[Sandbox] Onyx Prairie - Eastern Quarter

[Aethyrium]

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.14.1322 | 12:30 pm
Location: Eastern Quarter
Wearing: Cropped, puffy orange jacket and ripped blue jeans with white sneakers. Low-cut black top hidden by her jacket.
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah

Meena's introduction to her new team had not gone smoothly, having been caught unaware by the depth of misfortune the team had recently encountered. Expecting much of the excitement she felt on being placed in the academy, she had instead been greeted by cold detachment and downright rudeness by her new team, except Lolo, who had been an absolute delight, if a bit distracted.
 
A heads-up from the headmaster about the team's current state would have been nice. More pertinent information would have been that she was being paired with someone who had just had their previous partner kidnapped. It made Farrah's reluctance to acknowledge Meena's existence understandable, at least.
Still rude but understandable.

It was, therefore, a slight surprise when Farrah approached her about buying some arcanite for the team.
Apparently, their hands had been somewhat tied by "the incident," as Meena had come to refer to it, and had been either unwilling or unable to enter another arcanite dealing shop. With the sudden prevalence of arcanite robberies, finding any place willing to divulge their on-hand quantities of arcanite had proven difficult. Luckily, Meena knew of a place that might be willing to help.

Quilling's Goods and Sundries was rooted in the Eastern Quarter, off Pachal Way between Fillham Market Square and the Tumbledown Tenements. Meena had been renting a small flat in Tumbledown since arriving on Onyx and found the eclectic riot of life in the neighborhood fascinating. Quilling's had a little bit of everything if you weren't concerned about frills, including a reasonable supply of arcanite to power everyday items Tumbledowners couldn't live without.
 
While the relatively quiet Farrah waited outside Quilling's, Meena went inside to talk to the proprietor about purchasing the amount of arcanite the team needed for class. It would put a significant dent in Quilling's supply, and Meena had been concerned that she would be turned away. Much to her surprise, Hortense Quilling hadn't batted an eyelash when Meena inquired about the purchase. 

"That herbal tea you gave me cleared up Reginal's croup right quick; it did. It was a bloody miracle." 
Meena placed the rather large amount of arcanite into her satchel. The satchel was the one item Meena rarely left her abode without. It was Meena's mobile apothecary. Modern medical devices nestled next to natural tinctures and poultices made by her own hand. The street value of her satchel without the arcanite was extravagant.

She had a minor fortune slung over her shoulder at the moment.

Very pleased with herself, Meena said her goodbyes to Hortense and bounced out of the general store. She had been about to suggest to the waiting Farrah that they head on back to the dorm when a familiar scent wafted through the air. Lost to most among the scents of the city and smells of its people was the simmering of cumin and coriander, garam masala, and garlic. The smell of home.

"Come on," Meena said and waved Farrah to follow. Had they been closer, she would have hooked Farrah's arm and dragged her towards the smell.

The Clay Pot was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant down a quiet alley just off the marketplace. It was run by Hoenen Silenus and featured a variety of foods from her home continent, all cooked in a traditional clay pot or oven. There were curries of all sorts with a choice of lamb, beef, chicken, or fish.

Ruby Madras, Korma, and Oxamel Vindaloo were popular, but Viridian Jalfrezi was a taste of home.
For those with no interest in curry (who that might be, Meena had no idea), there was Hoenen barbeque and kababs and, of course, naan to sop up all that yummy curry. 

Another popular fair was the Ruby Cove Sandwich. Meena hadn't tasted the popular street food until she moved to Ruby during her first ill-fated attempt to join a battle academy. The sandwich consists of grilled bread, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, masala powder, and either mint or tamarind-date chutney. Here in Onyx, grated cheese was often added.

Meena and her nose had discovered the restaurant not long after arriving in Tumbledown, so she already knew the way. Leading Farrah along, she told her all about the restaurant, the food, and the neighborhood in general. It would become readily apparent to Farrah that in the short time Meena had lived here, she had enmeshed herself in the neighborhood fabric with relative ease. They were even stopped once along the way by a resident so he could thank her for helping him with his headaches. Meena talked pleasantly to the older human gentleman for a few minutes, introducing him to Farrah as Mr. Engleman, a retired foreman from one of the plants in the South Quarter, before they continued on to the small restaurant. 

Like much of the Eastern Quarter, The Clay Pot was on the older side, and a tad bit run down but held an eclectic energy that allowed one to forgive its lack of finery. Meena waved at a doe-eared, freckle-faced Silenus woman. She was middle-aged and pleasantly plump, the tuft of a tail sticking out the back of her apron. A wire-thin cat-eared young Silenus hurried about busing tables. His freckled face clearly indicating his relation to the woman. 

"Take a seat, dear," The woman waved back. The lunch rush was over, and there were plenty of seats. Meena grabbed a booth, set the satchel and Heart of the Mountain in the seat next to her, and waited for Farrah to join her.

"I hope you like spicy," Meena said with a grin, perfectly comfortable talking at Farrah if her partner chose to remain monosyllabic. "If not, just ask for a less intense flavor," Meena suggested, indicating a sign above the register counter that listed spices from Hot to Mild. Someone had added a handwritten box after mild that red "Johtan."

The wiry young Silenus approached their table with a notepad in his hand. "Can I start you off with something to drink?" he asked, noting down anything they wanted before hurrying away to fetch their drinks. The doe-eared woman finished her conversation with another table of Silenus and appeared soon after her son had left.

"Hello, Meena. It has been a while since I've seen you. I was starting to get worried. I was going to send out a search party," The woman said with a warm chuckle.

"It's only been a week, Aarushi."

"I know. You haven't stayed away that long before," she chided before turning doe-eyes, the perfect match for those doe-eyes towards Farrah.

"Who's your friend?" Aarushi asked. Her voice was utterly innocent, but the amused crinkle around her eyes suggested she thought this might be a date thing.

"Aarushi. This is Farrah. Farrah. This is Aarushi," Meena said, gesturing between them in turn. "She is my academy partner," Meena informed the woman, who gave an immediate squeal of delight.

"Does that mean?"

"It does," Meena answered with an enormous grin. There was another elated squeal.

“ISHAAN!  ISHAAN! Meena is an Champion!  She did it!”

"Squire," Meena corrected, but Aarushi waved it off.

The smiling round face of a rotund cat-eared Silenus man poked his head out from the kitchen door.

"MEENA! That's wonderful! Congratulations!" He called before ducking back into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Ishaan!" Meena called back, all beaming smiles, and wiggled in her seat happily.

"Order whatever you want. On the house."

"That could be dangerous, Aarushi."

"Psshhah.  This is a celebration. Please, whatever you want…."

Meena grinned and shrugged.

"Okay..." She said and proceeded to order soooooo much food, letting Farrah order whatever she liked.
There were more happy pleasantries and even some congratulations from the other table of Silenus in the restaurant. Eventually, Meena and Farrah were left alone.

And the awkwardness was back.

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.14.1322 | 12:30 pm
Location: Eastern Quarter
Wearing: outfit, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena |


Truth be told, Farrah hadn’t been trying very hard. She had made attempts, but her heart wasn’t in it and her half-assed friendliness came off as hollow. It was probably worse than being outright rude. Farrah had always weathered her emotional storms fairly well, but losing Mila was different. Farrah had come to the academy to be a hero. She had been charged with protecting her partner and keeping her team safe.

Failure to do so once was a mistake to learn from. Failure to do so twice was becoming a pattern. Maybe she was not as reliable as she had believed herself to be. What other delusions would soon come to light?

Even asking the favor of Meena to purchase arcanite for the team had been a poor attempt at building a partnership. Farrah had been her atypical quiet self - not that Meena would have known it - but as the day had progressed and Meena had been so warmly welcomed by her friends and acquaintances, the elf was being forced out of her fog. She was being forced to see Meena as Meena and it made her feel bad that it had taken a whole week for her to do so.

With food and drinks ordered and nothing but silence between them, Farrah took a deep breath.

”You been mighty patient with mine bad attitude,” the elf said slowly. She looked at Meena. Really looked this time. She had never noticed the orange eyes. What else had she missed? ”I’m big sorry you walked into it like that. Not your fault.” There was a small pop in her upper back as she stretched to her full sitting height - she had slumped down that fateful night in the interrogation room and had stayed hunched over since then. Not anymore. She rolled her shoulders backwards as she started coming back to herself. ”Ain’t fair to you and I’m big sorry for it. You don’t deserve that.”

She gestured around the restaurant. ”Got yerself a cheer squad? Bein’ a Champion a dream o’ yers?” Her relationship had with Mila had been easy. The wise-cracking, street-smart, firecracker of a woman had been many things, but taking the role of Champion seriously? Farrah had never been sure if Mila had been playing it cool or if it was a genuine disinterest. This excitement, though? The enthusiasm people had for her? The title meant something different to Meena.

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.14.1322 | 12:30 pm
Location: The Clay Pot - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: Cropped, puffy orange jacket and ripped blue jeans with white sneakers. ]Low-cut black top hidden by her jacket.
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah | Sumina, Aarushi, Ishaan

The drinks were delivered, and Meena took a sip of water when Farrah began to speak. She didn’t say anything at first. She just listened to the muscular elven woman apologize for the mess Meena had walked into two days ago. Orange eyes regarded Farrah with no malice or anger. It was hard to regard Farrah with anything other than appreciation when those washboard abs flexed when she popped her back. Had circumstances been different, Meena would have been as flirty with Farrah as she was with Lolo, but Meena could read a room. Farrah had been in no state to enjoy friendly banter the last few days. 

Meena set her glass down and waved off the second apology with one hand as she swallowed. Shaking her head slightly for emphasis. She didn’t require anyone to grovel for her forgiveness.

“One apology will do just fine,” Meena said. Farrah appeared genuinely bad about her behavior, and that was all Meena needed to forgive and forget. “Apology accepted.” Meena looked around the restaurant with a smile. The Clay Pot was a little slice of home, so far from the Tors. 

“Everyone needs a cheer squad,” Meena said with a grin. Aarushi and Ishaan are good people,” she said.

“Onyx isn’t like home. Nowhere is really, I guess, but I was really lost when I got here. I found a little place nearby to lay my head for a spell. One day, I was just wandering around, trying to get my bearings, and I found this place.

Aarushi and Ishaan treated me like lost family come home. Made sure I was fed when I didn’t have a lot of money, so I repay them by coming by as much as possible now that I have a little spending cash, Meena explained before giving Farrah an affirmative nod. 

“Since I was about eight,” She answered. “Thought I would be a Grandmother before that.” Realizing Farrah probably had no idea what that meant. “Grandmother is an honorary title as much as a familial one for my people. A capital “G” Grandmother is a clan healer.” 

They were more than that, really. They often acted as council to the clan leaders, who were wise to listen to their council, but that wasn’t really important to the conversation.

“I was already learning from the Grandmothers of my clan when one of the Hollows came to our lands. I don’t know how it came or where it came from, but we were scared. Our best warriors couldn’t stop it. My father and the other clan leaders were considering abandoning our ancestral lands when a cadre of Champions appeared in our camp one day. They had heard rumors of the Hollow and came to slay it.” The way Meena spoke about the Champions still held the same childish awe she felt all those years ago.   

“They fought and bled for my people. And asked for nothing in return. They saved my family and my people. From that day, I knew I wanted to be a Champion. That I wanted to help, not just my people, but all people,” There was an honest to gods tear in Meena’s eye when she finished. She conveniently left out any mention of Sumina. By now, Meena knew her infatuation was unrealistic, even if the elven woman still flustered her to no end whenever she was in her presence. 

“Hard not to cheer for that,” Aarushi appeared at their table with a plate of naan and gave Farrah a wink. Meena actually blushed. She could be prone to passionate speech but often forgot that others could hear her, too.

“Here, here!” Someone at the other table said in agreement. At this point, Meena was simultaneously mortified at the attention and proud of the support.

“Thank you, Aarushi,” Meena said and turned the question back to Farrah. “What about you? Was this the dream or an unexpected detour?” she asked. She had so many questions for Farrah but was truly happy to just get her talking. They didn’t have to be friends to be Champions, but Meena dearly hoped that they would.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning
Location: Hammer Academy
Wearing: Black vested suit w/ long sleeve undershirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra |
Continued from…

It didn’t even feel like sneaking off, since they had been given the day off with no clear indication of what they were supposed to do. Briefly Marlowe considered telling the others that they were headed off and they’d be back, but Lyra didn’t seem inclined to and she concluded that they’d figure it out. They could also gather and share later, once Lyra’s task was done. So she stepped quickly back into Lyra’s orbit and looked down at the elf, “So what are we doing?” Which was met with a simple request to wait. Not Lolo’s greatest attribute, patience, but the invitation to come along had bought Lyra some extended goodwill.

They marched together through the halls of the academy, out to the courtyard, and down the long path through the pseudo-mountain pass. Out on the landing, the transports were there waiting - and this time of day, one pilot was stationed there. The good thing about being champions-to-be was that they really didn’t need to explain themselves much, “We need to head down to the city.” Is all Marlowe had to say to convince the pilot to put out his cigarette and get into the transport cockpit.

Once they were settled, the transported roared to life and took off for the tower. As they flew away from the landing, Lolo turned to Lyra again. “Now will you tell me where we’re going?” But Lyra’s secrets weren’t safe within earshot of the pilot it seemed, and once more she was told to wait. Marlowe made a little face, thinking that Lyra was probably being a little needlessly paranoid, but she didn’t say anything. “Okay.” She accepted, holding onto one of the steps while they descended.

Not even ten minutes later, they were on the tower. A just a few after that they had descended into the streets, which this time of day, were plenty busy. The city was alive, and they were just two people in it. As they stepped into the crowd, Lolo followed Lyra’s lead a few paces when she remembered her gloves in her pocket. Technically she - and Lyra - had just been banned from bringing their weapons down here. But they were the best possible pair to break that particular rule. Lyra’s looked like jewelry, no one was going to question it; and hers looked like simple gloves, if no one was looking hard at them. Easily concealed and not a problem. So she just grinned a little, deciding not to bring it up.

Bumping shoulders with a stranger, Lolo looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. She scooted closer to Lyra in her next stride. “Okay, so?” She questioned, tilting her head and leaning forward a bit to look at Lyra, “Since I’m pretty sure you didn’t steal me away from the academy to fill my desires, will you please fill me in on what we’re doing?” She weaved out of another busy, uncaring individual's way, “What do you need to do?”

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning (~9am)
Location: Onyx - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: White dress with blue overlay and sheer sleeves, decorative cloth belt
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe | Haim, Farrah, Namid, Mila

Lyra was glad for once for how clingy Marlowe seemed to be around her. All it took to convince the woman to follow was a simple request to join her. Just one sentence and she jumped. Hook, line, and sinker. That was one less thing she had to worry about, at least. Releasing the breath she had been holding, expecting a little more resistance from the woman – really, what was she actually expecting? Marlowe to tell her no? – Lyra let herself relax as she gave Marlowe a soft smile. With a nod and a final glance towards their retreating teammates, Lyra nudged Marlowe down a different hallway.
 
She had briefly wondered if she should inform the rest of them that they were leaving, but immediately rejected that idea. Why should she bring it up now? Originally, her intention had been to go alone, and asking Marlowe to join her had been a sort of last minute decision. At least now she wasn’t in danger of skipping classes. She was sure the others would want to fawn over Haimehen and make sure he was fine, and he was the last person she wanted to see right then. The guilt that he got injured still ate away at her, but his sonic bullet nearly destroying her hearing was quite the sore topic for her. No, if her leads made any progress, only then would she bring it up to the rest of them, but for now, she merely spared them a passing glance as she led Marlowe away.
 
When the first question came, Lyra peered up at Marlowe, reaching a hand up to tuck loose strands behind her ear, as she usually did in thought. She hesitated, mulling it over. While it wouldn’t hurt to tell her, she didn’t want to explain in detail while still on Academy grounds, lest someone overhear and stop them. “We are leaving the Academy. Just wait and trust me.”
 
It didn’t take them very long at all to get to the landing, where Marlowe took charge of informing the pilot of their intentions. She stole a glance to her wrists, where her bracelets were. While not technically a weapon, they were her foci for channeling what amounted to spells, and Shir had just banned them from taking their weapons off academy grounds. Well, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. She disliked their mentor, despite his good looks, for his care-free attitude and hands-off approach. There was something cold behind his eyes and his demeanor, like he just really didn’t want to be there in the first place. And while Lyra did prefer following the rules, this was one she was willing to break. Besides, her foci looked more like bracelets, and she was not going to leave her family heirlooms behind anywhere. Not if she could help it.
 
A glance towards Marlowe was given, wondering about mentioning the weapon thing to her, but wait, weren’t hers just as inconspicuous? A pair of modified gloves, weren’t they? The thought brought a smile to her face as she boarded the transport, a light giggle passing her lips. They were a perfect pair, hiding weapons in plain sight. One brawler, one support. Suddenly, she was glad to have asked her to come along. Well, perhaps without all the questions. “Just wait a little longer. I will tell you when we get there. I promise.”
 
Finally on solid ground again, Lyra heaved a sigh of relief, releasing the tightened grip she had on the strap of her bag. Side-stepping someone that managed to bump into Marlowe instead, she eyed the taller woman with her question. “What desires? You know what, no, do not answer that. I do not think I will like the answer.” A long sigh, closing her eyes for a moment, then dug her notebook out of her bag, using her other hand to tap its cover. “We are going to look for information.”
 
Looking around, Lyra started off in the direction of the eastern quarter, where they had gone just a few days ago. “I want to find out exactly who those men were that night and what connection they had to Mila, if any. She mentioned a name. Perhaps for the group?” In a hushed tone, she sidled closer to Lolo as she spoke. “She called them Crimson Jackals, if I recall?” Lyra brought the notebook up to eye level between them, brandishing it as a sort of weapon. “I wrote down a few things that I could remember from that evening. I admit, I had planned on going alone.” She pursed her lips together, lowering the book to stash it back into her bag for the time being. “I felt terrible about what happened that night. Perhaps if I had not stopped you, then maybe… Maybe she would still be here.”
 
A shake of her head sent tendrils of silver flying over her shoulder, which she reached up to flick back behind her once more, tucking some behind a long slender ear. “I did not want to tell the others. This was my problem to begin with. And Haimehen only just got out of the hospital. Namid would surely fuss over him. And Farrah…” She trailed off, nibbling on her bottom lip. Farrah was no use to anyone right now in her state, and Lyra couldn’t bring herself to say as much. She left it unsaid but she knew Marlowe would catch her meaning. “No, it is best they do not get involved yet. But I needed you with me.” She flashed Marlowe a gentle smile. “I did promise to fix this, did I not? Now let us start near the shops where we were on Friday. If they frequented that area, I am sure we can pick up a trail from there. At the very least, someone had to of seen them before.”
 
Lyra knew this might be a bad idea. Going to the scene of the incident was making her anxious, but it was their only lead right now. People had died in that collapsed building and more had been unable to escape the burning shop, although those had mostly been the Jackals. The elf tried not to let Marlowe know how nervous this entire thing was making her, the way her hands trembled as she gripped the strap of her shoulder bag to keep them from being too obvious. They weren’t investigators and they were likely way outside their jurisdiction, but it didn’t matter. She had to try and make things whole again. She had to fix it, even if she did it alone. But she wasn’t alone, was she? She had Marlowe. And having her partner there gave her strength. “Let us get Mila back.”

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning
Location: Hammer Academy
Wearing: Black vested suit w/ long sleeve undershirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra | Shir, Farrah, Haim, Namid
It was probably for the best that Lyra changed her mind on that question as quickly as she did. Lolo was ready to pounce on the answer! Her cheeks rose high with a grin, and she shrugged, thoughtfully looking aside, squeezing in a, “I don’t know, I’m pretty sure you would like it a lot.” Lolo relaxed and let it go while Lyra forged ahead with finally revealing her plans. “Information on…?” She questioned, following Lyra’s directions with no personal clue where they were going. It was a street, they all looked vaguely the same to her. Without a map she sure as hell wasn’t going to find her way to the eastern quarter - at least, not deliberately.

That had been bothering her too - having heard that Mila seemed to know them. Of course, Marlowe didn’t know enough about Mila to even begin to consider where they might look. She hummed quietly, trying to recall if she’d heard their teammate mention anything in the week they’d been together that might be helpful. But Mila had been, seemingly, more interested in goofing around than getting involved with the team. She was fun loving, and Lolo appreciated that about her. But she really wished that she had done more to involve herself now. “Crimson Jackals…” It didn’t ring any bells. “Do we know anything about them?” They were all wearing red. Crimson. Got it. Marlowe nodded to herself. “That man…” She squinted, “He was different from the two men with me. The tall one and the short one. They had glasses, and were wearing red.” She licked her lips, “His tie was different.” She’d gotten a good look at the one when she’d latched onto the tall man. “If they were Crimson Jackals,” A name that correlated rather directly to their presentation, “Who was he?” Marlowe looked at Lyra - and the book she started waving around. Unfortunately, that was about the extent of Marlowe’s memory. She hadn’t really thought to commit most of it to memory at the time.

She remembered the elf! Vaguely. He was an elf!

Marlowe nudged Lyra’s arm with her own and shook her head, “Best not to think like that. We don’t know what would have happened. Maybe I wouldn’t have been able to get my shields up and the lightning bolt would have ripped right through me.” That might have saved Mila, but as badly as Marlowe wanted her back she probably-definitely was not willing to make that particular trade. Besides, if there was an action that Lyra had done that allowed what happened to happen, it wasn’t the stopping her last minute, but the ice dome. “Or maybe you’d have gotten hurt. Or… Any one of a million things, right? That’s what Shir said.” And, despite not really loving how he talked to everyone, she agreed with that. No use in thinking about what might have been.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about not telling the others. On one hand, there didn’t seem to be anything to really tell them right now. On the other, everyone had lost Mila, it’d be good for them to get her back together. Especially Farrah, she thought. But Lyra presented a compelling - to Marlowe, at least - argument. Haim was fresh out of the hospital and needed to recover; asking him to march around Onyx wasn’t going to do anyone any good. Namid would want to be there for him, she was certain. Maybe it’d bring her back around and out of the slump she was in, him being around again. Before her thoughts could get any further, Lyra was expressing a need for her to be there. She blinked on hearing it, but smiled all the same. “You did.” She replied gently. “Okay, that sounds good.”

Looking ahead as they walked, “I’m glad you decided not to do this alone.” That was really the first step, wasn’t it? Marlowe didn’t know if involving everyone else was the right thing to do or not, but she did know that Lyra involving her at least felt like the right one. If only to ensure that someone knew what she was doing. When it came to the others, Marlowe resigned herself to trust Lyra’s judgment - just like she had with the ice dome. “Thank you for bringing me.” Not just because she too wanted to see Mila brought home, but because she was doing what she asked - not shutting her out. “I’m great at getting people to talk, so it’ll be worth it.” Marlowe laughed.

Then, as she let her thoughts settle on the idea of picking up a trail, she started to furrow her brow. “What exactly are we looking for?”

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning (~9am)
Location: Onyx - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: White dress with blue overlay and sheer sleeves, decorative cloth belt
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe | n/a
Lyra kept her gaze focused ahead of them as she led her partner through the busy streets, weaving between the crowd. She did have to backtrack once or twice, darting down a random street or three, until she finally came upon an area she recognized. While the eastern quarter was still rather unknown to her, she had been the one to use their phone to find their way from the original arcanite shop to the now destroyed pile of rubble that was once Dazzle & Dust. The shop that they had first sought out lay before them now, so it was a rather simple prospect from this point in time to retrace their steps. It had been the closest shop, but not the only one.

“I do not know if he was part of that group, or maybe just hired them as bodyguards. I truly thought he was just there to shop and showing off his wealth.” She frowned, glancing at Marlowe over her shoulder. It hadn’t been something she had mentioned a few nights ago but it felt important to bring up. “My mother does that… Throwing money around like he tried to. Anamaris, too. Wealth is power back home. Money can buy privacy. I do not… do not think he was with them. He could be, but it felt different. A high-class socialite with a group of men categorized as thugs?” Lyra pursed her lips together, looking ahead as not to bump into any more people. She’d already bumped into two since they got to the quarter. “If that is even what they were.”

A small sigh escaped her lips as she unloaded her worries onto Marlowe’s shoulder, giving her a meek smile as she told her not to think like that. It was hard to do sometimes. She always wanted to keep looking at the scenario, see where she went wrong, how she could have made things better. Try to find an alternative solution for the next time something like that happen. “I-I made mistakes. I see that now. I tried to do what I thought was best for everyone, without considering them.” Another sigh, stopping in her tracks as she stared up at the sky a moment. It was like being back home again, suffering the disappointments of her family. “Isolate and protect. That is what I thought. Remove the threat. It would have been simple to let me go, to let him go. I did not count on so many following, not with the building on fire. I knew what I was doing, but I did not account for everyone else.” She closed her eyes, nodding her head slightly to Marlowe. “Yes, any number of things could have gone differently.”

At least Marlowe didn’t argue with her about why she didn’t tell the others. Not yet. It was too soon for them. Telling Marlowe had to be enough for now. She smiled up at her partner, an actual genuine smile. “There is no one better suited than you.” Of course, Lyra meant this literally, as of her four remaining teammates, Marlowe had been the best option, and as she was already her squadmate, it only made sense to include her, but who knew the way Marlowe’s mind worked with these kind of words?

“First, we talk to the locals. I sketched a portrait that we could show.” Lyra tapped her bag, indicating her notebook within. “Dazzle and Dust was open very late compared to other shops, so we have two options here. First, we could check out nearby arcanite suppliers, see if that man had visited them before, or even the men he was with. Perhaps he only went to Dazzle and Dust because his usual places were closed.” She looked thoughtful for a moment while she considered the road ahead of them. Had it been left or right at this fork? Ah, right, it was left! She started off in that direction with an inclination of her head towards it to Marlowe. “On the other hand, we could check the other shops close by instead. If he is anything like my mother when she shops in private, then the surrounding businesses are also bought out for seclusion. Or perhaps he could be like Anamaris and shop nearby just for the familiarity. My sister liked to regularly visit shops all in the same area.”

The little elf slowed to a stop, glancing up at her partner again. “I cannot do this alone.” Well, technically, yes, she could, but having Marlowe there was so much better for so many reasons, least of all which being an extra set of eyes and her brawn. Even at this point, ‘divide and conquer’ was a valid option, but one she wasn’t likely to suggest just yet. Not after all the effort she went through to include her partner. “So where to from here? Dazzle and Dust?” And the prospect of seeing the burnt remains of the shop, risking the ire of many people that once lived in the nearby complex, but offering the option of checking out the shops closest to the incident. “Or the other arcanite suppliers?” They could maybe provide some clues if he was used to making large purchases of arcanite, especially among other retailers. She paused. “Or perhaps you have another idea? I am willing to listen.”

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning
Location: Hammer Academy
Wearing: Black vested suit w/ long sleeve undershirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra |
It was hard to imagine having that kind of money. It was like nothing Lolo had ever experienced personally. She couldn’t imagine wanting to though, even if she could do it. Shopping was much more fun with people. Then again, maybe there was an appeal in the trip being just who she wanted there. Regardless, even if she didn’t think it was a custom she’d ever take advantage of, she did relish the idea of simply being able to. And it really put Lyra’s lifestyle before Hammer into perspective for her. She looked at her partner with a bit of dazzle-eyed awe. “I think wealth is power everywhere.” She remarked thoughtfully - had she ever seen that not be true? Of course, Marlowe didn’t necessarily want to be powerful. But that was a philosophical debate her inner monologue wasn’t sophisticated enough to have.

“Okay, well, if he wasn’t with them…” She trailed off in thought. Unfortunately she had missed all the interactions between Ocean and the men. If she had, she was positive that she could have gotten a read on them. “Was it a coincidence that they were there at the same time then? You think that it was two things, separate? These Jackals were up to no good and he was there to shop?” She hummed and tightened her brow. This was a moment when having the perspective of the others might have been useful.

“Well, just for reference,” Marlowe grinned, “I’m really bad at letting things go. Especially things are pretty as you are.” Playfully, Marlowe nudged Lyra. Was she still talking about following Lyra onto the roof? Probably. Maybe.

Portraits would be helpful, she thought. “It was open when the other was closed. Do you think that was normal?” Did it even matter? Marlowe swayed as she thought. “The place we went to was closed, and if his others were too, why was Dazzle and Dust not? Do you think we should find the shopkeeper, that old guy?” Someone had said his name once, she was certain, but it eluded her.

Marlowe stopped when Lyra did, turning toward her and meeting that upward glance. There was a decided change in Lyra when she spoke there. She scanned those soft elven features and took a long, deep breath to keep herself from being needlessly impulsive - but the want was there. “it’s a good thing you’re not alone then.” Marlowe murmured. It was a good question, she thought, but the answer seemed straight forward. “Dazzle and Dust.” She replied, looking off in the direction they had been headed. “That’s the only trail we have, so we should start there and work our way out. We made a lot of noise, right?” She glanced back at Lyra, “Maybe someone in the area saw something.” Lolo reached out and wrapped her arm behind Lyra’s shoulders to pull her along, then let it drop away. But she walked close enough that her hand kept brushing Lyra’s.

Lyra had to lead the way back to Dazzle & Dust, unless they wanted to get lost all afternoon. Lolo was not to be trusted with directions.

[Aethyrium]

S T O R Y T E L L E R
October 9th, Morning | Onyx Prarie - Eastern Quarter - Ruins of Dazzle & Dust | Urban - Fire Resonance
Lyreilynn, Marlowe
Like the evening of, it takes the girls a fair bit of time to reach the shop formerly known as Dazzle & Dust from their original destination. It’s out in the eastern quarter, and tucked away in the sprawl of the mish-mash of an urban jungle. The area is different by daylight, then when they were here last. It feels more alive. The colors of the densely packed buildings pop more. There are people living their lives, and the air is filled with the sounds of their business - and their music, which occasionally clashes against other music.

The street layout is familiar though, and things have not changed much since the night of the encounter with Ocean and the Jackals. On the corner are the ruins of Dazzle & Dust, which, amazingly, are still smoldering. Arcanite needs no fuel to burn. The damage to the building is irreparable, most of its structure has collapsed, and the entire forward section has been reduced to ash and small bits of rubble that have been pushed off the street and back into the confines of the business’ lot. There are parts of the shop still identifiable - the pit, where Marlowe was shot for instance, is mostly clear, and the rear wall of the building still stands, though it doesn’t look healthy. A few support pillars remain, and part of the upper floor dome where that fancy airplane toy was stored are still visible. But it’s clear immediately that there’s no salvaging what is left - if Dazzle & Dust is to ever live again, it will need to be reborn from the ashes. The old will need to be demolished in full, before something new can be set in its place. Amid the wreckage, there are flames of red arcanite still burning, flickering like candles. The occasional buzz and zap of black arcanite, crackling with energy. Some of the wood has been reclaimed, and deep green vines and roots, grass grow over it like a memorial to what once was - the blessing of green arcanite.

Across the street, on the road they approach from, is the apartment building where the final showdown occurred. It too has not yet been repaired. The damage is extensive, but not as fully crippling as the shops. The forward wall is about one third collapsed, rendering a little less than half the total apartments in the building uninhabitable. Its rubble has been pushed off the street and onto the sidewalk in large piles. The homes visible from the outside no longer have anything in them - the families have either moved, or they’ve been looted.

OES has erected a series of beacons around the collapse of the apartment, and Dazzle & Dust. A series of tripod poles that project a holographic barrier that warns people to stay clear: DANGER. UNSTABLE. DANGER. DO NOT CROSS. DANGER. Some people have crossed in spite of that. As Lyra and Marlowe come to the edge, they can clearly see a middle-aged woman in the ruins of Dazzle & Dust, picking around through the remnants. She has a basket, and she seems to have collected maybe two or three smaller hunks of Arcanite. She’s salvaging. No one seems as interested in the apartment. With the collapse of the wall though, from the ground, they can see that the roof access does not appear to be sealed off.

There are a couple of groups of people in the area.

Across the forward street, a group of three men lean against a building in a vague circle. They’re clearly talking about things here, because one of them keeps gesturing and pointing at Dazzle & Dust, and occasionally the apartment. Of course, from across the street there’s no telling what they’re actually saying. They’re all roughly the same height, and their dress marks them as probably locals - lower middle class folk with simple clothes and nothing that really stands out immediately about them.

There is of course the woman in Dazzle & Dust, picking at the unsecured remains.

Lyra notices a man in the alley between Dazzle & Dust and the building right next to it on the street they approached from. Also likely a local, but less well off than the three men for sure. He looks disheveled, homeless likely. His clothes are dirty and ragged, notable even at a distance and with him in the dark. He’s on the ground, sitting, and looking through the hole in the wall. Maybe watching the woman?

There is a couple, a man and a woman and what one would assume to be their small child. They’re across the way, outside the holographic perimeter of the apartment collapse. They seem to be in some kind of argument. The woman keeps flailing her arm around, pointing at the giant hole in the wall - berating the man, if his constant shrinking is any indication. If they really focused, they could probably eavesdrop on that conversation from the far side of the street if they wanted.

Finally there are a couple of children - four or five of them. They’re in the street playing ball. None of them look out of place, and they’d be easy to dismiss, except that, once again, sharp Lyra notes a piece of jewelry that one of the girls is wearing that feels out of place given the rest of her attire - a simple bracelet, nothing overly fancy, but distinct given the relative dullness of things she can note everyone else in the area wearing.

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning (~9am)
Location: Onyx - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: White dress with blue overlay and sheer sleeves, decorative cloth belt
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe | n/a
“Ah, no, I do not think that is right,” Lyra quietly mused aloud, bringing a hand up to tap a finger against her chin. She had been showing Marlowe the way and discussing Ocean and the Jackals, but something there still didn’t feel right with her. “He was… How to put it. He was with them, but not with them? I do not think him being there was a coincidence. Rather, I believe he may have hired them.” She had said as much earlier, but reaffirmed her suspicions the more she talked through her thoughts. “Of course, there is the chance that I could be very much mistaken on the matter. He was dressed differently and had a noble air about him, but he could very well be part of the same group. We know little of them besides the name that Mila gave.”

“The shopkeep…” The elf seemed to give her suggestion some serious thought, resuming their walk. “I had not considered that. Why, indeed, was that shop open when all the rest were closed? I am glad you are here, Marlowe. Having another perspective is already helping.” She flashed the tiniest of smiles, digging out her notebook from her bag as she did so. Pages were flipped, past the drawing of the jet and the two portraits of the strange men. A fresh pair of blank pages stared at her. Freeing a pen from inside her satchel, Lyra scribbled a few more notes down, her eyes focused on the book in her hands rather than the road in front of her.

Find the shopkeeper. K— Kola?

Why was D & D open when others were closed? Why the different hours?

Check in on other Arcanite shops.

Check local businesses.

She felt a hand on her shoulder a second before Lyra bumped into someone, so absorbed in her notetaking that she had nearly collided with a bystander. Marlowe prevented the interaction rather quickly, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. A light dusting of color rose to her cheeks as she realized she hadn’t been paying attention at all to where she was going or to whatever Marlowe had been saying to her. A gentle clearing of her throat was all that was given as Marlowe’s presence retreated, flipping the notebook shut as she tucked her supplies away once more. “Th-thank you.”

Well, she must have heard at least some of it, because her feet found the path to Dazzle & Dust rather easily once the decision had been made to start there. Lyra frowned as they approached the scene of the wreckage, taking in the sight of the still smoldering building. “I did not believe it was this horrible,” it was barely a whisper as she surveyed the damages. “So much destruction.” So much guilt. What had been a gorgeous and pristine shop just days ago lie in ruins. So many colorful crystals of Arcanite, now buried beneath rubble or completely burnt out from their magic being released. She could almost still taste the powder in the air, mixed with the taste of ash and soot.

Eyes traveled from the shop to the apartment complex across the street. It had been just an empty building in her mind that night, nothing more. But people had lived there and some had even died there, secure in their homes none the wiser of what was transpiring on the roof above. Another pang of guilt smashed into her and Lyra had to look away, balling her hands into fists as she stared long and hard at the holographic display boards warning of the danger ahead of them.

Standing at the head of the street, Lyra let out a long, slow breath, calming her nerves and trying to focus her mind. They came there for a reason. She knew it wasn’t going to be a pretty sight, but seeing the carnage in broad daylight hadn’t been anything she expected. Instead of letting her mind linger on the doubts and regret, silver eyes were focused straight ahead, seeking out the sources of the voices she heard nearby.

What first drew her attention was the louder voices of a group of men lazily leaning against a nearby building. They were animatedly gesturing wildly to the ruins of both the shop and complex, hushed whispers too soft to hear at that distance. Locals, she assumed, and curious about what had happened there. Well, of course, who wouldn’t be curious to know what happened when overnight, an entire storefront gets blown out from the inside by the vary Arcanite it housed and an otherwise stable apartment complex gets torn down by a freak lightning strike? However, as locals, they could prove to be a good source of information, particularly if they were the curious type. And especially if they were also the nosey type.

There was a woman moving slowly within the ruins of Dazzle & Dust, seemingly unaware, or perhaps simply uncaring, of the dangers the crumbling store posed. A brief glance was given to the basket she held. Lyra’s fingers twitched almost unconsciously as she watched the woman withdraw a chunk of colored crystal from within a pile of debris, carefully dusting it off as she turned it to and fro, before depositing it into her basket and moving on. Scavenging? The researcher inside the elf itched to join the woman, her fascination with Arcanite crystals nearly palpable, but she refrained from moving forward. No, there was no time for that. And besides, she shouldn’t try and take advantage of such a terrible situation. Knowing she was probably in the wrong, the woman was unlikely to provide much information to anyone approaching her while she was busy locating usable Arcanite.

As her gaze drifted, she happened to spy a man in the alleyway next to the shop, his face pressed against a wall facing the ruined interior. He was seated, but seemingly focused on the happenings inside. A cursory glance over his clothing placed him rather poorly off compared to those she had already spied. She couldn’t see his face very well, but she could hazard a guess that his appearance was just as disheveled as his clothing. Could he have been nearby when everything happened? He seemed interested enough in the shop – or was it the woman in particular that caught his interest?

As the bickering rose to a higher pitch, Lyra settled her gaze on a couple standing just outside the barrier, with the woman pointing at the complex in fervor. She was angry, that much Lyra could tell, raising her voice enough to cause the man with her to shrink in stature with every new octave reached. The small child at their feet seemed used to this exchange – the poor thing. It wouldn’t be very hard at all to listen in with the way the women kept shouting, but would it be any pertinent information? They definitely seemed to have at least lived in that apartment at one point, so being nearby at the time of the explosion was a possibility. Definitely an option to consider.

A happy shriek pulled her attention away to the gaggle of children playing in the street, kicking and tossing a ball around between them. Were they the children of those who lived in the apartments? Or perhaps just a group of friends taking advantage of the empty street to play some ball? Children were usually the hardest to get specific information from, especially when the events that happened were so late at night, during what could have been their bedtime. And how many kids would take notice of strange men lurking around? Well, then again, perhaps the keen eyes of the youth would actually be a boon in this case.

Lyra almost dismissed the idea of approaching the children until the faint shimmer of light danced upon a bracelet one of the little girls wore. It wasn’t anything elaborate or fancy, but the way it glimmered was a stark contrast to those nearby. It was out of place, and yet, at home all at once. The elf dropped her gaze down to her wrist as she lifted a hand, palm facing up, silver eyes lingering on her own bracelet. She knew from first-hand experience how something so simple and ordinary could be so much more, especially if it looked out of place among other belongings. No, that little piece of jewelry held some kind of meaning to the small child.

Turning her attention to her partner, she dropped her hand back to her side. “We have plenty of people here to talk to. I think the most promising are that couple over there,” she inclined her head towards the arguing pair, “the group of men on the other side,” Lyra lifted a hand to sort of wave in their direction, “or the children playing.” There were two other options, of course, but they seemed the lowest priority right now. In an ideal scenario, she’d want to talk to all of them.

Pursing her lips, Lyra dug around in her bag once more to locate that little book of hers. “I only have the one sketch. Perhaps I should have made another?” Frowning, she stared down at the book in her hands, gripping it tightly like a lifeline. She hadn’t really planned on anyone else joining her for this little excursion, so a single copy of portraits had been enough for her, but now with Marlowe in tow, she was rethinking that strategy. “So how do we handle this? Divide and conquer?” That familiar phrase had been something she read in a book once, how a commander would split their troops to handle multiple tasks at once to get more things done in less time.

“They,” gesturing towards the bickering couple, “might be a bit of a challenge to talk to, but if her voice gets any louder, we would not even need to approach them to hear their conversation…” Lyra let out a soft sigh. “If we were to split up, I think the best option is for you to approach those men over there.” Frankly speaking, it was mainly because Lyra didn’t want to. Had she been alone, they would have likely been the last group she spoke with, if at all. Between the two women, Marlowe was more than capable of handling herself – between her physical strength, her charisma, and the fact that Lyra would probably buckle under the pressure and get far too flustered at any catcalling, unlike Marlowe, who would probably welcome it and flirt back.

Besides, she really wanted to get a closer look at whatever that piece of jewelry was the little girl had on, and talking to a couple of children seemed far easier than approaching a group of men, at least in her eyes. Soft spoken little elf versus a bunch of kids, or tiny woman shrinking under the gaze of hungry males? Yeah, no contest there. “I was thinking of speaking to those children playing.”

However, she wanted to get her partner’s opinion on the matter before they did anything else. “We could, of course, also stick together. I do only have a single portrait… What do you think? I do not want you to feel abandoned.” Again. Definitely not again.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning
Location: Hammer Academy
Wearing: Black vested suit w/ long sleeve undershirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra |
“Why hire thugs instead of…” She shrugged, “Anyone else?” Lolo hadn’t expected Lyra to have an answer or respond, but it was what immediately came to her mind. There were people who did that sort of work, she’d met them, so why resort to criminals if you had the sort of money that Lyra had been talking about? “Glad to be here.” She smiled in return, glad to have Lyra reinforce her decision.

During the night of, there had been more fire. And smoke. Powdered arcanite still hung in the air. There was disorientation from the fight. Silk was giving orders, and then there was OES. So it was no surprise that Marlowe hadn’t taken in the extent of what had happened. But now, back here, in the full illumination of the autumn sun, it was a sight to behold. A terrible sight. Her stomach sank as they got closer and closer to Dazzle & Dust. Her thoughts flickered back to the man with the gun aimed at her, and Mila valiantly protecting her. That boomerang whipping through the air and slicing off his hand. But not in time to stop him from pulling the trigger. The bullet racing through the air and smashing into the crystal… “Are we responsible for this?” She whispered, mostly to herself. She hadn’t picked the fight with the men, but… Could she have done more to ensure it didn’t happen? To prevent all of this?

The shopkeeper had lived, for that she was thankful. His business was gone, but his life was spared. That brought her focus to the apartment. Lives had been ruined there. Lives had been stolen. That wasn’t their fault, it was that elf’s. She closed her eyes and pictured his face. She could hear his ‘bang’ in her head. He had caused all of that. Opening her eyes, Lolo watched the couple yelling. She too picked out the child who seemed acceptant of it. That was nothing like her childhood, she couldn’t even imagine. It actually made her miss home, if only for the smallest, most brief of moments.

That was where she was focused when Lyra had been busy checking out the entire area, and picked up much more valuable information. Lolo blinked, looked around, and followed Lyreilynn’s assessment of the area. She missed the man in the alley entirely, since he wasn’t pointed out. “No,” Marlowe said with a gentle shake of her head, “We’re better together.” And she didn’t even mean that as flirtatiously as she could’ve. Well, she did, but that wasn’t the point she was making. “Besides, you’ll probably know what means something better than I will.” She laughed and rubbed the back of her head. Getting people talking was one thing, interpreting what had value something totally different. Especially since Lyra seemed to have a better hold on the situation than she did. But there was something more than that. Lolo dropped her hand and looked around. “And,” She licked her lips, “Everything looks safe now, but… This is where it happened.” Lolo shrugged, “I’m not letting you out of arm's reach.” They needed only to look around to know what happened last time she let that happen. If these Jackals were here once, it was possible, in Lolo’s mind, that they might be again.

Marlowe swept her eyes across the options once more. Nothing jumped out at her as the right way to go. Her instinct would have been the men, but only because they seemed most in line with the Jackals that had entered the store. Settling her eyes on the children at play, Lolo tilted her head, “Really?” That probably would have been her last choice - even if she had noticed the bracelet. Extending an arm to motion the way forward, “I trust your judgment, Lyreilynn.” She said sincerely. As much as she loved that Lyra was consulting her, Marlowe was just happy to be here and able to assist. “Lead the way.”

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.14.1322 | 12:30 pm
Location: Eastern Quarter
Wearing: outfit, earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena |


The easy acceptance of the apology had Farrah take a deep breath and sigh out of her mouth as she looked from Meena's smiling face and followed her gaze to the walls of the restaurant. Then her golden gaze swept onward, really taking a moment to look at the establishment. It was very different from anything she was used to from the decor to the smells to the Silenus.

The number of Silenus at the Academy had been a wonder - she had only seen 3 in her entire life prior to getting on that boat to head to Onyx and now she was surrounded by them! It was a strange feeling to be so aware of her difference, but not one that was unpleasant and she had mostly overcome the urge to gawk during the first few days at the Academy.

The elf turned her attention back to Meena as she shared her story. Farrah was enraptured by the awe, grace, and excitement her partner exuded. "You got thine eye on the whole world to help, 'n that's a mighty fine goal!" she said, following Aarushi and Meena's cheer section. It made Farrah smiled a true and proper smile that was all teeth.

"Oh, most certainly an unexpected detour. My dream won't never to be a Champion. I did have a fine friend growing up where it was all she wanted. She woulda been the best. She sound like you. Passionate to be a force o' good fer the world." Farrah smiled, but there was a deep grief in her eyes that was too vast to hide. Her eyes crinkled in discomfort at the soreness of the topic. "But 'm here now 'n I wouldn't mind bein' so great as to inspire a song or six!"

Ready to change the topic from her own original dream, Farrah leaned over her korma and inhaled deeply. "Never had nothin' like this before." That didn't seem to distress her as she dipped her finger into the yellow sauce and stuck it in her mouth. Her brows furrowed in surprise as she removed her finger and stared at her meal. "Never tasted nothin' like this before." She picked up the spoon and dipped it in her... soup?

Two more curious bites in, she had figured out a little naan (just a weirdly shaped bread!) helped temper the unfamiliar palate. "Reckon it won't be the last time I taste it. Kinda sweet. Kinda not. Is good!" she declared. Like... like an explosion of flavor!

"So..." Was it acceptable to use the idiom elephant in the room with Silenus present? "You know by now Gravity had a rough start. There was this... uh... incident." Clinical language was not Farrah's forte, but it was how the destruction at Dazzle & Dust had been referred to so often that she was picking it up. "A bad group came to do a bad thing in an arcanite shop and we did a bad job at helpin' is the short of it. 'n those bad people took my partner. Her name is Mila. I took it hard. Namid took it hard, too. She left." The explanation hung awkwardly as Farrah swallowed another bite and took a sip from her water.

"We all ain't takin' it well. Haim, Lolo, Lyra... So you 'n Vesper sure do be havin' your grit tested."

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.16.1322 | 1:00 AM
Location: Carmine Cur Dive Bar - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: Orange beenie cap, white long-sleeved blouse, thick gray zip-up hoodie, jeans and hiking boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah, Vesper
Meena looked down at her list of names. Each one with a hastily scribbled line through it, except one. She was sure it had been a misunderstanding. The man she spoke to that morning had such a thick Unovian accent that Meena was sure he was just saying her words back at her. But he was so enthusiastic about it. Nodding furiously with big, "I am just so happy to be talking to someone" energy that she wrote the name down anyway.

She took another look at the glowing neon red sign, roping and twisting its way into a vaguely canine shape, and down at her list again. There, scrawled in her own handwriting...

The Carmine Cur. 

Seriously?

"Well. I guess this here is the place." 

There were no other identifying marks on the building. The windows facing the street were covered in chicken wire, yellowing want ads and beer advertisements. The buzzing red light cast shadows of currant and highlights of blood across chipped concrete. The street was mostly devoid of people. An offshoot of an alleyway three blocks removed from the Patchwork Bazaar. Little more than a swap meet for the poor, it housed a fairly robust black market if you know who to talk to.

Meena did not. 

She had no clue about the unsavory underbelly of the Patchwork Bazaar or why the Crimson Jackals would frequent an establishment so close to it. A few moments ago, she didn't even think the Carmine Cur existed; yet, here it was in all of its urine and vomit-reeking glory. 

Meena looked back at her compatriots. Why Farrah had come along was obvious. She would do anything to get her partner back from whoever had taken her. Vesper, however, had been hijacked by the two women by complete happenstance. The poor guy had overheard their very ill-conceived plan for waylaying a couple of Jackals for information and had been kind and unfortunate enough to make some alternate suggestions. 

That was all it took for Meena to include him in tonight's investigation, the intent of which had been less about knocking heads around and more about finding any lead to where the Jackals might have gone to ground. For far, they had stuck out. The Jackals seemed to have disappeared. They had a couple of leads on the prostitutes certain Jackals frequented, or the rare significant other one of them might have. But Meena was loath to shake down someone just trying to get by or someone who may only be tethered to the Jackals by a mistake of the heart.

"Well. Last one of the night," Meena said, opening the door and walking inside as if it was some local eatery. There was really no point in trying to be innocuous. A six-plus foot tall elf and horned Silenus walking into a bar sounded more like the beginnings of a bad joke than it did a recipe for espionage. Add the fact that Meena walked around with a massive chunk of green arcanite strapped to her back, and they kind of stood out. The only advantage of that was Vesper could wander in after the ladies relatively unnoticed if he chose to do so.

The dive bar was unremarkable and dimly lit by some weak lights above the bar and over a billiards table. The lack of decent lighting couldn't hide the smell of human body odor, stale beer, and even staler vomit. There were four people in the place. Two men huddled closely at the bar facing away from the door. Silhouettes like large potato sacks with legs. A woman wiped down a table near the rack of pool cues. A woman wiped down a small table near a rack of pool cues. Younger than she looked and older than she should be, dirty blonde hair coiled up into a messy bun. Southern Johtan country twanged mournfully from a jukebox.

Behind the bar stood a round man with a blocky face and a bushy mustache, glaring at Meena as she walked in with a big, friendly smile on her face.

"We're closed."

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning (~9am)
Location: Onyx - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: White dress with blue overlay and sheer sleeves, decorative cloth belt
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe | n/a
Lyra pursed her lips together as she considered her options. Marlowe wanted to stick together, as she thought she might, which may work in their favor. She only had one portrait to go off of, and even if she could describe the men they were looking for without it should she give it to her partner, it was much easier to show than tell, especially if her target was the children. However, changing tactics, Lyra raised a hand to tap a finger against the side of her jaw, then reached up to move a lock of hair behind an ear. That gesture was getting common for her, especially during times of deep thought. Finger went back to tapping her jawline, elbow perched on an arm crossed over her abdomen.
 
If Marlowe was with her, she could potentially approach the men first instead, leaving the children for later. On the other hand, she really did want to get a closer look at that bracelet the one little girl had and she was not confident the children would still be there when they finished talking with the others. Besides, at that point, it was the difference between talking to a specific person over a general group. The men were conveniently there but could have been any other random group, while the girl was very specific.
 
With her mind made up, Lyra nodded to herself, then she looked over at Marlowe, tilting her head towards the children at play. “We shall start there, then. Something caught my eye that I need to check on.”
 
With Marlowe in tow, Lyra walked slowly over towards the children, bypassing the barricades to approach them with care. “Hello little ones,” she started slowly, offering them a little wave and a pleasant smile. It was a trained smile, like one she had been taught to wear when greeting important guests. Lowering herself down to a crouch to be more in line with their height, she slipped her hands behind her for a moment, smoothing out the back of her skirts as she did so, before resting her folded arms across her knees. “Sorry to bother you children, but do you think I could ask a few questions? You are not in trouble for playing here, so please do not worry, although it is quite dangerous still.”
 
After a few hesitant nods, Lyra tilted her head to the side a bit with a growing smile, making slow movements as she pulled her bag forward to rummage around for the notebook. Before opening it, however, she pointed at the little girl who had the bracelet, motioning her to come closer. “I like your bracelet. It is very pretty. I have one, as well. Two of them, in fact.” The elf lifted her free hand to show off that pretty little golden bangle, then pointed to its matching pair on her opposite wrist. “Do you like jewelry? You have good taste. Maybe I should get one just like that one. Could you tell me where I could find one like it?” She smiled sweetly at the little girl, trying to assuage any of her fears she may have about a stranger, or a pair of them, approaching the group.
 
Once the gaggle of children seemed calmer and more accustomed to their presence, Lyra continued. “My partner here and I,” she motioned to Marlowe nearby, “We’re looking for someone.” At that point, this is where she opened the notebook to the sketches of Ocean and Xaexyl, one on either page of the open-faced book, facing it outwards towards the children. “A very bad someone. They hurt some people we know and we need to find them. Have any of you seen anyone like either of these people before? This one,” she tapped the page with Ocean’s face. “He was with some bad men wearing red ties and glasses.”

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.16.1322 | 1:00 AM
Location: Carmine Cur Dive Bar - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: clothes
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena, Vesper | Gravity, Mila, Oakisoba


On Wednesday, Farrah had learned a new tidbit of information to help in the search for Mila. The news, Doya's reveal, Silk's reassurances - it had all taken a heavy toll on the elf who had promptly gone to bed. The wave of emotions she had been riding since Dazzle & Dust had left her an exhausted husk, but with this new glimmer of hope there came a chance at rest. Something new could be done!

On Thursday, she had made a plan in the morning while getting dressed; it had been hard not to blurt out her news, but she knew she'd receive questions that she couldn't answer. All she needed to do was head to the library and do a search of the Oakisoba Clan, print everything out, and then slam it down on the cafeteria table where her team might be sitting. Except this plan had gone like many other plans Farrah made. Immediately sideways. Shir had told them the headmaster wanted to meet with the team and thoughts of news and research had promptly fallen out of her head. Yesterday, new news. Today, a meeting! That was good, right? It hadn't been. Namid being replaced was understandable. That she would have handled. Mila being replaced after getting new information was crushing. She hadn't handled it well.

On Friday, she was back to her depression. She tried to snap herself out of it. She pinched her arms and told herself to wake up, but her bland requests went ignored. Her identity had been so closely tied to her physicality and now she felt disembodied. She was nothing. No family or friend pulled her out of her stupor and as she coasted through on autopilot like a golem, she wondered if she'd ever make it as a Champion. That goal had been worth abandoning her life over. She had passionately took up the cause! Where had all that heat gone?

On Saturday, one lunch date with Meena had finally broken the spell over her. The not knowing was probably the worst part. At least with others she had lost, their deaths had been final. There was nothing to be done. With Mila, there was something to be done but Farrah couldn't do it. That helplessness was not something she knew how to confront. It wasn't something she knew how to cope with. But in that little hole in the wall she had finally opened her eyes and seen Meena was someone just as important as anyone else. She had hopes and dreams and had fought just as fiercely for her place in the Academy as anyone else. It wasn't fair to deny her or Vesper just because their admittance to the team had been under sad circumstances. Farrah had extremely unkind words for herself over the poor behavior.

On Sunday, she and Meena's not-so-great plan had been overheard by Vesper. Farrah had formally apologized to the archer for her unwelcoming presence. The trio had embarked on their first merry adventure together! And that adventure had dragged into the ungodly hours of the next morning.

On Monday, Farrah was tired. Her joints felt creaky as she followed between Meena and Vesper into the stinky hovel. By now, the assault on her senses no longer shocked the elf, but the conditions of the establishment still made her uncomfortable. What had happened during the loud hours if this was the state of the place now? And what must Meena and her empowered sniffer be smelling?

"Is you?" Farrah asked the man at the bar as her fingers pushed open the door for Vesper behind her to comfortably walk through. The door easily bounced open on its hinges, slowly closing again. The elf gave a scan across the room before her attention fell back to the big man behind the bar.

"We been lookin' for a quiet spot to spend our cor and this looks like the place to do it. Ain't no one to bother us 'n we can celebrate our good news in peace. Mine good friend here is just a few short months from bein' called mama!" she said enthusiastically, giving Meena a congratulatory shake of the shoulders! Farrah's wild stories had been the theme of the night. With each new failure, her attempts to catch people's interest in chatting had grown more outlandish. "So only the purest rain ya got for this 'un, but worry yerself not 'cause I'll be drinkin' nuff to celebrate for the whole family. I'll take three o' them sour spinners with a full shot each!" As she had spoken, they had meandered closer to the bar. She wasn't sure if Vesper was to take a step back and attempt a different vantage point or remain with them, so she resisted the urge to turn and look at him.

[Intimate Ink]

Character Name: Vesper Cabello
Date | Time: 10.16.1322 | 0100
Location: Carmine Cur Dive Bar - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: Street Casual
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah, Meena | Kato
Well… Vesper supposed if nothing else, Kato would have been proud of him for joining in on what felt like an ill-conceived plan… really, the kind of plan Kato would have made. Vesper questioned how much his judgment had been clouded in terms of seeing the similarities of his brother’s strength and impulsiveness reflected in Meena and Farrah’s attitudes. Vesper was aware that he had been exaggerating similarities in his mind, but that didn’t wholly stop him: He had once watched his brother go off half-cocked with the faith that he would return, and yet he never did. Though he wasn’t transparent with his reasoning for finally conceding to their ideas, the truth was Vesper was hungry to feel redeemed. He hoped that this might be a single drop towards that impossible-feeling task. No, Vesper wanted to be done with seeing people off and being left only with his concern.

It wasn’t exactly a smart idea to be wandering around Hollow-filled swamps in the middle of the night back home, and as such the concept of being up at one in the morning was an unfamiliar and unwelcome weight on Vesper’s mind. Soon enough they would be closer to his typical waking than rest. No, he wasn’t going to give into those thoughts. The unkempt look of the place and the vague smell of vomit and urine that never got quite adequately cleaned up after drunken escapades was more familiar to the typical bar’s back home than Vesper wanted to admit, though; maybe Gorren’s Point was the armpit of Kantos and the Carmine Cur was equally the armpit of Onyx, but noting the resemblance still had bite. At least the decaying odor of swamp water wasn’t here.

Vesper took what little time he felt his companions would allow him to in order to take note of windows and exits of the place before going in; he suspected Farrah, at least, would see it more than likely he was taking a leak against the wall than trying to mentally secure some strategy. He learned to be okay with that.

Walking in, Vesper made a the point to break step and cadence with Meena and Farrah, testing the claim that the bar was ‘closed’ less on the fact they were unfamiliar faces, and more the fact Meena was casually lugging Arcanite around.  Reasoning that Meena and Farrah were going to be covering the bar whether they wanted the position at all, he did his best to casually triangulate a position, favoring being in the proximity of the woman cleaning the table if he could help it. He offered her a quick nod and settled in his seat, the late hour causing his acting role of ‘weary traveler’ to come far easier than he imagined.

After a moment he glanced back towards the bar to feign an ‘everything okay’ glance at commotion and parties he wasn’t involved in; while doing so, he tried to use his triangulated vantage point to take note of any weaponry or suspicious movements that he could see from the bartender or the men whose backs were turned.

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.14.1322 | 12:30 pm
Location: Eastern Quarter – The Clay Pot
Wearing: Cropped, puffy orange jacket and ripped blue jeans with white sneakers. ]Low-cut black top hidden by her jacket.
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah | Sumina, Aarushi, Ishaan

The idea that Meena might have a song sung about her as a Champion had never occurred to her. She had followed her path by the guiding stars of altruism and childish infatuation. The deep sadness she saw in Farrah’s eyes when she spoke of her childhood friend told a tragic tale. One that made her reach across the table and give Farrah’s arm a squeeze. Meena didn’t pry. Not right now. She recognized that the type of pain Farrah felt was old and deep. She would ask, in time, but to force that issue might do more harm than good to the fragile peace they found themselves in.

“Just six?” Meena queried with a smile, withdrawing her hand. “We should try for a dozen at least.”

When Farrah changed the topic to food, Meena didn’t try to stop her. The food of her land was spicy to outsiders, in both taste and heat. Aarushi was kind to a friend of Meena’s and had Ishaan tone it down some for the muscular elf. Meena smiled as she watched Farrah take her first few bites. She didn’t choke or spit it out, which was a good sign.

“You can have some raita…um…” Meena struggled with the term she had heard Aarushi use with non-Silenus.

“Yogurt,” Meena pointed at the creamy white sauce with cucumber, onion, mint, cumin, and coriander. “It helps with the heat where water does not,” she offered.

“I’m sure Aarushi will be happy to have another customer,” Meena chuckled at Farrah’s decision to try more.

Silenus could be an insular group, especially her people. They were not quite xenophobic, but outsiders to the Tors were rare, and her people liked it that way. Aarushi and Ishaan were from Western Hoenen and were used to the cosmopolitan feel around Ruby Cove.

Meena nodded while Farrah explained the current situation engulfing Gravity. She said nothing, just listened…and ate until Farrah was finished. There was so much between those lines that Meena couldn’t begin to fathom, she knew that, but it would take some time to find all the answers to her questions, and she was not going to get them all at once. Or all from one person, for that matter. Meena set down her spoon and dabbed at her lips with a napkin before she spoke from the heart.

“That is a lot,” she agreed. With all the holes she still needed to fill in Farrah’s story, she could be sure of one thing. “I want to help you find Mila,” Meena said, knowing full well that finding Mila could mean the end for her or Vesper on the team, but to do otherwise would have been maliciously selfish, something Meena was decidedly not. 

“Do you mind telling me more about what happened?” Meena corrected herself. “What you know happened?” she asked. If it was too soon, she would back away from it. Wounds needed to heal even if matters were pressing.

~End Scene~

[Aethyrium]

S T O R Y T E L L E R
October 9th, Morning | Onyx Prarie - Eastern Quarter - Ruins of Dazzle & Dust | Urban - Fire Resonance
Lyreilynn, Marlowe, Apple | Wife, Lenni, Hamennad, Raenbo, Antony
Getting to the children required the girls to cross the street - easy, given how infrequently vehicles passed through this area. Cars, while definitely around, were a luxury that the lowest of society had to do without. As Lyra and Marlowe got to the other side of the road it was easier to hear what the couple was going on about. In passing they heard the woman shout at her husband, “...And what are we going to do now? Are you going to make this right? I thought not! You’re going to go down there and join in.”

Marlowe (History)

Marlowe, despite not being interested in her family's craft, grew up around precious metals and gemstones, and jewelry in general. There are things that she just picked up.

She can identify the gold that the bracelet is made of as Aktacinna, it is a metal that is found exclusively in Hoenan. It is harder than traditional gold and valued for its distinct color, which can be made more prominent by sun bleaching the metal inside a solution of water and lemonberry juice. The metal is expensive compared to gold, worth about five times, ounce to ounce.

Likewise she can identify the topaz as a Sky Tear, which is a moderately valuable gem that is definitely wasted on the cut in that bracelet.

As they rounded the corner, they got the final count of children: six. Two little girls, four boys. One of the little girls, the one without the bracelet, was a young Silenus - noted because she had little ridges around her eyes, slightly scaled, shaped vaguely like a cone with a small round opening in the middle. Like a chameleon. And sure enough, her awareness was uncanny indicating that she did in fact possess a 360-degree field of vision around herself. One the boys was a young elf with thin wispy brown hair and a very sharp, pointed nose. The moment Lyra came into view he seemed strangely fixated on her, suddenly entirely disinterested in whatever game they were playing. The other three boys looked like brothers, each maybe a year apart, with the youngest of the group being, maybe, nine. The girl with the bracelet, human like the bulk of the boys, had peculiar two-toned hair - like blonde swirled with a darker brown giving her a sort of natural streaking. Like the entire group, she was wearing some basic clothes of no particular note; a little skirt and tee-shirt over it. They looked like they could be hand me downs. It’s the sort of low-class presentation that makes the bracelet seem abnormal - upon closer inspection, it’s a masterful piece made of a strange red-orange tinted gold, with a single simple round cut, light blue topaz in it. The design is simple, but the piece is elegant and would look more at home in Lyra’s mother’s collection than it does beside the ruins of Dazzle & Dust.

A few of the boys look at one another when Lyra starts talking to them. One catches the ball and holds it to their chest. Of course the little elf boy waddles right on over, joined quickly by the girl with the bracelet and the Silenus. “Hello!” The girl with the bracelet, Lenni, said, waving while she waddled over to Lyra. Raenbo, the Silenus, approached a little more slowly and ended up near Marlowe. She looked up her wide eyed, “You’re really pretty.”

“Thank you” Lenni chirped with a bright smile, holding up her wrist. The bracelet was a little big for her, and it slid up her forearm. “Oooh, those are so pretty.” Handsy, Lenni reached out for Lyra’s bracelet. Not to take them, but to touch and spin them around and look at the symbols etched into them. Bright eyes looked up at the elf, “It’s like they’re talking! What do they say?” Lenni slapped her hand against her lips and hummed, “Uhhhhh… My mom got it for me. I think mister Lewis gave it to her.”

One of the boys, the oldest of the group, separated from his brothers and approached the little gathering. He put a hand on Raenbo’s shoulder and looked over the pair of gravity girls, settling on Lolo. “You dress like my dad. You should learn from your friend,” He jerked a finger at Lyra, “Girls belong in dresses.”

Lenni scrunched her whole face and turned away from Lyra, balled her little fist and gave Antony’s shoulder a solid thump. “Be nice!”

The elven boy, Hamennad, frowned at the whole exchange. “You’re being rude. She’s trying to show us something.” He protested, not ever really taking his little violet eyes off of Lyra. “Pay attention.” He joined the others in gathering around and looking at the pictures in Lyra’s book. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to recognize either face. Antony even called over his brothers to take a look, and both of them shook their heads. “I’ve seen the red men though. They come talk to my dad sometimes.”

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 9th | Morning
Location: Hammer Academy
Wearing: Black vested suit w/ long sleeve undershirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Lyra | Haim
Marlowe lifted both hands and gestured for Lyra to take the lead. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and followed along. As they crossed the street her attention was drawn to the couple. She sort of awkwardly stared at them, watching as the woman shouted. Go down where and join what, she wondered? Lolo reached forward and tapped Lyra’s forearm, gesturing with just a little nudge of her head, in case she wasn’t paying any attention to it. But it didn’t seem important enough, not to Marlowe at least, to stop following Lyra’s first instinct. So when the elf gathered the children, Lolo stood just behind Lyra and watched.

When Lolo had said she was good at getting people talking, she had been talking about people. You know, adults. Not small people. She really didn’t know what to do with children. But that didn’t stop Raenbo from getting a big smile - Lolo liked this child. Mimicking Lyra, Lolo crouched easily and beamed at the little Silenus, “Well thank you. No prettier than you are though!”

Looking over at the bracelet exchange, Lolo examined the little girls. It stood out to her now that she was seeing it. She didn’t know who a mister Lewis was, but he had good taste. “Is mister Lewis from around here?” She inquired, interjecting overtop of Lyra. She didn’t need to be any good with children to be able to read into a situation! Lolo leaned forward, brushing against Lyra’s arm with her own. Grinning a little, Lolo lowered her voice, “Does he see your mom a lot?”

Raenbo had been cute. Antony less so. Lolo hit the boy with the hard weight of her slightly annoyed scarlet gaze. “Well then your dad has good taste.” She said, genuinely snarking at the child. “But maybe he’s onto something.” Lolo looked at Lyra and grinned, “Wanna help me get out of this suit?”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Lolo had taken notice of the way Hamennad was watching Lyra the whole time. Part of that was just being vigilant, but another part was because it seemed, to her, so very strange. Lyra was worth staring at, you wouldn’t get any argument from Lolo, but it seemed weird to be coming from a child. What was his deal? “He’s like a little Haim.” Lolo murmured after he tried to wrangle everyone.

[Aethyrium]

Arnie Warzeneggar

S T O R Y T E L L E R
October 16th, Late Night (~1am) | Onyx Prarie - Eastern Quarter - Carime Cur | Urban - No Resonance
Farrah, Vesper, Meena
Fist wrapped in a bar towel, stuffed in a clear - or, well, it was probably clear once upon a time - glass, Arnie wiped the inside clean while growling at the trio that the bar was closed. Arnie, who managed to stand even taller than Meena, dropped his glare from the cow to the mouthy elf - managing to miss Vesper in his frustration at the question. “Is what I said, innit?”

All the talking, which apparently was not going on prior to their arrival, drew the attention of both men at the bar. They twisted and looked over their shoulders at the pair of women, gawking silently from their perches.

Arnie grinded his teeth. His hand yanked out of the glass with an audible pop. The glass was clean… Ish. That was probably exterior staining! He turned it upside down and cracked it down behind the counter. “Oh, well, that changes things dunit?” Discarding the towel, he reached up and stroked the thick bushy beard on his face. “Ah wait, nah it don’t. Closed.” He reiterated, lifting a meaty paw and flicking it dismissively at them, gesturing back toward the door.

Aside from the interest, the two men didn’t look particularly out of place. They held no visible weaponry, nor did the woman cleaning the table. In fact, there wasn’t an obvious weapon anywhere in the entire bar. But there was something else of note! On one of the mid shelves behind the bar there was a display - clearly intentional by the way it say between an interrupted line of booze - of a large frame of aviator glasses with the red tinted lenses. They were folded closed and sat on top of a thick red tie with white stripes that was laid out, but deliberately positioned so that a length of the pattern was visible to the bar.

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.16.1322 | 1:00 AM
Location: Carmine Cur Dive Bar - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: grey, cropped, sleeveless hoodie. Black track pants, tentacle earrings
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena, Vesper, Arnie | Gravity, Mila, Ocean
Farrah turned to meet gazes as she drew attention, but her red-tinted eyes didn't linger. Each blink felt heavier than the last; she was clearly tired, but even with that fatigue she was standing at her full height with her broad shoulders back. She had made herself take up as much space as physically possible as a first line of defense against those that might mistake her for someone easy to mess with.

Farrah leaned up against the bar just in time for Arnie to point his meaty finger at the door and while she had meant to stare disapprovingly at the appendage, it was what was directly behind that fist that caught Farrah's eyes. Those shades! If it weren't for how weary she felt, her excitement might have been visible in a way that gave her away. She played off the widening of her eyes as offense to the gesture and gave a large shrug.

"Well I ain't gonna argue witcha, mister," she said in a volume much lower than her original excitement upon entering and leaned back, pulling away from the counter. She paused for a moment, seeming to mull over her decision. She gave a look to Meena. It wasn't really a pleasant spot to put her partner in, but maybe a tale a little taller would do the trick. It never hurt to try, right?

"But before we go, maybe you can..." What to say? What to ask? "We not just here to celebrate. It's... it's been 10 days since the daddy of this baby went on a job 'n he ain't come back. Don't think he will be comin' back." The grief on her face was real; she didn't like how things had ended that night at Dazzle & Dust or her part in it. People dead, displaced, and livelihoods destroyed.

"Think he 'n his buddies got tied up in some nonsense with a well-dressed man who had no business bein' here 'n bit off more than he could chew and now we can't find none of 'em. You heard the news? Can't be right, can it? Maybe you seen 'im?" Farrah proceeded to describe a man her height - a man she knew was dead - who had tried to convince Mila to take his number and leave. He had wanted her out of the shop. Had that been a kindness to balance out the criminal act?

"Closure. Just need a bit of closure," she said softly.

[Intimate Ink]

Character Name: Vesper Cabello
Date | Time: 10.16.1322 | 0100
Location: Carmine Cur Dive Bar - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: Street Casual
Tagging | Mentioning: Arnie, Farrah, Meena |
Vesper let his mouth hang open for all a second before quickly closing it again. He had considered trying to talk with the waitress, but with the quick development in conversation he thought better of it. He’d noticed that the bar seemed to be quiet on arrival, and consequentially feared that there was no hope of his own voice blending into anyone’s aural background. At this point, he figured that he didn’t want to risk drawing attention to his positioning if he could help it.

While he had taken note of the outside of the bar before arrival, he reasoned it was time to give the inside a scan while trying to split his attention between the bartender, the pair of patrons, and the waitress wiping down tables. He looked around in an attempt to see if there was a backroom – store room, kitchen, or likewise – and if possible take note of any noise or shifts in light that indicated people beyond it. After that was established, he glanced around to see if there were any restrooms that might house others or alternatively serve as a place to reposition if the need arose. He took note of the walls, making sure his spatial understanding of the outside and inside matched, hoping to not be surprised by entrances or windows if they ended up either pinned or doing the pinning.

Vesper leaned back, trying his best to look like a well-meaning patron who had the good sense not to walk into the encounter and trouble the bartender for a beer while dealing with the arcanite-wiedling visitors. Still, he pushed his lips together, preparing to try and politely but firmly interject with if he saw the waitress potentially make a retreat to any unseen or un-scouted areas, hoping to delay her with innocuous questions – or, as a last resort, at least give what subtle warning he could to the others that there was fear of new arrivals.

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.16.1322 | 1:00 AM
Location: Carmine Cur Dive Bar - Eastern Quarter
Wearing: Orange beenie cap, white long-sleeved blouse, thick gray zip-up hoodie, jeans and hiking boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Arnie, Farrah, Vesper, Kriss
As much as Meena had not expected the immediate effort to eject them from the bar, she had expected Farrah's story even less. This was probably her own fault. Farrah's tales of woe had only gotten more exaggerated as the night progressed. First, they had been looking for a friend. Then a lover. After that, it was a long-lost brother. Or was it father? Meena had forgotten which was first. Still, after all that, Meena had not expected to be expecting. 

It was surprisingly hard to not look at someone when you knew you were not supposed to be looking at them. Meena had to catch herself before she turned to exchange a look of surprise with Vesper, who had used their entrance as cover to peel off from the two attention-grabbing women. Instead of looking back to find Vesper, Meena looked down to cover her reaction to the news of her pending pregnancy, her hands going to her belly and gently patting it. She even slouched ever so slightly to create a little pooch of her tummy as if she was only barely showing. It was probably a blessing; Farrah hadn't said it was herself. Meena wasn't sure there was a belly to bulge under those abs.

Instead of leaving, Meena eased herself onto a bar stool as if all of the standing was beginning to bother her, but really to hide her belly from view so she didn't have to keep it distended. Taking a cue from Farrah, she rested her hands on the bar and took a deep breath. To her sensitive nose, the smell alone made her eyes water, and Meena went with it. She looked up at Arnie with watery tears on her eyelids and sniffed.

Gods, it stunk in here.

"See Mister. I know my guy wasn't the nicest of guys. But he was good to me. He never really told me much about what he was up to, and I didn't ask. When he came home, it was just us, you know? Everything else was just what we needed to do to get by," Meena explained, one tear rolling down her cheek. They weren't hard to keep up if she kept taking deep, shaky breaths. 

"We always talked about having a whole passel of kids, and now that I'm… I'm…well, I just can't do this without him, ya know? I just…I can't." Meena's lip began to quiver, and more tears started to fall. "So my friend, she started asking around where he might be and…" Meena nodded towards the prominently displayed glasses and tie. "…and who he ran with…and you're my last hope, mister. I don't. Know. What. I'll Dooooooo!" Meena flopped her head down onto the bar, her arms around her head, and she gave the biggest fake sob she could muster, her shoulders heaving, her hands clutching the back of her head.

[Aethyrium]

Arnie Warzeneggar

S T O R Y T E L L E R
October 16th, Late Night (~1am) | Onyx Prarie - Eastern Quarter - Carmine Cur | Urban - No Resonance
Farrah, Vesper, Meena | Ireen
The Carmine Cur, by Vesper approximation, was probably not a gang hideout. The main room of the bar was certainly large enough, capable of comfortably holding perhaps three dozen people. You could certainly squeeze another dozen or two in, if people were willing to give up a level of personal space. The bar itself ran almost the length of the northern wall and had an opening on either side as well as one in the middle. Stools anchored to the ground lined the front of it - except the central split. Behind it, five rows of shelving backed by a dingy mirror that no longer truly reflected the room because of the grime but rather a grungy distortion of it - and even then, it was difficult to see behind the hundreds of bottles of booze lining the shelves. More a fun backdrop than anything intended to be practical. The Crimson Jackal attire is not the only decorative display interrupting the space behind the counter, but it is absolutely the most distinct - a placard, a strange glass set, and a couple of pictures fill other holes. Two windows show into the streets of the eastern quarter, and each of them has an iron grating on the inside - making them infeasible for exits without tremendous effort. Though more practically they seemed to serve as protection against the potential rowdiness of the Cur during its peak hours. In the main room there is only the single entrance that they came in - through there are three additional doors in the room. Two hang open, revealing a path into the kitchen behind the bar, one against the far wall of the entrance that looks into a bathroom. The third sits adjacent to the bar itself, closed, but has a window that peeks into a pitch black space. But most notably about the door is that it’s not securable - it’s a kitchen-style push door.

All in all, if this is where the Jackals called home base, it would be terribly easy to pin them down. Though their reputation doesn’t suggest they’re the brightest bunch, so maybe regardless…

Really, it’s the woman that seems the most interesting. Like she’s overly interested in the conversation happening at the bar. The nosey neighbor type, maybe, always keeping an eye and eye pointed in the direction of the juiciest gossip. Except she seems strangely tense, rather than the sort of entertained giddy that you might expect of that sort. Almost like she’s waiting for something, or maybe that she was anxious about something.

At the bar, Arnie huffed that the girls were still there. There was definitely some level of recognition in the timeframe that Farrah presented. The hulking man shifted a bit. He played it off as an uncomfortable and lumber rolling of his shoulders from slouching, but Farrah definitely knew better. With a big grunting scoff, Arnie waved his massive paw at the room around them, “You see any well-dressed men in here? Nah.”

Behind them, after Farrah gave her description to Arnie, Ireena dropped a glass from the table she was wiping down onto the floor. It shattered, loudly. She jumped. Arnie glared passed Meena and Farrah at her. “’Ey! Watch what you’re doin, ya dumb bat.” He growled. If there was a flash of recognition in him, it was completely absorbed by Ireena’s carelessness.

“Sorry Arnie.” She called, dropping down to her knees and going about scooping the shards of glass into a pile with her rag. The girls couldn’t have seen it, but Vesper could - she was trembling.

Arnie’s fat cheeks puffed like an angry squirrel and he let hefty, log-like arms thump against the counter. He leaned into it and met Meena’s gaze. “I ain’t never seen you around here, miss.” He coughed at her, not bothering to cover himself. His breath smelled of stale tobacco and aged cheese, with a yeasty topping of dark beer. “If this, uh, man of yours.” He coughed again, and dragged the back of his hand over the corner of his lip, wiping away a hint of spittle from his mustache, “If he was a member, then you just got to sit tight. Them boys,” He glanced up at Farrah, “Who got caught up in all that Hammer nonsense, they got contingencies ya see.” Arnie shoved off the counter and dusted his hands, “If he be as good to you as you see, then he gon’ keep bein. Just you wait.”

Ireena got all the shards into a little pile and started scooping them up into the cloth.

Smashing a balled fist against his chest, Arnie coughed again. “But since I don’t knew either of yas from a mule’s ass. We ain’t got no business, and we’re fuckin’ closed.”