The Final Stand of Kauria

[DeletedUser37114]

Inn

The sound of footsteps clattered through the hallway as a young man dressed in the uniform of the inn's wait staff slipped past the two conversationalists. He'd brushed between them and just unlocked his door before glaring at the two of them and interrupting their conversation. "Could you two try to keep it down? People do live here, y'know. I mean, I heard about what happened to Feronia, and I've had a long day. Would be best if you didn't keep us up if you don't want me 'accidentally' wakin' you at that crack 'o dawn." Not that he thought he could get away with that, but he was a light sleeper and hated when guests hept him up by chatting in the halls right outside his room. "It's getting late anyway, so you two might just want to head to bed, if you're late to breakfast, we're not going to have anything 'til lunch." Adin or Dawn would almost certainly be able to pull something off anyway, but he also didn't like how those two would bend over backwards for customers like this. "Class acts, these folks are..." he muttered to himself, sliding into his room and fully intending to try to hit the sack immediately. Though if folks kept talking, he'd be more than happy to pop his head out as many times as he had to to get them to go to sleep.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

What a curious response. There was absolutely nothing in this Nuseni's life to convince Uwe that she had been numbed to death, yet she was, seemingly completely by choice. She took the choice that life was wasted on misery, and should be dedicated purely for the pursuit of joy and happiness, despite the fact that there were still things in life that put Tekki off her dinner. Surprisingly, the death of the mysterious Stillblood didn't qualify as stomach churning. "Now, that is quite interesting. Blood usually affects people negatively if you're not numb to it." Uwe shrugged and listened to what Tekki said next. Her unprofessional psychoanalysis determined that Feronia was the type to bottle up her feelings instead of sharing them. "Y'know, it may be better for some people if they bottle up their feelings. Without that need to rely on others, it'd be easier to carry on in life." Of course, Tekki had to then ask about Uwe's past, and why he was taking this random death in stride. "I've seen death before," Uwe responded with a sigh "Sure; I've traveled around the world. Well, part of it..." Before Uwe could continue, a very irritable staff member walked up, proclaimed that they were talking outside of his room, and firmly asked them to get to bed before entering his room with a starky comment uttered under his breath. "Right then, guess we can continue this conversation tomorrow," shrugged the merchant. "Unless you'd rather continue this conversation in one of our rooms. Don't think we'd disturb too many people" Uwe mirrored Tekki's pose and awaited her response. He didn't care either way, but he'd rather not anger any staff of the hotel he was hopefully going to supply, so staying in the hallway was definitely not an option.

 

[Apelatia]

Tekki smiled mischievously as Uwe made a comment about numbness to death and to blood in general. "There are other ways to guard yourself against such adverse reactions than to experience them many times yourself..." She spoke quickly before Uwe explained that he had experienced death before in his travels around the world. Her nuanced comment to extract information about the man himself seemed to have done the trick, however the explanation could not be completed as it would otherwise have been because of the arrival of a most grumpy and irritable member of the inn staff. "This inn seems to have its fair share of grumpy staff members, I must say..." Tekki commented quietly once the man had entered his room. Uwe then suggested that either they continue their conversation the next day or retreat to either of their rooms to continue. After a moment's silence, Tekki spoke up, though this time in a softer voice to before. "It would be best if we continued tomorrow. I have a busy day planned, and I need to make the most of my hard-won sleep." A short sigh followed, and Tekki started towards her room. After a few steps, she stopped however. After flashing a comforting smile, she spoke quietly, "I will see you tomorrow then Uwe! It has been a pleasure meeting you today, and I would be very much interested to hear more about these "travels around the world", and more particularly your experiences with death's door... The subject intrigues me greatly..." This said, Tekki inclined her head to the human before pacing the remaining distance to her room. Once there, she unlocked the door, and after stepping inside, closed it gently and locked it again. After a quick glance at the sculpture that she had collected during the day, she made herself comfortable in her bed. It did not take her long to fall asleep, as the exhaustion of the long day had certainly extracted a toll on her body. The sublime land of sleep was definitely needed to restore her depleted energy reserves...

 

[DeletedUser13682]

This Nuseni really was strange, very strange indeed. She hadn't been around freshly dead sentients, if at all, yet she claimed to not be sensitive to bloody spectacles such as those generated by a freshly dearmed Stillblood. What had happened to that woman to cause such a cheerful reaction? In some places, she would be locked up and treated for lunacy, but Uwe didn't think she was mad. Interesting, yes, but not mad. On Uwe's offer of continuing their conversation, Tekki regretfully denied, claiming that she would be extremely busy in the morrow. With what, Uwe knew not, but if he were a betting man, he would hazard a wager on her looking for new artistic curiosities, odds three to one against. "Well, I guess you're right," Uwe sighed with a shrug. I hope to learn more about you tomorrow as well. Until then, may your sleep be pleasant and filled with fluffy dreams." Uwe let off a two finger salute in response to Tekki's nod and entered his own room. His mind was a bit slower than his body, but immediately caught up when his eyes saw his bed. He had been involved in many trades, made a small profit, and secured a steady, well hopefully steady, barring extreme acts of nature, like a mountain exploding, source of white pepper and cumin for the inn, with the potential for more variety, should Adin choose that option. But that would have to wait for tomorrow. For now, it was time to sleep. The bed was so soft and inviting that it took all his strength to hang up his sword and dress down to his skivvies before hitting the sack. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Uwe was out, without even a chance to cover himself with the provided blanket.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Jokir watched with interest as Kat caught his balls and continued to juggle, before summoning her own balls and continuing on, sending his balls back to him (which he let dissipate back into shadow) and her show moved towards an unstoppable climax, ending in the flames combining into a single burst, the bright light almost blinding the Shade. As the light extinguished itself, Kat pulled the covers over herself and rolled over, attempting to go to sleep. As she instructed him to find a place he was comfortable with, Jokir resisted the urge to chuckle, reminding himself that she did not know of Shade culture. "I have no need of rest and thus I shall leave you in peace. I am sure we will see one another again though, come the rising of the sun." With that, Jokir silently opened the hole in the roof and slipped out, replacing it before the shadows of the night rippled around him and he was cloaked in darkness. He ran silently across the rooftops, his feet flowing across the surface producing no noise. He ran through the city, passing the night by exercising. He had little need of doing such things, Shades found it relatively easy to stay in shape since their main source of sustenance were the shadows which served as the lifeblood of a Shade, meaning it was difficult for a Shade to become overweight. Still, he enjoyed the workout and the more difficult, more precise challenges he set himself ensured he did not lose the skills he had worked hard to obtain. He ended his circuit, arriving back at the rooftop of the Kitsune shortly before dawn. He practiced summoning several things and manipulating, seeing how far he could extend the blades. Faded slightly due to his own over-exertion, he lifted the slat silently and slipped inside, replacing it again. Moving across, he leant against a wall and observed the sleeping Kitsune, thinking quietly to himself and awaiting her rejoining the land of the awake.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The apartment was pretty much what Drael had been expecting, a small yet comfortable two bedroom building decorated in a close approximation to Dramoran style that never quite managed what they aimed to do leading Drael to suspect that no Dramoran had had any input whatsoever in its creation. But the beds were comfortable that was the main thing and Drael very quickly found himself falling asleep once he’d put his sister to bed in the next door room.

With the early morning light that seeped through the bedroom blinds causing him to awaken before his sister, or indeed most people not required to work this day Drael had gotten dressed and left the apartment after discovering that as he’d suspected last night that there was next to no food within the building.
Wandered the streets almost aimlessly, enjoying the sensation of having the place practically to himself as he browsed the shops and markets stalls that had opened in order to take advantage of such early rising customers Drael mentally composed a list of what he would need, making the most out of the novelty of doing his own shopping for a change.
With his purse now somewhat heavier with the addition of what felt like his own body weight in Torpolis silver that he’d received in change, Drael returned to the apartment and started cooking his breakfast with the smell of bacon causing his sister to rise and join him in the kitchen within minutes of it hitting the pan “Oh my god that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever smelt, I am starving” Draenor sighed as she eagerly peered into the pan “I am not surprised... you missed dinner and lost all of your lunch last night” Drael replied with a grin that caused his sister to go red with embarrassment.
Sitting themselves at the tiny kitchen table they eagerly tucked into what was as close to a traditional Dramoran breakfast as Drael could make with what he could find in town. Apparently there was much of a market for many of the more exotic foodstuffs eaten within Dramor, but Drael felt that the fried chicken eggs, local mushrooms and what the butcher had called Black Pudding more than made up for what he couldn’t find. Though he decided that perhaps it’d be for the best if he didn’t tell his sister what was used to make the Black pudding.
Once they had finished eating the siblings had enough time to wash up before then departing for the games where Drael hoped he would be able to speak with Srilm, reasoning that the Drinden matriarch would possess the answers to Feronia’s questions and hopefully some of his own too.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

Kat
As she lost consciousness, Kat heard Jokir say something about not needing rest and that he'd leave her for the night. "If you were going to just leave, why did you follow me back here...?" she mumbled to herself, drifting off to dreamland. When she awoke, it was not too long after the sun peeked high enough over the horizon to shine a little light into her hideout. Jokir was still there, as if he hadn't left during the night and Kat sat up, rubbing her eyes blearily. The Shade still being there after she'd ensured that she was awake meant that he'd come back at some point during the night and... "Do you always watch people while they sleep?" she asked. Her tone wasn't accusatory, more flavored with curiosity than frustration. She wasn't really that annoyed that he'd watched her as she slept and hadn't woken her, though she was a light sleeper, but she'd thought he'd join her later in the day, not right when she woke up. She waited for Jokir's reply before sighing and rolling out of her blankets, gently shouldering Jokir aside in order to get out of her hideout and relieve herself. She still wasn't quite awake when she made it back, but the activity was enough. "You have any plans for today, then?" she inquired of her companion. "Because I'm not going to do anything special to keep you entertained and you're free to go if you don't want to stick around." She'd just planned on resuming her activities from the day before, the money that she'd gotten being more than enough to keep her fed until the end of the games. The events themselves didn't interest her, but she wouldn't be against watching for a little while, at least.

Inn
As dawn broke on the inn, the employees, minus Feronia by order of Adin, started the routine of breakfast for whichever customers were up at that hour. The meal was relatively simple fare, though the quality was quite good thanks to the business' relative prosperity. A few passersby trickled into the inn for the food, mostly those who were simply looking for food at the early hour. A few guards who were regular visitors dropping in before their duties began. A six tailed Kitsune with a bloody bandage that looked like it used to be a piece of clothing wrapped around her head practically nodding off where she sat with an empty set of plates. A cloaked Havren in roughed up armor simply nursing a mug of tea and quietly keeping an eye on the guards, who were mostly oblivious of the observation. A couple members of the waitstaff circulated among the customers, managed by a surprisingly alert Dawn. Despite the occupants, the room still managed to look downright empty in comparison to the bustling crowd from the night before, a stark contrast for anyone who had grabbed rooms the night before. A small area near the entrance was cordoned off, bloodstains on the floor marking where the body of the Stillblood had been removed.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Feronia woke fairly early, used to getting up to start working. Knowing what she'd find, she peered over at the door to the hallway. Yep, there was a note there. Every time he thought she wouldn't be able to work for whatever reason a note was slid under her door, telling her to sleep in, or perhaps take the day off. She didn't want to…she wasn't sick, damn it! Adin would require her to at least sleep in though, so she attempted to return to her slumber. After a while all she'd managed was to thoroughly screw up her sheets tossing and turning. Great…just great…she couldn't go back to sleep. Grumbling, she rose and headed for the small bathroom. The magically heated tub's water was fresh as she hadn't used it the previous night, and in a couple of quick movements she was in the basin. Ahh, this was nice…definitely a perk of a higher quality inn, even if she worked there. For a time, she just soaked in the tub, for not only was the water enjoyable, but she also couldn't tell her legs weren't lined up together when they were surrounded by the liquid. Eventually though, the Stillblood figured it was time to do something productive…she wanted to be busy…keep her mind off the events of last night.

Slipping into a fresh suit, leaving the bloody one where it lay until she had a chance to ask Adin what to do with it, Feronia went off in search of her boss. She found him at the front desk as per usual, looking up at her with a frown. "I thought I told you to stay in bed?" he asked, not accusatory but not pleased either. "I waited as much as I could…I want to work, it'll help me keep my mind off things." The Stillblood's tone was slightly insolent, but honesty was prevalent as well. "I don't want you working just to distract yourself…why not go and enjoy the activities in the city?" "I don't have any desire to do any of that…it's all boring and there's far too many people for it to be fun even if it was in the first place. Come on, let me at least do something…I'll friggen take it easy if you want, but at least let me work." Adin sighed, rubbing his eyes in irritation. "Alright, alright, you win, you win…go help Dawn, but I'll be making sure you don't push yourself…I don't care what you say, you're not going to work yourself to death to get through every issue." The Stillblood stopped her triumphant limping away to turn back to her employer, a strange look on her face. When she spoke, her voice was hesitant, uncertain, and a little afraid. "You aren't my dad, why do you care so much? I want to work to help your inn…why are you so concerned about my well-being?" She turned and continued on into the bar portion of the inn without waiting for a response, leaving a slightly stricken Adin behind her. Once inside, she busied herself with the tasks Dawn gave her, though it was clear that she was thinking along the same lines as her husband…frustrating, but at least she was letting her help somehow…

-----------------------------------

Drael and Draenor found Srilm and her retinue in the same box they'd been in the previous day. The Drinden Matriarch nodded to them warmly as they arrived, moving to speak to them as soon as it was prudent. "Good morning to the both of you…I wanted to thank you for your aid…most of your people that you gave to us to help with the fires are already working…their pure physical prowess has helped us save acres of forest already, and I'm sure it will ultimately help us save many more. Thank you for that." The woman's expression turned a little less sunny as she added, "we still don't know what caused Vulx to explode…we're fairly confident it wasn't something natural, as my people would have had some sort of warning…but we can't pick up anything magical in the area either. Have you heard anything, even if it's a rumor you happened to glean while walking around Torpolis?"

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Jokir chuckled as Kat asked if he watched people whilst they slept. "No... Usually I'm long gone by the time people awake." As she went to relieve herself, he let her pass and as he stood there, he considered why he was actually still here. It was unlike him... still, it had been a while since he'd had some company and he decided eventually that it was probably due to the fact that he was just enjoying himself more than he had been whilst he was alone. As she returned to her cubby-hole she asked if he had any plans for the day. Jokir nodded and responded to the girl, his voice reasoned out as if his plan was entirely natural. "I'm going to break into the ambassadorial offices, I scoped them out during the night and the paperwork is much to heavy to bother waiting for it, and speak to the Shade representative about the vision that our race received. He'll have probably left a window open somewhere if he's a sensible ambassador considering that I likely won't be alone. You can come with if you want, I doubt you've ever seen a Shade disappear, have you?" Jokir appeared to be deadly serious in his speech and he was in fact telling the truth. He wanted to know more about what he had seen and their representative was likely the best source of official information. The representative would know any self respecting Shade (and particularly someone like him) wouldn't be bothered to wait around for pointless bureaucracy and so he should have left a window open or something so that the Shade could just quickly enter the ambassadorial embassy, speak to their representative and get out again. Who knows, maybe his skills might actually be needed. He was still a while away from the challenge years (probably another 20 cycles or so) but he'd be more than happy to assist if there was some way that he could do so.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

It wasn't anything more than a closing door, or a rattling shutter, or the bark of a small dog, but all these things caused Uwe to wake up with a start and grope blindly in the dark for his sword. This happened to Uwe several times during the night, always waking him in the middle of a dream. Course, not all dreams were pleasant, and the sudden wakening was a welcome relief, but most of Uwe's dreams weren't bad, some downright and thoroughly enjoyable, and the numerous slumber interruptions stacked up, and when the sun began to shine through the window, Uwe still possessed much sleepiness. Fortunately, he had something in his sack to help remove, or at least lessen the load of, that sleepiness. There were certain tools and materials that when used properly would create an item able to keep a person awake for hours. These items, including a mortar and pestle, a very small pot of glass and brass with a narrow mouth and a long handle, simple water, and the seeds of a certain berry. The berry was finely powdered and mixed with the water, then placed on a heat source. Usually, Uwe would use a campfire, but this place had warm magic, providing a more even heat to the pot. As soon as the mixture was boiling, the pot was removed from the heat and the foam allowed to settle. This process was performed twice more, the contents slowly poured directly into a cup after the third boil. It was sipped while hot and almost immediately introduced much wakefulness into a person. After Uwe's cup was complete, it was time to begin the day. After a quick inventory check, Uwe headed out, with a quick morning to Adin and a half glance at the bloodspots on the floor. Hopefully the constabulary would be done with them soon so they could be removed, lifting the pallor of depression from the place. The day of trading would be good, and global commerce would take a leap forward. With so many different nationalities in one place, it would be easy and quick to make deals, a process that normally took months to complete, due to immense travel times. There were rumors about the development of teleportation, but until that was a reality, the Unity Games were the only time that international deals could be easily made, deals that Uwe hoped would bring him much profit.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

It would appear that Srilm was none the wiser as to the cause of the mountains explosion than she had been on the previous day, which was a shame considering what had been asked of him. Upon being asked whether he had heard of any rumours that could relate to this Drael took a step closer to the matriarch so as to speak with her more privately "there was an...incident...at a local tavern last night, a young Stillblood was told by another of her race that they were being threatened with extinction and that the girl had to stop it...he intimated that this threat originated from Vulx" Drael didn't know what she would make of this piece of information but from the tone of voice he used she'd at least be able to discern that this no mere jest.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

Katarina
As the nutcase laid out his insane plan, Kat sighed and put her head in her hands. She hadn't intended to break any laws during the games, everyone knew the police cracked down twice as hard, plus the man was worrying about something he almost certainly couldn't do anything about. Unless there was something fairly significant he wasn't telling her, of course. He could also be pulling her leg, of course, wouldn't be the first time, but something told her that he was being sincere. Nutty but sincere was pretty much the usual with this Shade. "I've never seen a Shade disappear before, no..." she said slowly while thinking through what to say next. "...But are you sure this is the best thing to do? I mean, what's there to talk with the ambassador about? 'Oh, yes, I got the same vision as you and apparently our entire race and just wanted to pop in and chat about it'..." She gave Jokir a level, steady stare as she said this, keeping eye contact. "And then you get arrested because the guards are all on high alert..." She doubted that part, she'd seen him in action, but she needed to talk sense, not more insanity. "Why waste your time getting in contact with someone who already knows better than us what to do?" That's the biggest question for Kat at the moment and one that was making her suspect that this Shade was a lot more used to being listened to and obeyed than his circumstances should have implied. Why go bug the leader of your race if you don't have anything additional to add?

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Srilm's interest was piqued as Drael stepped close to her…apparently he didn't want what he had to say being overheard. He briefly detailed an incident at an inn last night involving a Stillblood telling another that something from Vulx was going to end their race. This was a little perplexing…the Dramoran was treating this like it was life-shattering news…it sounded more to her that the one Stillblood had been trying to scare the other one…they somehow got word that Vulx had exploded and were trying to make it seem bigger than it was, which wasn't exactly polite, but…with a slight frown on her face, the Drinden Matriarch responded, "I can assure you that we haven't seen anything emerging from the mountain other than fire and rocks…I don't know where your Stillblood got his information from but I think he was just trying to scare his younger friend. I appreciate your caution in matters pertaining to the explosion, but I'm sure rumors will be abounding in the weeks to come." With this matter seemingly settled, the Matriarch turned to go sit, then stopped. "If you don't mind, I'd like to sit with you today…my retinue aren't going to be nearly as interesting as talking with you is likely to be, and I have to talk to them all the time. And," here she smiled slightly in a knowing manner, "I promise not to bore you with talk of nature all day. Sound reasonable to you?"

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Feronia had had a slow morning, partially because the inn was slow itself due to the Games and surrounding festivities, and partially because it was clear that Adin and Dawn were going out of their way to not have her work too hard, which was frustrating…she wanted to work…and they weren't letting her. More than a little disgruntled by this, she decided to take matters into her own hands…there was a Kitsune sleeping at one of the tables…she hadn't been bothered until now because it was slow, but the inn's policy was you could stay as long as you liked…so long as you were awake. She approached the sleeping woman, noting that her head was wrapped in a bloody bandage on one side…what had happened to her? The Stillblood gently shook the Kitsune awake before inquiring, "Is there something I can do for you?" Not the most aptly worded question, but she didn't want to assume food or drink…a fresh bandage or someone to talk to could also be on the menu…Adin was big on getting to know customers, and encouraged his staff to do the same, especially when it was this slow. Her expression was a little concerned as she waited for a response…after all, the woman had fallen asleep in the morning with a bloody head…who wouldn't be a little worried by that?

 

[DeletedUser28032]

“Well all I can say is that if it was a joke then he went to rather extreme measures in order to make it convincing...someone had cut his arm off, Clean, and he subsequently bled to death...quite an achievement for a Stillblood really” Drael continued, speaking of the man’s brutal murder in the same casual tones that others would use to discuss the weather. The Dramoran noble seemingly more interested in the fact that the Stillblood had bled to death than the fact that he had been brutally murdered. However if she said it had no bearing upon what was happening at Vulx then he was happy enough to accept and relay that information to Feronia when he next saw her.
Moving on to the subject of the Matriarch joining them with barely a pause Drael offers the woman a short bow before speaking in formal tones “By all means, we’d be happy for you to join us...and I promise to keep talk of our rather violent internal politics to a minimum” he said before showing her to one of the seats within their box “Perhaps you would be able to enlighten us on the event taking place below us...Am I correct in assuming that the aim is to actually hit the marshals with the javelin?”

 

[Apelatia]

Today had the potential to be both an exciting and perhaps also an intriguing day, or so Tekki told herself as she made her way down the staircase to the ground floor of the inn. Being an early riser, she had stuck to her usual waking time, despite having far less sleep the night past than would have been ideal. It had not taken her very long to wash and then make herself presentable before heading down and out of the door. Having sampled the food of the inn the previous night, she had decided since rising that for breakfast she would find a small cafe or similar place where she could treat herself to something new and unique. After all, one of the absolute necessities when visiting a new place was to sample as much of the different types of cuisine as she possibly could! As she emerged onto the side street on which the inn was situated, she took a moment to get her bearings. Being still early in the day, the road was far quieter than it had been the previous afternoon, but even at this time there were people bustling around. Torpolis during the Games season was definitely never going to be a tranquil place... That was for sure.

Her plans for the day firmly fixed within her mind, Tekki set off down the street in the opposite direction to that which she had come from the previous day to reach the inn. She had decided whilst walking down the stairs that her day would consist mainly of sampling new foods and watching the Games. On top of this, she also intended to gather scraps of information about life in Torpolis, the intricacies of the different cultures which had all converged on the place, and if she was fortunate enough, news about the strange happenings of the evening before, namely the earthquake and the death of the Stillblood. She doubted that any news would come from the Nuseni capital to inform her of anything drastic having happened. She was one of the more minor members of the council, and as such it was less vital that she knew about matters at the exact moment they were taking place. Therefore, it was her duty to find out what she could from the gossip fountain that was Torpolis. These thoughts wafted through her mind as Tekki ambled into a small parlour which she had discovered near to a relatively busy crossroads. Perhaps this location would serve breakfast? Catching the eye of what she presumed was a staff member, she called a cheerful, "Good morning!" before making her way over to talk to them. Still in the same joyful voice, she spoke, "Hello! I was wondering if you served breakfast here? I'm ravenous and would love to try out something if you are serving!" This said, Tekki continued to smile while she waited for a response, if one was forthcoming...

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Jokir laughed to himself as Kat buried her face in her hands, apparently despairing at his plans. It was fun, talking with someone who was unaware of the facts of the situation. As the girl spoke, he realised where she had gone wrong and opted to point them out. "I'm not going to inform him of the situation, that would indeed be foolish. I'm going to ask what needs doing..." The Shade paused for a second, considering his words carefully. "In our culture, during times of issue and crisis it is those towards the Cycle who have already experienced the beauty of the world and know what it is they stand to protect that fight. As we mature we gain our strength, becoming practiced in the art of living and we utilise that skill for the betterment of the world. I guarantee I will not be alone in this regard and the ambassador has probably already informed the palace guard. You can come with me if you choose to or you can go a separate way, it matters not to me, I merely enjoy the company after such a long period walking a solitary road..." With his piece said, Jokir exited the building and set off across the rooftops, quickly making his way across the city to the ambassadorial offices. Unsurprisingly security was particularly on one side of the building and a window had been left open. Joining the street Jokir walked towards the building amongst the crowd as he shimmered and then vanished from existence. No sign of his presence could be felt as he quickly climbed the side of the building and entered through the window, turning left and walking down the corridor towards what was marked as the offices of the ambassador. Shimmering back into vision he walked straight into the offices of the Shade, having checked earlier ensuring that the woman was not already in a meeting. "Greetings, one of responsibility [Shade term for ambassadors]" He spoke softly in the smooth flowing tongue that was easily recognisable of that of the Shades, with a tone of respect that was clearly reserved for those Jokir considered to be of significant importance. "As the events of the preceding day bear upon your mind, I offer my services in the continuing of the tasks of our kind. Surely as the source power [moon] reigned over the sky in the hours of soul [night time], my Cycle felt pulled towards [It's a shade expression that is similar to saying that you can't stop thinking about something] the life force [He means the vision] in which we were entrusted. What has been revealed of the occurrence of the Cycle [What information is there?] and how should we shift to respond? [Shade culture works on a idea of the Cycle existing and as people take actions the flow of the Cycle shifts in response, he's asking what needs to be done essentially]"

(OOC: I'm writing a literal translation of what Jokir is saying, hence some of the strange phrases. The parts in square brackets are not said, they're what he means)

 

[DeletedUser37114]

(OoC: Hopefully this can help get some things going again, apologies for letting it sit this long)

Katarina
The Shade continued to spout near-nonsense about how he would go find out what needed doing, as if there weren't already people closer to the disaster with more ability to provide help. She would have been surprised if there weren't a whole army of Drinden there within an hour. Nevertheless, this guy wanted to help, which was nice of him. Though why he couldn't just figure out what to do on his own with all his years of experience, she had no clue. ...And now he was out of her hideout and off without a further word. With a quiet curse, Kat was off and after him, wondering why she was following someone with an overdeveloped sense of what he could help with and a complete lack of initiative. "Come with me or go a separate way," she muttered as she ran. "It matters not to me, I'll just be consulting the leader on my race on what I can do about an exploding mountain that the Drinden probably have bottled up again by now..." She stopped outside the capitol building, a place made of lovingly shaped wood that twisted and sprawled upward into the trunk of the biggest tree Kat had ever seen. Guards were conspicuously absent in one area and an open window marked a spot for anyone stupid enough to risk popping in on the ambassador that worked in that area to make their entrance. Normally, even that would have been just an invitation for any would-be invader to get caught by one of the numerous warding runes she knew dotted potential entrances, but she suspected even those had been disabled. Insanity was apparently a trait that all Shades shared.

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Jokir
Hevet was having a pretty good day. The cloying security she had been assigned was gone, or mostly gone, with the explanation that visitors would be flowing in throughout the day and she didn't want to bother checking them all through. Why she had to put up with that sort of idiocy, she didn't really know; nobody had any reason to target her, even as the ambassador for the Shades, and it left her without the freedom she was used to. She'd had the chance to get quite a lot of paperwork done, thanks to the peaceful silence broken only by the intermittent visits from Shades looking for directions concerning the vision from yesterday. And best of all, the latest news from Vulx was that efforts at containing the blazes and dangers of the disaster were working better than expected, with the unexpected assistance of a number of Dremora. More often than not, unless a visiting Shade had some specific ability to travel quickly or greatly assist in containing the fire, she simply told them that the disaster was well on its way to being contained and that they could make the journey to assist only if they could accept that there was little left to do not already being done. As was the case with the newest arrival to her office. "Your offer is welcome, Defender of the Cycle," she responded in the same language. "But this event's influence on the Cycle is waning, as it has been revealed that the disaster handled well by those closer to it. If you wish to involve your Cycle with that of the mountain, I will not stop you, but my Cycle tells me that you will find little to do in accordance with your talents. It may be best to simply stay here in Toropolis instead."

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Inn
"Is there anything I can do for you?" The words and a gentle shaking were all it took to startle the Kitsune back into wakefulness. She'd been so careful to try to stay awake since she'd arrived, but with food in her belly and a warm, safe place to sit in, not even the dull ache of her missing ear could keep her awake any longer. Which was why, of course, someone was waking her up, to tell her to get a room or get out, the same way any inn she was familiar with would. Though that wasn't quite right, the question had been polite and the voice sounded familiar... The Kitsune opened her eyes suddenly and stared in shock at the woman in front of her. "Roni?" she croaked, blinking sleep out of her eyes. Then she peered closer and shook her head, hope, disappointment, anger, and sadness all crossing her expression before she smoothed it into a polite mask. "Sorry, reminded me of... someone I knew. I'm fine, just... waiting for someone."

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

(Johann, I'm not entirely sure what to write for you, if you could either go again or PM me or Autumn with what kind of business you're working towards I'd really appreciate it)

The hurt Kitsune woke, seeming to think Feronia was someone she knew, which didn't make sense…there didn't seem to be that much of an age gap between them, but the Stillblood had never seen her before. However, the woman seemed to recognize this as well, apologizing and proceeding to say she was waiting for someone. The momentary disappointment in her face as she saw that Feronia wasn't her friend was a little hard to take though, she'd really been hoping that she'd been this Roni person. "It's fine, don't worry about it," the gray haired girl replied. "Is there something I can do for you though? Food, drink…if you need a change of bandages I can get that…or if you just want someone to talk to, I'm technically not supposed to be working today, and it's not like we have many people right now because of the games…" She wasn't sure what the Kitsune would want, but having something to occupy her time and distract from the events of last night would be wonderful…and besides, it was hard not to feel bad for someone who was hurt who was just wanting to see a friend…

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Stadium

Srilm was fairly taken aback by Drael's response to her dismissing the Stillblood case as a prank. "He…died due to his arm being ripped off?" she repeated, aghast. "And he blamed Vulx' explosion? Saying something…this might be more serious than I thought…I'll have to send a message to the forces putting out the fires to be careful…I still don't see how they're linked, but if the man died trying to talk about it, they were either delirious with pain or they were telling the truth…and I don't want to risk anything, not when the fire's doing enough damage as it is…" The Dramoran turned conversation to the upcoming event, and it took all of the Drinden Matriarch's will not to laugh at the assumption of what the goal was. "No, the goal is to throw the javelin farther than anyone else. It's a matter of skill, power, and precision, but aiming for distance rather than accuracy." She sat quietly for a moment, then spoke up. "I sent the message…no one reported seeing anything that could tear someone's arm off, but they're going to keep an eye out." Srilm frowned. "I don't know what it could have been…something that's bad enough to threaten the entire Stillblood race, apparently, though if it's that dangerous it's dangerous to us all…I'm hoping he was delusional from blood loss, as bad as that is to say…I don't want to consider the alternative…"

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Restaurant

A hulking Nyf with short gray fur greeted Tekki as she boisterously announced her presence. "Good morning to you, ma'am," he said politely, his voice deep and flat, easy to understand and pleasant to the ear. "We do have breakfast still being served, so if you'd follow me I'll show you to a table." The furry being led the Nuseni to one of many empty tables, no doubt vacant because of the games drawing attention. "As I'm sure you're aware, we specialize in frozen goods, and our breakfast selection is all manner of juice mixed with ice and small pieces of that fruit mixed into a drink. You pick the fruit, we do the rest. If you'd like we can mix greens and other nutrients in as well, and I promise you it doesn't affect the flavor and you won't notice they're there. What can I get for you?" His personality was pleasant and professional, fitting the stereotype of his race being diplomats. He smiled politely as he waited for Tekki's decision, in no rush as there were no other customers for the moment to distract him.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Jokir listened to the flowing tones of the ambassador thinking it had been far too long since he had conversed with anyone, let alone in his own language. As she finished, the Shade paused for a moment, a smooth graceful silence before he spoke. "This disturbance of the Cycle troubles me, however, I am glad to hear that its course is being corrected. I shall remain present here and shall enjoy some of the events. May your cycle flow ever smoothly." As the ambassador finished the parting phrase, Jokir bowed as a sign of gratefulness to the ambassador and, as he straightened, he vanished from sight, the ambassador unable to detect his presence. Jokir slipped out of the building he saw Katarina sitting on a lower window and he found himself unable to resist. With a grin he launched himself from the rim of the window and flew through the air, landing and silently rolling but an inch or two away from the Kitsune. It was near mid-day so hopefully she hadn't seen the slight shimmer of light that he would give off mid flight (something near impercetible unless you knew what you were looking for and at) as he faded silently back into existence behind her. He turned around and softly spoke but loud enough so that she could hear. "Looking for someone?". He watched her reaction, grinning at her surprise as she reacted to his unexpected presence.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

(I'm not actually thinking that I'm having a plan, just trying to evolutionize global commerce and such until the RP advances. But I'll throw myself back in; I'll be here for awhile so I can afford to do that.)

"I'm not certain that I can actually do that," sighed a skeptical Uwe, setting down his pencil and notepad. "I've already put myself in the middle of a haul during that time. The earliest I can do it is a month later. I have to leave wiggle room for unforseen consequences. Besides, I've also got a new route into Nuseni waters." The shopkeeper, an armored Havren, laughed and adjusted a few numbers on his own tablet and offered the readvized proposal. "We both know that wiggle room is just to provide you some time for leasure activities. Fine, then how about this? Will this fit your oh so busy schedule?" Uwe picked up his pad and pencil again and performed a couple caluclations. "Yeah, that'll work, but I'll get less time then I feel 100% comfortable with. But I think these are worth the risk. I'll take one with me today, and pick up the rst when I arrive at the manufacturing site later this year. I'll see you in a couple days." Uwe waved and alighted from the store into the busy street. It seemed that he had joined the crowds from a game that had just let out; most were talking about the distances thrown disks had gone or how tall people had leapt. It sounded like they all had fun watching these games, and there were quite a few people who had enjoyed tasty snicks. There might be something there, but there was probably some permit required to sell in the stadium anyway, and it would probably be too late to get one anyway. Uwe was also already stretching himself to make his plan in international commerce a reality; he didn't have time to dilute his plans with a wild goose chase to sell tasty snacks to Games goers. This pan was more important than that. The plan was fairly simple; advance the world through closer economic ties with the rest of the nations of the world. This would also create interdependence between the different regions, and make potential conflicts less likely. With the present geopolitial climate, international conflict wasn't very likely, but that situation had no guarantee. The Unity Games were the biggest symbol of the present climate of competition, but there was no law requiring them to happen. Despite the vast income that anyone who completed the task would gain, it hadn't happened before. Uwe researched why, and it seemed that most merchants didn't consider the task worth the time and effort. They were content with a regional economic ecosystem. Uwe, of course, had slightly more reason than most merchants to make that dream a reality, and so far it was working. Looking up at the Sun's position, Uwe noticed that it was nearly time for lunch, and Uwe slipped into a nearby shop whose sign contained nothing but a pictoglyph of what was hopefully a cup on a saucer giving off three lines of steam. "Hey! You have any coffee here?" asked Uwe as he entered the shop. "And do you value your customers's safety? I've got something I think you may be interested in."