Kuro no Tsurugi (Pitch-Black Sword) [Another original Rp by Kio][PG-13 - Started/Not accepting]

[Yosuke-kun]

[center][font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][size=7][b]Kuro no Tsurugi[/b][/size][/font][/center]

[left][font="georgia, serif"]The warm desert sand whipped across the flat dunes. The exact temperature of the air was difficult to gauge, maybe 110 Fahrenheit, the two weren't sure, but they knew it was hot. Being from the desert though, the boy and girl were not bothered by this heat. They'd been going through the desert this way for at least two days. Harp, the female, still couldn't believe what happened in the past two days. Ikito, the boy whom she'd known from her earliest childhood memories, had returned to Beat Village just a few days ago, and, using Espers, a skill that no one in there village had been able to use, stopped an entire group of bandits and saved the Village.[/font][/left]

[left][font=georgia, serif]Harp knew Ikito had been a Black Hunter for at least 4 years, and[/font] [font="georgia, serif"]therefor had gained a large amount of strength, skill, and experience, but, well, it was Ikito. He was nice, but in terms of intellect, he was horrible in those situations. Still, he was able to use Espers, which was proof he had some intelligence.[/font][/left]

[left]While Harp was fascinated with Ikito's accomplishments, Ikito had thought nothing of them. He was examining the desert carefully, searching all around for hints to where they were relative to where they were going. He'd recognized the small shadows made by the dunes. Finally, he realized where they were.[/left]

[left]"Harmony city isn't far from here." he said with a smile, that was far beyond Harps comprehension. Still, the knowledge that a city was nearby greatly reassured her. "We should get there by sunset, assuming we aren't jumped by bandits."[/left]

[left]That part put Harp on edge, which thinking back she realized it was good.[/left]

[Jolta]

"I wouldn't want any slicing or dicing, but I really want to try these new guys!"
A rather high-pitched war-cry could be heard throughout part of the Melody Desert. It had an odd squeak to it. This war cry originated from Alhena Mebsuta, a traveller from Castor City, Gemini Zone. She wore a rather sexy corset that would've been great if she had a larger chest. It gave one the reminiscent of a cowgirl or sheriff.
She took out a pair of katanas - one pink, one blue. They had text written on their crystal-based blades. Next thing you knew, odd, synthetic, wood-and-paper wings spread from Alhena's back, allowing her to fly past the bandits that stood before her, then slice their feet to immobilise them.

She succeeded, but in the process, her wings were punctured, causing her to lose flight and fall.
"Oof! Ow! NO! SORA! You will pay... but maybe a little mercy won't hurt..."
She shot their arms with the Big Dipper, an odd Desert Eagle, before leaving.
"Goddamn perverts. Goddamn thieves. Picking on me, looking down on me... this is what they get."

Alhena proceeded. She was glad she didn't get gangraped, or get her money stolen. That would be simply horrible. She still felt a little chilly, though.

[ListenToLife]

"Oi, you back there!"
The gruff voice pierced through Nikko's dreams like a rapier, tearing apart all recollection of the visions he had seen. He yawned for a second, before rolling over on the pile of hay, attempting to go back to sleep. "Wak'up!" The voice shouted, accompanied by the whinnying of two horses. This second shout managed to get Nikko's attention, forcing him to open his eyes.
He managed to blink rapidly for a few seconds before being forced to shut them due to the glaring sunlight of the desert, with not a cloud for its rays to hide behind. He stumbled about for a few minutes as he started to sit up, before falling backwards due to a small bump in the road. The combined thud and grunt as he hit the wooden sides of the cart were heard by the driver, and managed to tickle something inside him, for he chuckled for a few moments. "Harhar, sorry 'bout that lad. Usually quite 'flat road this." He bellowed behind him, before proclaiming "Yar, gee'up." At the horses, who had started to slow due to the commotion. The driver chuckled once more before calling behind him, "I 'magine the sun's got ya 'lil' dizzy? Of'en does to you foreigners. Not used t'desert, are ya lad?"
Nikko replied with some sort of mumble grunt of affirmation as his eyes started to open, though he was still grabbing onto the side of the cart for support, even while sitting down. "Do this a lot, do you?" Nikko asked as he found his voice, a soft melodious voice, that would've been mistaken for an Allegretian's had it not been for the slight dark snap within it, like an unsheathing dagger; a hint to a Nihonshin background. The Driver seemed not to notice, though Nikko presumed he might be curious of the accent. He didn't mind, and merely stared into the desert to either side, noting the emptiness.
"Yar, I do this a fair bit. T'isn't the most honest of jobs, but it pays well. And it's not like it's full time." The driver replied, though it was obvious Nikko lost interest as soon as he asked the question. But small talk was small talk, and it passed the time.
"Why did you wake me?" Nikko asked, turning to face the back of the drivers head.
"Ask a lot of question, dont'cha? Ah well, human nature, 'aint it? We're 'bout 2 miles 'way from Harmony City. You'll be out of the Desert in no time." The Driver answered, chuckling to himself. He turned his attention back to the dirt road, one of the few roads throught the Melody Desert, and the one with the fewest patrols.
Nikko sighed to himself and sat himself down against the back fence of the cart, taking care not to accidentally unhinge the fold down gate. He looked to the skies for a moment, keeping the glare of the sun to his back, and started to wonder about the Black Sword. It certainly was an interesting tale, though he doubted it was much more than that; just a tale. Still, the journey would be good.
The rest of the Journey continued in silence, the two occupants of the cart caught up in their own thoughts.

After about 10 minutes more travelling, the Driver shouted back one more time. "And there it is son." He called. "Harmony City."
Nikko smiled and looked up at the large City walls, wondering what to expect with the city. He had heard a lot of Black Hunters had been gathering around, and he wanted to join in.
There was just one thing he needed to take care of first. Beer. He cracked a smile at this thought as they approached the city gates, ducking down under the bales of hay before the Driver could tell him to, awaiting the signal that they were well clear of the guards.

[Enrise]

"Bartender! Another!"

The joyful requests that shouted within a tavern, where the wonderful songs played in the background, the dancers (both the sober and drunk), danced to their favorite melodies. There might have been a few drunkards who were both dancing and fighting, but everyone was too happy to tell. One of those happy recliners was Kozah Vulon. He leaned up against the counter with a large glass of mead in his hand, and gazed upon the happiness of the other drunkards. He almost envied them. He wanted to join them. And he did.

"Bartender, hold onto these for me." Kozah requested to the bartender, taking off his weapons and throwing it to him; downing his mead afterwards, he gave a sigh of relief. With much joy in his body, he blended with the other drunkards, and danced with them, having a great time as usual. Though, since they were all drunk, of course they would fall over, trip each other, push another, and so forth. Even he had some problems with the balance, but it mattered not.

"Who wants Vodka? It's on me!"

The shout sounded throughout the tavern, as cries of happiness called "YEAH! VODKA" and "VODKA! VODKA! VODKA!"
Kozah was happy he could give these people some happiness, even if it was by alcohol. And with the numerous amount of drunkards, he quickly thought to himself. [i]Ah hell. I'm going to broke because of these guys.[/i] "Bartender? Give them your strongest Vodka. Make sure it knocks them out." he requested with a fake and worrisome laugh. He really didn't want to go broke.

Only a handful of these happy sods barely made it to the counter without tiring themselves out. The others were passed out, or too drunk to even move. The few who did make it, barely got passed one glass, before calling it quits."Hah! The bartender has saved me again drunkards. And I can keep my money." The bartender looked at him, clearing his throat; his glared stated without words that Kozah still needed to pay up for the drinks he did buy.

Reluctantly, he bowed his head in shame, and payed his fair share of the alcohol.


Meanwhile elsewhere.... In the sky?

[i]"WHEEEE!"[/i]

[i]A cry of delight and overzealous excitement spread to the clouds around her. Miekka was flying in the sky on her way to Harmony City; she played with her time loosely, flying up, flying down, left, right, and even doing a trick or two in the air over Melody Desert. [/i]

Unfortunately, this was just thoughts inside her head.



"Ugh... I wish... WHO THE HELL BUILDS A CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE F*CKING DESERT?! WHO?!"

Miekka shouted at the top of her lungs. She barely kept shade, using her wings as an umbrella to keep the sun from touching her skin. But her wings grew hot. She grew hotter. Her powers in this heat barely kept the wings from falling on her. There was already an incident a few days ago when she began travelling in the desert that her powers grew weak from the heat, and the wings fell, and burned her skin.

After a few hours of travelling, the view of Harmony City became clear to her. The giant walls of this city were clear and visible. But she hope it wasn't a mirage. "If this is another mirage, I will kill them, the b*stards."

[Hydra of Ages]

Harmony's deserts were large, basically barren patches of hot sand peppered with the occasional patch of cattle or tourist corpses being picked apart by condors. While that didn't make them particularly interesting, it also made them [i]difficult to hide in. [/i]To most bandits, this was a bad thing- after all, a troupe of cowl-wearing dark men would make an impressive blotch against the bone-bleached landscape- but Francisque Étude Chopin von Allegretto, truthful heir to the throne, it was an advantage.

After all, travellers were [i]so easy [/i]to spot in a wasteland. Like finding oases in the desert, one only needed to know the signs and they'd be drawn to as much water as they'd possibly need.

Except instead of oases, people. And with valuable goods instead of water. Well, maybe water too, the desert was pretty hot and the cacti, while thirst-quenching, seemed to have some sort of hallucination-inducing mucus on the inside. Whatever, she knew what she meant.

And she should [i]stop talking to herself.[/i]

Maybe that was unavoidable when one of your signature espers revolved around creating a perfect-double. Currently she had a sand-mannequin stashed beneath a nearby rock, just waiting for her to cast lifegiving water into its form before it took shape. Her quarry- a pair of travellers, no more than teenagers from the look of it- were just down a hill from her ambush spot. Standard plan; pincer attack from one end by directing a Shadow to attack from behind. Summon a gout of Liar's Mist before they escape, which should confuse them long enough for one of her poisons to deck them in one way or the other; after that, she could safely liberate them of any supplies or valuables that looked appealing.

The [i]work [/i]she put into funding her own personal rebellion, really. Someone should give her a medal. She supposed she would just make due with the crown.

Oh well. Back to the old grind.

With a flourish, Francisque threw off her sand-coloured mantle and threw a trio of bladed cards with grim precision from the cuff of her sleeve. Two for the red-headed guy that looked like he might be a bodyguard, one for the obvious baggage; likewise, she prepared her next Weave, this one drawing on the inherit water of the air and the earth to imbue the mannequin she had prepared from the ground earlier.

Boring, really. But whatever paid the bills.

- - -

When it came to favourable places to travel in, deserts ranked pretty low on Dubhe's lists.

Perhaps that was a given, considering his less-than appropriate travel clothing. Nihonshin travel clothes were nicely breezy and afforded him a great amount of mobility in battle, but they did little to shake off the heat. Going the shirtless save for a small vest was also a mixed blessing- while it was fairly breezy, the flying sand stung after a while. He, at least, had the foresight to shield himself from the blazing sun above- he wore a thick, though cheep, traveller's mantle tied around his neck. The dark hat he recently purchased had been more for how it looked than any other reason in particular, but it also did a good job at saving him from from the harsh light above.

Still, no matter the miserable conditions, it was worth it.

Harmony had been at the center of more than a few rumors he'd passed by on the way- and even if those led to dead ends, the city was a cultural nexus for Allegretto. If the country had any idea at all where the Black Sword might be, he'd probably pick up a lead here.

Besides, it was far enough from Zodiacis that he could probably lay low for a few months until Mizar stopped sending search parties after him.

He sighed, glanced at the long-progress of the sun, then quickened his pace. He didn't really want to be left in the desert at night again without hitting another city on the way- his room for supplies competed with a large number of swords and a truly ridiculous collection of Nether Gems, leaving him with little else but a few loaves of bread, eggs, and maybe a stick of salami. Going more than two days without restocking would probably be painful. Also cold.

Well. Worst came to worst, he could try eating one of the cacti. After he got rid of the needles they looked kinda juicy, honesty, a little like a melon-

A cry shrieked through the near-night air, catching Dubhe's attention and cutting off his stream of thought. He dashed in the direction of the sound, up a short clifface, and finally to a bit of a clearing where a group of bandits were menacing a small girl. A small girl that promptly took off on a paper glider flying on an invisible wind and shooting a gun that almost looked bigger than her, but a small girl all the same- barely more than a toddler, obviously.

A number of the bandits cried out in surprise and pain as they were shot down by the girl's retort, dropping to the sand in bloody heaps, but a number of others seemed intent on pursuit. Given the girl was turning away and flying in the opposite direction at a fairly quick speed, Dubhe doubted they'd catch up... but having a vendetta with one of these groups was always a bad thing. Sure, she'd get away [i]today- [/i]but crime had a long memory- groups more often than others.

For those types, best to get rid of them quickly as usual.

Dubhe slowly slid Byakko from his sheath, the silent blade suddenly crackling to life as woven electricity coursed through its metal structure.

"So. You guys have are willing to mug a seven-year old girl, then?"

One of the thugs turned around to look at the insolent traveller, his face still red from trying and [i]failing [/i]to mug a seven-year old girl. He said things, some of them articulate, but none interesting enough for Dubhe to listen to them. Dubhe loved hearing people talk- but bandits weren't people.

Wild animals needed to be put down.

Blood danced through the evening air, lances of crackling thunder punctuating each miserable death as an entire bandit cell met their fates. An advantage of numbers was meaningless if nobody had skill. It felt almost silly- every motion worked as he wanted it to, every step went unchallenged. It was as if they were sheep, lined up for the slaughter- they attacked, as if thinking they were resisting. It was almost sad what petty criminals took to be combat; almost.

Dubhe didn't really have any pity for certain criminals.

The combat didn't take an hour, but the cleanup did. After burying the last corpse in the sands of the desert, he sighed and shook his head, looking up at the starry sky.

"Guess I can't camp here," he muttered. "Scavengers will be out all night."

he shook his head. "Guess I'm skipping tonight's sleep. Oh well," he shrugged, turned, and started walking in the same direction as he'd seen the girl fly; he wasn't a geographer, but it seemed to be the rough direction of Harmony. Assuming he didn't come across any other bandits, he might even make it there by next night.

- - -

Blues chuckled loudly at the antics of the other patrons, and brandished his glass of vodka in a gesture of toasting to the boisterous stranger who had recently joined the activities. A mountain of a man in the prime of his youth, painfully arcadian, and armed to the teeth- obviously a travelling warrior of some sort. Well, Blues was never one to look down on others for looking for their fortunes elsewhere- especially if they bought him a glass of alcohol before doing so.

"'Fraid, friend, you'll have to pony up a little more. My throat's still dry, and a man keeps to his promises," he said with a friendly smirk before pounding back a glass. He made a gesture to the bartender, who complied for the eighteenth time that evening. Blues took the short gap in his drinking schedule to examine the fallen men in the building, and shook his head; his disappointment was apparent even through his opaque sunglasses.

"It's a sad day when a stranger can offer free drinks in our tavern and not be figuratively pickpocketed by everyone in the building. I'm nigh ashamed enough to drink for them! In fact, I think I'll do just that." he said with an emerging grin, taking his next drink and downing half of it with a practised swing.

[Enrise]

"Ah, a man who can hold his drink!" A greeting to his newly acquainted drinker, he finished off the rest of his drink, and turned over to the man. He quickly signaled the bartender for a refill, and reverted his attention back.

"It's an even sadder day when such men can't handle a drink without possibly vomiting it back up. Not sure how many of those cases happened here, but the cleaners sure know how to clean the place, and more importantly, not make it smell." he remarked with his downing of his drink, and let out a breath of enjoyment.

"Your company has taken a hold of my attention, and I respect that. So, who are you, if I may ask?" he questioned earnestly.

[Hydra of Ages]

Blues chuckled. "I've certainly seen worse places in my time. The drink's fine, the view's not bad either, and occasionally you find a foreigner with a big enough coinpurse willing to cover your tab in exchange for conversation."

He finished the rest of his glass in a single shot. The bartender shot him a wary look, but the longhaired man simply chuckled and waved his hand. A lesser man would have been floored by now, but Blues certainly had experience under his belt, and plenty of things to drown out of his memory. His compatriot-in-liquor seemed to still have the enthusiasm and spark of youth- Blues had to respect that to a point. The world could easily crush a man until the bar was his last refuge- it was nice to see someone who didn't drink to dull the pain.

"Call me Blues," he said after a second. "People say I'm a musician, though my drinking money mostly comes from the card tables. Spend most of my time here."

He took a swing of whatever drink the bartender had put out in front of him. He'd been well beyond actually tasting things [i]hours [/i]before the man had even stepped in. He nursed the glass a little after mostly draining the pleasant poison.

"On the contrary, I doubt you spend any time around here at all. What's your story, then?" he asked.

Everyone in a bar had a story. Figuring out who was willing to tell theirs was a age-old skill that came only with experience. And if there was something that Blues knew about, it was heavy drinkers and their stories.

The large black instrument case he kept beside his stool slid a little to the left.

[Jolta]

"I guess I'm not going to fly there. I think I can live with this, can I?" Alhena sighed. Her tiny body was quite advantageous to her, being able to survive with less food and water.
"I guess this tiny body could be a gift. Guess I'm able to survive. But really. If I'm correct about how mirages are formed- oh screw this. I'm just going with the flow."
Alhena was quite paranoid of quicksand, so she felt a little nervous of Sora being broken. [i]Should've stolen their water supply. And whatever crap they had.[/i] Alhena simply proceeded to a nearby oasis. "This is just a mirage, I believe that the real oasis is..." Alhena walked towards a specific direction. She was now finding a place to rest and camp for the chilly night.

What do you know, she was right. "Ah, grass at last!" Alhena rolled around the grass in delight. "Time for a little break! Geez, I smell..."
She looked at a tiny lake. It had the depth of a kiddy pool, and there was nothing living in it. She observed the area. "Hmmm.... no one in the distant. Just in case, I'll just take a short while..."
She took off her all clothes and hung them on a tree. Her eyes remained sharp as she dipped into the cold and refreshing lake for a short bath. She took out a map she was previously carrying as she did so.
"Yup, I'm going the right way alright. Only a little more."
while she was bathing, all of a sudden, her eyes widened, and she covered her chest with her map.
"Pervert! Show yourself!" She could almost sense someone following her, she charged up an odd wind blast in her hand, "going to the desert for the sake of this? You're asking for double trouble!"

[Enrise]

Noticing the large case sliding a bit, no attention was paid to it. It was not his business to know what is in, whether a weapon or instrument. After all, he barely knew the man. Yet.

"Name's Kozah. Kozah Vulon. I hail from the land of Arcadia, born in the city of Asgard. My family has been known as one of the greatest Blacksmiths in the city. By the natural surroundings of my youth being the anvil and such, I was naturally drawn to weapon making and other things, like my father, and his, and so on. And then both me and my father left to travel the world. It was during these travels where I got this scar." he pointed to his scar with his thumb with barely a smile, and continued.

"Then, we returned to Asgard, where I later left to travel on my own. And now, several years later, here I am, having one of the best drinks since I got here. After going through that monster of a desert, the drinks I'm having right now are saving me from the inches of death I experienced there."

A slight chuckle was made, and he finished the rest of his glass and immediately beckoned the bartender for another. "But really, it was a fun life so far. Travelling the world, meet new people, so on."

----

After seeing the city, and realizing it was no illusion, Miekka cried in excitement. "Yes! The real deal! Hah! As much as I hate these f*ckers for putting the city in the middle of the damn desert, I finally found a temporary paradise! Huh? The hell you looking at?!"

A glare was given to a guard, who, as well as the others, were looking at her for the comments. Quickly to end the stand off, the guard averted his eyes to the distant desert, and kept silent.

Figuring such a thing, she left him alone, and headed on inside into the city, and saw the castle, buildings, and so forth. She finally felt happy, and yet, she felt so hot from the desert. Her plan of action? Find a tavern, and drawn her temperatures down.

She looked around, and no one was really in sight, and so she sighed. "Damn; guess I have to find the bar myself..."

[Hydra of Ages]

Dubhe set a course for the oasis as soon as he noticed the dark shapes of trees against the horizon. Fortunately, water was not a resource that he was lacking- Genbu absorbed and preserved a great deal of water within its blade, and it was relatively trivial to tease it out again. But oases meant plant and animal life, and that meant he might be able to pick up a snack or five while he was there. Besides, oases were popular destinations for travellers, so they'd likely be safe enough to set up camp for the night.

He was mildly surprised when it seemed someone had already gotten there before him, but it wasn't like that was unlikely or anything. In all likelyhood, this spring would be the last stop for people to refresh their water supplies before leaving Harmony, so it made sense that people would stop there on occasion- and even more than that, Dubhe had already seen a traveller passing by this way earlier.

He had expected the child had simply flown the rest of the way to the city, but whatever reason it appeared that she had stopped by the lakeside before heading the rest of the way back- possibly to restock supplies. Dubhe assumed the splashes were the girl washing up, but failed to notice the clothing on the nearby tree- thus, he passed into the inner area of the oasis only to see a very young girl bathing nude in the water.

He paused for only a brief second as she aimed a wind-powered Esper at him before turning around and leaning against the reverse side of the tree.

"Sorry. Didn't know you were bathing. Tell me when you're done." he said in an untroubled tone, the brim of his hat overturned to cover most of his face. He fought back a yawn, and briefly considered simply making camp behind this tree and sleeping right now.

- - -

"Mhm. I'll bet. I'm fine enough here; plenty of new people, less deserts."

Blues took a sip from the mostly finished glass. "Plenty to drink, too. Nah, for an old man like me, this suits me just fine."
He finished the glass and the bartender took it almost automatically; both of them knew that Blues wouldn't stop drinking until his liver threatened to quit.

"So, you're a travelling blacksmith then?" he asked after a moment. That was a little unusual. Weaponsmiths usually stayed stationary and formed a pillar of whichever city they lived in; the tools of the smithery trade were simply not very portable. Still, it explained the number of naked weapons the man had carried with him; advertising. Well, it was more reputable than what Blues did for a living in any case.

[Astolfo]

[color=#000066][b]"Aw sh*t," Rin muttered when he fell into a classic sandtrap, as he was heading for Allegretto (once again, although he had been there previously once) through the desert. He noticed a group of bandits nearby, and cursed. His Espers wouldn't help him too much, besides his special one, and he didn't want to risk it with the murderers so close. Rin looked around for any things he could use as an anchor for a makeshift grappling hook and saw none. "I should've paid more attention," he thought when he realized there was no easy way out of the tall pit. He hoped the thieves didn't notice their sprung trap yet, and muttering, began his special Esper, exclusive to him - at least that's what he assumed. "Jiku Doreiku," he whispered softly, and the ancient magic started to shine and create a small molded "wall" of light that perfectly matched his body with just a little bit of wiggle room, trying to keep the criminals from noticing. "Jigen," he whispered once more, specifying the type of magic he wanted to affect. He thought of any close havens nearby, as teleporting farther would cost more energy. Just as he was about to try to teleport just enough away to escape easily, he remembered there was a tavern, or something of the sort decently close, and pictured it in his head. Rin felt the magic start to shine brightly, and the feeling of getting taken apart. Just as he start to saw the hazy starts of a corner in the tavern no one was looking, he heard the bandits start come screaming forth, yelling about some weird light. He tried to ignore it the best he can, and the desert disappeared, and Rin realized he was about 3 feet above the floor, and almost at the same time, a bright, shooting, intense pain flowered from his left shoulder. As the magic finished, he dropped to the floor, and felt another searing burst of pain. "KUSO!!!," he cursed loudly in Nihon when he saw the knife, that was almost 10 inches long halfway out through his back, then instantly quieted, because of the fear someone might've noticed. "You lucky bastard," Rin cursed when he realized the thrown knife had just managed to go through with him, by contacting him just as he disappeared. Rin realized his vision was getting all cloudy and dulled, and thought to himself, "Is this the end? Did I push myself too hard? Sh*t..." and blacked out. By pure chance, as Rin collapsed, the crook of his elbow knocked open the door, to what happened be a storage room, and bright light flooded in, and with it, the many suddenly hushed voices of people.[/b][/color]

[ListenToLife]

Nikko waited in the back of the cart, stuffed within the gap between three cuboid bundles of hay - one above and one to either side - for what seemed to him like hours. The smell of the city was wafting into his nose, and he could hear the approaching noise of bustling civilians, but it still seemed to him like they had travelled for many leagues from when they first spotted the city, as opposed to the 2 or 3. The smell of hay was all pervading, and the feel of the dry material was irritating against his bare arms and neck. But he managed to ignore it enough to remain still, staying hidden from all the 2 senses that humans could ever use to detect him(Sight and hearing).
He listened as the cart rattled onto a cobblestone path, finally making it out of the desert and signalling their close proximity to the city. As they entered under the first arch of the wall, Nikko could immediately feel the significant drop in temperature, the entering of the shade providing a welcomed wave of cold, drying the sweat on his arms and improving his attitude a lot.
He wasn't surprised when the cart came to a halt, a check up of cargo entering the city was probably routine. He didn't expect the argument that came of it.
The Guard's voice was garbled for the most part, and Nikko couldn't make out a single word, but the Driver's voice was loud and clear. "Wa' d'ya mean policy?! It's nev' 'appened 'fore!" This was a rather worrying declaration from the Driver, suggesting that something wasn't right. More garbled voices from the guards[i] - [i]Guards? More than one?[/i] - [/i] was returned with what Nikko presumed was a disguised hint aimed at him: "Ge' tho' spears 'way from ma cart!" This was a definitely disconcerting sentence, presuming he was moments away from being impaled.
Somehow, the issue managed to be resolved, with quiet words he could not hear, but they managed to get back on their way. They travelled for about ten more minutes, the sounds of civilians rising at first, then falling quite slowly, until they came to a halt. Nikko waited for a few moments for the sound of the back of the cart opening, and the Driver muttering "Ya can gerroff now."
It didn't take long for Nikko to shimmie out from between the bales of hay and plant himself firmly on solid ground for the first time in hours. He stretched quite a bit, jumping from one foot to another to get the feeling back to them and rolling his shoulders and neck. "Aye, quite a trip, aint it?" The driver chuckled, looking back over his shoulder to check for guards. "Nearest taverns just a small walk away from here, down that street," At this the Driver turned slightly and pointed to an opening to a large street on the left. "I'd be supposin' you'd wanna drink af' that, eh?" Nikko nodded and smirked, looking at the road. "I'll see ya 'round then, lad. Nice knowing ya." The driver stated, before turning to walk back to his cart.
Nikko turned and followed after him, catching him on the shoulder. "Do you not want a drink before you go?" Nikko asked, smiling. The large man shook his head and chuckled again. "Can't be havin' me some drinkin' yet. Gotta get this outta the way and I'd best be home sober." Nikko shrugged and instead pulled out a small bag of coins from his belt, placing the entire bag within the man's large hands. "For your troubles then. Think of it as a tip, an extra fee for your good service." He stated, grinning, before he turned away to go for the pub.
The man smiled and waved the young lad away, realising he'd never gotten the lad's name. He shrugged and seated himself on the chair of the cart, taking the small pouch. He opened it, expecting some small coins, worth about a quarter of his usual fee. Instead he had a bag full of Gold, enough to feed his family for weeks. He was gobsmacked, and was disappointed when he turned to say thank you to the lad, to find him gone.

~~~~~

That was a skill of his, vanishing. Obviously not physically vanishing, but he could get away from a situation very easily. By the time the man had turned around, Nikko was half-way to the Tavern, acknowledging the sights of the city with a slight sense of curiousity, though awe was quite absent, and he didn't feel particularly comfortable even within the small crowds.
He approached the bar with a thankful gaze, already imagining the cold Ale pouring down his throat. He pushed on the door with eager delight.....to find that it would barely budge. It opened a crack, just enough to show that it wasn't locked, but would not move further. A confused frown growing on his face, Nikko pushed harder, managing to gain a few more centimetres, and spotting the problem. He could see the legs of a man, and could safely assume the rest of the oaf was his obstacle. Nikko sighed and placed his shoulder against the door and rammed into it, rolling the Oaf over and allowing him room to enter the tavern, though it might not have been enough for a larger man.

He was met with the surprising sight that this wasn't the only unconcious lump. Within the entire bar itself, only a few individuals still remained concious. With a cautious, gaze, Nikko approached the counter, seating himself next to two guys having a pleasant conversation. "The booze here strong then?" Nikko asked the two gentlemen, as a glass was placed infront of him and filled with some brown liquour, what exactly he did not know, except it tasted nice as he drunk half the glass.

[Enrise]

"Well, yes and no. Unlike my father, I don't follow the blacksmith trade. No, I just travel. But, that doesn't mean I don't know my way around an anvil. Call it an inherited trait from father to son and so on." he mildly giggle, and took a sip from his drink. It was true he didn't tell his life story, but there wasn't really much to tell that would excite people. A travel with father and son should have boasted some experiences worth telling, but hardly.

"I suppose you don't have a story worth telling, do you?" he questioned earnestly.

"After a-"

His words were interrupted man tried to struggle his way into the door with the few bodies that laid on the floor, blocking the door from moving. And when he heard his question, he shot a quick glance over to his new friend, and over to the bodies that laid drunken and tired from the alcohol. "Well, might be strong enough to knock those sods out cold for a bit, if that's what you're looking for-"

His words were once again interrupted when a woman came into the bar, wearing a retracted pair of bladed wings.

---

Running around the city, Miekka tried to find a bar, and after minutes of running and searching, she almost gave up all hope of finding one. "What, don't tell me these people are against alcohol or something? How the hell do these people live?!"

In the distance, she noticed a fairly young man in the distance, about a good 20, ramming against the door. "What's his deal? Isn't he smart enough to open the door like a normal person?" She looked up above him, and saw the sign, telling her it was a bar. "...Oh. F*ck. 'Bout damn time I found one."

After the man entered the door, she immediately followed him, with high hopes that not all the alcohol was gone, and that it was cold, delicious, and whatever words she could imagine the feeling of having such a delicacy run down her throat. After the man walked in, Miekka walked in, and noticed the large amounts of bodies that rested in peace on the floor. [i]Sh*t, what happened here?[/i] She walked steadily up to the bar, and sitting to the other side of the Kozah and Blues, she more or less, demanded the bartender, "Give me your strongest ale!"


Kozah turned back to Blues, and said in a fairly soft, yet joyous tone. "It seems we're going to have a fun night here. Wouldn't you agree?"

[Asriel Dreemurr]

A figure, cloaked in black, could be seen making his way across the burning sands of Harmony Desert. As he kept the cloak pulled shut over the front of his chest, there wasn't much anyone could tell just by looking at him. Well that was as far as discerning his nationality went, he was clearly a warrior or at least appeared to be one. His hands extended from the sleeves of his coat and were covered by intricate gauntlets of metal, and upon his back a sword similar to the Nihonshin Katanas and a double-blade not uncommon in Folkuliere were fastened to his back, presumably by the nether gem magnets designed to do such a thing. Another thing one could tell just by looking at him was that something was clearly wrong, as each step took a little longer than it should have.

Something most certainly was wrong, this man had not eaten for nearly a week and had gone a day without water.

The young man staggered across the desert, literally shaking from the intensity of his hunger and thirst, and scanned the horizon for anything which he could use to satisfy either. It was then that his eyes crossed over the green trees which clearly could be seen as proof of an Oasis. Desperate as he was, the man made his way in that direction regardless of the risk of it being a mirage.

Fortunately, the Oasis was real. The man pulled a small metal cup out from a pouch on the inside of his cloak and rushed to the pond to fill it. He filled the cup and emptied it by drinking it several times without noticing that he was not alone there. As for the two present there, well it would not be difficult for them to recognize him. Anyone who had seen a wanted poster, despite the fact that he hadn't been pursued for about a year, would recognize this man as the infamous Shin no Hochi.

[Jolta]

Alhena noticed the new person, but she was to busy thinking [i]Yup, you are ****ing kidding me, real hard[/i] to note who he was. Her face turned red.
At least she was done in a while. She then slowly emerged from the tiny lake with her hair down. She then dried herself by weaving some wind around her, before blowing her clothes towards her and putting them on, bit by bit.
"OK... you can look now..." Alhena said with a little shyness. She then looked at the cloaked man. She gasped a little. "Pssst," she hinted to Dubhe. "Shin no Hochi, over there. I highly doubt he's gonna be friendly."
She didn't try to attack him, for he did not attack her.

[Yosuke-kun]

The small, hi-pitched scream was heard first by Ikito, as he was my attuned to the desert sounds and noises. He snapped his gaze west, towards the location of the scream, and focused hard on the dunes. Trying to discern any abnormalities. Harp simply watched him in confusion, obviously unsure of how she should be reacting now, but she kept quiet as Ikito scanned. It took a couple seconds, but Ikito noticed something -in truth, it was not uncommon in the desert- that drew his focus. A large cloud of dust and sand was rising from the direction of the scream.

"It came from over there." Ikito said, barely opening his mouth, in case the sand cloud was actually the start of a sandstorm. Harp swallowed at this statement. The way Ikito had said 'It came from over there' was the only clue she needed for her to know what he was thinking, but unfortunately for her, Ikito wasn't the type to wait for a second opinion, and within seconds, he hoisted Harp onto his shoulder, and was charging toward the cloud.

Multiple scenario's ran through both there heads. Harp, having never left Beat Village, assumed the worst. Monsters, storms, maybe a bloodthirsty bandit crew. Ikito however -and for perhapsthe first time ever- was more rational in his thinking. True, he did think bandits could be behind that, but it was also likely that a nomadic merchant caravan, which was as common as bandits in Melody Desert, had simply had an accident with a scorpion, or a disagreement of a type. He doubted monsters, even though he was not foolish enough to deny it entirely, and knew for a fact that monsters were a commonality all over Galileia, it was unlikely that one would have caused the scream.

It turned out neither of them were right. There was a crater, and small signs of a struggle, but nothing else really. Harp, slumped forward, going to her knees eventually, and still trying to get over Ikito's manic charge. Ikito on the other hand, was observing the layout of the land once again. It wasn't long till he noticed a number of small disturbances in the sand. Upon further study, he recognized them to be foot steps. Small ones through, perhaps those of a childs? No, they were too large for that. Still, it meant another person, which would mean supply trading. Momentarily overcome with excitement, Ikito grabbed Harp again, right as she got to her feet, and charged after the footprints.

To Ikito's further delight, the two had found that the footprints lead to a small oasis, but there was something off. Ikito noticed at first, and so left Harp by a tree. She'd groaned and scowled at this at first, saying that she wanted to help, but Ikito's talk of bandits silenced that.

"You don't know a single Esper yet. That aside, you're stamina and strength aren't really anythingto brag about, so it's best that I fight any bandits for now." Harp shivered, but was not one to run from a bandit group -especially when her best chance to survive the desert and bandits wasn't- and therefor simply took refuge behind a small palm tree.

Ikito advanced towards the lake at the center of the oasis, and then noticed something he hadn't expected. There were three people there, a small girl, most likely the same girl Ikito'd tracked, along with a man of about average height wearing the kimono's of Nihonshin. The last, was furthest away, and being eyed as if he were a rogue tiger readying itself for an attack. Even though this whole situation would scream danger to any normal person, Ikito missed the call, and walked right into the middle of it.

"Hey there." he said cheerily. Although it should have been obvious that none of these people were merchants, Ikito once again skipped a step for intellect, and assumed they were. "I'm a wandering traveler, kinda running low on supplies too. My friend and I tacked you here in hopes that we could trade for some extra food, or perhaps any information you might have."

[Jolta]

"Well, I guess it is no surprise people come here often..." Alhena noticed the pair of travellers who had just arrived. "Well, Harmony City is up ahead, but since it's late, we're taking a rest here."
"Well, I've got some food that will last me a week, but Harmony City's a simple day away. So, I guess I can share some with you..."
She took out some canned food from a compartment of her bag, followed by a bunch of twigs, which she prepared in case she needed firewood.

[center]~~~[/center]

A swift, humanoid creature dashed through the chilly near-night desert, revealing its tell-tale nine tails and odd fox ears. It wore a mask to hide its identity, and it appeared to have little difficulty in moving on sand. If one looked closely, it was actually hovering an inch above the ground. It was clear that this creature was a member of the Kyubii clan in Nihonshin. This being went by the name Kyubii no Kitsune, and some call it Gumiho.
With such high speeds from levitating, the creature would take little time to reach Harmony City. In fact, it was just a few hours away by her speed.
One can see a Fennec Fox in the desert, but no one will ever see a nine-tailed fox in such an environment. That is precisely why the Kyubii no Kitsune is going so fast.

[Gαr]

Ashe was walking through the city of Harmony, looking for a place to stay. And because Desgarron was getting annoying.[color=#800000] "Hey, Ashe! I'm bored and tired. Find some place to stop."[/color] Ashe groaned and said to the cat on his shoulder, [color=#800000]"What do you think I'm doing?"[/color] He kept getting looks from other people on the street because there was a cat with horns on his shoulder and he was talking to it. Ashe didn't notice or care. He was used to this. Despite Desgarron being annoying, Ashe enjoyed his company. After a couple more minutes of walking, they finally came across a pub. Ashe let out a sigh of relief and Desgarron purred of relief. Ashe was glad for the rest. He had been walking for miles and miles and Desgarron didn't help one bit. When he walked into the pub, the first thing he noticed were the passed out bodies on the floor. Ashe wasn't surprised in the slightest. What did surprise him though was that there were still people at the bar. Ashe stepped over the bodies on the floor over to the bar. He sat next the group, but didn't attempt to barge into their conversation. Desgarron hopped of Ashe's shoulder and laid on the bar. When the bartender came over to Ashe, he jerked his thumb behind him and said, [color=#800000]"Give me whatever knocked them out."[/color]

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Shin had been so engrossed in quenching his thirst that he did not notice the group of people until someone came up and started a conversation. The second he heard the first voice speak, though it was in a friendly tone, his head shot up from the metal cup he had been drinking water from. His dull grey gaze passed over the whole of those gathered.

First they passed over the source of the voice, a young boy who seemed to be a native of Allegretto who, by the looks of his muscles and the sword he carried, would be quite threatening in a fight. Fortunately, his body language did not suggest that he recognized Shin or if he did that he wasn't going to be making an attack. Next, they passed over the girl who had replied to him. She appeared to be very young, hardly fit for the conditions of the desert though he did catch sight of a pair of artificial wings usually used by those of his home nation who wished to fly. He didn't count her as much of a threat, but the large pistol she carried made him hesitate to completely count her out if things got violent.

Lastly, and causing the greatest worry for Shin, was the person clad in the formal clothes of his own country. His gaze was most intensely directed at this one and he examined them closely for any sign of threat. He could pick out five different swords that this one was carrying, but from this distance he could not really determine what gender they were. The feminine softness of the person's face suggested a woman, but he could not pick out anything more than just that to support a decision that it was a woman. Regardless, he was certain that they were from Nihonshin and suspected that they had come to hunt him down.

Shin forced himself to maintain an appearance of calm, but repositioned his feet on the sands so that he could make a quick escape if necessary. In the meantime, his gaze passed towards the young man who had asked if he could trade for any food. It was then that the young girl responded and produced several cans of food which she said she could share. The loud growling of his stomach gave Shin's hunger away, and he decided that it was time to be bold.

He rose to his feet and approached the girl, reaching inside of his cloak to produce a rather heavy bag which he opened and reached into.

"Well...if you're going to be sharing food..." He began, his voice containing all the proof anyone would need of his discomfort in this situation, "I...would like to buy some from you. I have a fairly large amount of currency from any country you could want to be paid in." As if to support his claim, he pulled his hand from the bag and opened it, palm up, to show a large number of coins from every country in Gallileia glittering in the last traces of sunlight against the somewhat less shiny metal of his gauntlet. His eyes, however, were not on the girl before him but on the...person...who he believed to be from Nihonshin.

[Hydra of Ages]

Dubhe's eyes flicked between the new arrivals, though he kept his head low. Above all, he didn't react- not yet, anyway. This situation had the capacity to be... tense. Ten years training in the Zodiacis Imperial Knights gave you the ability to take the temperature of a person simply by watching them closely enough, and Dubhe wasn't so stupid as to believe anyone travelling alone in the Harmony Desert wouldn't be able to do well in a fight.

[i]Shin no Hoshi.[/i]

Now that was interesting; [i]the [/i]famed murderer of Nihonshin, a man born from a daystar of death himself. Old news, really- far as Dubhe could remember, he hadn't really been seen in a year, though rumours of his whereabouts were still popular. Some said he became more God than Man- ascending to the pantheon as the patron saint of darkness and murder. Others, only slightly more grounded in reality, insisted he hadn't existed in the first place- merely as an alias by an entire group, the Dark Stars of the Sun, who operated as a global assassination cabal to anyone who knew the ancient rites to summon him. Others merely presumed he was hiding -waiting- for a chance to strike and terrorise the world.

Dubhe thought the people of Nihonshin, while well-meaning, were a bit quick to leap to the fantastic.

Well, the dried-out husk of a traveller before him [i]kinda [/i]fit the wanted poster, if he squinted. Though he thought a famous mass-murderer yet to be caught by any authorities might have better sense than to wear a heavy black cloak into a desert. Then again, he came in bare-chested, so what did he know?

Then the red-headed man offered to trade food and information- two things, of course, that he was rather interested in.

"That sounds like an idea," Dubhe said suddenly, deciding to ignore the possible presence of a murderer for the moment. The man hardly looked a threat to anyone and besides, Dubhe wasn't one to pass judgement on the word of others. He was confident enough in his skill that if the man did prove violent, he could deal with it.

He turned and took out his satchel, pulling out a few items as he did so. "I've got two eggs, a loaf of bread, and a stick of salami."

He paused, noting one chewed edge, then broke it off. "...Half a stick of salami," he amended, before looking back into his satchel and pulling out his secondary spare bag of Nether Gems. It was a rather tiny sack, but there were more nether gems packed in it than a normal man would see in lifetime- if he were lucky, anyway.

"Also these," he added, "If we're showing off our collections of shiny valuable things now. But I'd prefer to trade in information, if possible..."

He hesitated, but then decided to go for broke.

"So, does anyone know where the Pitch-Black Sword might be?"

- - -

"Indeed," Blues said without a change in tone. "Never seen so many people to barge in at this time of day."

He turned to sip his drink -whatever it was- before something occurred to him.

"This guy's paying to for the vodka today, if you'd like to take a seat," he said conversationally to the newcomers. It was a well-known Zodiacian custom to take advantage of a foreigner's foolish hospitality whenever possible, and Blues had been trying to import it to his new home for a while now.

[Astolfo]

[color=#000066][b]Rin woke up groggily, momentarily disoriented, wondering what was going on, when everything flooded back. He noticed the same people unconscious from drink before were here, and looked around for any kind of clock or something of the sort, when the pain rushed again through his shoulder, and Rin glanced over to the still embedded knife, mentally berating himself for not pulling it out, because of possible blood poisoning. Without thinking rationally, he yanked it out, yelling in pain when some small pieces of flesh came with it, stuck. Then he remembered Kyomu, and looked around hurriedly anxious, ignoring the pain. Rin sighed in relief when he saw Kyomu slither out as his original form from the cracks in the ground, and morphed into a miniature dragon. He thought what would be best to treat his wound, and asked Kyomu if he could cut and stitch his wound, with his tail and then turn into some fabric string with painkiller cream rubbed into it respectively. Gritting his teeth, he started to sweat as fresh blood started to leak out from the cut, and sighed in relief as the painkiller embedded in the fabric started its work. Rin knew the "stitches" and the "painkiller" would eventually dissipate and return to Kyomu cleaned, but he still thanked Kyomu as he returned to his dragon form, a bit smaller. Again, Rin looked for a clock, before going up to the bartender to ask, but Kyomu told him 36 minutes and 15 seconds had passed. As he looked back through his memories, Rin realized Kyomu had turned into a shield that deflected the knife from penetrating his heart. He knew Kyomu wasn't invincible and became choked up at that. After the initial thanks between Kyomu and such, Rin pulled his hood and mask back, revealing a youthful face, with a thin white line across his left cheek. The hair was a midnight-black with streaks of silver, and he had eyes of wonder, one black and the other silver. If one looked closer, they could notice a small self-rotating stud of half the Earth, with Galilea gleaming softly. Walking up to the bar, he asked the bartender nicely which way it was to Allegretto, or Harmony more specifically. The bartender was slightly stunned by his look, but quickly recovered, and replied. Rin thanked the bartender and made his way to the door, waving, before replacing his mask and hood. He started the journey towards Harmony in a good mood, bouncing slightly.[/b][/color]

[color=#000066][b]---[/b][/color]

[color=#000066][b]Several exhausting yet stupendously determined hours later, Rin stumbled to the grand gates of Harmony, and requested entrance. The guards were surprised by the young voice coming from within some being in a gray cloak and hood, but allowed him entrance, when they saw a young and tired face emerge from the hood. "I... made it... Whew. That was tiring...," thought Rin. Slowly, he made his way towards a hotel-like building, and paid for his staying, and asked if there were any apothecaries or healers nearby, and receiving the answer, made his way to a medical care center named [i][u]The Medical Maestro[/u][/i], and requested care for his wound, trying to avoid questions on how he got injured or such. Around half an hour later, Rin received additional supplies which he stashed in his cloak, and dragged himself out of the building after paying. Slowly, step by step, Rin walked toward the hotel, made it up to his bed, and collapsed, instantly falling sound asleep. Kyomu, in his dragon form, hung on the ceiling panels right outside his door, and stood guard. He didn't have to worry about window break-ins because this particular room had none. The moon would later creep up, and take the sun's place, and capric-kets would chirp softly outside the hotel, but Rin fell asleep from exhaustion, not because of natural night-time sleepiness.[/b][/color]

[Enrise]

"Aye, that I am."

Kozah gave mildly laughed, with a bit of a worrisome tone to his words. He felt that, with these two fresh drinkers in the bar, who knows how much they were gonna drink. He was somewhat rethinking his actions, but decided that, since it's all going to go to waste anyways, why not enjoy the possible good times with other people than other useless things.

He looked over at the cat for a few seconds, and then to the two newcomers: the man who came with the very same cat, and the woman with blades for wings, each requested the strongest drink. [i]Oh yes, I am going to be broke by the time I'm done here.[/i]

Miekka looked over to Kozah, the man who was buying everyone's drinks, and gave a devilish grin. "Well, you're gonna be begging for money by the time I'm done with my drinks."

The moment she sat down on the stool, and comfortably at that, her retracted wings fell to the ground, lodging itself into place like a tombstone. Kozah naturally looked over to the wings that pierced the ground, wondering who made such an intricate idea. He wanted to question about the wings, but also pondered otherwise.

Kozah looked over to man, and back to the piles of bodies. Naturally finishing off his glass, he took a breather for a second, and resumed the conversation.

"Aye. I figured as much. Though it seems the emptying of my wallet was at first delayed, it's now quickened by the arrival of you two."

[ListenToLife]

"Ahh, but a man who cannot hold his liqueur is no indication of said liqueur's strength, but merely a measurement of said man's strength; of liver and of mind." Nikko pointed out, smirking to himself as he realised how poetic his phrasing had been. He downed the rest of the glass and set the glass down on the smooth counter, gladly surprised at the speed and proffesionalism of the Bartender as he watched his glass be filled within seconds. Nikko raised his glass and tilted his head as a symbol of thanks and turned back to his new company, ignoring the arrival of two new faces - a man roughly his own age, with what appeared to be a cat on his shoulder (though Nikko assumed it was much more), and a young girl, who seemed determined on getting wasted.

He sighed and asked, "By what title do I call you fine sirs? For every person has a title, do they not?" He declared, chuckling to himself. He smiled and drained another half a glass of the drink the placed it upon the counter once again before quickly glancing around and surveying the people that had arrived. No person seemed to be immediately threatening - each seemed rather heavily armed, but the two he was talking to seemed friendly enough, and he refused to jump to conclusions about the other guy and the girl, of whom he was most worried. She looked the least threatening at initial glance, but the people who looked the least were often the most, and the metal wings did nothing to help him decide whether to be wary.

"I myself go by the title of Nikko. Just another traveller is what I am." He grinned and lifted up the rest of his drink and finished it off, again amazed by the efficiency of the Bartender as it was restored to it's full volume. Before drinking, he unclasped the sword and sheath from his back and laid it down against the counter, beside his stool - a sign of peace and good will to him, but also for easier access indoors.

[Gαr]

Ashe finished his drink before he answered Nikko's question. [color=#800000]"Title, you say? I am merely a pilgrim [/color][color=#800000]on my own journey and a Black Hunter, but the name's Ashe. The cat is just there to keep me company and his name is Desgarron."[/color] Despite him not wanting to remove his sword from his side, he reluctantly removed his sword and also leaned it against the bar. Ashe ordered another drink and took survey of the others at the bar. They were rather heavily armed, but that didn't strike him as surprising. Though, the wings on the one girl did seem a little odd. When the bartender came back with Ashe's drink, Desgarron lifted his head and said, [color=#800000]"Can you get me a saucer of milk and can you mix in some vodka or something?"[/color] The bartender gave the cat a quizzical look and and the cat did the same. [color=#800000]"You little drunk. Don't go and turn into me from years ago."[/color] When the bartender came back Desgarron's drink, he said [color=#800000]"It's physically impossible for me to get drunk like you years ago. I'm magical!"[/color] Ashe smirked and said [color=#800000]"So you say."[/color] and scratched Desgarron's head, causing him to purr.

[Jolta]

Alhena's eyes were studded with confusion. [i]This man hasn't hurt me, so... but... no. I guess he's fine.[/i]
Alhena wasn't one to harm criminals who didn't harm her. She simply questioned. "OK... I guess that's fine... how much in Allegreto currency?"
Alhena was simply nervous. That is what she gets for lacking many social skills.

[center]~~~[/center]

"Here I am..." it was only a matter of time before the Kyubii no Kitsune could be seen dashing like she was but a shadow in Harmony City. She rushed into the bar and her quick actions made her look like she simply materialised from nothingness onto the a chair. Even for a fast creature like her, she was already exhausted from running for so long, even with a few short breaks along the way.
"No sake, eh? Waitor, I'm taking some Martini..."
The fox-tailed, fox-eared creature lifted her mask a little, but didn't reveal her face. In a few seconds, her Martini was ready, so she simply grabbed the Martini with one of her nine tails and began drinking.
She was a beautiful lady, so she had to stay sharp and not drink so much. If she was too drunk, not even her fox-like traits would rescue her.