of Frederick. He gripped his shoulder tightly. "I never told anyone where I came from," he said softly. "No one's even seen my - my brand. Not even Ilsa." What a fool he'd been to think he was safe here! He'd run so far, but he was valuable. And the magic his masters had -- he broke off from that train of thought with a fitful shiver. Don't think about that.He had a vague sense that he should have been thinking about fleeing the inn - fleeing Medieville entirely - but something stopped him. For one thing, whoever this man was, he was obviously not Courdonian. Perhaps it was that, or perhaps it was the way he had gone out of his way to warn Xavier, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Frederick was trustworthy. He was probably one of the only people here that he could trust. Quickly, he nodded, and tried to speak quietly enough that no one else could hear. "Does anyone else know? That I'm a slave?" His voice cracked on the word. He hadn't admitted it out loud in so long. Ilsa chats briefly with icon before hurrying off to respond to Avery's call. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) she is too late to stop Zylaa from knocking him out for harassing her. She enlists the help of Gelquie to carry him off somewhere quiet to sleep it off. Meanwhile, Xavier is terrified that his secret will be revealed, and agrees to help Frederick ( Pixie), having a strange feeling that he should trust this man.
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Post by Rosalie Dylas (Maddy) on Jun 11, 2014 0:48:54 GMT -5
Rosalie ran over to where her key had landed. It seemed she had hit someone in the eye. Oopies daisy. Honest mistake. That would cost him extra though, damaging her key like that with his eyeball. Then he seemed to be heckled by... was that a marvel statue? That sure was weird. What was with all these weird things happening today. Metal thingies crashing into things, everyone being loud, weird photographers running around chasing a ghost crab- oh wait wrong story. Rosie's ears perked up at the word key. Of course, not actually perked up because that wasn't physically possible for her, but her entire frame of mine became concentrated on that the word key. Key character. WOW RUDE. She pointed an accusatory finger to the window. "I am not A key character, I am THE key character." She yelled at the annoying talking bust. That'll show 'em. She turned back to her customer and picked up her key. She examined it. Just as she thought. "You've damaged my key!" she exclaimed, glaring at him, "That is going to cost you extra y'know." She crossed her arms angrily. The nerve of some people! Rosie yells at Lizica and his statues and tells him he owes her money for the key.
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Post by Gelquie on Jun 11, 2014 1:44:15 GMT -5
Even though Elin had finished putting the meat in its proper place, she found herself hanging around the inn. Even without the commotion of... whatever that was, more things had happened in the inn. And more to the point, Kelcey seemed to have disappeared at some point while they were working. She had hoped to make sure that Kelcey got something to eat, whether at home or at the inn. (Although with the inn busy enough as it was, home might probably be better.) She figured her aunt would understand her sticking around for a little bit for something like that. Besides, there wasn't much more that they had to do today anyway. Xavier had already excused himself, though, so Elin went ahead and walked through the doors to the main area of the inn, in time to hear the sound of Aines in the rafters. So he was here. But then... Why wasn't Kelcey talking to him about the scarf? And for that matter, Aines was... singing? Elin didn't need to take a long time to scan the room to catch sight of the goatherd with a large woman who had obviously been in quite a few fights in the past. Kelcey was... trying to woo her? What... What was he doing? What about Destiney? She knew that Kelcey had to get over his crush on Destiney eventually, but... he didn't expect him to get over her like this when less than an hour ago, he was foregoing food for Destiney. She then remembered that Destiney was not the first love Kelcey had had. When Elin first came to the city, he had been in love with another woman, and was with her a lot. And then just as suddenly, he had switched to another. And then another. And then along came Princess Destiney. Just like now, it was all so... sudden. What... What then... Elin had frowned shortly before she saw Kelcey put his hand on the woman's thigh, and Elin gritted her teeth, taking a sharp intake of breath. No, no, don't!Too late. The woman had pounded her powerful-looking (and powerful- proven, apparently) fist onto Kelcey's head, and he dropped down. Elin could only stare, frozen to the spot. "He had it coming. Sorry about the mess," the woman said before dropping some money and walking purposefully away. Elin put out her hand and opened her mouth, but only a small squeak came out. On the one hand, a blow to the head was not going to be good for him or his job, or feeding his family. On the other hand... Well, yes, he kind of did have it coming. Ilsa ended up picking up the body of Kelcey, commenting on how she's surprised this didn't happen earlier. Ilsa looked around the room for a short time before spotting Elin and waving to her. "Elin, would you mind giving me a hand with this dunce? Thought I'd put him in one of the empty rooms to sleep it off."Elin jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, y-yes," she responded. She hurried over and got on the other side of the unconscious Kelcey, grabbing his arm and moving it over her own shoulder. She then let out a sigh as she and Ilsa began moving. "Kelcey, you idiot..." Elin muttered as they made their way upstairs. Elin sticks around at the inn for some time and decides to go get Kelcey ( Avery) to ensure he gets food properly. She comes out and eventually finds Kelcey trying to woo Ruth ( Zylaa). She stands shocked, and the remembers his other loves and how he just as suddenly got over those. Then Kelcey does something incredibly stupid and gets a bonk on noggin for his trouble. Elin can only stare, but snaps out of it when Ilsa ( Elcie) asks her to help. She goes to help Kelcey and they make their way upstairs.
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Post by Thundy on Jun 11, 2014 6:54:41 GMT -5
“I'm afraid I've never seen a carriage like this, I'll have to ask my master about the extent of repair and cost. Although if you're looking to buy a new one, I'm afraid we don't have carriages like this in Kyth."So this place was called Kyth. Tony thought about Kyth where, for there certainly wasn't one in Ohio as far as he could recall. The repairs sounded like bad news, he wasn't going anywhere for a while with no car and no replacement. “Hey if you can just get her looking less destroyed and moving again, I'll pay anything man, I need to get home!” He was starting to lose his cool a little as the gravity of the situation was weighing in on him. How on earth could he survive this financial nightmare? He rubbed his forehead “Just give it your best shot over the next few days, it's not like I'm going anywhere.” Tony was taken aback and slightly surprised by Ambrose's appearance. From the future? Well this town certainly looked and acted like it was from the past, plus there was no phone signal. This old man could be speaking the truth Tony, and what then? Getting back from Kyth to Ohio geographically was going to be bad enough but now? “Look on the bright side,” Tony's subconscious piped up again “At least you won't be late for work, just really really early.” “But you must explain to me, if you're from the future, what happens now? What happens after King Starmey's death?”He thought a little about this one. Tony hadn't paid that much attention through his high-school history classes which had been a decade ago. In the filing cabinet in his brain, Medieval History was buried somewhere between a folder containing the location of a long lost pair of socks and a folder containing a vague memory from grade school. “Uh, well, a few hundred years later the industrial revolution happens, electricity gets invented, and the entire world fights each other, twice, but it's cool because we won. There's really a whole lot that went on too, but man I wish I had access to Wikipedia, then I could fill you in.” “But do you know of somebody named Amy? She would have been an alcoholic who was murdered, this might be in your time.”Tony racked his head, the name or personage didn't ring a bell. “Sorry pops, can't help you there with that one, I don't know anyone called Amy. Now I'd like to stay and chat but I'm totally covered in mud, I need a wash, and a rest. It's been a very long day, perhaps I'll run into you tomorrow and I'll remember more,” he turned to Clarissa. While you work on the Corolla, I just need to get a few things out of it.” He opened the back seat and took out his briefcase and jacket. Popping the trunk he removed a few plastic grocery bags, a small roadside emergency kit, a pair of hiking shoes, and a flashlight. Jostling around so he had most of these supported on one arm, he threw the keys and their chain to Clarissa. “I'll be back in 2 days to check on it!” Tony tries to remember his history as he realises that he is not in fact, in his own time, after speaking to Celestial. He entrusts Layla "Nimbus" Karimi with the car, and strikes out for some temporary accommodation.
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Post by icon on Jun 11, 2014 12:55:49 GMT -5
"It certainly hasn't been slow today. We'll be full by tonight, I'll wager. ...Not that wagering is an appropriate pastime for a time like this, of course. My condolences to House Ascension on this sad day." Ilsa Wright was a dab hand when it came to using the right word in the right place, but her job kept her from keeping small talk any longer than she had to. Aines looked across the room, watching Kelcey get carried away - first in his romantic whimsies, then by Ilsa and another peasant--Elin, her name was? Something like that--after getting knocked unconscious. That certainly made his job a lot easier. He flew up to the rafters to pick up the letter that Destiney had tasked him with sending, then back down to the staircase, where the two of them were attempting to support his body weight. "I'd like to help you ladies out," he began, "but I should probably report this turn of events back to the queen. In the meantime, you'd do her a service if you left this with him," he said, proffering the letter. "Don't think it'll do him much good, but maybe he'll have a bit of sense once he recovers." Dropping the letter into Elin's hand, Aines gave a quick bow and flew out the window. It was about time he headed back to Raven's Keep, he thought as he flew along Medieville's streets - but perhaps he would stop if anything else caught his interest. After watching Kelcey ( Avery) get knocked unconscious, Aines flies over to the two carrying him up to a spare bedroom - Ilsa ( Elcie) and Elin ( Gelquie). He gives the latter the message which Destiney intended for Kelcey to read, then ollies outie.
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Post by Kozma on Jun 11, 2014 15:43:33 GMT -5
"Forgive my brusqueness. Kaldora Verdana, priestess of Elune and emissary from the remnant of night elves in Kyth in order to establish an alliance with this human nation's inhabitants."
Kaldora glanced around furtively as if to check for prying eyes, then continued in a softer whisper: "But ere long, the the rumor of an enemy from across time supposedly seeking the lives of the royal family has been circulated, and I have taken the burden to investigate that as well."
She concluded in her normal voice: "In any case, I could ask you the same question. What sort of character are you supposed to be?"--- "What sort of character am I supposed to be?" Ignotus replied, "That is a strange way to ask me what I am." He was not sure what to make of Kaldora's response for he knew nothing of night elves and Elune. "But if you must know, I am nothing more than a simple peasant. My name is Ignotus Travers and my business here is to pay my respects to the recently deceased king of this realm. There is nothing more to say." Ignotus then started to leave saying, "Now if you'll excuse me; I must be off. As a emissary I'm sure you have much to do." Ignotus provides a very vague and useless answer to Kaldora's ( Coaster) question and proceeds to leave stating that he is in Medieville to go to King Starmey's funeral.
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Post by Avery on Jun 11, 2014 15:58:48 GMT -5
Mmmmr... this bed was itchy... so itchy... and his head hurt like crazy, why did his head hurt? Without opening his eyes, he groped a hand over the aching knot at his temple, and cringed when he felt the raw lump. A goose egg, most definitely. Why did he have a goose egg? With a moan, he turned onto his side and forced open his eyes. His vision, however, proved blurry, and the room around him was so terribly bright-- so achingly bright!-- and so he quickly wrenched them back shut. What had happened!? Where was he? He wanted to scream these questions, but his voice felt snared in his throat, like a fish on a hook. He wasn't home; he knew this most surely, although... when he thought further... he couldn't quite remember what home was like, other than "not like this". He groaned again and raked a finger through his hair: dirty, dense, with wild curls. It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know what color it was. And then, moments later, when he tried to recall who he was... His eyes flew back open, and this time-- in spite of the blur and the brightness-- he refused to clamp them back shut. Even as nausea bloomed in his stomach and throat, he forced himself to sit up and dizzily scanned the room. In the corner stood... a woman. An envelope clutched in her hand, crisp and white. She seemed to be considering something, though he wasn't sure what. He... wasn't sure of a lot of things, really, now that he thought about it. Things. Hah, what a funny word! Unconsciously almost, he let out a shrill giggle-- which caused the woman to turn her head towards him. He studied her. She was pretty, with dark hair and eyes and skin; and... young. Was she around his age? He... wasn't sure. He looked down at his physique: willowy but with some definition, he supposed, and his skin didn't look wrinkled so... he supposed was young, too. Gosh, what had happened?He racked his mind-- and came up with only fragments. Snatches of images and feelings and scents and words and... and... Destiney. This name was at the forefront of all the muddled thoughts. Destiney destiney destiney destiney destineeey. Just thinking it felt right, like a glove to his hand, meant to be. As a wave of nausea rushed him, he shut his eyes for a brief moment to ward it off, then opened them and stared at the woman again. She still hadn't said anything. She... she was familiar, wasn't she? Yes, he decided; she was... but how? He thought this over for a short while, and then it clicked, like a lock on a gate. Of course! He forced a crooked smile. "D-destiney?" he said. "Destiney, what happened to me?" Kelcey comes to rather amnesia-laden, and sees Elin ( Gelquie) in the room with him. He ponders who she is... then decides... yes! She must be this 'Destiney' person his mind keeps thinking about!
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Post by Omni on Jun 11, 2014 16:18:56 GMT -5
"No, I don't have any more, and I dunno if it'd be good to give ya more." Orrin's words didn't stop the horses from trying to sniff at him. Not that he expected much else, but he was starting to wonder just how good of an idea it was to give them a snack from their owner's cart. Still, he kept petting them all the same. One way or another, he wanted to keep them calm. "As for the horses," Morgaine said, "I suppose for now the best thing to do would be to find a guard or constable. They'd have better luck finding the cart driver then we would.""Hmm... If we need to, maybe one of the farmers would be willin' to take them in," Orrin suggested, looking up at Morgaine from where he was sitting. "I don't have the first clue where to find a guard here, but I've been by the fields." He paused. "I guess I could help you look for awhile, but I'd like to head to sleep before it gets dark." Orrin tells the horses that he probably shouldn't give them more treats, but keeps petting them. He suggests to Shinko that they could let the horses stay with a farmer if they need to, and says that he can help look for a guard before it gets late.
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Post by Dan on Jun 11, 2014 19:15:55 GMT -5
With the prayer concluded, the council could begin in earnest, and Lord Everett listened intently as his advisers began sharing information, proposing ideas, and volunteering themselves for various activities. "It would be my honor to escort you to the funeral, my lord," one began, before he was interrupted by a mage's report on the security enchantments placed upon their lodgings. Another chimed in to report on the strange creatures spotted roaming around town as they'd entered the city, while his steward droned at length on the status of Joffery's wardrobe upon arrival. Even Lord Everett could not help but let his mind wander as the steward began describing with excruciating detail the fineries his son would wear at the funeral and the subsequent days at court. There was a time and place for such matters...preferably long after he had departed the room and moved on to far more pressing issues. Like the one his young ward Leif proposed suddenly, after sitting in silence for the majority of the meeting. “Lord Everett. Other houses will be coming for this funeral. What are we to do if another house - or houses - try to do the same as we are?”He sat up straight and regarded the young man for a moment, taken aback at the source of such a question but altogether pleased. Sometimes those you surround yourself with still have the power to take you by surprise. Though Leif had been a member of his council for a few years, he'd mostly kept to himself, despite Everett's best attempts at integrating him into governing their region. Perhaps not all hope was lost just yet. "There is, of course, no doubt in my mind that there will be other attempts to lay claim to the throne," he replied. "House Booveen will no doubt be in attendance tomorrow, as Lord Miller's granddaughter is now queen of Kyth. Most believe the King's cousin will also also jockey for position now that Starmey is dead...everyone knows there was little love between the two. But no, the laws of inheritance in Kyth are ironclad: if a house has no son to claim the estate, by rights it passes to the eldest daughter. And the only other house with an eligible son of equivalent age to our dear Queen Destiney is House Stallion." There was a palpable shift in mood among the council upon the naming of their philosophical opposites. Over the centuries, the two houses shared a long history of discord, ranging from disagreements over trivial matters long since forgotten all the way up to blood feuds stemming from deaths of those most beloved. Though they avoided each other on most occasions, there would be no denying the challenges both houses faced in the coming days as they were once more pitted directly against each other. "You asked, I believe, what are we to do if another house tries to do the same as us in presenting a suitor to the queen. The answer is quite simple. Each of us know the terrors this land will be subjected to if House Stallion were to assume control of the throne. They will tear this kingdom apart brick by brick and rebuild it however they see fit. We cannot let that happen. This is a land built on tradition and piety, on the old ways that have served us well for so long. So, Leif, what are we to do? We must win." Everett listens to the discussions during his council (with Tiger, Terra, and PFA's parents in attendance) taking in their suggestions and ideas while tuning out during some tedious discussion of clothing. No time for such frivolity! Tiger asks him about the rival Houses posing a threat to their plans. Lord Everett lays out the potential claims to the throne the other houses may present in the coming days, but states that the only one they need to pay attention to is Stallion...and they must stop them for the sake of Kyth.
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