@Avali

That was it. Dukhan was a hero, not some hopeless bystander. He had seen this poor girl go through so much already. He could see in her eyes no small amount of will and determination. She had potential to be great, world changing, even. Perhaps she could be the one to help him save Adarla and take his first step toward his grand goal. But in the end, none of that mattered.

What mattered is that she was an innocent that needed help.

"That settles it, young one. I don't know what is making you suffer in this way, but I don't believe you are beyond help."

Dukhan unsheathed his scimitar and removed the musket from his back, crossing them in front of his chest.

"Young Miss Rose, I would like very much for you to travel alongside me, so that I may help you find a cure for what torments you and let you live the life you want to lead. I pledge on my honor as a hero that, if you will accept my offer, I will do everything in my power to defeat whatever evil grips you."

Dukhan returned his weapons to their respective holsters and looked up at Rose with a warm smile.

"What do you say? Will you trust me to be a true friend?"

Shinji Takemitsu

Shinji's hand instantly went to his sword, as per the usual when confronted with strange happenings. The mystical smoke revealed a naga who spoke with his Captain. Troubles may brew he thought, he'd not had many experiences with naga. Of course as a learned combatant he'd done his research. When he relayed his quicker than expected arrival time to the captain Shinji gained a look of confusion. After the naga had disapated he simply had to ask, "will we by fighting along side the naga Captain, I must admit that sounds rather thrilling"?

"W-well, this is awfully so sudden. . ." Rose scratched her head, unsure of how to answer. The voice in her head was on adamant on saying no, and for once she couldn't blame him. A total stranger, offering to help her even though there wasn't a cure for her particular affliction.

I don't believe you are beyond help.

These words meant a lot, even if Rose didn't believe them. She knew she was merely a vessel for some mad god, and had silently resigned to her fate. However, if someone else had faith in her...

"Don't you fucking dare say ye-"

"Sure. I would love to travel with you-" she paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on your face. She didn't even know his name!

@EldarionI

Buzdrem and Ashana had just reached the top of the stairs when the door was kicked in and a man in armour walked in. It was the Tin Man from earlier. Buzdrem rushed to move Ashana by picking her up and dropping her down round the corner, out of sight. He then peered around the corner to see what he was up to. It seems Buzdrem timed it well. He saw that the sword was still there and when he saw a patron go after it he just knew that the Tin Man would come back for it.
"Sorry to do that Ashana but it seems an old friend of yours has returned, the Tin Man is back in the tavern and looking to start a brawl," he said as the Tin Man started shouting for a fight.
"Let's get to my room. It's going to be a long night and we have many things to discuss." His tone was now a lot more serious but he could afford to give up the charade now. She could try and kill him but he'd have to time to talk to her first he figured and hopefully after hearing what he said she'd stay her blade. He knew for certain that she wouldn't be going back downstairs. Not with a fully armed knight wanting blood and a bounty hunter possibly after her.

Ashana

Ashana gasped at being picked up so casually and moved, what the hell was that for... Oh, tin man's back and he's still causing a ruckus. "Well what are you waiting for then, let's get inside". Ashana gripped the handle and opened the door. She stood in a sexy pose, waiting for him to lead her into the room.

@Avali@NewShoesForever

Lorne watched as the girl, "Rose" apparently, agreed to travel with the musket-wielding man. He still felt like perhaps she had a connection to his missing daughter, and this strange land was unfamiliar to him, perhaps these two knew it better than he did. He wasn't exactly a fan of having to travel with others, but if it could get him around quicker than if he were just wandering around alone, it would probably be a good idea.

And perhaps it could give him the opportunity to get some more stuff to sell.

"Perhaps I could join you two? Again, I only recently arrived in this country, it would probably be smarter for me to travel with others rather than wander around in the unfamiliar countryside."

The soldiers crossed their halberds in front of Izabel. "Of course, they want to stop me" she thought to herself. She looked up to the elven soldiers, in their expensive armor. A charade. On the lines, they were using soldiers like cattle, putting a rusty sword in their hand and pointing them to their deaths.

Izabel put on her best "good girl face", forcing a look of confusion. She looked up and asked "Is there something wrong sirs?" being sure to raise her voice a few octaves higher.

The Elf on the right responded "Get back in there, we're tasked with getting to the bottom of this, and a dwarf with an axe seems like a likely suspect."

Izabel assessed the situation, if she ran or fought or tried to talk her way out of this, she would just end up looking guilty. This time she really hadn't done anything either. She continued to look at the elves and stated "Of course sirs, I wouldn't want to make your day any more difficult than it has been." She turned around and entered the building with the soldiers following not far behind. She heard one of the elves mutter "at least this dwarf knows her place." She put that one in the memory bank, and promised herself that if shit hit the fan. She'd put her axe in his skull.

She entered the rickety wooden door and announced to the congregation loudly "Soldiers on the way, not the resistance ones, the bigger arsholes."

Buzdrem entered his room behind Ashana and unclipped both back sheaths, gently putting them on top of the wooden drawers as he walked into the room. Behind the door stood his Mountain Tank armour, gleaming and in great condition as he cared for it everyday. His doubled headed axe and maul stood either side of his armour. He knew he need to act quickly so he began with intent,

"Just take a seat on the bed and let me speak, you can talk when I finish but this is really important." He took a brief moment to collate his thoughts and then continued with purpose,

"I know what your plan was for the knight in armour and I suspect you have a similar plan for me. You may act like a simple whore but I believe it was merely that, an act. I've seen women of your kind before, but none like you. I want to help you make the right choices. What you do is very... useful for us. Now I'm not going to lay with you this night. You will sleep in this bed alone and I will make sure no harm comes of you. Also, to occupy myself, there's a barrel of beer. Please help yourself if you'd like." He approached the bed and said quietly to the young maiden,

"If you are the Ashana I've heard about, the Resistance could really use your skills. On the other hand, there's a bag of 100 silver under the bed, you could take it and leave. But if you stay and fight, not only can you fight the oppression of the King, but there's plenty of silver in it for you, plenty of gold, plenty of gems I can offer you. And not to mention, I think I can come up with some improvements to your arms and armour to make you even more deadly." He'd said his piece and was quite relieved he'd managed to get through it all. But just as he'd finished saying his speech, he heard the front door open and a women's voice shout from downstairs,

"Soldiers on the way, not the resistance ones, the bigger assholes." Buzdrem looked shocked and then immediately sprung into action. He ran towards his armour and began putting in to.

"Ashana, before you go, I need you to run to the top of the stairs and tell me if the women who has just entered is a dwarf and what soldiers are there, if they're there yet," he asked, not entirely sure he'd won her over. He had no idea why there was a female dwarf out here and why she was bringing city guards to the tavern. At least he hoped the were city guards. Reports had recently come in that elves were on their way to reinforce the city but they couldn't be here yet... could they? He brushed the thought aside, continuing to put his armour on, a job that was relatively time consuming, waiting for news from Ashana.

@Avali@NewShoesForever

Lorne watched as the girl, "Rose" apparently, agreed to travel with the musket-wielding man. He still felt like perhaps she had a connection to his missing daughter, and this strange land was unfamiliar to him, perhaps these two knew it better than he did. He wasn't exactly a fan of having to travel with others, but if it could get him around quicker than if he were just wandering around alone, it would probably be a good idea.

And perhaps it could give him the opportunity to get some more stuff to sell.

"Perhaps I could join you two? Again, I only recently arrived in this country, it would probably be smarter for me to travel with others rather than wander around in the unfamiliar countryside."

A tall black dude trotted over, waving a hand and grinning like a dumbass, inserting himself into their conversation with the deft surgical precision of a chimpanzee smashing a rock with another rock.

"OOh! OOh! Me too bwana! I come, I come! I be makin' sure ya ain' troubled by nobuddies udder dan me, keep dem nasty bad bwoys away."

A tall black dude trotted over, waving a hand and grinning like a dumbass, inserting himself into their conversation with the deft surgical precision of a chimpanzee smashing a rock with another rock.

"OOh! OOh! Me too bwana! I come, I come! I be makin' sure ya ain' troubled by nobuddies udder dan me, keep dem nasty bad bwoys away."

Lorne watched with confusion as this weird man suddenly trotted over and made himself at home in their conversation. He stared a moment in shock and confusion before regaining his composure.

"Oh... hello, interesting accent there, can't say I've ever heard it before..."

Lorne looked the strange man over and couldn't find anything on the man's person with his eyes that looked to be worth stealing, even the pair of axes the man wielded seemed simple of construction.

"...Well, I can't exactly say I'm going to find someone with half the confidence you have," he stated, looking down at the man's unarmored midriff meaningfully. "Alright then, if it's okay with Rose, I'd be more than willing to travel alongside you! To adventure!"

Lorne drew a cup full of wine seemingly out of nowhere, though notably one of the patrons at the bar seemed quite confused with his sudden lack of drink.

"Too much... Too much..." Rose mutters under her breath. She was easily overwhelmed in a social situation, and this was beyond her comfort level. She did, however, almost burst out laugh at the rather strange man who approached. She couldn't decide which was more entertaining, his clumsy demeanor, or his silly voice. She meant that in the nicest, most pure hearted way.

"If more people insist. . . I suppose I can't say no. But how many do we plan on taking? I thought this was a duo adventure...?"

@EldarionI

Ashana

Ashana's interests were peaked at the mention of gems and arms. However wars we're not here forte and so she heavily thought against it. In the end her greed won out and she went on to say...
"Very well I'll help, I'll stay her tonight as well. If the guards don't tear you apart that is". Ashana looked out the door and peeked down the stairs. Well well well, it was a female dwarf. She stayed for a few moments more and when no guards showed she went back to the mountain tank to tell him the news. "That was indeed a female dwarf, by the looks of it a great match for you. Ashana poked fun at the nearly battle ready dwarf. She then went back out into the hallway just I'm time to see the elf guards walk through the door. Ashana dipped back into a the room quickly, eh hem, they're here... Ashana cringed the way you do when you smell something gross. Though no odor was present Ashana still said "Gross".

@Doc Doctor@Bluetommy@Avali

Dukhan was more than a bit flabbergasted at the new arrival. The man seemed to have even less regard for decorum than him. He could respect that tremendously. Still, today was not a great day for that. On any other day, he would have invited the two odd men to share drinks and stories, but he now had a protege to think about.

The child was very clearly uncomfortable.

Perhaps some other time.

Dukhan sighed. This was going to be difficult to express politely.

"My humblest apologies, but I'm not certain that this young one would be entirely comfortable around so many people for such a long time. I believe that it is in our best interest to travel in small numbers. In light of that, I wish you two the best in your future endeavors."

Good enough.

Dukhan got up from his seat briskly and motioned to Rose.

"Let us depart, child. You have had a long day. You more than likely need rest."

"I don't sleep." Was her simple response as she slowly sunk further and further into her chair. Too many people...

She did mean it though. A small perk, or curse depending how you look at it, of being possessed by some god was the inability to sleep. The tradeoff was being in a constant state of exhaustion, fueling her anxiety and hindering her ability to fight off the voice in her head.

Why did so many people take an interest in her? So many people within the past five minutes wishing to travel with her, but why? The thought of it reminded her of the last time she was with someone. They eventually tried to break her skull open to try and do some strange foreign ritual to remove the voice in her head. That was the one time Rose truly murdered someone by her own will. Wariness to travel with others partially stemmed from this experience.

Iz surveyed the room again. Attempting to find the least conspicuous place to sit down. This bar seemed anything if not conspicuous. So many people armored to the teeth. This was bound to be trouble. The man in metal continued to scream about his property standing over the broken man and his table. The rest of the bar didn't appear to have taken this all that seriously, so Izabel simply gave him his space.

She noticed a group of men surrounding a small girl, a mage of some sort by the look of her. This was a common sight in places like this, but the girl appeared overwhelmed by the male gaze and was burying her head into her hands. Izabel tried not to get involved "this is literally the worst time to start a fight with a bunch of men" she thought to herself "especially one with a mecha weapon." But, her feet moved quicker than her head, and she found herself injected into the situation just as the soldiers walked in from the outside. They seemed to be drawn to the yelling man instantly, allowing Izabel to speak her mind.

"Leave her alone you pricks..." she said calmly, putting her hand on her axe, looking all three men in the eyes...well at least two of them. One wore a strange mask, not unusual, but still menacing. "I don't want to have to beat the shit out of you, at least not in front of these army grunts."

He really had tried to do his best to help this child. He still wanted to give her his assistance, but it appeared that this was just going to become more and more difficult.

"My apologies, young one. I did not mean to put words in your mouth. We will leave whenever you are comfortable to do so."

The dwarf woman's approach caught him somewhat off guard. She spoke with extreme hostility, likely in order to protect the child, or at least that's what she believed she was doing. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps Rose was sending signals of discomfort he wasn't picking up on. Dukhan hung his head in sadness and in shame. Was he only making her troubles worse?

"Miss Rose, is this woman's assessment of your situation accurate? Is my presence upsetting you?"

And now she was the person being fought over. Possibly the worst possible position to be in for a person like her. It was moments like this she wished she could just curl up in a ball and hide away again. But, she had a very hard time telling people no, or at least not the answer they want to hear.

"Um... It is fine. Really."

"Spineless. . . I wish I could kill you myself!" the voice in her head was in a frenzy, urging her to just murder everyone.

@BrightSteel

The night's mist rose from the land, abating only somewhat the bitter cold. The sun illuminated the fallen snow in a riot of colors, framing the landscape in myriad hues.

It was in these conditions that the Venesoomi contingent, proud and silent, arrived at the rebel base camp. They bore no standard and their weapons were sheathed. The cunning of their leader had been sufficient to get them through treacherous territory without incident.

A voice echoed lackadaisically from within a palanquin at the center of the formation.

"Rise and shine, sleepy bones! Your ringers are here!"

"Leave her alone you pricks..." she said calmly, putting her hand on her axe, looking all three men in the eyes...well at least two of them. One wore a strange mask, not unusual, but still menacing. "I don't want to have to beat the shit out of you, at least not in front of these army grunts."

Lorne was jostled by the sudden arrival of a new speaker, turning to watch as she placed a hand on her weapon, a dwarf, tough little balls of muscle they were, but this one seemed a little too quick to assume the worst. She was clearly threatening them, which Lorne didn't much care for. He wasn't just going to up and fight her about it, but he wasn't going to act like he appreciated it either.

"You know it's rude to interrupt others when they're conversing, we were just speaking to this girl, just a few minutes ago I attempted to come to her aid when she seemed overwhelmed," as he spoke, he idly drew a thin knife from his belt and placed his hand upon a table. "If you mean to fight us simply for speaking then go ahead," Lorne said, spinning the knife in his hand.

In one sudden movement he impaled his own hand upon the table, not even flinching or showing any signs of pain. No blood came from the wound.

"Don't be so sure it's a fight you'll win however."

Lorne pulled the impaled hand up the blade of the knife, reaching the handle in one smooth motion, then in a sudden rip tearing the hand free, leaving a bloodless hole in the palm of his hand, which he examined thoughtfully.

@NewShoesForever

Shinji Takemitsu

Shinji was awake at his self appointed post when the Naga arrived. He had been enjoying the weather at hand and almost didn't notice thier contingent approaching the rebel encampment. He went and informed the captain of the arrival so he was roused by the time they were here. Captain woken and Shinji at his side, they were ready to greet the naga with open arms.

"M-milady..." One of her guards placed a hand on Grace's shoulder, trying to keep her from storming at the group of elves outside of the tavern.

"That pointy eared slimy little... I told him storming around the city was not okay!" Grace, strong as her words were, was far from angry. Her face was a mask of calm, the only tell of her being angry was the slight furrowing of her brows.Just who did this Elf think he was? Even if he was hired by father, it was her responsibility! Why, if she had had her way... Grace shakes away the thought. Such thoughts were seen as treason, and Grace was not a traitor. With that thought in mind, she storms up to the Elf, Arathion if she remembered correctly, her trio of Guards right behind her.

"Do you just not listen to a single thing I say Arathion?" she says, annoyance clear in her voice. "I told you, you handle the Resistance, not drunken barfights!" She had hoped she got the elf's name right, for getting it incorrect would no doubt lead to mockery.

@DragonofTheWest