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Tulpamancing Roleplay: An exercise in visualization.


Wrath

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Crap, wraith?

 

((Yep, I re-wrote that paragraph three or four times trying to make it more subtle but I didn't think that was going to work in anyway so there we go, Joal's the one with the wraith. She succeed every resistance roll to the wraith's control; most of them were against me, of course. But you guys don't know yet.))

Pruria Joal (Pegasus)

Working on: Imposition

Hieldy (Moogle)

Working on: Possession/imposition

Samantha (Griffon)

Working on: Deafness/form

 

And please, call me G.

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I'll get my next post up soon.

Chloe - That cheerful girl with ponytail.

Aigis - The male cyborg that looks like raiden in MGR.

Vixen - Half dragon female who looks like Mary in DMC3 when in human form.

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Not much here, just some response.

BTW, where's your owl buddy Miah?


|Aigis|Vixen|

"Wakey wakey, kids! Breakfast is fucking served!"

 

Aigis and Vixen was jolted awake by the huntress. Vixen had a good sleep, considering what she went through. But Aigis had to deal with a sore spots on his back caused by a few rocks on the ground. The engineer used to walk through the woods for many months, but he had let himself spoilt by the comfort of the town. Guess it's time to get used to the woods again.

 

Aigis came out of the shelter, and saw a large, strong and dead deer on the ground. Miah is preparing it for lots of things. The wound on her shoulder seemed to open up again. Oh well, if she could handle the woods, that wound won't bother her much.

 

"Good morning, that's a pretty impressive game."

 

The engineer praised the huntress, he'd never been able to hunt something like that. And the antler looks pretty sturdy too. Perhaps he could make a simple knife out of it? Not waiting for a good moment, he asked the huntress straight away.

 

"Can I have that antler? I could use a good knife."


|Cruse|Chloe|

The boy was woken up by the pony. Though he'd like to continue sleeping, the ground is not comfortable enough. Chloe sat up with a sleepy face, just like her brother. However, she simply shake her face and became energetic instantly. The group noticed a large pile of fruits and mushrooms piling on the ground near the dying fire. G is no where to be found, he's probably walking around here somewhere.

 

Chloe watched Joal sorting out the edible fruits from the inedible intently as Cruse went to collect some wood for the fire. As he walked, the boy noticed that there's a large white willow tree standing near the camp.

 

He remembered that Joal had a bad case of head-ache last night. He recalled that white willow tree's bark contains an analgesic substance. That should help the pony's headache. The boy proceeds to climb up the tree, the training he received during his life as a light assassin makes him climb the tree with no trouble at all. His hands grabs for a strong branches as his leg pushes himself up.

 

The boy made it up a few meters above the ground, he broke off a couple of branches and simply jumped down onto the ground. Landing softly, barely disturbing the leaves on the ground, he makes his way back to the camp.

 

The fire's last breath were snuffed out by a cold gust right in front of him. He sat down, placed the firewood save for the willow branches and work on another fire. He took out a box of match stick, shakes it, no noise were made.

 

"Aww... damnit."

 

No more matches, guess he had to rely on his light power now.

 

''Oh, g- good morning guys. Hope you's don't mind I went on a walk?''

 

G returned. He seems flustered. Whatever, better get this fire started.

 

''We were waiting for you to start breakfast.''

 

''Oh, sorry, just needed to get the mind going.''

 

''So when's we moving on?''

 

"Food comes first!"

 

Chloe immediately cuts in. Her stomach is growling and she's not going to let it stay that way. Knowing that the party's gonna need some fire, the boy utilize his light manipulation to get the fire up as soon as possible.

 

[align=center]Cruse, summon light essence, roll sanity 3 times. Value must be between 5-24.

Rolled 4,6,2 total 12

3 light essence created.

Cruse, laser x 3, use 1 x 3 essence.[/align]

 

Cruse held out his hand and focused, 3 balls of light appeared in his hand. He felt the weight of the essence on his mind, and quickly turned the essence into something useful. Laser should be able to light a fire.

 

The three ball condensed, and three line of light pierced onto the firewood. Since it was so close, he don't even had to aim. The wood lit up into a bright fire and the boy had to remove some of the wood and extinguish it to prevent the fire from burning to fast.

 

Chloe clapped as her shadow turned into a pair of hands and does the same as it's master.

 

"Let's make some mushroom soup?"


Btw, summoning essence and using them both counts as half-action. Which means I can use either of them twice or both together.

E.g. I can either summon twice, use essence twice, or summon and use in one turn. But not summon and attack.

My character sheet is on page 29. Or somewhere near.

Chloe - That cheerful girl with ponytail.

Aigis - The male cyborg that looks like raiden in MGR.

Vixen - Half dragon female who looks like Mary in DMC3 when in human form.

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((Yay! I get to describe the land scape now!))

 

The pony signed, ''Ugh, I hate mushroom soup, but I guess I'll stomach; the things I do for you guys!'' She giggled and began dicing up the edible mushrooms, using the satchel as a barrier between the food and the muddy earth.

 

Cruse kindled the fire. G sat down beside the pony and gave her Aigis knife in place of the iron knife she was using; the discussed with what other bits to mix in for flavour. After the decisions had been made, the small pile of still-usable berries were deposited back into the man's satchel along with Aigis' knife.

 

Ten minutes later, breakfast was dumped into a small pot the pony had stolen from Vixen and was full under way. The pony was going off smell—the best sense to cook with—stirring it only occasionally to prevent burning. ''I'm sure she wont mind, we need it more that she does anyway.'' The pony reasoned.

 

((All of a sudden, bowls, out of nowhere.))

 

Once breakfast was finished is was dished out and the group ate in silence, mostly due to the previous days travel hunger. ''Thank you, by the way, Cruse, for dealing with this headache of mine. Didn't see that willow until you went and got some twigs; probably wouldn't have seen it other wise!'' When breakfast was eaten, the camp was vanished; tracking and following might not be big for people who can teleport but there was no reason to take risks.

 

They only had to walk two hours before they reached the grassy planes. The fields stretched for miles ahead of them, so far that they only seen the snow peaked mountains that lay far beyond the horizon. The lush coloured grass sprawled over every hill, as did a vast number of flowers or every colour. Very few trees or bushes or even ferns could be seen, and that that could were tall and wide in the canopy.

 

Few grazing animals could be seen in the distance—cows and goats—but the only birds that could be seen were those from the forest just behind.

 

A road could bee seen to the right of the amazing visual, it lead out towards where the group were looking—over the horizon—; the same road that they'd been following beside to get to the planes. It wasn't apparent to what the road was leading to but a tower shape was just barely visible over the edge of the world.

 

The pony sighed and sat down, ''If only I could fly for all of us, this place looks beautiful from the sky,''

''Don't remind me... and we need to stay in cover. And is that the town you were talking about Cruse?''

''God luck finding cover here. You've been to that town Cruse?'' The man cursed himself and threw Cruse a glance,

''Uh, yeah, he said he might have teleported us to it if we really needed to. He, uh, told me about it while you girl were asleep.'' The man chuckled awkwardly. ''We might go there to get some supplies if we need them.''

 

The pony scratched her chin. ''I vote we keep going, we could get to the entrance of the mines in a day and a half; we'd land at the gates by nightfall tomorrow.''

 

((This is a good time to clarify what we actually have in terms of supplies. I couldn't think of any clever that could act as a pot so, sorry about that Vixen, but Joal has your favourite sushi pot.))

Pruria Joal (Pegasus)

Working on: Imposition

Hieldy (Moogle)

Working on: Possession/imposition

Samantha (Griffon)

Working on: Deafness/form

 

And please, call me G.

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((Come to think of it, I am just going to time skip here. I'd rather not be typing out little events like these for five day's worth of travel. Also, as for the owl, that was just to show that Miah is good with animals. Once the party reaches Tirith, I have a plan to introduce you to her permanent pets and a new friend. I have a bit of a storyline planned out here, but don't let that spoil anything you want to do.

 

Hint: Here's hoping none of you are prone to sea sickness.))

 

"Could I have that antler? I could use a good knife?"

 

Miah, annoyed over the fact that rousing them from sleep had not caused the two any noticeable discomfort, scowled and answered, "No. The best you would be able to make from this would be a handle. I have other plans for it." She reached down and took a blade from her belt, tossing it to Aigis. "You can have that if you need a knife so badly. Now put it to work and get some meat off of here."

 

After awhile, they had cut a good deal of meat away from the buck and had enjoyed a well cooked breakfast. Miah ate quickly and continued to harvest what she needed from the buck. By the time the the other two were done eating, Miah had skinned the animal and removed it's antlers. She salted the rest of the meat they would be using and then dragged the remains away from the camp. The other residents of the forest could use what was left.

 

After that, Miah had her companions get to work cleaning up the camp and packing up. While they worked, Miah re-dressed her wound and got her own things ready. One they were ready to go, Miah gestured to Aigis and said, "In return for that knife, you get the honor of carrying the meat, antlers, and skin from the buck. For the whole trip. Now come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover."

 

With that, Miah cut a trail north west and began their journey. They would rest during the night, Miah taking most of the watch. She would then proceed to wake the two at deans first light. They would eat, pack up, and start on the move again. The entire trip consisted of this break neck pace. During this time, Miah did not talk much. Her mind seemed focused, somewhere else entirely. Wherever they were going, she wanted to get there quickly. Due to their pace and Miah's know how, the three shortened what should have been a week long trip into five days.

 

As on the fifth day, the air became noticeably more humid. More birds began to appear over head. The trees began to spread out as the forest receded in favor of lighter, rocky soil. Soon, the sound of the sea became audible on the horizon. Towards mid-day, the group came to the top of a hill, where they looked down on the city of Tirith.

 

Tirith was a port city, surrounded by monolithic stone walls standing more than eight stories high. Circular in construction and built on an artificial incline, the city ascended until the center was reached. The roads of the city, thick with people and commerce were laid out in an orderly fashion. Their were eight main avenues that spread out evenly around the circle. These avenues led from their own gates at the bottom of the city to the high city center. At the center of the city was where the government and military buildings were. The rest of the city was used for housing and commerce. As one moved towards the center, however, the living conditions became noticeably better and more expensive. From the avenues, the other streets could be accessed. These streets all circled the city and were the location for business and housing. Whoever had planned out the city's grid had efficiency in mind.

 

The city was built from strong, heavy sand stone, giving the buildings a tan color. Some residents took the liberty of painting their houses different colors in order to attract attention. This was especially popular with merchants, and the market places consequently stood out as explosions of color within the sand. The architecture of the city had a flavor all it's own. It was a strange mixture of art and strength. Arches were a heavily used theme and some even crossed over the avenues as large bridges, giving foot traffic another place to surge with a second layer of streets overhead. The buildings soared overhead and large, grandiose towers dotted the city. Murals could be found on many streets, some outlining a certain piece of history, others telling some story, and then others simply abstract, odd, and beautiful. In the streets, musicians and troupes of actors could be seen performing, hoping to draw crowds of their own.

 

Tirith was certainly an odd mixture of military and commerce. Here, merchants filled the streets and one could scarcely walk ten feet without being offered a sample or deal of some kind. The city was also nearly impregnable with it's thick walls, up-hill design and easily defendable streets. At all times, the city's military showed a strong presence with professional soldiers acting as city guard and patrolling each street. Consequently, even with the giant shopping centers and fantastically large crowds, the crime rate was very low.

 

However, Tirith's crowning achievement was her port. Stretching along the shore for about a half a mile, it was the only spot where the city's wall opened to the sea. An uncountable number of ships streamed in and out each day and the docks appeared to be forest in their own right with thousands of masts rising towards the sky. The Port Authority was one of the most organized in the know world. It had to be to deal with the massive traffic and movement of goods. It was this port that made Tirith one of the greatest powers on the Icrothian Sea.

 

As Miah looked down on the city, her face was a mixture of anticipation and loathing. She, personally, hated the place. It was an embodiment of the giant crowds and and artificiality that she despised. It was dirty, over-populated, and had a disgustingly high opinion of itself. There was an old joke that if it rained, it was best to get a Tirithian shelter, lest he'd drown from holding his nose up so high in your company. Gold and silver flowed through the city like water and silk was seen more often than cloth. The people themselves were helpless and if it were not for their military and ability to contract mercenary armies, they all would have perished long ago. She doubted there were even a hundred within Tirith who could make a fire without the help of a match. Still, she had made a promise to meet here, on this very day, and she was going to keep it.

 

After a moment, she looked over her shoulder at her companions and curtly said, "Come on. We're going in." Then she began down the hill and towards the hulk of stone and riches.

 

After about fifteen minutes, they reached the eastern gates, the crowds swelling as the came closer and closer. Once they were in the city, Miah pulled a map from her satchel that was marked over and had been written on. For about a half an hour, the group worked their way through the crowds, with Miah becoming more and more irritated. The fact that Vixen still had her cloak was not helping. Miah had been able to fashion some simple clothes for her for the deer skin, but the cloak was still needed. As a consequence, there was nothing to hide Miah's form and she attracted leering eyes throughout the streets. On one occasion she clocked a man who got too close with a stiff right hook. He fell to the ground, unconscious. She almost stabbed another, but Vixen and Aigis held her back. In their travels, Miah had become a bit more used to the pair. She by no means considered them friends, but they were no longer just strangers or acquaintances.

 

After another half an hour, they reached their destination. The house was in what seemed to be the upper-middle class part of the city. It stood two stories tall and was fair size. Examining the place for a moment, Miah nodded to herself and then rapped hard on the wooden door. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. Miah growled. By this point, her nerves were frayed to the absolute edge. She glared back at her companions and said, "Give me just a moment."

 

[Miah: Roll for Agility(D11)

 

Result: 1]

 

Then Miah pounced onto the house and clambered up to the second story. She the pushed in a window and, as her face turned to the frustration and a vein popped out on her forehead, she screamed, "Damnit, will you wake up!? It's almost noon you asshole!" An audible thump could be heard, presumably someone falling out of their bed, and then," For George's sake, Miah. Is that you? Has it been a year already?" Miah sighed and seemed to calm. "Shit, Jacob. There's this new thing they invented now, it's called a calendar. Maybe you should buy one, huh? Now, put on some fucking clothes and come open the door. I've got company with me." As Miah began to climb down the voice shouted back, "It appears I've left my "fucking clothes" at the cleaners. Will regular clothes be alright?" Miah stopped and shouted back, "Just open the door, smartass!"

 

The Huntress returned to the ground and waited while the man named Jacob got ready. After a minute or so, there was sound of locks turning and then the door swung open to reveal a man in his mid-twenties. His short, brown hair was tussled with sleep and he was sporting a goatee. It appeared as if it had been a few days since he had last shaved, with the stubble on the rest of his face attempting to catch up with his chin and lip. He had sharp, smart blue eyes, though at the moment they were having the sleep rubbed from them. His build was moderate, yet toned. He was muscular, but not like a body builder. More like a runner or a fighter. He was handsome, but not overly so. His face was well framed and everything seemed to fit together quite nicely. Yawning, he rubbed his face and eyes with his palms then yawned out, "Good Morning..."

 

"Barely," said Miah, glaring at the man. He returned the glare and they stood there for a few, tense second. Then, something unexpected happened. Miah leapt forward and squeezed the man with a hug, hanging her head over his shoulder. He returned the embrace and Miah breathed, "Damnit, it's good to see you again, you bastard."

 

[[Character Bio: Jacob Faran (Self insert, save a tweak in age.)

 

Role: Close Range damage. Equipped with a myriad of weapons. Two sabers, three close range flintlock pistols, a few knives hidden on his person, the occasional pair of brass knuckles, and an extraordinarily sharp wit.

 

Appearance: Not much for outward appearances, Jacob is usually scraggly, and it is considered a small miricale if he combs his hair or shaves. He fancies wearing a black cotton shirt some times accompanied by a long, worn, leather jacket.

 

Attributes:

 

Strength: 16

 

Agility: 10

 

Accuracy: 12

 

Endurance: 15

 

Charisma: 13

 

Traits:

-Sly Dog: It all part of the plan. No, really. He meant to do that. He swears. Once per every engagement with an enemy, Jacob can take a botched roll and turn it into a successful one.

 

- Well Versed: An expert in both swordsmanship and the Martial Arts, Jacob receives a -2 boost to Str. Agility and Acc. When fighting with swords or unarmed.

 

- Flow: Jacob's fighting style is highlighted by fast, flowing movements. Using this style, Jacob can apply his rolls to more than one enemy. However, with the addition of each enemy, the roll's number is increased +2]]

 

As they embraced, Jacob raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Hmmm...." He then pushed Miah away, still holding her by the shoulders, and looked down at her chest.

 

"Well," he proclaimed, "These are new..."

 

"You can thank the woman standing behind me," said Miah, breaking away to present her companion. "Miss Vixen Drake and Aigis Paluo- well, I can never say his name right."

 

"Pleasure to meet you two."

 

"Now," Miah suddenly became very serious, "where are they?"

 

Jacob picked up on what she was asking right away. "Well, I suspect Corvus is off pestering some poor merchant in the southern market, but Jax is upstairs." He then turned and whistled up the stairs. "Jaxy! Come on boy! Someone's here to see you."

 

From up stairs there came a sleepy growl, and a high pitched yawn. Then the sound of claws scraping on a hardwood floor. After a moment, a large, black muzzle appeared on the stairwell, accompanied by two large, glowing, yellow eyes. As they looked down the stairs the eyes widened then there was a loud howl. What was now bounding down the stairs was a large, jet black wolf.

 

The wolf leapt through the door and tackled Miah to the ground, licking her furiously on the face. Miah, quickly, flipped the wolf over on it back and growled for a moment. The wolf started to growl back, but then, locking eyes with the Huntress, remembered his place and beared his throat to his Pack Leader. With dominance established, Miah smiled and began to rub her friend's belly, cooing, "Is someone happy to see mommy? Yes... I missed you so much! Yes I did!"

 

Jacob smiled as the he watched the reunion. Then, remembering his manners, he offered his hand to both Vixen and Aigis saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jacob Faran, but just Jacob, Jake or even Jack is fine. Now please, come in. You all look tired. I'll fix some coffee."

 

Miah's head snapped up. " Three cream t-"

 

"I know, I know. Three creams two sugars, Miah."

 

With that, Jacob led the pair inside, inviting them to sit in a well furnished living room. The living room did not have walls in the conventional sense. The walls had all been turned into shelves which were filled with books. It was quite an impressive display.

 

"The coffee will take a few minutes. Make yourselves comfortable!", Jacob called from the kitchen. Miah remained outside the door, romping with Jax.

 

(( Just going to throw in a reference picture or two for Jax the Wolf:

 

1

 

2

 

3

 

4))

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We better keep track of time since the Albion town event for both side. In case we wanted a story intersection.

 

On Joal side would be 1 day and Miah's side is 5 day.

 

The day should be counted after a night passed.

 

Also, I thought you are Jacob, didn't expect you to be a wolf :3

 

Vi:Btw, it's Drake, Vixen Drake.

Chloe - That cheerful girl with ponytail.

Aigis - The male cyborg that looks like raiden in MGR.

Vixen - Half dragon female who looks like Mary in DMC3 when in human form.

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((Sorry about the name Vixen. I made the edit. Also, I gave the wolf the name Jax because I didn't feel it was an appropriate name for a person. I'm not sure why. I'm still debating on what to make the aforementioned Corvus. I'll let you all decide. She's either going to be a raven or another wolf.

 

"We're starting a zoo. I wanted a Bengal Tiger, but he told me that was impractical."

 

We can't decide on the species, so I'll give it to a vote. If no one cares, I'll flip a coin.))

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Raven. Why, we need to spice things up, 2 wolf won't do.

 

And tiger is too spicy.

 

Also, one does not simply talk to their pets with a normal voice. No they don't, no they don't.


|Vixen|Aigis|on day 5| <- forgot to mention that whoever's name comes first, the story will be told in his/her point of view. Not strictly, but mostly.

 

"The coffee will take a few minutes. Make yourselves comfortable!"

 

Aigis is looking around the room in a carefree manner. Vixen, on the other hand, is rubbing her hand against her forehead worriedly. Sighed, she's definitely doesn't want to return to any town right now. Soon, the rumor of her true identity will spread to this town. Might be better off to stay in the woods for hundreds of years before emerging with a new identity altogether. Rumors will fade and everyone will forgot her face in that time.

 

"You reckon they'll know about the cult?"

 

Aigis asked suddenly. Seeing that Miah is still outside playing with her pet and Jacob is not yet done with the coffee. Vixen glared back as a response.

 

"Don't drag them in."

 

"You've probably dragged the whole town in already."

 

The engineer is right. Just by stepping into this town opens up the possibility of a light assassin teleporting into the town. Should she have come here in the first place? Vixen asked herself as a blade of guilt stabbed her.

 

"It's best to gather as much information as possible and leave."

 

"Are we going to part ways with Miah now then?"

 

"Probably not yet, unless we got a good lead on the cult's location and people. Let's stick with her for now."

 

"This is not her fight Aigis."

 

"She killed 4 of those fuckers. She's more or less in the fray now."

 

Vixen sighed. Aigis was always like this. He's resourceful. And he's likely to use everything and everyone at his disposal to accomplish his task. He just never know how to let other people stay out of his business.

 

"Also, you should get some apparatus for your alchemy mumbo-jumbo. We are going to need your medicines."

 

The engineer's word made Vixen realized that she will need to make a medicine to reverse the effect of her anesthetic on Miah. She figured out what went wrong last night in the wood, she had accidentally spilled a chemical used in her metabolizer medicines which contains hormones required to accelerate regeneration. That compound, when used by itself, can cause a bleach in color pigments in the body and an abnormal growth in certain body parts. The increase body growth would easily counter the anesthetic effect for a short time, which explains why it took so long for Miah to pass out. She could make a medicine to reverse the effect, but she had forgotten to mention it to Miah. She should ask if the huntress wanted the effect removed. A big breast is not entirely bad.

 

Vixen went outside to see that Miah is still playing with Jax. Blunt and straight as ever, the half dragon shot her question.

 

"You want those breast removed? It's my fault so I should be the one who fix it."


I'll take the liberty to describe this town then G.


|Chloe|Cruse|

 

If she had remembered correctly, the town mentioned by G is called 'Turris'. Chloe remembered staying in that town for a while when she and her brother was roaming across the land randomly. The town is actually pretty far away, probably 2 or 3 more days worth of walking from here. Turris is renowned for it's tower 'Grandia'. A tall, nonsensically large fortress which is said to be touching the sky. The upper quarter of the tower is where the throne room is, and civilians are restricted to ascend the upper quarter of the tower. That tower sure is too tall. Anyone could see it from here.

 

"I've got some dried salted fish in my bag. It will keep us going for a few days if we could not find any supplies in the wood. Although I ran out of matches for starting fire, we don't really need to get the supplies."

 

"I've never been to the cave here too. Let's explore it now!"

 

Cruse pointed out his reasons while Chloe showed her enthusiasm. G lost 3 to 1. The vote is unanimous. Chloe is not interested in revisiting places she have been anyway, however, her brother turns toward Joal and asked if she may wanted to reconsider her choice.

 

"You know, if that headache came back, you should get some check-up. Malaria is not fun and so is other diseases. That willow bark is also just a pain reliever, not a cure. I can teleport you there and back in seconds you know."


Chloe - That cheerful girl with ponytail.

Aigis - The male cyborg that looks like raiden in MGR.

Vixen - Half dragon female who looks like Mary in DMC3 when in human form.

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((I know, I've got to stop with these long posts, but Im building a world up here people. Also, Im considering giving Jax his own Character Sheet, since he will be fighting with Miah. Thoughts?))

 

"You want those breast removed? It's my fault so I should be the one who fix it."

 

Miah smirked, looking up from Jax, who pounced up to stand at her side, panting. "Actually, I think I'll keep them. They really aren't that bad. Sure, I'll have to get used to them, but they're... Nice, in their own way." She gestures into the house. "Did you see him? I'm surprised his eyes didn't fall out of his skull." She stands up from her haunches and walks into the house. Jax seems to have taken a keen interest in Vixen and begins to sniff her all over. Miah, noticing her partner's interest, assures Vixen, "Don't worry, he won't start humping your leg. Not with me around anyway. The Alpha gets mating privileges." She smirks.

 

"Anyway, when you say "remove", it can only mean two things: either I get some more of what caused the problem, your medicine, or you chop them off. Neither sounds appealing."

 

She stepped into the living room and lowered herself into one of the comfortable leather chairs, crossing her legs. Jax settled in besides her, not about to leave her side after their apparent year long separation. They both seemed out of place, two vestiges of the wild, untamed, untainted world that was quickly being surrounded and swallowed by lavish leather, bound books, and expensive tastes. Two pairs of wild, defiant eyes, glared back at a world that had abandoned them in favor of hedonism, comfort, and civility. They were dying breed, the last embers of a flame still burning red hot.

 

Jacob strolled into the room with a small plate holding three steaming cups of coffee. He served his guest and Miah and then flopped into his own chair. Miah sniffed her cup. Coffee was one of the few indulgences she ever allowed herself. The coffee had a thick, earthy aroma and was no doubt brewed from high quality beans. Jacob had even given Jax what appeared to be a large, cold mutton, still on the bone. Jax moved to tear into the leg, panting excitedly. However, he quickly checked himself and stared up at Miah, ears lowered and his head low, waiting for approval. Miah, playing her part as Alpha, raised her eyebrows, open her mouth in an odd grin and made a sound resembling a 'yip': her best imitation of a content wolf's body language. Jax immediately began to tear into the mutton, ears now perked up and happy.

 

Taking a tentative from her cup, Miah addressed Jacob, asking,"When did you come back to the life of the lavish? Last time we were together, you were dirty, hadn't shaved in weeks, and broke."

 

In opposition to Miah and her wolf's stark opposition to their surroundings, Jacob seemed to be a chameleon, blending and shifting between both worlds. He exuded an easygoing, accepting aura, matched by a strong, sarcastic sense of humor and a keen mind. He didn't seem a bit awkward amid his admittedly modest finery. Still, one got the impression that he could have just have well done without it, as if he really could care less.

 

Miah had always loathed and loved that part of him. It was impossible to pry him open. You saw what he wanted you to see. No more, no less. To be sure, he was always authentic, but he seldom gave anyone the entire picture. He graced others with bits and pieces, scraps, pieces of the puzzle. Miah had the pleasure of seeing the entire picture more than others, but it was less than she would have liked.

 

"Business has been good. Koden has been getting more and more aggressive as of late." He sat with his fingers intertwined, shrugging as if to blow off the notion of any importance to his endeavors.

 

"So, you finally got the Privateer Contract?"

 

"Mmmhm." Jacob nodded, slow and assured.

 

"How?" Miah leaned forward in her chair. "Tirith has always outsourced to the Borvran providence."

 

"Borva has begun to back away as of late. Koden began to encroach on metal assets in Orin and with the marriage between the Farin and Shomeblast families, there's not much Borva can say about it."

 

"Wait, what?! Since when do the Farins ever crawl out of that trash heap they call home? They're usually too busy preaching about how shitty the rest of us are to peek outside their stain glass windows."

 

Jacob shrugged again. "Koden got to them somehow. How is anyone's best guess."

 

"Are you kidding me? Blackmail, obviously. They probably threatened to blab about how the Cleric's son is a horse fucker. They'd be ruined!"

 

"Perhaps. But how many would believe it? The Cleric's followers are close minded fundamentalists and you know it. Telling them the Derin has a secret fetish for saddles and riding crops would be like telling them the sun isn't going to rise tomorrow. They'd strike g you up and burn you at the rope. I could present the Cleric's son mounting the thing and the people would still come up with some bullshit about the devine beauty of a ass's ass. Then they would all jump on the bandwagon.

 

However they did it, Koden has Borva by the balls now, and they both know Koden isn't the least bit afraid to twist..."

 

"Damn..." Miah slumped back into her chair. "So now Tirith is looking closer to home?"

 

Another slow nod from Jacob.

 

"I don't like that."

 

"Neither do I, but for now I'm just happy for the sponsorships. If Koden does begin to overstep it's boundaries, that's just a bridge we'll have to burn when we come to it."

 

Miah crossed her arms and grumbled, "By the time they do, there won't be much Tirith can do about it."

 

Jacob arched an eyebrow. "Don't you think your underestimating the Wrestfarn Company just a tad? After all, they have put Koden in their place before."

 

Miah grumbled again, "I just don't like it... I know when something doesn't smell right."

 

She drank from her coffee. Then, for the first time in their conversation, Miah noticed Vixen and Aigis again. She hurriedly gulped down her coffee.

 

"Damn, I forgot, you have no idea what we're talking about!"

 

Jacob chuckled. "Allow me to clarify. There's a lot of boring politics and economics tied up in between it, but I'm essentially a pirate who is payed by the city-state of Tirith to attack ships from Koden, a rival city-state of Tirith. Koden and Tirith are the two major powerhouses on the Icrothian Sea and have always been at each other's throats. The fact that Koden has no problem with slave labor also factors into the equation. Tirith may be a city full of greedy business owners and merchants, but even rats have standards.

 

So, my job is to go out and disrupt Kodeian trade ships and, if the chance arises, liberate any slave ships. The rub is that Koden is not only a economic but also a military powerhouse. Very few people are brave or crazy enough to get on their bad-side. The only thing that had kept Koden from wiping Tirith off the map was the deal Tirith had with another city-state. Borva, being the city of general bad-asses that they are, protected Tirith for a certain fee. Tirith has deals with other cities as well, but Borva was their Ace in the Hole.

 

Now that Borva has been taken away from them, Tirith is in a tight spot. So, they hire guys like me to do their dirty work. It's not a bad job. It's exciting and my crew and I get to keep half of any plunder on the Kodeian ships."

 

Having told his piece, the Privateer leaned back in his chair, content that he had explained the short version of Icrothian politics fairly well. Then Miah spoke up.

 

"I'm here because, due to circumstances in the past which we don't have time to go into right now, a year ago we had to separate. I promised we'd see each other again in a year. I didn't, however, know he was staying here until about a month and a half ago. I was on my way here when I got wrapped up in your two's affairs."

 

"And those would be?" Jacob interrupted.

 

"I'll tell you later. As for you two, I see two options. Once again, you have the choice to leave now. I can understand that you have your own scores to settle and I won't get in the way of that. However, Jacob and I can offer you a good deal of protection, if you choose. He needs new crew members," the Captain nodded, " and, if my thinking is correct, the open sea is one of the safest places you two could get to. I'm no expert, but I don't think teleportation is THAT powerful."

 

"Teleportation?" Jacob asked, intrigued.

 

"Like I said, I'll tell you later. Anyway, you don't have to decided right now. We can house you for a few days and you, Vixen, still own me some new clothes. So, take your time and think it over."

 

Jacob laughed quickly. " She did that to your chest?" He did his best to bow in his chair, and, with a voice smothered in joking reverence, said, "Madam, the world owes you a great favor for bestowing these wonderful gifts upon the world. How can we ever thank you?"

 

"So help me Jacob, I will shove your my boot so far up your ass that by the time you shit it out it'll have gone in and out of style twice."

 

"That really means, 'Thank you Jacob, what a wonderfully nice thing to say about my womanly figure."

 

"Don't go to sleep..."

 

"I missed you too."

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Jax, the longer, the better.

 

And G, where are you!?!

Chloe - That cheerful girl with ponytail.

Aigis - The male cyborg that looks like raiden in MGR.

Vixen - Half dragon female who looks like Mary in DMC3 when in human form.

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