Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 20, 2010 16:29:55 GMT -5
The wind tugged fitfully on long hair, playing with the edge of a dark cloak as it moaned mournfully. Dark eyes, mostly hidden for the moment in shadow, looked over the bazaar. Normally bright and cheerful, the overcast sky gave a dark and evil cast to the carnival-clash of colors. Everyone seemed to have chosen dark and somber colors, and even the children were rather quiet. His hair caught the faint sunlight slightly, shining gold before the hidden figure tucked it behind an ear. Finally, he moved forward out of the shadow. His own clothes matched the somber mood, mud-splattered as they were, but his hair seemed to glow almost despite the faint light.
The crowd seemed determined to ignore him, which suited him just fine. He leaned against a wall, watching the people go by. The wind continued to tangle his hair, pulling loose strands tightly around the rather elaborate braids in his long hair. He huffed a sigh and pulled his hair over one shoulder, still just watching the people doing on.
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Jaebi Lyckander
Keme
Academy Freshman: Cheetah Shapeshifter
This secret side of me, hid under lock and key; I keep it caged but I can't control it.
Posts: 200
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Post by Jaebi Lyckander on Sept 20, 2010 16:51:06 GMT -5
Jaebi shivered in the wind. The unseasonable chill went right through his cloak and clothing, and he ducked beneath the relative shelter of a food stall's awning as he glanced around at the people passing by. He tried to keep from meeting anyone's eye, but every so often it would happen. Jaebi hung his head in a slouch, hastily averting his gaze after accidentally making eye contact with a short-haired maiden who walked with an aged, gangly man who could only be her grandfather.
The food vendor, Jaebi now realized, had been watching him for a while. He offered him some form of meat on a stick. Jaebi declined as politely as he could and scooted back out into the crowd, keeping to the edges of the throng as best he could without stepping on anyone. Which meant that he ended up keeping close to the walls. Really, it seemed a smart idea at the time.
Until he bumped rather roughly into someone.
Jaebi let out a short bark of surprise and drew himself to his full height, head and shoulders above the bulk of the crowd.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 20, 2010 17:04:38 GMT -5
The Elf stumbled when he was hit unexpectedly from behind, then spun around to see who had hit him. One hand rested on his purse, and the other held a knife that seemed to have appeared from thin air. Then he looked up at the man who'd crashed into him and blinked. As much as he stood over the people around them, so this man stood over him.
He backed up a step, giving himself a bit more room and allowing him to look at the man without craning his neck so much. "I would ask if you were blind, but I suppose I can understand now why you would bump into me so easily," he said, his voice just loud enough to carry to the other man.
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Jaebi Lyckander
Keme
Academy Freshman: Cheetah Shapeshifter
This secret side of me, hid under lock and key; I keep it caged but I can't control it.
Posts: 200
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Post by Jaebi Lyckander on Sept 20, 2010 17:16:33 GMT -5
Jaebi gave a half-smile, ducking his head a bit now that his surprise had ebbed away. My, but this stranger had interesting hair. It was like gold, and he had a facial structure that, like Jaebi's, marked him as an outsider. The stranger's was sculpted much differently, though. Where Jaebi had the blood of a foreigner, his was still human. The man before him, however, could not be.
"I wasn't paying attention," he admitted. "My apolo--"
Halfway through Jaebi's apology, there was a scuffle from the edge of the throng, and a shopper fell at Jaebi's feet. It was the same thin old man as he had seen before. Jaebi stooped to help him up, glancing at the crowd to see what had caused him to fall.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 20, 2010 17:35:48 GMT -5
Aravilui's sharp eyes scanned the crowd as well, narrowed sharply. He spared half a glance toward the old man, long enough to decide he was basically unhurt and well taken care of by the tall stranger. He flipped his hood up, tucking his hair back to hide it as he crouched enough to blend into the crowd.
It didn't take long to discover who had knocked the old man over. The young girl was hitting a man who held her hand, a man who was dressed the same as many around them; a uniform. Aravilui didn't know the lord's livery, but it was either the guards or a well-organized mercenary troope. Aravilui stood straight and came forward.
"Is there a problem?" he asked smoothly.
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Jaebi Lyckander
Keme
Academy Freshman: Cheetah Shapeshifter
This secret side of me, hid under lock and key; I keep it caged but I can't control it.
Posts: 200
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Post by Jaebi Lyckander on Sept 20, 2010 18:14:31 GMT -5
Jaebi straightened and gave the old man a gentle nudge towards the nearest doorway before moving to stand by the elf-- for that was the only thing that the blonde man could be, Jaebi reasoned.
The uniformed male looked at them. His commanding sneer fell a bit when he realized who had spoken.
And it fell a bit more when he craned his neck back to look up at his impromptu companion.
"A pickpocket," he announced, fighting to regain the authority in his voice. "Miserable thing was working the crowd. I saw her with my own eyes."
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Dominic Hawk
Ireth
The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars...
Posts: 14
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Post by Dominic Hawk on Sept 20, 2010 18:41:53 GMT -5
Dominic watched the scene unfold in silence, his eyes full of curiosity at the strange pairing of the elf (he had been unsure at first what he was, but his voice had given it away) and the much taller man. He had seen the girl before, picking up someone's dropped wares and returning them to the correct cart. She certainly hadn't stolen anything. It wouldn't do to stand by and let her be punished unjustly.
He stepped forward smoothly, looking the uniform-clad man in the eye. "That's not what I saw. She was returning some dropped goods to a cart. Let her go in peace; she's done nothing wrong."
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Sept 21, 2010 0:05:44 GMT -5
Aravilui glanced at the other human. He was rather tall for his kind, though not like this first at his side. Then he turned back to the uniformed man. "I too have been keeping a close eye on things here. The only disturbance I have heard is that you have caused."
He noticed out of the corner of his eye the way the three of them were being surrounded by the other men he'd noticed earlier, and the crowd was rapidly moving well away from them. He drew his other dagger discreetly, though both were hidden well in his palms. No need to start the fight he was preparing for. His dark eyes glanced around again, marking where everyone was. Six men outside of the first forming a circle around them, his two erstwhile companions on either side of him, and the girl still held by the first in front of them.
When this fight started, the first goal would be to get the girl out of range. Then he would worry about getting the rest of them out. These two men seemed well-able to take care of themselves, after all.
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Dominic Hawk
Ireth
The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars...
Posts: 14
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Post by Dominic Hawk on Sept 21, 2010 18:55:45 GMT -5
Dominic tensed when he realized he and his companions were being surrounded by several men in uniforms. His blue eyes narrowed as his gaze flickered back and forth between the lot of them, getting a sense of their number, and his hands slowly closed into fists. Apart from the girl and the man who held her, they were outnumbered two to one. It could have been worse.
He glanced at the hooded stranger and moved slowly to stand back-to-back with him and the much taller man. Unless these two had eyes in the backs of their heads, they would be more vulnerable if they all faced the same direction.
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Jaebi Lyckander
Keme
Academy Freshman: Cheetah Shapeshifter
This secret side of me, hid under lock and key; I keep it caged but I can't control it.
Posts: 200
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Post by Jaebi Lyckander on Dec 15, 2010 21:03:56 GMT -5
Jaebi took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he followed the large man's lead, turning to stand at an angle that would have the three of them all facing different directions. His hands balled into fists and he crouched a bit, preparing to barrel into the soldiers should they attack. But at that moment the girl emitted a high-pitched screech. Jaebi winced and stood straight, his head swivelling around to look at her.
Only... she wasn't exactly her anymore. Her cloak had fallen from around her shoulders, revealing a coat of mottled brown-gold feathers. Her face and limbs contorted, reshaped, grew into long wings and a sharp beak. There were screams in the crowd as the woman's transformation stopped halfway through human and bird of prey-- the harpie flung her wings out to their full extent and pushed off of the soldier that held her with a taloned foot, giving her leverage to lift herself into the air. The wind from her massive wings threw dirt, dust and debris into the air. As most of the crowd ducked or covered their eyes, Jaebi vaguely saw the old man, holding himself up in the doorway to a tavern across the square. He was holding up what looked like an amulet-- the glass orb shone red in the weak light, with spidery veins of gold wrapped around it. His mouth was forming words-- possibly an incantation, but Jaebi could not hear over the roaring wind and the panicked crowd.
Whatever the old man was trying, it had little effect on the Harpie. The creature let out another blood-curdling screech, raked her talons through the armor of the nearest soldier, and flew off towards the distant, hazy mountain range.
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Dominic Hawk
Ireth
The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars...
Posts: 14
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Post by Dominic Hawk on Dec 15, 2010 21:34:23 GMT -5
Dominic jumped a little as the girl suddenly let out a piercing screech. He watched in dread and fascination as her cloak fell away from her shoulders, and she changed shape, becoming something halfway between a woman and some kind of bird of prey.
Oh, shit. A harpy. Just what they all needed. Dom flung up an arm to protect his eyes as the creature unfurled her massive wings and took flight, the winds from her wingbeats stirring dust into the air. He grimaced at the second screech he heard, coupled with a cry of pain that sounded very human.
As the sound of wingbeats faded into the distance and the dust began to settle, Dominic lowered his arm and saw the soldier lying on the ground, with three bloody wounds in his chest. The harpy's talons had cut right through his armor. Dom wasn't sure what he could do; he wasn't a healer at all. The rest of the crowd didn't seem particularly inclined to help, but he knew they should do something.
Turning to look over his shoulder and up, Dom spoke to his companions. "Are either of you a healer? I think we should help that soldier. He looks pretty bad."
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Dec 15, 2010 23:45:03 GMT -5
Aravilui had the distinct displeasure of watching her entire transformation. It riveted him in place, his heart quickening slightly. It had been a very long time since he had seen anything such as this! Perhaps he had been spending too much time with only mortals, if magic was startling him. The fact that he had no control over any magic himself possibly had a little to do with that odd habit of his...
He shook his head and prepared to attack the harpy if she moved to harm anyone, but was blinded by the dust her wings raised long enough to be unable to do exactly as he planned. The cry of pain angered him and he blinked the dust away quickly. He sheathed his blades and spat what, from the tone, were probably very nasty curses, and rounded on the soldiers. "Well, are you proud of yourselves now?"
He turned and looked at the man. "I have some slight skill, but not much. I can bandage him so that he might make it to a healer, however."
Kneeling at the man's side, he cut the belts that held the man's armor together with little care for the fact that repairing such damage would almost be more expensive than that which the harpy had inflicted, then dug through his pack. Fighting with it would have been difficult, but he was rather glad now that he had not dumped it before coming over. He pulled out his kit and carefully did his best to staunch the bleeding and bandage the wounds. From what he could see, this man would be lucky to survive.
"We need to get him to a healer now, with the least amount of stress possible," he said softly. "Or rather, you men do."
He glared angrily at the guards. "It was your foolishness that caused this. Be thankful that only one man was injured."
The soldiers flinched slightly, and four of them moved to gently pick up their fallen comrade. Aravilui’s eyes narrowed and he raised a brow at the last two. “And yourselves?”
“The old man was with the gi-” they started. Aravilui cut them off.
“You need to help with him,” the Elf snapped. “I and my companions will take care of the old man. We certainly could not have blundered any worse than you.”
The soldiers flushed, but did as they were told, which caused a few onlookers to snicker behind their hands. The six still standing carefully carried their injured friend off, one glancing back at the three with hatred. Aravilui returned the glare with bells on.
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