Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

Asriel Dreemurr · January 29, 2017

Edrick was rather happy with the price that he got on the tub, and he was more than happy to pay for it. What he wasn't ready for was the demonstration that the shop keeper had in store, showing off how the tub collapsed in on itself. The way he was looking at it you'd think he was watching some undiscovered form of magic being put to work in front of his eyes. He stared at it with wide eyes and a slack jaw, barely able to make sense of what he was even seeing. When the shop keeper handed it over to him he spent several moments folding and unfolding it over and over again to make sense of it. Yes, this was a treasure as surely as any object blessed in Inera's name! He was just about to begin loudly praising the man from whom he had purchased this thing, in his native tongue no less, when Catriona decided to interrupt his thoughts.

"You overstep yourself. I did not tell her to leave, nor did I give her any indication that she should." Now if there was anything that could make the young man groan it was something like that. The princess so thoroughly demonstrated that she did not even remotely understand what he had been saying. No matter, at least it was a sign that she was thinking about it. More could be done and said later. For now, it was time for them to actually head to the inn.

In spite of how much weight the young man was carrying, he kept his head held high and marched along with the princess and the troubadour as they went. He did not have anything meaningful to add to their conversation as they went back. Though just as forcefully as Ciela tried to force her repayment onto him he refused it. In his mind it was better for her to hold onto her funds in case they should come across some situation in which they needed the extra money. It helped that he had no idea that one of the things that had been stolen from her was a bath tub of much the same sort as the one now strapped across the top of his pack. No, in his mind he had just made a purchase for the comfort of the group as a whole. That and the very good things he had acquired to make a meal of. In any case, he wasn't having any repayment for it and he was insistent upon carrying it himself. Not out of any desire to avoid burdening Ciela, but more because he had purchased it himself and much preferred to keep track of his equipment himself. Though he did eventually relent on leaving it in the stable with Remy, simply because there was not much of a better place to leave it than there. He was going off into the building, when he remembered the issue with Ciela's legs. Since, as far as he knew, there was no one else out to carry her in, he took up that duty much to the noble's chagrin. Once they had spoken to the Innkeeper, and worked out what rooms they were supposed to go to, Ciela became very nearly impossible to keep a hold of. So, rather than potentially cause a confrontation over it, he let her go off on her own. Though he did keep close behind her...which meant he walked up on Catriona and Asura standing out and about.

"Huh. Thought you would have gone off to bed by now." He muttered upon seeing Asura, while he set his pack on the ground and dug through it to find the now half empty bottle of Zeilla. "Well, with as much of a sheet show as today has been, I'd say there's some drinking warranted." The cork was once more pried from the bottle, and he held it out for Asura to take first. The oldest man in a group was supposed to be the first to drink anyways. "Both to get over it, and to celebrate that it wasn't our worst in this blasted city."

Hakima · January 30, 2017

Link watched the trio in his normal manner, silently and impassively. His left hand itched for the familiar leather that bound the hilt of his sword whenever a shopkeeper moved something too loudly, and he was sure he was making up the suspicious glances he thought he saw people casting at him and the group. There was no feasible way they knew of the princesses, and he was a nobody. It didn’t make sense for anyone to give him the time of day. He told himself that over and over until his anxiety lowered to a more controllable level, at which time the group had decided that it was best to head back, apparently. Link slipped back into the darkness of the streets, following them from a distance.

He hesitated when Princess Catriona turned on her heel suddenly, searching behind her. Link wasn’t really sure what his reasoning was for not revealing himself, but he didn’t. Her suspicion passed momentarily, and she turned around to keep heading back to the inn. Link smiled slightly in spite of himself. In a different lifetime, he probably would have ribbed her over that back at camp, because she was rarely caught unaware. His smile faded quickly. That didn’t really matter anymore. They weren’t friends, not outside of the Garou. That all stayed back at the border.

Link arrived on the scene to see Asura, Edrick, and the eldest princess getting ready to drink. Drinking never had been his thing, in fact, he’d sworn it off after what had happened last time, but he was tired and he needed something that would take the edge off the memories and the guilt before it consumed him again. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, saluted Princess Catriona, and asked, “Permission to join you all?”

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · January 30, 2017

"it's nothing she wouldn't benefit more from learning herself."

Gunther pondered what Alois could have meant by that. There weren't any possibilities that came to mind, so Gunther had to assume he was missing something obvious. The Fighter didn't give any explanation which only led Gunther to believe there was something....worrisome going on between him and the younger princess. He'd have to investigate this sometime.

so, we managed to get a good lead on where we're going next and thankfully no one was convicted for murder in the process." He then shifted topics back saying, "so what was that all about with the uh, short guy from earlier?"

He kind of figured that first part. After all they had all come back, plus. "I knew the princesses would be able to handle it...without me." He paused for a moment, frowning as he glanced out the window. After a few moments more he focused on Alois's question.
Gunther ran his hand through his hair, discomfort plain on his face, before answering. "It's actually about another princess...apparently he lost a princess that was visiting from...some Rift place, I think? I wanted to help him find her. Thought it might...help. Ah, you know what, forget it, it doesn't matter. Let's just er...Actually did you want to sleep or what? I don't want to disturb you or anything..."

Excellent! Penelope had a strange urge to rub her hands together and cackle at the sight before her. Not only did she startle the girl she made her instinctively turn into her fox form! "So it happens that quickly, and is a natural reaction to fear, interesting! I wonder if that's a common trait among your people or a personal thing? Well either way it certainly gave me some nice results."

Penelope tilted her head to the side. "Did you know? One of every five heart attacks is silent. Happening without the person even knowing about it. In fact, you may have had a heart attack and you don't know it yet!"

She walked over to her bed and sat down, kicking her feet idly and staring at Sienna. "It's been a crazy day hasn't it? Does this kind of thing happen to you often? No, I suppose it wouldn't, what with your reaction. I can't promise it's gonna be much better as we go on, you gonna be okay with that?"

Maeriberii Haan · January 30, 2017

Ciela's arrival on her bedroom was marked by her throwing her hat into a corner, feeling somewhat victorious that she managed to reach the place on her own. However, as she tried to rest she was immediately confronted by the harsh reality of her situation: she was unable to climb onto her bed to rest. Letting out a loud groan, she attempted to use her arms as leverage to push her body up so she could roll into the bed in one leap, but her arms still felt like jelly due to fatigue, especially since she had dragged herself through most of the inn earlier which was a lot taxing than she expected. For around ten or so minutes she tried to get herself into the bed, but after that she was too tired for other attempts and in annoyance grabbed some of the pillows and decided to take some rest on the room's floor.

Too drained to get herself to an upright position, Ciela started to undo her shirt's and skirt's buttons and slowly undressed herself while she lie on the floor, rolling left and right to allow herself to get the clothing article off her easier. The process was far from as hard as she thought at first, and before a minute passed, Ciela was already free from the bound of her tattered clothing, taking a momentary respite on top of the wooden floor. She considered to take a bath since she's already naked, but thinking about it more...she's not in a position to push herself into the wooden bathtub now. Ciela thought that she was more likely to hurt herself rather than being able to enjoy any sort of relaxation. It's quite shameful but...perhaps she should ask Cat to help her. Penelope didn't seem to be able to help her and she had no idea where she and Sienna were anyway, and asking the guys to help her with this...

Pulling her bag close to her, she pulled out her white chemise and rolled herself into it, before crawling out of the room with an expression that somewhat looked like resignation. She felt annoyed and ashamed that she had to ask someone to lift herself to a bathtub or bed, but Ciela was aware that no way would she be able to rest if she's just lying on the floor. After a while, she noticed that Catriona was still hanging out with Asura in their previous place, but now Edrick and Link were there too, and Ciela saw a familiar bottle on the farmboy's hand. Memories of her splitting headache from a few days ago invaded her mind and implored her to stay away, but with just how much that had happened that day, Ciela decided to ignore her reasoning and common sense and approached the group eagerly, the thought of what she wanted to ask earlier being put in the backburner for the time being.

"Hey, I'm joining in, alright? I need a freaking drink..."

Asriel Dreemurr · January 30, 2017

"Permission to join you all?" Well, Edrick admittedly hadn't expected link to come along and try to join in on it anyways. He didn't seem the sort to abide drinking for, well, any reason if the young man was being serious. That said, he did look like he needed a drink more than the rest of them. Once Asura had taken his own drink from the bottle, Edrick was quick to take it back and hold it out in offering to the tired guard.

"You don't have to ask permission to do everything, you know." He said, waiting for the green-garbed man to respond. "I get that you used to be a soldier, but this isn't the army or the Lupii de Noapte. Though that does bring a question to mind." Now he turned towards Catriona again. "What is our name? We're supposed to be a Mercenary Company, right? So we should have a name." It just made sense to him after all. If they were going to be traveling about the world on some or another quest then they ought to have a name which their deeds could be known by. It was just the best way for them to be remembered by the people they helped along the way. That was how all the legends went anyways. He recalled his uncle's personal unit during the last war, the Dragon's Fangs if he remembered the translation correctly. Though if his father was to be believed, and he had no reason to lie about that, they had changed their name to something along the lines of the Swords of Inera since his uncle's death. Or maybe it was the Deathless Legion. He didn't know as much about them as he would like to. In any case, his attention was soon brought back to the present and Ciela's return to them.

"Hey, I'm joining in alright? I need a freaking drink..." That made sense, especially with how the day had gone for her. Though now Edrick looked around at the group and then the remaining contents of the bottle. He wasn't sure it alone would be enough, and then they were there in an inn.

"Why don't we get a table downstairs if we're all gonna be drinking tonight? Also makes it easier to get more to drink once we finish off the Zeilla. Link, what's the popular drink in Ithome?" The soldier-turned-guard would know if anyone would.

Alaina · January 31, 2017

As Alois had asked his question, he immediately raised an eyebrow at the armored man's response. Even before saying anything he seemed incredibly uncomfortable, for reasons that Alois could not really figure out. As the man finally gave him an answer, Alois seemed to only regret asking him more as he started to just fumble upon his own words. As he finally seemed like he was about to say something of his own accord to the boy, he seemed to stop himself which only caused the young fighter's expression to become more impassive. "Disturb me?" He muttered, before looking out the window to notice the time of day. Turning back to flower face he then said, "nah, I have no plans on sleeping yet. Still got things to do and energy to do it with."

Getting up off his bed, the fighter then started to walk towards his door saying, "speaking of which, I got to go take care of one of those things now." As he was about to leave the room, he realized that this probably wouldn't go over well. He also knew that he would probably be spending more nights with the flower faced knight as his roommate and were things to remain the same, the larger man would likely continue to irritate him to no end. Stopping as he reached the door, he then looked back and said, "you're free to come along if you want and I could always use a witness, unless you'd rather make better friends with the wall."

Wind Rider · January 31, 2017

"So it happens that quickly, and is a natural reaction to fear, interesting! I wonder if that's a common trait among your people or a personal thing? Well either way it certainly gave me some nice results."

Already starting with the studying? Well... Sienna honestly was expecting it considering how Penelope is. "Did you know? One of every five heart attacks is silent. Happening without the person even knowing about it. In fact, you may have had a heart attack and you don't know it yet!"

'S-silent?' Sienna started to shake all over at the thought of it, Penelope's knowledge wasn't exactly helping the situation. "T-that's... Very... Interesting, Penelope..." She said nervously before turning back into her normal form. She put her beaststone on a small table in the room and laid back out on her bed.

"It's been a crazy day hasn't it? Does this kind of thing happen to you often? No, I suppose it wouldn't, what with your reaction. I can't promise it's gonna be much better as we go on, you gonna be okay with that?" Sienna's ears twitched as she listened to Penelope. Being accused of murder wasn't exactly something she would ever expect, and the thought of worse things happening didn't appeal to her either.

"Y-yeah... I'll be uh... I'll be fine, really..." She rolled onto her side as she spoke, allowing her tail to dangle over the edge of the bed, her fur was a little frazzled from the stress of the day. She kept her ears out just in case Penelope had any other questions.

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 1, 2017

"nah, I have no plans on sleeping yet. Still got things to do and energy to do it with."

For a moment Gunther wondered if he was talking about Penelope.

"speaking of which, I got to go take care of one of those things now."

Another moment where Gunther wondered. Perhaps he was being paranoid but with all that had happened, paranoia might be exactly what they needed right now.

He stood and prepared to block Alois's exit, making him tell Gunther where he was planning on going, but then Alois spoke up once more.

"you're free to come along if you want and I could always use a witness, unless you'd rather make better friends with the wall."

He deflated a bit, flushing in embarrassment at his silly concerns. Surely if he was planning on doing something regarding the princess he wouldn't ask Gunther to come along.

He smiled at Alois. What a kind guy he was. He knew Gunther probably would just sit here by himself and invited him out. Though it did sting Gunther a bit to realize that he gave off such an impression. He shouldn't be surprised but still..."Alright, let's get going then. Just don't get arrested; we've had enough of that lately." Gunther joked, then cringed, as he realized that it seemed that each member of their group was getting into unfortunate circumstances in this city.

He had to step up his guard game. And this adventure with Alois might be a good start.

"T-that's... Very... Interesting, Penelope..."

Penelope beamed, happy that Sienna had appreciated her facts.

"Y-yeah... I'll be uh... I'll be fine, really..."

But this was concerning. Penelope watched as Sienna laid down. She wanted to ask her more, to get more information, but...Penelope knew that this Protean girl was having trouble. The younger princess had seen plenty of people with plenty of problems in her time spent among the people, and she thought she had a good grasp on various solutions, but she wasn't sure what was wrong with Sienna. Sure, being accused of murder was no walk in the park but...Perhaps it had to do with her species? Was she concerned that she would keep falling into problems because of being Protean?

Penelope felt she was close. Clearly the girl had hidden her species thus far...Upon further thinking Penelope considered that this might actually the first time she was discovered. And if her first experience with humans learning her species was this...

She didn't know if Sienna was asleep yet but Penelope decided to speak anyway. "We're sometimes a really stupid bunch, humans, but...If given time to learn, well, we're able to accept a lot of different things." With that the girl began to remove the small amount of battle gear she had, setting them beside her bed.

Maeriberii Haan · February 1, 2017

Well, Edrick had a point. They're in an inn, so why not drink more freely inside? Truthfully, she wasn't really keen on how she had to move much again, especially after tumbling down from the stairs earlier...which luckily didn't end badly aside from a few bruises. And well, Ciela was a bit confused about the group's location. Weren't they supposedly be upstairs? She thought that was the last time she saw Cat and Asura, but they're somehow outside now. Perhaps her memory was just too fuzzy due to fatigue. As Ciela turned around to start crawling inside, Link came from behind her and lifted her without saying any words. Her expression was clearly annoyed, but she was too tired to complain about it now and the group thus went inside of the inn and got themselves a seat around a table.

Just now Ciela noticed that the other patrons of the inn were looking at her in an odd way. A bit of time thinking, and Ciela guessed that it was because of the fact she was now only wearing her sleeveless loose night gown, or perhaps it's due to how she tumbled down on the stairs earlier. Perhaps both. It's a bit irritating, and kind of shameful, but right now she just couldn't be bothered to get a change to a more decent dress. After all, she was here originally just to drag Cat to help her on the bathroom. Shaking her head as she stopped herself from thinking more about the gaze of the other patrons, she turned towards the innkeeper and started to yell.

"Let's have some of the best beer here for us! Just bring lots of them, it's fine! I'll be the one that pay for it!"

She pushed herself to look more cheery than before, getting herself into the mood for getting drunk with peers. Like, this was how people usually do it, right? Ciela remembered seeing similar scenes in other bars she had been in, so although this would be the first time she's drinking in a group in public, she was confident that she could handle the situation well.

"Should we drag the others here? Uh...maybe not Penelope, she looks too young for this. Maybe not Sienna too...doesn't even look like the type to get drunk. Alois' busy in a date with that guard, so uh, let's get Gunther here. Does he even drink? Seeing him drunk sounds pretty fun, don't you think?"

Ciela pushed herself to be more chatty despite just wanting rest like fifteen minutes ago. Despite properly being in this group now, she still felt some distance between her and the others, and well, didn't people chat as openly and brashly like this to close friends? Well uh...even then the only one of the other three that she felt any closeness with so far was Edrick - she was unable to comprehend Link at all, while Cat and Asura...

"You're talking about names earlier, right? What's so important about it anyway? Wouldn't it better if we stay ragtag since we won't get too noticed and-

Nevermind, we attract trouble like lamp attracts moths either way."

King K. Azo · February 2, 2017

"Asura? Is there something wrong?" Asura heard the voice of Cat calling out to him, so he looked up, blinking and yawning a bit.

"No, no. Just couldn't sleep, and decided to come outside," He answered. He did not lie at all. So that was a good thing.

"Huh. Thought you would have gone off to bed by now." Edrick muttered as he walked over. "Well, with as much of a s*** show as today has been, I'd say there's some drinking warranted." The cork was once more pried from the bottle, and he held it out for Asura to take. Asura nodded and took it into his hand. "Both to get over it, and to celebrate that it wasn't our worst in this blasted city."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Asura muttered before taking a swing. This was probably a bad idea.

"Permission to join you all?" Link asked as he came over.

"You don't have to ask permission to do everything, you know." Edrick stated. "I get that you used to be a soldier, but this isn't the army or the Lupii de Noapte. Though that does bring a question to mind.... What is our name? We're supposed to be a Mercenary Company, right? So we should have a name."

"I could dub us Mud," Asura muttered as he shoot his head.

"Hey, I'm joining in alright? I need a freaking drink..." Asura could understand. This day had to be the hardest on her... after all, he failed to protect her... he wasn't sure why he felt dull surprise. He should expect this by now.

"Why don't we get a table downstairs if we're all gonna be drinking tonight? Also makes it easier to get more to drink once we finish off the Zeilla. Link, what's the popular drink in Ithome?" Edrick asked, only for Ciela to pipe up.

"Let's have some of the best beer here for us! Just bring lots of them, it's fine! I'll be the one that pay for it!"

"You sure that's a good idea...?" Asura asked, although he was pretty sure he was ignored.

"Should we drag the others here? Uh...maybe not Penelope, she looks too young for this. Maybe not Sienna too...doesn't even look like the type to get drunk. Alois' busy in a date with that guard, so uh, let's get Gunther here. Does he even drink? Seeing him drunk sounds pretty fun, don't you think?" She paused and turned to Edrick. "You're talking about names earlier, right? What's so important about it anyway? Wouldn't it better if we stay ragtag since we won't get too noticed and- Nevermind, we attract trouble like lamp attracts moths either way."

Asura just shook his head and flopped in a chair. He was so tired, and he just wanted some relief. "I don't care what we drink, as long as we drink," He said as he looked around. "So... what's everyone's opinion on... the city...?" He asked awkwardly, trying to break the ice. That was probably a bad way to open it.

Sethera · February 4, 2017

During the walk back, Catriona couldn't help the touch of exasperation she felt at Ciela's words. She did feel a bit...unsure after she heard the girl's parting words. Gratitude to my father? For killing off her family? Her own father? The princess didn't know why that would be, but, perhaps the girl did not get on with her father?

After seeing Asura, Edrick suggested getting a drink to celebrate the end of a long, hard day. Catriona agreed silently, walking over to the pair. Soon afterward, Link joined them out of nowhere, causing the white-haired woman to glance at him suspiciously. That was rather fast... She had thought him asleep. He had always been a light sleeper, though. Well, ever since...that time, anyway. "You may," she replied to his question, briefly falling back into her persona as a soldier.

"You don't have to ask permission to do everything, you know." Edrick said, waiting for the green-garbed man to respond. "I get that you used to be a soldier, but this isn't the army or the Lupii de Noapte. Though that does bring a question to mind." Now he turned towards Catriona again. "What is our name? We're supposed to be a Mercenary Company, right? So we should have a name."

"I could dub us Mud," Asura muttered as he shoot his head.

"Erm," Catriona started. "A...name?" She thought about it for a bit, but couldn't come up with anything. Honestly, she hadn't even considered such an idea. They were just a group of people trying to stop a goddess. Though...when she thought about it that way, a name could give them something to rally behind. "How about...Ever Valiant?" she asked. It sounded good to her, as they were all very valiant, and would hopefully remain so. Yes, the perfect name.

Soon afterward, Ciela came down, dressed in a rather risqué manner. Did she desire to proposition herself? It was true, that they had some time to unwind, and likely should, as they would not get another chance anytime soon. Still, there was a time and place for everything, and with Ciela's noble background, Catriona had assumed she understood the concept of subtlety. Well. If she wouldn't be subtle then neither would Catriona.

"Let's have some of the best beer here for us! Just bring lots of them, it's fine! I'll be the one that pay for it! Should we drag the others here? Uh...maybe not Penelope, she looks too young for this. Maybe not Sienna too...doesn't even look like the type to get drunk. Alois' busy in a date with that guard, so uh, let's get Gunther here. Does he even drink? Seeing him drunk sounds pretty fun, don't you think?"

"Ciela, much as you might like to unwind, I am not sure that what you have in mind is the best idea, especially considering your injuries." She wasn't sure if the girl heard or not, seeing as she was starting to carry on like she was already drunk. Perhaps she was a lost cause, then.

Asura just shook his head and flopped in a chair. "I don't care what we drink, as long as we drink," he said as he looked around. "So... what's everyone's opinion on... the city...?" He asked awkwardly, trying to break the ice. That was probably a bad way to open it.

"It is pleasant, at least here," Catriona replied. "The last sector left much to be desired." She realized after she spoke that that was not entirely correct. They had met Link there. Still, she would not take back her words, as it did indeed lack a few things, such as friendliness or helpfulness on the part of its residents.

--

"Forget it. He's not coming," Hilarion muttered to himself. "Should've known he was just a square." He started to walk away, paused, and then returned. "Another five minutes," he mumbled.

Hakima · February 4, 2017

Link regretted his decision as soon as the words left his mouth. What if they were attacked during the night? Over half the group would be drunk, no one would even notice an intruder. And even if they spotted them, the chances of surviving the encounter weren’t good at all. He hadn’t even been in a real battle drunk, but the Garou had once been ambushed while he was sleeping off a hangover, and it had been terrible. That was… that was the night they had lost Rohns. Recalling the memory, being the one to tell Anais that he was dead, it made his stomach turn. She hadn’t ever looked at him the same again, she blamed him, even if she hadn’t said it. It had been his idea to drink.

Link clenched his hands into fists, biting into his cheek until he tasted blood. He was trying to find his voice to say he had changed his mind, when Princess Catriona spoke, "You may.” She had given him permission, and to try and back out after that would be rude. Was she testing him? Had she noticed him falling behind? He knew that she was aware he wasn’t against drinking, even if he had dialed it back the last year he was with the Garou. Spirits, drinking was probably the first time he had seen her. He hadn’t realized she was a princess back then, because she hadn’t exactly looked the part puking her guts out all over the ground, but it was still the first time they had officially met.

Did that mean she was trying to see if he could function as well as he used to? Link squared his jaw, determined to shake off any suspicions the princess might’ve had about him. All he had to do was act normal.

Edrick caught his attention not a moment after that. “Link, what's the popular drink in Ithome?" Link wasn’t exactly sure he was qualified to answer that, having only been drinking in Ithome once, but he could remember what most of the other guards had been drinking. He started to answer as they began to shift inside the building, but the blue haired woman cut him off before he could. He wasn’t able to catch what she said, but she did get his full attention as soon as he really noticed her. Link nearly did a double take. For some reason, she was laying on the ground, and was using her arms to drag herself around. She was also barely wearing any clothes, just a thin dress that looked a lot like bed wear, and Link glanced from her to Edrick and Asura.

He had learned the hard way that not everyone could control themselves. For his own peace of mind and for Ciela’s safety, he put himself in between her and the other two men, quietly asking for permission and waiting for it before he did anything. Once she said yes, looking at him oddly, he slid under arm behind her head and the other into the crook of her legs, picking her up off the ground without a word. Unintentionally, she ended up pressing against his chest - or more specifically his chainmail - as he brought her inside. Just being that close to someone was making him uncomfortable, but he imagined it wasn’t the most dignified situation for her either, so he grit his teeth and kept his opinion to himself until they made it to an empty table in the corner of the inn, where he sat her down softly before quickly stepping away.

"Let's have some of the best beer here for us! Just bring lots of them, it's fine! I'll be the one that pay for it!" she said, just after he put her down. Apparently it wasn’t as embarrassing an experience for her.

Her offer to buy beer did remind Link of Edrick’s question, though. “They don’t drink much beer here,” Link explained. “They prefer wine. It’s more expensive than beer,” he warned, “and it’s harder on you the next morning.” His first - his only - wine hangover had been among the worst of his life. The headache had been unbelievable.

One of the servers approached their table not long after that, and Ciela was asking the rest of the group something, so it fell to Link to order their drinks. He ordered all of them a rather well known Ithome brand of wine, known as Opimian vintage, and ordered himself the strongest drink they had, which the server informed him was called the ‘Holiday’s End’. He returned to the conversation, and noticed Princess Catriona speaking to Ciela.

"Ciela, much as you might like to unwind, I am not sure that what you have in mind is the best idea, especially considering your injuries,” she said.

It took Link a minute to understand her implication, but when he did, he looked away. That was… he glanced around, and noticed that other patrons were looking at their table strangely, specifically the blue-haired woman. His hand itched for his sword, but he knew that wasn’t the solution to this problem.

“Here,” Link said, standing up and start to take off his tunic. He laid his cap on the table, letting his hair fall free, and then started working on the buckle for the belt across his shoulder that he clipped his sword sheath to. In short amount of time, his shield had joined his hat on top of the table, and his sword was leaning against it. Then Link pulled his tunic over his head, still wearing his mail, a shirt, and his leggings beneath it, and held it out to Ciela. “Put this on for now.”

Knowing she wouldn’t manage by herself, Link helped Ciela pull the tunic on. It was baggy on her (it was baggy on him, so that didn’t surprise him), but it covered much more than her dress had. He took his seat across the table again, feeling a lot more vulnerable and exposed without his tunic. He really wanted that drink now.

Hoping to reign in his nerves, he tried to focus on the conversation going on.

"So... what's everyone's opinion on... the city...?”

"It is pleasant, at least here," Catriona replied. "The last sector left much to be desired."

“You all just came at a bad time,” Link said weakly in defense of Sector Three. Every instinct in his body told him not speak against the princess, but he hadn’t ever hesitated to voice his opinion at the border before… before… well, he had disagreed with her before. If he was trying to convince Princess Catriona he was normal, he would need to act like it, even if he wasn’t very comfortable with that. “It wasn’t a bad place. The people were good to me. If the Captain hadn’t fired me, I probably would’ve stayed.”

It didn’t hit Link until after he had already said it that, in his desperation to talk like he used to, he had just revealed that he had been fired for helping them. Before he could say anything else, the drinks arrived, and Link immediately took and downed a heavy swig from his. It burned the whole way down, right until it dropped into his stomach.

Trying to brush over the awkwardness caused by his last statement, and somehow already feeling the slight tingling from his drink, Link asked, “I… so, did I miss anything today?”

[spoiler=Things You Might Notice]

Since Link actually did something this post, I figured I'd add this. Some things your characters might notice:
1) Without his tunic, he's not as bulky as he appeared to be.
2) Since his cap is on the table, you can see that he's missing a portion of the upper part of his right ear. That's been like that for as long as even Cat's known him.
3) If you can tell the difference in dialects (Cat probs knows, Ciela can probs tell) Link is noticeably from rural Galtea. It's not a thick accent, but it's enough to discern. It's also not the sort of accent you'd relate to a hick - which would be someone from Scute Hills if I understand right - it's just obvious he's not from any of the more well-spoken parts of Galtea.

4) I skipped over mentioning it since I already have a ton, but his voice is sort of hoarse, mostly because he doesn't talk much.

Maeriberii Haan · February 4, 2017

"Ciela, much as you might like to unwind, I am not sure that what you have in mind is the best idea, especially considering your injuries."

"Uh...what do you mean?"

As they waited for their order to arrive, Cat mentioned something about unwinding. What was that even about anyway? There was no knots around that she could unwind, and it's not like doing that required her to move around much anyway. Or, perhaps in the sense like a snake, or those weird mechanical toys? Oh right, she was trying to relax earlier before she was coming here. Perhaps that was what Cat talked about. Yep, definitely that. SO that's what they called as unwinding. Like unwinding the straps to her corset, or her shoes. It did feel relaxing.

"Oh, yeah. I was considering to do just that earlier, but well..." Ciela paused a bit, her face somewhat reddened. It just came to her mind that it would be awkward for her to ask that to the princess, especially after what happened earlier. And well, her pride kind of told her to not say anything about it. But well, she felt like she owed her something, so Ciela decided to continue on. "As you said, my injuries made me unable to do so properly. So well...I was going to ask you to help me with that, especially since we're sleeping together tonight anyway. I can't even get on the bed like this..."

Was she sounding a bit too begging? It's weird, Ciela was starting to feel disoriented, or perhaps that was just due to what had happened today. She clutched her head a bit while she hid her reddened face from Cat who sat on her side. She was stuck like that for a while until Link, the last person she expected to actually do anything, let off his cape and tunic, and gave the latter for Ciela to wear. Ciela was somewhat dumbstruck at how Link even ended up doing that, although this also allowed her to notice that the usually silent guy had a quite hoarse voice. Wait, he had spoken earlier, he was the one that ordered the wines over beer. Ah, Ciela was barely paying attention at the time. She did hear about Link ordering the most expensive drink though, and well, Ciela couldn't just dislike that. Perhaps even a farmboy could have good taste.

Without saying much, Ciela accepted the tunic and let Link help her to wear it, and it ended up covering her in a more satisfying manner than her skimpy night gown due to its size. She was grateful about it after her period of surprise ended, as it was pointed out even more now that what she wore was quite indecent, and a lot of people were staring at her due to it. It wasn't even her intent to go down here with a clothing like this, but ah, with the tunic she shouldn't think about it more.

"So... what's everyone's opinion on... the city...?”

"It is pleasant, at least here, the last sector left much to be desired."

“You all just came at a bad time, it wasn’t a bad place. The people were good to me. If the Captain hadn’t fired me, I probably would’ve stayed.”

After the group settled down more, Asura decided to ask a question. Cat and Link answered it before Ciela could, and honestly...she really didn't want to answer the question. Her experience that day had soured her opinion on the city despite its kind people, and her mood dipped even further when Sector Three was mentioned. She held herself back from saying anything at first, looking at Edrick to see whether he would answer first. But, after the initial surge of dislike, as she got some time of thinking after choosing to go silent, she thought that mostly she just had no idea on what to say. It'd be a bit unfair to hate the city just due to that garbage councilman that weren't even from here, right? Or that thief. Why the hell would someone dressed as lavishly as that even steal? He even dared to steal her bathtub...somehow. How did he even do it, anyway?

“I… so, did I miss anything today?”

Just as she was thinking about that, Link asked a question, and well, Ciela was quite close at repeating her rants towards Silas and his incompetent guards (not knowing that Link was part of said guards), but she noticed that the drinks had arrived. That would be her priority. She took one of the drinks, and tasted a bit of it first. Ah...Ciela felt that it was just like one of the bottles she stole from her father's cellar when she was younger. She could feel that it was quite strong, in a different way to Edrick's zeilla, but she felt that she liked the lighter taste for this one. She was thinking that they used some sort of spice with this. It was indeed something quite fine, and Ciela showed her respect to it. A brutish approach to drinking it wouldn't fit such a fine stuff, and so Ciela drank it sip by sip, relishing the light yet searing sensation as it traveled down her throat.

"Well you missed nothing. We definitely didn't get arrested for murder. We definitely didn't-

Wait...where the hell were you?"

Ciela, selfishly busy thinking about herself all day long, had only noticed that Link was absent for most of the day. As the alcohol slowly took effect on her prone self, her tone became a bit ruder than usual somewhat unintentionally. She was mostly just surprised at how unnoticeable Link was to the point of his disappearance was-

Oh.

Ciela's half drunken face turned bright red in shame. She recalled what happened before their interrogation and the group's talk about Link, and how she thought he committed suicide or something similar. There were so much thing happening that day for her to forget about it already...or perhaps it was just due to her being too concerned with her own self to remember trivial conversations such as that.

"Go ask the others, I don't want to answer this." With that last attempt of a save said and done, she went on to drown her embarrassment and shame with by drinking more and more of the wine. Ah, how she wished to wake up in the morning already.

Asriel Dreemurr · February 6, 2017

Soon enough the lot of them were seated at a table in the inn, and shortly after they had finished off the last of his Zeilla. So the empty bottle found its way into his pack, one never knew when they would need one, and the group set about discussing a number of things. The first of which was the question of what to drink, which Link answered by ordering wine for the table. Edrick didn't have much experience with that, so he kept away from it for the time being. The deep red liquid in front of him looked too much like blood for his tastes anyways. Not that he was shy of blood, so much as he was against drinking it. Well, that was fine. The group was getting into the discussion of what they should name themselves.

"I could name us mud." Well, Asura was still upset. That was fine though, the day hadn't been their best.

"You're talking about names earlier, right? What's so important about it anyway? Wouldn't it better if we stay ragtag since we won't get too noticed and- nevermind, we attract trouble like lamp attracts moths either way." Ciela wasn't any help, but then it wasn't her decision to make on the subject anyways.

"How about...Ever Valiant?" Now that, the only real suggestion any of them had, brought about an audible chortle from the slightly intoxicated young farmer. He liked the idea she was going for, but it didn't sound that great to him. A pair of words he'd like to be associated with sure, but not the name of a mercenary company.

"No, our name has to be something more. Like 'The Devil's Talons' or something like that. You know, something the bards can really work with when they're spreading our tale." He was quite certain that whatever end their journey led to would end up a legend. Even if he failed to convert them and had to try and kill them himself, he was fairly certain he would fail. He was only one man, and even if he became a warrior like his father and uncle he could not expect that the others would not do the same. There simply was no way that he could defeat them all if it came down to that. Well, these grim thoughts had him in the mood to try that strange blood-looking drink, and he found that it didn't taste quite as bad as he expected it to. It also made it easier for him to disguise the blush on his face as simple drunkenness, especially in the face of Catriona and Ciela talking about "unwinding" together. What man would be able to get that mental image out of their head?

"So what's everyone's opinion on the city." Now that was a question to which there were certainly several answers, and Edrick's was not a kind one.

"Sectors one and three...well, I don't think I want to come back to either. Hateful of outsiders in one, and scornful of my family in the other." He felt more comfortable talking about things like that now that it was out in the air. He could actually tell tales of his father's exploits during the war when next they found themselves around a campfire.

"It is pleasant, at least here." Catriona's opinion didn't surprise him. "The last sector left much to be desired." They agreed there at least.

"You all just came at a bad time, it wasn't a bad place. The people were good to me. If the captain hadn't fired me, I probably would have stayed." Well, the revelation that Link had been fired caught his attention, and also had his eyes locked on the former soldier now. He was about to comment on his losing employment, when he took the time to realise something. That tunic had been quite big on Link. He knew he was bigger than the wolf, but this... something was wrong. He found his mind turning to stories his father had told him in an effort to keep him out of the army, of men who just couldn't live with what they had seen and done and just...wasted away. Perhaps he felt too attached to the man, only having known him so long, but he did not want to see Link end up like that. Before he could say anything though, Link had a question. "I... so, did I miss anything today?"

"Well you missed nothing. We definitely didn't get arrested for murder. We definitely didn't- Wait...where the hell were you?" Edrick was about to chastise Ciela for saying that, how dare she speak that way to someone who had sacrificed so much for her country? Of course it seemed she realised her mistake quickly enough, and excused herself from answering the question. Well, it was quite a lot to tell. So he found himself draining his cup in preparation, clearing his throat, and setting his hands down on the table.

"Okay, so, it all starts with Catriona telling me that our mission is apparently to stop Inera from returning. We'll talk more about that later, it's less important right here right now." It felt strange to put it that way, but that had been arguably the least important of the day's events. "Sienna found a secret doorway in the library. It went to some stairs, which led down to a secret chamber full of scrolls and a dead girl who looked like a wolf had ripper her up. No bite marks though, so whatever did it wasn't after food. Before we figure out anything else, this jabroni named after an instrument comes in on us with a guard, Tulus I think his name was. Might be wrong. Anyways, she has us arrested, we get taken to city hall to be tried before Councilman Harris. Silas and Olivette showed up, I called Silas a fătălău, learned he speaks Pontic, and apparently we picked the day of Ithome's Council Meeting to get arrested. So they dragged us all over the place to keep us from being able to just rush our way out, probably so we couldn't just escape if we were found guilty, and put is in a courtroom. They interrogated all of us, I managed to piss off Harris, Silas and Olivette vouched for me oddly enough, they released us, and told us the Great Dragon is somewhere North past the Pelinna region, which means the Dran Mountains...or Pontus. Goddess grant that I do not have to sneak the lot of you across the border during the winter. Though I suppose that is when we would be best able to do it. Assuming the passes weren't closed with snow." He sighed, and signaled for one of the servers to bring him some more of that wine, and he paid her the last of the money he had for it. It wouldn't be useful out in the wilderness anyways, and he could always get more. "Oh, and since you missed it earlier, I should introduce myself properly. Sunt Edrick, fiul lui Roran Stronghammer, și nepotul lui Eragon, Dragonul Pontus. As for why I can't fight, my father wanted me to have a more peaceful life than he did. I think that covers everything."

Hakima · February 6, 2017

"Well you missed nothing. We definitely didn't get arrested for murder. We definitely didn't- Wait...where the hell were you?" Ciela snapped haughtily in response to his question.

Link quirked an eyebrow at her, a feat which most were incapable of doing. He was a master of facial expressions. “Following orders?” he asked rhetorically. “Catriona kicked me out of the library and told me to go to sleep, didn’t really have much of a choice.” He took another long pull from his mug after that, enjoying how light he felt at the moment. He knew his limits - he was nowhere near drunk, but the alcohol had managed to take the edge off. Link felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Talking came easier, sitting up straight wasn’t an uphill battle. It was… nice. Some would even call it intoxicating.

He smirked at his own little joke, taking another drink, and then Edrick began to talk. "Okay, so, it all starts with Catriona telling me that our mission is apparently to stop Inera from returning. We'll talk more about that later, it's less important right here right now." Link narrowed his eyes at the farmer. Yeah, he remembered that alright. Little brat, he had half a mind to take that spear of his and shove it up his ass for talking to her like that. Wait, what was that about Inera? "Sienna found a secret doorway in the library. It went to some stairs, which led down to a secret chamber full of scrolls and a dead girl who looked like a wolf had ripper her up. No bite marks though, so whatever did it wasn't after food. Before we figure out anything else, this b**** named after an instrument comes in on us with a guard, Tulus I think his name was. Might be wrong.”

Link was struggling to keep up. The fox girl had found a secret staircase that lead to a dead girl? An instrument got them arrested? “You met Tullus?” was all he could manage to coherently ask. “He’s Marcus’s brother. Good to hear he’s doin’ alright.” Edrick launched back into his tale after that, about how they were arrested and taken in front of the Council of Three for trial, and how he had called Silas a falafel. Ah yes, falafel, the most dire of insults. It was a wonder that Silas didn’t have him executed for slandering his good name with a mouth like that. He did have them interrogated, though, where the suave Pontic managed to piss off yet another powerful man. He seemed to have a knack for that. Link rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand when the story concluded, shaking his head. “. . . . I don’t even know what to say,” he murmured, staring down at his shield on the table. From a member of the feared Garou regiment to babysitter of a spoiled brat and a Pontic whelp in under a year. How had it come to this?

That was an easy question to answer, if he was being honest. Epona passing, tensions at the border rising everyday, bloodstained hands and a rapidly declining sanity were all good reasons. He stopped rubbing his eyes to drink again and realized that Edrick had one last thing to say. "Oh, and since you missed it earlier, I should introduce myself properly. Sunt Edrick, fiul lui Roran Stronghammer, și nepotul lui Eragon, Dragonul Pontus. As for why I can't fight, my father wanted me to have a more peaceful life than he did. I think that covers everything."

Link froze with his mug halfway to his lips. He didn’t speak Pontic, the most he knew were curses, but even he knew the meaning behind those words. Just hearing them killed his buzz, brought him back to when he was younger than even the Pontic boy across from him, sitting around a campfire in basic passing stories around. Of course he’d heard of Eragon and Roran, the monsters of Pontus, but before that moment he hadn’t been sure he entirely even believed they existed. He knew from experience how rumors traveled; the crest on his shield carried unbelievable weight even all the way over in Histia. It was easy to exaggerate stories, and most of the time in war, it was done intentionally. It raised morale. And now there was a boy in front of him claiming to be Roran Stronghammer’s son. Everything Garou in him demanded he eliminate the threat immediately. Edrick was untrained now, it would be easy, but given time it might not stay that way. And he had to hate Catriona and Penelope; their father had killed his uncle.

Slowly, he brought his drink down to the table and looked over to Catriona, but she gave nothing away. She was as hard to read as always, and even though Link considered himself rather good at that particular skill, he couldn’t see any hint at what she wanted him to do. Damn her, damn her and her stoicism to hell! What did she want him to do?

It felt like minutes had passed, but it was probably only a few seconds. Link drained his cup, an entire half a mug, in one drink, then looked over to Edrick and smiled. The action changed his face entirely, made him almost look like he wasn’t the same person. It melted years off his features in an instant. “Good to meet you, Edrick Roranson,”Link said with no trace of sarcasm. He had decided to treat him just like he had every recruit to the Garou, years ago. “I’m Link. Full title’s Lincoln Harkinian, formerly of the 31st regiment of the Galtean military,” the words flowed out without any trouble, an overly rehearsed introduction, even with the hoarseness of his voice.

”Your dad sounds like a smart man to keep you away from war,” he chuckled, and it was obvious from the action he was inebriated, but Link knew it was only serving to loosen his tongue. “And it explains why you fight worse than a blind badger. I’ve seen recruits with a better idea on how to hold themselves, but… if you’re gonna be traveling with us, you’ll need to learn how to defend yourself.” Link knew what he was about to do was a bad idea, but even if the boy was Pontic, he was still a kid. Link refused to have the deaths of anymore children on his conscious. He couldn’t f***ing take it.“Come find me when we start traveling, and we can pick up where we left off with how to use your lance.”

Link wouldn’t look at Catriona after, expecting her to be angry with him. He needed to make it clear his loyalty was still to the crown first. He looked at Edrick, really looked, and in his place he saw a dozen other young men and women he had killed at the border. Kids that would never get to really live. “And please…” his expression was unreadable, but his voice was practically begging. “Don’t make me kill you.”

Alaina · February 7, 2017

As the flower faced knight had decided to follow after him, Alois could only smirk a bit at the following comment. "Heh, well if you guys haven't got me arrested yet I doubt anything will at this rate." With that, the duo had walked down the stairs of the inn, only for Alois's attention than to be taken over to the slightly rowdy crowd over at a table. The crowd was one that gave him a bit of pause, being the people he traveled with, and he wondered just what it was that they were up to. They weren't being particularly rowdy, but it did look like they were getting something to drink and...Why was Blue-head wearing Link's clothing? Alois briefly wondered what it was that they were getting up to, as the mood seemed to be tensing up between everyone. While he was sure that things were probably going to be fine, what with the two more straight laced and boring members of the group there, as the night went on things were almost guaranteed to get crazier. Alois simply offhandedly said, "that's probably something that'll get us arrested," before not really alerting the rest of the group and continuing to walk out of the inn.

As he got outside, he started walking in a direction. A thought dawned on him, as he had never been to this city before he wasn't entirely sure where the "city square" was, or what it exactly consisted of. However, deciding not to defer to his roommate for advice, Alois decided to simply pick a direction that seemed correct and go. These things had a way of working themselves out and if not, well, it's not like he lost anything anyway.

King K. Azo · February 7, 2017

Asura listened to his group, taking a drink as he did. They were interesting opinions, to say the least. Asura was beginning to get warm and fuzzy feeling again though... was that a good sign?

"Sectors one and three...well, I don't think I want to come back to either. Hateful of outsiders in one, and scornful of my family in the other." Edrick provided. Well, Asura could understand that, at least.

"It is pleasant, at least here." Catriona's opinion didn't surprise him. "The last sector left much to be desired." They were nice to her and her family, after all.

"You all just came at a bad time, it wasn't a bad place. The people were good to me. If the captain hadn't fired me, I probably would have stayed." Link commented. Asura looked over, cocking an eyebrow. He was fired? Well, that sucked. Asura knew what it was like losing a job after getting used to it. That's exactly what happened to him before he was hired by this group.

"Eh, you call these people good? These people wouldn't know good if it was served to them in a nice bowl of homemade bear stew," Asura scoffed, taking another drink. "Nah, Locris, on the other hand, knows how to welcome people. They'd give you the clothes off their backs if you let them!" he shook his head. "I swear that Olivia woman didn't trust me. What kind of name is Olivia anyways? Sounds like the name of a dancer or a whore. Maybe both,"

He stayed quiet a bit after that. Ceila was recapping to Link what had happened today, with Edrick doing the same. Link and Edrick was going on a nice conversation to. This was nice. He took another drink, when he suddenly heard Link make a comment.

"And please… Don’t make me kill you.” Asura's eyes snapped up as he placed his cup on the table and pushing it across the table, it stopping nice and neatly in front of Edrick without spilling a drop.

"Hold my alcohol," he stated before he stood up slowly, wobbling a bit. He was drunk, which means it was obviously the best time for this. Obviously. "You all are by far the most... infuriating group I've been with in a while," he stated, standing at full height. "So what if he's a goddamn Pontic! Who gives a rat's ass? He wasn't in this war you all hold so dearly, you all admitted it yourselves! So stop treating him like he's some goddamn trap waiting to be sprung! If we can't trust each other, then this whole little mission is doomed to failed!" He pointed at Cat, drunken fury written on his face.

"And you. I dunno how royalty is supposed to be, but you sure as hell didn't like it when Silas was acting all high and mighty, not trusting you just because of your family! Don't treat Farm Boy like he's some liability or someone you have to keep your eye on because his dad is some dragon or some crap like that! You judge a person on what they do, not what their parent and uncle did!" He then stood on his chair, placing a foot on the table, placing a hand on his knee. "And if I have to tell you all this again, so help me god, I will quit on the spot! I won't risk my life for a group that refuses to set aside petty stereotypes or fears," It seemed he would have gone on, but the chair beneath him gave way, falling backwards and crashing to the ground, hitting his head against the ground with a resounding boom. With a small "Ow," Asura went silent, having lost consciousness from the impact.

That was going to give him a massive headache in the morning.

Sethera · February 7, 2017

Link had answered Edrick's question with an explanation that was longer than usual for him. "They don’t drink much beer here," Link explained. "They prefer wine. It's more expensive than beer," he warned, "and it’s harder on you the next morning."

Which reminded Catriona of her own experience. Her first hangover had been from wine, and it had been...rather unpleasant. Still, a small part of her had felt viciously satisfied at that. She had just killed a man. She had deserved to suffer. She did not feel that way anymore, for better or for worse. Still, the memory prompted her to finish her glass. Not bad, though a bit too sweet for her taste.

"Uh...what do you mean?"

Hm? Catriona glanced at the blue-haired girl beside her.

"Oh, yeah. I was considering to do just that earlier, but well..." Ciela paused a bit, her face somewhat reddened. "As you said, my injuries made me unable to do so properly. So well...I was going to ask you to help me with that, especially since we're sleeping together tonight anyway. I can't even get on the bed like this..."

Wait...what? Catriona's mind paused, as if frozen in ice. "You, uhh, you what?" so it was her she had been propositioning? Well, that was a...surprise. Back on the border, she had had a surprising number of female offers. Males were less common, as most of them had the common sense to realize how sticky that could end up being, what with her status. She would have to marry a man who would bring status, wealth, or talent into the royal family, whom she could provide with a suitable heir. There were a few such men in the military, especially the Garou, but even so, to do it out of wedlock would only bring shame to House Nabudis.

Thus the women. Though she had denied them all, and she would do so again this time. She had no time for such things, nor spare energy. Ciela would have to find another partner for the night. "Apologies, but I do not think it wise," the princess scolded. "You are injured, and we need to save our energy for the morrow." She poured herself another glass after speaking, drinking it dry.

Her thoughts were broken when Link shucked off his tunic. What is he doing? It's not that warm in here. Her query was answered momentarily, however, when the man helped Ciela into it. He obviously wasn't comfortable with the idea of having her proposition somebody so publicly either.

After her answer to Asura's question, Link protested on Sector Three's behalf, revealing that he had gotten fired in the process. Blinking at him, the white-haired woman could only think, This makes things easier. This way we do not have to worry about divided loyalties. Though if he had been fired, he most likely wasn't feeling very well about things. Separation from one's comrades was never pleasant, even if they were still alive. She would have to endeavor to keep him busy.

"Eh, you call these people good? These people wouldn't know good if it was served to them in a nice bowl of homemade bear stew," Asura scoffed, taking another drink. "Nah, Locris, on the other hand, knows how to welcome people. They'd give you the clothes off their backs if you let them!" he shook his head. "I swear that Olivia woman didn't trust me. What kind of name is Olivia anyways? Sounds like the name of a dancer or a whore. Maybe both."

Catriona wasn't sure how to react to that. "I suppose we know where to go if we ever visit Locris," she settled on diplomatically.

Then, after Ciela's accusation, Link explained himself, though his words were a bit more...familiar than she was used to. Edrick explained what had happened, while Link put in his two cents. Next, however, was the reveal of the Pontic's heritage.

"Oh, and since you missed it earlier, I should introduce myself properly. Sunt Edrick, fiul lui Roran Stronghammer, și nepotul lui Eragon, Dragonul Pontus. As for why I can't fight, my father wanted me to have a more peaceful life than he did. I think that covers everything."

Catriona winced. She had meant to explain it to Link and Gunther, privily, but it seemed that Edrick had dashed all her plans to pieces. Link looked her way, and she looked back, helpless. What could she do? What could she tell him? Edrick was one of them now, for better or for worse.

Link turned to Edrick then, and smiled, melting years off of his face. "Good to meet you, Edrick Roranson," his tone held no sarcasm. "I’m Link. Full title’s Lincoln Harkinian, formerly of the 31st regiment of the Galtean military," the words flowed out without any trouble. He continued to speak, treating Edrick as if he were a comrade. Which was true, but...well, that hadn't been expected. Though his last words...yes his last words brought it all into perspective.

Alois had the good timing to pass by at that moment. "That's probably something that'll get us arrested," he told them offhandedly before continuing past.

"Hold my alcohol," Asura stated before he stood up slowly, wobbling a bit. "You all are by far the most... infuriating group I've been with in a while," he stated, standing at full height. "So what if he's a goddamn Pontic! Who gives a rat's ass? He wasn't in this war you all hold so dearly, you all admitted it yourselves! So stop treating him like he's some goddamn trap waiting to be sprung! If we can't trust each other, then this whole little mission is doomed to failed!"

He pointed at Catriona, drunken fury written on his face. "And you. I dunno how royalty is supposed to be, but you sure as hell didn't like it when Silas was acting all high and mighty, not trusting you just because of your family! Don't treat Farm Boy like he's some liability or someone you have to keep your eye on because his dad is some dragon or some crap like that! You judge a person on what they do, not what their parent and uncle did!" He then stood on his chair, placing a foot on the table, placing a hand on his knee. "And if I have to tell you all this again, so help me god, I will quit on the spot! I won't risk my life for a group that refuses to set aside petty stereotypes or fears," It seemed he would have gone on, but the chair beneath him gave way, falling backwards and crashing to the ground, hitting his head against the ground with a resounding boom. With a small "Ow," Asura went silent, having lost consciousness from the impact.

Catriona's face had darkened during the whole spiel. She would have a few choice words to speak with him later. "Were it not for Edrick's actions, he would be dead," she addressed the unconscious body. "Were I to judge you from yours just now, you would be fired. You are fortunate I know very well what alcohol does to a person." She glanced at the others. "I think it is time I retire. As you were," she told them, stepping over the myrmidon's body without a backward glance.

As the princess walked upstairs, she sighed. It was not lordly to flaunt one's anger at the merest insult. It was only her bad fortune for being born with her father's temper. Breathing out through her nose, she thought about the situation at hand. I cannot afford to be picky. Our situation is difficult enough, and we do not have nearly the amount of people for this. Even all of Mysia's armies would be hard-pressed to gain a victory against Her. No wonder Asura threatened to quit. This is naught but a fool's errand. Still, does he not understand how much more at risk we are with Edrick alive? Perhaps not. Locrisians were, after all, very fiercely honorable, and judged people by their actions, not their status. It was a clash of cultures. She could overcome this.

As soon as she reached the room she shared with Ciela, the woman sank to the bed, ignoring the urge to cough. She could overcome this.

--

Alois had been wandering the city for quite a while now, and had, in fact, gone the opposite direction of the town square, toward the marketplace. The sky was shifting colors to the dark blue of night, and the streets were barren of people. Thus, it would come as quite a shock, when, out of nowhere, a familiar green-haired guard appeared. "What are you doing?" she asked. "It is after sunset now. You have been only recently relieved of suspicion, yet here you are, roaming Ithome at night." Her expression was vaguely suspicious, but mostly curious.

Maeriberii Haan · February 8, 2017

A lot of things happened in succession as Ciela started to indulge herself fully in her wine to drown out her shame. Perhaps it was just her failing to notice it earlier, but she noticed that Link's drink was actually different from the rest. His looked a lot more fancier too, and Ciela was tempted to try that out. No way she would be beaten by the farmguard on this. Edrick explained to Link what happened that day, and Ciela paid him some attention too. She was starting to get tipsy, but she got the gist of what happened. When Edrick talked about his origin though, the situation started to get real tense. The following exchange were tuned out of the girl's ears, who would rather not think about any of what had been said. The thought was somewhat upsetting.

"Hold my alcohol,"

Well, and then it escalated further as Asura went on a drunken rant. With how loud he was, it was hard for her not to notice the things that he said. And then he put his feet on the table, tipping it over until it fell down, and Asura thus hit his head and fainted. Something inside of Ciela spurred. She wanted to start yelling too. About what? About everything! She hadn't really drank that much, and she knew that this wine was lighter than the farmboy's zeilla, but perhaps it was just her need to let out her frustrations. Even if he was unconscious now, she wanted to yell at Asura, or even perhaps another rant in front of Cat? What would happen next? Who cares! Everything that happened today had taken a toll on her mind, and she needed to let those all out.

Yet, as she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. Instead, she could hear Catriona's voice as she attempted to speak, admonishing Asura for his rant before leaving the group. Perhaps she was just really that tired? But she could barely feel anything. Perhaps she was getting a bit tipsy? She barely understood what was happening there. That had always been the case - only thinking about what mattered to her. Was she drunk? Her body heated up, and with Link's tunic covering her, she felt like she's cooked alive. There were only Edrick, Link, and the unconscious Asura there. She could still yell at them but...she couldn't really get herself into the mood to yet. Perhaps she should've ordered the strongest drink here from the start. Barely had any ideas on anything, Ciela dropped down from her seat, and crawled back to reach her room.

It was hard. And for her tired body, it was exceedingly taxing. By the time she reached the room, she felt like she had ran out of breath. She noticed that Cat were already there, and without anyone else nearby, she wormed out of her dress and Link's tunic. It was getting way too hot, she needed to cool off. Her heartbeat became more and more noticeable due to how much work she had forced it to do to get into the room on her own. Her head was hurting, and a feeling of frustration lingered inside of her mind. She could barely understood why the earlier scene even happened. Why did Link say those things to Edrick? What prompted Asura to go into that rant outside of him being drunk? Why was Cat acted like she did? Ciela could barely understand the world outside of her sphere of perception, and it continued to frustrate her.

Everyone was frustrating. Especially Cat.

On the verge of collapsing, she pushed herself forward reaching the bed. She failed to climb it earlier, but that fact was something she refused to acknowledge now as she attempted to push herself up again and again. She failed of course, but it didn't stop her from doing so until she finally could drag her body into the soft surface. Cat was on her side, face-down. Her urge to yell rising, the heat on Ciela's body reached a high point, yet the only words that came from her mouth was a simple, questioning sentence.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Cat?!"

Wind Rider · February 8, 2017

"We're sometimes a really stupid bunch, humans, but...If given time to learn, well, we're able to accept a lot of different things." Sienna's ears twitched upon hereing Penelope speak after a few seconds of silence. She didn't believe all humans were bad... Just that the few that she had met were interesting, to say the least. Maybe... It would be better if she kept herself hidden whenever they head into anymore towns... Just until she got used to things outside Pelinna.

"I... Appreciate the concern..." Was all Sienna said before she laid her ears down, today was really stressful and the bed she was laying in seemed to drag her closer and closer to sleep. The night would be peaceful at least.

Hakima · February 8, 2017

Link visibly shifted when the screaming started. Any trace of emotion drained from his face, schooled back into the carefully blank expression he normally wore. He gripped the edge of the table with all of his strength, arm shaking, his eyes glazed over and glassy. His gaze was focused on his shield, but to an onlooker, it would’ve seemed like he didn’t even notice it was there. He was looking directly through it.

This was his fault. He couldn’t even do this right. He’d ruined the night for everyone.

Princess Catriona addressing them roused him from his catatonic state, and he saluted her instinctively, but his face was still devoid of any emotion. “Were I to judge you from yours just now, you would be fired. You are fortunate I know very well what alcohol does to a person.” She wasn’t even looking at him. Link swallowed, desperately trying to wet his mouth, to come up with something, but he couldn’t. "I think it is time I retire. As you were.”

I’m sorry. Please. I don’t have anywhere else to go. This is the last thing I have to do! Please!

Link saluted one last time, numb, then turned his attention back to his shield. The crest of the Garou regiment was more familiar to him than even the back of his hand: two armored wolves, howling up at the eagle above them. He could have drawn it from memory, exactly, with no mistake. He wasn’t worthy of calling himself one of them, not a wolf, not a soldier, not even a Galtean. Those all meant something, held purpose. He was nothing.

In frustration, Link slammed his head down onto the shield. The pain was immediate, overpowering all his thoughts, pushing back all the voices and memories and failures. He held himself like that for a moment, without a word, then shakily raised his head to address Edrick. He had a throbbing headache, and blood was dripping down his forehead. “We should… we should carry him back up to his room,” Link said quietly, glancing towards Asura.

Asriel Dreemurr · February 8, 2017

Edrick wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting in terms of reaction to what he had to say, but it was not this. Link proved to be the most welcoming of any of them upon learning his name, and there in that moment he felt that he had made the right choice in staying with the group. The standing offer of further training, which he had to admit he desperately needed, was one which he found appealing. He was just about to give voice to his agreement, and his understanding of Link's position, when Asura spoke up.

Not that the farmer could fault the Locrisian for his reaction, it must have seemed like quite the threat coming from one of the most experienced soldiers in the party. Unfortunately, none of them got the chance to really explain anything to him. He was unconscious before he'd properly finished his rant, laying there on the floor only to be lectured by Catriona. She really was an awful leader the more he saw of her. She wasn't overly inspiring, her skills at speaking to anyone were simply terrible, and she just assumed that everyone would listen to her and obey her orders. Granted, she was the Crown Princess and, from what he'd gathered by watching Link's behavior around her, had some experience in leading soldiers. Not that any of that helped her when she wasn't dealing with soldiers who were obliged to listen to her from the get go. Her status did not mean so much when she was around only the party, save for three, possibly four, among them. He was about to comment on that, when he noticed what Link was doing.

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed, seeing the soldier beating himself about the head with his shield. "Inera's Blood, Link, what are you doing?" Not that he got an answer, or should have expected one now that he got a better look at the soldier. Wherever all that welcome had come from it was gone, and in Edrick's mind that was just another strike against the princess. Well, that settled it in his mind. The next time the group had to talk to someone, he was going to take the lead in it. Screw her royal blood.

"We should...we should carry him back up to his room." Edrick paused for a moment, and then realised the soldier was talking about Asura.

"Alright, yeah. I'll get his arms, you get his legs." The farmer finished off the contents of his cup, and moved around to grab Asura by the wrists and drag him out to where Link had easier access to his ankles. There was some benefit to this at least: he could see if Link was in as bad of shape physically as he looked.

Hakima · February 9, 2017

"Alright, yeah. I'll get his arms, you get his legs,” Edrick said, draining his cup and standing up.

Link nodded, but it was hard to focus. His head was pounding so painfully he could feel it in his ears, and everything seemed a thousand times louder than it had before. His bangs had also gotten tangled up in the blood dripping from his forehead, and ended up plastered between his eyes.

Wincing, the Galtean soldier brushed the bloody hair out of his face, but ended up smearing it across his forehead in the process. He could also feel an ugly knot forming, and Link knew he was going to hate himself for it even more in the morning once all the alcohol was out of his system. He tried one last time to wipe away the blood with his sleeve, before giving up and snatching his hat off the table and pulling it far enough down it covered most of the mess.

He pushed himself to his feet after that, buckling his sword and shield to his back quickly before he did anything else. Their familiar weight helped to ease his frayed nerves, even if they did nothing for his aching head, which was far, far worse now that he was standing. To distract himself, he tried to focus on surveying the damage that Asura’d managed to do before passing out. Outside of damage to himself, the swordsman had only managed to break a chair in his little tirade. Link pulled a few gold pieces from his pocket and laid them on the table, hoping that would cover the damage, then moved around to grab Asura’s legs.

“On three. One… two… three!” Link grunted slightly in exertion as they lifted Asura off the ground. He was heavier then he looked, that was for sure, but the soldier managed to hold up his end without dropping him. If he was being honest, it felt good to stretch his muscles after months of stagnating, especially in something not related to combat. Getting Asura up the stairs proved a bit harder, because his sword bumped against every step on the way up, but eventually they both lifted him a little bit higher and successfully made it to the second floor.

“Hang on, I’ll get the door.” Link laid Asura’s legs down, padding forward silently, but he went rigid with his hand inches from the doorknob. He could hear someone breathing. What? That didn’t make any sense. Edrick and Asura were behind him, and he had seen Alois and Gunther leaving earlier. The girls all had their own rooms. Link double-checked that they weren’t at the wrong room, but they weren’t, and he was sure he heard someone breathing.

Link motioned for Edrick to be silent by pressing a finger to his own lips, then he reached over his shoulder for his sword, using his other hand to turn the doorknob. The door creaked open, and Link slipped inside without a sound. There was a figure asleep in one of the beds, and Link’s first instinct was to strike while he was asleep, but his second was immediately overpowering that and screaming for him to ask questions first. Why was the person there? Who was it? They couldn’t be very dangerous, considering they were unconscious.

Keeping one hand on his sword, ready to draw, Link cleared his throat. “I think you’re in the wrong room,” he said loudly enough to hopefully wake the man up.

Alaina · February 9, 2017

As Alois had continued to walk about the city, aimlessly, looking about to figure out where he was. While it was quite an exercise in futility, as he hadn't really paid much attention to his surroundings prior to now, the boy had pressed on regardless. At any mention from his walking partner about where they were going, Alois would simply assure him that it was nothing to worry about. Of course, he was probably worrying a correct amount as the sky started to darken, turning a shade of blue as the sun set beneath the horizon. As the boy continued walking he started to slow down a bit, thinking it might have been a good time to turn back and get to their inn. However, as he was coming to this conclusion his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden green haired guard stopping him.

Looking at her, Alois recognized her as the guard who was inside the council area before. While she seemed to be quite confused as to why the two of them were walking around right now, Alois was a bit taken aback, not really wanting to admit that he was entirely lost to the woman before him, he simply said, "ah nothing much. I was just going to meet someone but, they're probably long gone." Without any context Alois shrugged saying, "well, I woulda won anyway, so it's not that big of a deal." Shaking his head and back tracking a bit he said, "anyway, it's nothing big, me and this big lug here are just walking around the city now. And it's not like it's illegal to walk around at night right?" Catching what he said, he looked to both the woman and the knight with a sudden curious expression on his face saying, "it's not right?"

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 10, 2017

"that's probably something that'll get us arrested,

Gunther considered joining the drinking group to keep them out of trouble. But the more he thought about it the dumber he felt. Cat and Link were there. Even if Ciela was...strange when drunk they could handle it just fine. He'd just get in the way. On the other hand it seemed Alois was starting to actually want him around and he didn't want to skip out on him like that.

Though after they wandered around for a good while Gunther considered it might have been a bad choice. He tried to tell Alois that he thought he knew where they were going but the shorter boy seemed certain about his path. Deciding that he really had no say in this one, Gunther just went along with him.

It felt weird, traveling without the princesses. He didn't feel nearly as alert as he normally would. For instance that pot hole over there, Gunther would've watched it like a hawk had Penelope been around. And that bird, easily could've been a spy, but without Cat there there wasn't anything to spy on.

And so they went along their way until they met with a woman that Alois seemed to know. Is this who he wanted to meet? Was he interrupting a date?

The two's words seemed to shut down this theory, at least partially, he wasn't sure. Perhaps this is how people outside of Galtea flirted.

Then there was Alois talking about winning something, what was even going on? "Ah, excuse me, but do you know each other? I don't believe we're doing anything wrong. If we are, I assure you, it's my fault, Miss...?" he let the question hover so the girl could give her name, then realized he should give his first, as a gentleman and soldier. "I am Gunther, by the way."

"Those idiots." Penelope thought grumpily. She wanted to sleep and now they were all making a huge fuss. She heard Asura's words and groaned. He really didn't understand anything did he? How come the group so often were at each other's throats? She really didn't want to fire him but a mercenary who did that...or maybe.

Penelope sat up. She had a plan. She got up and went to the small desk in the room and put down several sheets of paper. She thought for a moment and began to write.

To Insert name here

This is Penelope with an order for each of you. I have come to the realization that the group dynamic is at risk and so I've decided something. All of you are to report to me, one at a time, in the morning to discuss any issues you have with the rest of the group. This is mandatory and no one is allowed to skip for any reason

With that done she nodded and moved to each of the group's rooms, putting the letter where they would be easily noticed even if one wasn't paying attention. Satisfied, she returned to her room.

As she crossed to her bed she saw Katarina laying against the wall. She shuddered with the memories lately. She didn't want to get rid of the weapon. It was precious to her after all. But what was the point of a sword she refused to use? Shaking her head, Penelope dove onto the bed and tried to sleep away the negative thoughts.

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Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

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