The quaint proposal.

[Yurrechire]

.

((As of August 4th, the note had been taken down.))

((OOC: Responses to the thread are encouraged; or just drop me a line in game.))
=====
Sound score: Somewhere by Within Temptation.
=====

This warm summer night cradles Geffen softly. The citizens of the great city, those good and evil, and those somewhere in-between, sleep soundly in their beds; a sky full of stars passes majestically overhead. Even the most dedicated vendors and public servants are nowhere to be seen.

Little is heard but the chirping of crickets and an occasional passage of swift feet belonging to a late-night messenger. Except... Wait. In a corner of the main plaza, a cat’s escalating yowl is cut off by a sharp snap. And shortly after, the hammering begins.

Behold the tower- the massive spire that watches over Geffen with hundreds of its lidless eyes, the center of magedom which hosts eldritch horrors in its profound depths. Its iron-bound doors have turned away a thousand enemies, and will do so for the foreseeable future. We can see now a cloaked and hooded figure, loitering before these mighty gates. The small and olive-colored hands of the figure are wielding.. a sizeable rock, and pounding what appears to be a cactus needle into the magic-infused material of the entryway.

The needle goes in with surprising ease.

The needle is holding down a piece of parchment.

On this parchment, neatly scrawled in rusty-red ink, is a notice.

“A reliable henchman is seeking the patronage and protection of an evil mage overlord. Specialty in necromancy strongly preferred, but not necessary.

Skills offered include:
Stabbing, taunting and blackmailing enemies, in no particular order.
Serving tea and lovely homemade scones to allies.
Light housekeeping and lair maintenance work.
Morale-boosting speeches to fellow minions of evil.

Willing to travel.
4 days off per month required. Salary is negotiable. Health benefits are not.

References available on request; see the back of the ad for a PO box number, or feel free to appear in dreams/unholy manifestations/etc any time after 8 PM.

Signed,
Cat McWren”


The figure drops its hammer-rock, brushes off its hands and surveys the message with obvious satisfaction. Turns around, surveys the still-deserted plaza. Waits a moment, takes a deep breath.

“COOKIE! OI, COOOOKIIIIE!”

The voice is shrill and decidedly female.

A loud crash of an honest citizen falling off the edge of the bed echoes in the distance, and someone inquires shrilly regarding the lateness of the hour. The figure ignores them, watching, instead, a feathered menace emerge from the shadows of the deserted vending stalls nearby. It is tall, with small body serving as mere transition between wickedly taloned feet and the sinuous neck. A cat tail dangles, twitching faintly, from the bill at the top of the neck. The peco blinks at the figure owlishly.

“Come on, feather-brain. Let’s skip this joint,” Mutters the figure, vaulting onto the bird’s back with apparent ease, “For all we know, they’ve got some weird vandalism and anti-evil-lord laws around here, as well.”

[Aaronock]

Ezekiel Stalker found his way to the town of Geffen.

Most people in the rogue's guild wouldn't make such an obvious name for very obvious reasons. But Zeke honestly didn't care, he didn't feel a need to hide his profession. He made a reputation off his name, people didn't have to question his honesty, and anyone could find that honesty very reassuring when your line of work has you gathering intelligence.

The young man stretched his back, staring upward at the sky, wondering, "Why did I take this particular job from the rogue's guild again?" He found himself reminiscing on past events.

It came down to circumstances really. He had to stay on his toes to avoid his obsessive wife. For the past few years, he'd been lucky, and had avoided her with ease. His paranoia regarding her ran high however, and he couldn't shake how her obsessive nature changed the course of his life those many years ago. Heck, even without her physical presence there for so long, he knew the power she had over him if he didn't keep his end of the bargain in the marriage.

He shivered, he couldn't stand the idea of possibly going to jail for misdeeds committed 14...or 15 years ago as a desperate teenager on the run from his arranged fiancee, now wife.

Now he happened to almost be broke, and really needed the Zeny. The other jobs at the guild looked a little out of reach, so he found himself stuck with monster extermination. It's not like he couldn't dispatch any creatures, he could, and compared to many in the guild, he definitely ranked above average. However, this particular location they wanted to send him to had a tendency to gain an overcrowded monster population around this time of year. The guild required he bring someone else along for the quest. Whoever else got hired would have access to the full details of the job, and a nice pot of money to go with it.

He stretched his back and looked at the night sky in the town of Geffen.

"Time to get to business," he muttered under his breath.

The wind picked up, the feathers of his Peco Hairband flew almost in front of his face, forcing Zeke to grab hold of them. He decided he'd make his way from the Southern side of town, towards the middle, and then go catch a bite to eat at the pub up on the northern side. He had already done plenty of walking today, but a bit more on such a clear night would certainly not kill him.

The man found his way to the central square, where the Geffen Tower marked the middle of the town. He soon would find himself underground exterminating a large sum of creatures. However, that was not important yet at this immediate moment. Before he could go there, he had to someone to help first. As he made his way around the tower's stone walls, something caught his eye. Hung up on the wall, Ezekiel found a most interesting notice.

His eyes scanned the letter.

"Cat McWren? Looking for protection from an evil overlord? Wonder what goodie goodie two shoes she ticked off?" He though a moment longer and then shrugged, " Actually, eh, none of my business really..."

The young man found other notices, ones advertising homes for sale, some interesting magical nicknacks, and even someone who could supposedly 'magically enhance your girth', but nobody who could possibly help him exterminate monsters. His eyes went back to the first advertisement. Perhaps he could sway this 'Cat McWren' to assist him in stabbing some monsters. Granted, he was definitely no evil overlord, or even a saint, but protection was something he could help her find. However, it probably wouldn't exactly come the way she wanted it. Did it matter? Maybe it didn't, maybe a little bit of extra cash in her own pocket would tide her over till she found whatever it happened to be she really wanted.

He decided to check the back of the ad, and copied it's PO Box. He had a message with a job to send. He made sure to include he'd like to meet her for a drink and food, on him, at the Geffen pub. Lastly, he made sure to let her know that he'd stick around the next couple of weeks.

"Well, that's one problem down on the checklist, next, time for something of my own to eat and drink." He whistled a little as he made his way to the pub. The letter would make its way through the mail tomorrow.

[Yurrechire]

Thunderstorm hit the city, gales of wind buffeting against the protective walls in futility even as the creeping fingers of lightning played leap-frog among the rooftops. The tower, a grand master of magic, stood in a bubble of foreboding, fey silence. Past this monolith with its weather-wards, and into the soaked streets, stumbled a large, carnivorous bird. On its back sat a familiar hunched figure in sodden brown robes, occasionally croaking words of direction to the weary avian.

Left. Right. Another left. Down the streets, away from the prosperous city center and into the seedy district, filled with nooks and crannies overlooked by the men of common sense. To a small, shabby inn with its peeling paint and non-existent stable boys.

“A long day, Cookie,” Muttered the figure, dismounting under the leaking lean-to intended for the theoretical birds, and pointedly ignoring the glare of the thuggish watchman on duty. The bird, of course, did not respond.

“You missed a very much adult man in a very stupid looking hat, offering up treasure to total strangers. He did have a most intriguing sword, however,” Continued the figure, a woman, while ducking under the keel of the peco in order to unbuckle the saddle, “… That was shortly after I met with the other one. You know. Potential employment opportunity.”

The peco snapped above the woman’s head in a show of annoyance. “Yes, yes, you’re right, of course.. It was a waste of time. Some swashbuckling lark, wanting to crawl into the Tower’s depths for some guild assignment. Something about little black devils. The zeny he’d offered should help us last into the next year, which is the only reason why I signed onto this mess. … And the kid seems of a good enough sort. That’s something, right?”

Forcefully dragging off the bulky seat off the bird’s back, McWren narrowly avoided tripping over the straps, just as the bird dove beak-first into the trough of kitchen scraps, left out just for that purpose. The woman stepped clear, looking back to the preoccupied mount with a mixture of love and exasperation. It was unlikely that the bird could be stirred from its meal and shelter for the remainder of the night, but Cat still had a rather contrary priestess to find, and to harangue. They would leave for the cellars of the Tower in the morning, with or without medical support.

[Aaronock]

((OOC: Zeke's not exactly mega young, he's in his mid 20's, he's kinda not counted the years too good though, so he'll sometimes say he's older than he really is, or even younger! Possibly perhaps, he is a kid compared to Cat? But then you called Cobbs an adult! I'm honestly hurt!

I do love the idea of all of us giving out final thoughts of our sessions for others to read. Gives great insights to our characters for those not necessarily playing the RP, but want to follow along, or later join in.))
---

The evening sure felt long. The events didn't pan out quite as expected, but they definitely worked out. He let himself breathe a sigh of relief. He hadn't let himself go too far gone with his social graces, and didn't let the alcohol get the better of him, or even say something too stupid, or revealing. He sauntered his way to the room he rented from a person in town on the Western Side, practically next door to the Mage Academy. A handy location, should he need to bother gathering any information for other jobs.

Which brought him to his next line of thought. He had work again, possibly another job lined up after this whole monster extermination thing found itself completed. The man offering the job seemed a bit, naive? Too trusting? Could it be a trap? Can any guy offering fries really be that nasty? And what to think of Cat and Lily? Women always complicated things in Ezekiel's life. It left him with a lot to munch on with his brain, he'd let his initial judgements of everyone come to him once he got to his room.

He took a key from his pocket, unlocked the large wooden door, and found his way inside. Simple amenities, but just the way he'd prefer it. He found good lighting, a shared kitchen down at the end of the long hallway, and a nice set of stairs on the left leading up to the various rooms rented out of the house. The right doorway was locked, that's where the owners lived, probably had a decent bit of space since the owners didn't have much family living there. Just an elderly man with his wife. He had no need to bother them, so he placed his hand on the stair railing and went on up to his room.

Now inside his room (there were 4 rooms upstairs, he now occupied the upper left one), he made his way quickly to the bed in the corner and switched on the light next to the nightstand. He had pretty much finished off his assessments of everyone he met this evening. He laid back on the bed and began to let his thoughts drift.

Cobbs had a second job offer, one he could take as soon as he finished this whole Deviruchi monster extermination business. It had something to do with potential treasure on Turtle Island. It annoyed him, but the guy might have had a potential lead onto something real in that place. Lots of people went there though, and never came back with a darn thing. If the expedition wound up as a bust, he'd at least be able to poach a few turtles and rabbits for easy Zeny at least. The guy still happened to be a total dork asking strangers to help him though. Good thing he had an honest reputation to keep, but he certainly couldn't speak for Cat. Some of the comments that Cobbs made certainly put a damper on wanting to work with the guy, but Ezekiel knew he could quench his thirst to punch that guy's face, and knocking his silly Adventurer's Hat with it.

Cat though, well, at least she didn't act a thing like most women he knew. However, she felt...off? He couldn't place his finger on it. That bothered him, usually he could pin someone down quickly. It had nothing to do with that whole bit about finding an evil magey-type to work for either. If that did, he never would have offered the opportunity to begin with. Something else seemed off, maybe the weird things she said under her breath? It wasn't going to be his business to pry, and as long as she could assist him, he'd have no reason to care further about her odd habits. Especially since he didn't plan to work with her long term.

Ezekiel turned over and looked out the window on the other side. He felt groggy, but he had one more person to assess, that priestess, Lily. She wanted to work for free, but, ugh, he hated the word "free." Nothing in this world came for "free." She seemed adamant about coming along though. What she really wanted would come out of her mouth sooner or later. Maybe her desires could lead to another bit of work? Similar to Cobbs, she was quick to judge his roguish nature, but had more willingness apologize for the rude behavior. Not much else to think about the girl, she had to run abruptly after business was spoken.

His eyes drifted downward after finishing that thought. The light in the room stayed on, "No need to worry about 'em all too much," Ezekiel mumbled as he finally turned over on his back, stretching out the whole of his body to cover the bed. A final thought drifted to him as he finally fell asleep...a thought that brought a sense of unease...

"The possibility his life might just get a lot more complicated again."

[Seki]

It was dark - as usual - in her sanctuary, if you can call it that.
It's a shack in an city that supposedly used to be populated by fairies at the end of the world to retreat to whenever she feels like it - which has become a regular occurence as of late.
"I shouldn't have gone into public at such a time."
She sat down on the red carpet in what can't be called an elegant fashion and stared at what would be the wall had the room been properly lit.
The reason she went to see other people...
It lets her forget and think happier thoughts. Usually
"It was welling up for quite a while already... Should've known better and just let it pass."
Lily let herself fall down to the ground completely, brushed away a few leaves and closed here eyes.
"Good thing I managed to get away in time.
Ah but it would've been fun wouldn't it?
No it wouldn't. I would've just put them into danger.
How boring."
A long, drawn-out sigh filled the room.
"Should've just had them deal with it in case it happened.
They're capable adventurers and in the end, what's the big deal?
Not my business if they fall victim to me."
She turned around, decided that it was uncomfortable and returned to lieing on her back, now watching the thin ceiling through which a glimmer of moonlight could be made out.
"What I really should do is just let my past go and be what I really am.
No I will not do that. I'm not that easy, not even in this kinda moment."

[Aaronock]

((OOC: Another awesome RP session, another short after story to tell.))
----
Finally, the Rogue's guild came into sight. Ezekiel had carried the collection of horns from the bodies of Deviruchi from Geffen all the way to this hidden sight in the desert. On his back he also carried his few possessions with him in a leather sack. With the sun going down, a breeze passed through the desert. His body had finally began to cool, and with that, he finally sighed a breath of relief.

Today had wound up a long day. The weather in Geffen that day was scorching, and that only made the dungeons in the tower underneath sweltering. He thought the job would finish quickly, he had two helping hands afterall. Alas, events would not play out as he had hoped.

The first sign really should have been seeing Dracula on the way down, and having to watch two girls backs as they went down the steps deeper inside. They arrive onto the floor to see the area swarming with hellish creatures. Plenty of Deviruchis, but plenty of fiery Nightmare Horses, zipping Hunter Flies, magically controlled Marionettes dancing on their own, and each of these creatures happy to pierce their guts out. The girls however, rather found it fun to goof off rather than get work done, and forced him to spend some hours chasing after Doppleganger, being knocked out continuously by his masterful sword strokes.

He had to excuse himself and finish the job alone.

The guild wouldn't get that part about Doppleganger in the final report. Obligations on the contract and all that, Ezekiel also didn't want to have Cutty coming at his heels for a few hundred thousand Zeny. Still holding his bag, wiping some sweat off his brow, and finally finding the area where the rogue could enter his guild headquarters. After checking his surroundings for prying eyes, and finding it safe, the young man pressed the plates in the wall nearby to open the stairway.

Tonight, he'd sleep at the guild, and grab a smoke. He rarely partook in the act of smoking, but on this cool night, with the breeze moving calmly along the desert, he knew the right moment had come. A chance for him to enjoy this weather, reflect on the past few days, and soak them all in. Nothing more in the world could matter more to Ezekiel at the moment than some personal space.

"Tomorrow," he reflected, "I should begin planning that trip to Payon." This next task potentially involved something more up his alley - treasure hunting. That really tapped into his personal specialty of intelligence gathering.
But for now, Ezekiel wanted to focus on the moment. He finally found his way to the counter. The lady stationed there waved to Zeke as he brought his bounty to the counter. They discussed how to make the payment to all the parties involved. She agreed to have the payments delivered to him first thing in the morning, and a representative would personally deliver Cutty's payments as stated in the contract. He nodded satisfactorily knowing he'd have no further obligations to fulfill with the knight, or the Lady Lily.

"Thank you for helping me wipe my hands of them, Miss. Now you enjoy the rest of the evening." He whistled an improvised tune, heading towards the mess hall. The evening now belonged to no one but himself again.

[Yurrechire]

The blond-haired woman threw her hands up, crimson robes-flaring, as a burst of magical energy shot away from her and into the darkness. Crushed gemstones shone at her feet.

The spell poured past the massive bird some distance ahead, pooling at the feet of the zombies who were besieging the avian. The undead flesh sizzled with gusto, as the bird’s rider paused from its ponderous layings-about with a lance to do a fist-pump, “You go, blondie!”

As yet more shambling corpses emerged from the darkness, a streak of gray seemed to bounce off the wall, rounding the bird and plowing into the zombies. Ichor splattered as the stalker carved a path ahead, all the while mumbling something about time being money and lazy ladies. Such was the life in the stinking depths of the Geffen tower that day, while above-ground, humankind went on with its usual early morning errands.

The expedition was going well- behind the priestess, a sack of bloody horns that no one wanted to carry unless they really had to, was oozing blood onto the limestone floor. The little group dedicated to slaughter and mayhem was about to break for lunch when it turned horribly, terribly wrong.

The zombies cleared, as if by magic, little deviruchis-disappearing into crevasses of the slimy walls. Silence fell in an oppressive cloud, causing the humans to slow.

To stop.

To really look forward.

The wave of demonic horseflesh rounded the corner and slammed into the hapless trio, all teeth, and razor hooves. A startled croak of the bird was echoed by that of the priestess. Holy light arched between the blondie’s small horns as she sent another wave of holy light into the herd, which was held barely in check by the pair of her companions. The roiling mass squealed, one and all, parting where the glowing floor was beginning to shoot sparks and sizzle.

A second of respite, before things went straight into hell. A new figure stepped seemingly through the nightmares, smiling at the hapless adventurers with an odd little smile. A small smile. This plain clothed man was alone and completely out of place in the underground lair. He was also slightly transparent.

“You..!” A mass of birdflesh and flashing spear slammed into the newcomer, only to somehow be deflected back in a spray of gore… More holy light, and flashing blades, and a stalker being flung across the corridor like a rag doll.

It did not end well.

Dates with the doppelganger rarely do.

As a cursing stalker dragged McWren’s semi-conscious body through the portal, she could not help but look back. To the man, behind his herd of demonflesh.

Who stood, watching, hands-behind his back, smiling all the while. His smile was small, and somehow so very familiar.


==



A frog croaked near her ear and Cat McWren twitched awake, opening her eyes to the darkness. Except this wasn’t right. The birds were singing, the crickets were chirping, and it obviously did not sound like night.

Oh.

She pulled the feather beret off of her face, staring at it blankly. This did not belong to her.

Short distance away, a rumpled bird lifted its head from the breakfast of squirming grubs and honked, ponderously. The field around it all looked vaguely familiar. Somewhere west of Geffen?

“No more green pots, Cookie,” Muttered McWren, standing up and cringing as she realized that her boots were missing, “No more green pots, ever.”

Approaching the placid peco, she swung onto its back with some difficulty. Lily’s healing abilities aside, being pounded into the basement dust over and over again tended to leave one sore.

“Funny thing,” She told the bird, letting it finish off the last of the hapless invertebrates, “The buggers did end up getting us out.

They didn’t have to.

Would’ve been more zeny for them.”


Cookie twisted his neck, turning the head upside-down and blinking at McWren.

“Yes, yes. What is money, you say?” Sighing, she nudged the avian towards the distant city walls, “And you are right, of course. It is nothing. Better go penniless than to owe someone like this.”

[Seki]

"First I will take his soul... ~
then I will abuse her strange loyalty a while longer... ~
and then we will see what we will do~oo..."
For once she was not in her refuge but instead at another place she frequently visited. Strolling through the dreary streets of the city grinning to herself, fully satisfied with her progress.

[Yurrechire]

When a living weapon broke, it shattered.

Some things were easily overlooked, when one practically lived in the saddle. The foremost was this: in order to engineer a living creature capable of carrying hundreds of pounds across inhospitable terrains with barely a honk of complaint, sacrifices had to be made in other areas. Some bloodlines spooked easily, some had the attention span of a peanut, while still others were plagued by physical defects. Sometimes it was easy to forget that a peco by the strange name of Cookie, while moderately intelligent and effective in battle, failed spectacularly in long treks.

Catherine McWren huddled by the slowly rising and falling flank of the bird; both have seen much better days. The branches of a great tree touched the ground all around them, forming a protective canopy from the prying eyes. The avian had been sleeping since the middle of the day prior, with more of the same to come in the foreseeable future. Piled just outside of the green shelter, a pile of grizzly, scaled, and, (most importantly), edible, remains was steadily drawing scavengers. Eat. Sleep. Rinse. Repeat. Cat would have been quite happy to fall back into the primitive cycle, waiting on the bird to regain its strength. Except, thoughts interfered.

It had been a strange week, complete with wholesale clearing of the ancient halls below the Rachel temple, manifestations of doom-prophesizing world surveyors, angst-filled faeries with chips on their shoulder, slightly apologetic sisters of angst-filled fairies with chips on their shoulders, and very paranoid fairy men. None of this was terribly good news. Under the blustering bravado, denials of supernatural powers and the gruff exterior, Catherine hid the backbone of a very practical woman. This woman knew: when a big fish came into a small pond, the small fishes had two choices- hide, or be eaten. With a disabled bird and a lack of strong allies, ‘hide’ seemed like the wiser of the two choices.

As per her earlier conversation with an idiot of an idealist, and an unlikely comrade, ‘Hide’ was no longer an option.


An acorn fell from above, thumping softly against the leaf litter.


Catherine jumped.

[Yurrechire]

((OOC: Set sometime between Lily Black and Galoo's adventure at the harvest festival, and Cutty's eventual arrival back in Prontera.))
===

Life is best spent in motion.

With the neck stretched parallel to the ground, a bronze shadow streaked over the tan earth. It was not the sort of ambling gait the peco preferred, nor the occasional squawk-filled sprint towards the foe, but a true, mile-burning gallop. The bird could not travel this way for long without consequence: sometimes, there was simply no choice. On his back, the rider flattened, aiming to make herself as small as possible, clutching at the pommel with stiffening hands. Pale as a ghost in the face.

Before them spread the shrub-lands, interspersed with rocky outcroppings. Emerald line of the deciduous forest trimmed the sky.

Behind them, a set of tracks stretched to the horizon, bordered by splatterings of blood drops, and (less frequently), by discarded glass vials. Some of the latter had a drop or two of harsh white liquid coalesce on the sides- potions of health, the last line of defense against bleeding out completely.

From the origin of the tracks, a thin line of smoke stretched into the clear blue sky. The campfire coals, scattered during the night’s unexpected attack, finally ignited the least blood-soaked of the leaf litter. Flames embraced the ancient oak, covering the signs of the struggle, of a burnt meal, licking the hastily hidden body.

“This is why we’re losing, Cookie dear. Too many souls, who do not understand that living tools are to be shaped and honed, not discarded. Too many souls, who look into the dark, and are unhinged by it,” The whisper was hoarse. She had been whispering intermittently to the bird since their departure earlier this morning. Since the bird had dispatched a former ally with a single hatchet-beak blow to the face. McWren had a strong, motherly devotion to people whom she considered hers. It evaporated swiftly, when the said people tried to take advantage of it. It turned to cold fury, when faced with betrayal, “Silly blondie, should not have drawn that knife...”

The woman glanced back, down over her shoulder, to the dark, wet stain covering much of her leg. It was finally coloring the last tiny pocket of blue near the robe’s hem. The deep indigo of the robe and the delicate thistle motif around the collar were what initially drew her to the impulse purchase at the dusty bazaar of Morroc, over a year ago. She gave up on scrubbing out the blood stains after only a week.

The embroidery lasted longer, but it, too, fled from the darkening fabric, absent-mindedly plucked out by McWren’s own fingers. Soft threads- discarded, fed to the winds.