Troe barely looked up when the violet eyed person he had asked to follow him earlier stood up on the bar and boldly declared that he was looking for companions. Not a very subtle guy. He thought as he sipped his coffee again.

Moments later he heard a more familiar voice, someone that he remembered interviewing for a paper on curses...that had ended up adding almost thirty pages in quotes alone. It appeared that this bar was probably the right place to find companions, and Ashley even seemed interested in coming along and bringing someone that sounded rather strong too. Troe nodded slightly and got back to his coffee and thinking now that he figured both their transportation and teambuilding issues were resolved...Wait, did she call Violet Eyes a scholar? He thought to himself. Of course, he hadn't really paid appropriate attention to the stranger so it was entirely possible. Then again, from his 'brief' interaction with the woman, it was also possible that the words were either false flattery or sarcasm. "Hey Doctor Wycliffe." Troe said without looking up from his coffee.

Troe shook his head, getting his mind back to task on the topic at hand. Why would this seemingly infinite force attack only one island? If it was truly unending as the claim had stated, it would have been more prudent to attack everywhere at once and simply complete whatever their objective was all at once. Either the force was limited...or simply had a limited means of transport?

Apparently a barfight had broken out around Troe, though he was simply none the wiser as he was focused on the current train of thought even as a man tried to take the chair out from under him. Without a thought he lifted his hand and blew the rude stranger away with a simple blast of wind.

But if they could simply walk out of the ocean, doesn't it stand to reason that they came from the ocean? If that was the case they could have just walked to the other islands. There had to be some sort of system keeping them there for now, but what? A live sample would be the best thing to study such anomalous entities, but if there was something holding them on Irinoth it could be impossible.

Yeah, getting Kavius drunk was one of the easiest ways to control him. He'd eventually pass out so she could go do whatever she wanted without him getting himself in trouble. It was also just downright funny and good practice. Ever since they started traveling together any new idea for a game or con she'd use him as a test subject. Although, despite how willing he can be for these tests sometimes it doesn't exactly help her to know if it'd trick some of the smarter people out there.

A snort of amusement along with an eye-roll came from Samara when Kav pretended that they were fancy. Anyone else and she'd likely try to knock their head off. Kav though was just an idiot. She took in a long deep breath of the vaguely familiar room. She was ecstatic. She'd finally get a chance to be an actual patron here. It wasn't just the alcoholic coffee she wanted to try. Now she didn't look like a street rat. Well, not as much as she used to so they would likely serve her. She began to walk towards the bar when her attention was drawn to a table where some guy was making a declaration of needing companionship. Well, that was oddly coincidental. But the fact that he was standing on the table to do this gave her pause and made her cringe a bit.

Unless there were no other options Sam was against joining Blondie. However, before she could continue towards the bar she felt her wrist be grabbed and lifted into the air. That made her annoyed. The fact that they didn't even discuss it made her mad. But, she promised herself she wouldn't hit him. He had a knack for making her mad somehow. So she was trying hard to not get angry. Ah screw it, she thought to herself and stepped hard on his toes. She didn't hit him so the promise was kept.

The young woman yanked her hand from Kavius and walked towards the bar when another loud incident occurred. The commotion to the side of the room drew Sam's attention. That seemed like a bad situation and she felt her hands slowly move towards her bow and quiver. When she saw how easily the woman was dealing with the varmints, the young archer moved her hands back to their natural place and lightly snickered. She focused on the bar. No more distractions. She was going to use her ill-gotten gains to procure a delectable treat. Just as she reached the bar the fight increased heavily in intensity breaking out across a large section of the place. The bartender who was just about to serve her said, "Sorry, miss. I need to go get my boss about that mess." and he begrudgingly pointed at the large fight.

It may be a little melodramatic, but Samara felt as if her dreams had been dashed. For years she had been told by the older kids that the stuff you could get from this bar was the best in the city. Then when she became old enough to come here the city had begun cracking down on the street rats even harder. Then she was run out of town and the first time, FIRST TIME, she finds herself back here in the perfect opportunity to purchase some of the mana called 'Macaron' a fight breaks out in the tavern forcing all the workers to have to deal with it.

Screw not getting angry. These morons were gonna pay. Literally. Cracking her knuckles the nimble thief edged her way towards the fight. With practiced ease, she moved through, in, and around the crowd of brawlers. All the while slipping her hand into any coin purse she could see and procured quite a hefty sum. By the time she finished, she had to take a whole coin purse as well to carry it all. Exiting the brawl without a punch received or thrown, Samara had a content smile as she walked towards the man on the table. "Hey. I do indeed want to go on that adventure. So, I'll help you with my bow."

Margot heard the following:

“What a coincidence, we were also heading to Irinoth. Perhaps we could bring you along if you can prove to us that you’ve got a skill valuable enough to warrant it. Of course, if my companion here is also alright with that,” said Mister Blond Hair. @TheDemonHound

"Hm?" said Mister Dark Hair, who smiled. "There are several ships departing soon. I suppose you'll need to pay your fare?" Pause. "I suppose it can't be helped, can it? Safe travels." @Emeth

Suddenly, a purse of... COIN??? ... was handed out to Margot from Mister Dark Hair. Margot grabbed the coin purse and tried to feel it's weight. It was HEAVY! Without hesitation or fear of embarrassment, she looked into the bag and her eyes opened wide!

That's 200 gold coins, right there!!!

Immediately, several thoughts flashed through Margot's mind, all in quick succession:

First:
Wow, that's a lot of time weed money! She licked her lips and thought about all the mushrooms she could buy from the black market at her home town. She could visualize all the "trippy" experiences she could attain from smoking all that time weed.

Second:
I can finally afford a good place to sleep for the night! Yay me!

Third:
Mister Dark Hair just gave me 200 gold coins without so much as talking to me for more than 10 seconds! What else can I get from him?

All three thoughts unraveled in her mind, until something else clicked in her mind: Wow, these guys are loaded!!! And I LOVE rich men! I wonder how much Mister Blond Hair and Mister Dark Hair are worth? How RICH are they?

Now, she glanced at Mister Dark and Blond Hair and saw them differently, as well as an irresistible opportunity. Didn't Mister Blond Hair offer me to go with them? That's exactly what I wanted before they even spoke. And after all this, I'm pretty certain that's exactly what I want after. She licked her lips, thinking about how her chances of obtaining the 250,000 gold -- and maybe even a rich husband -- suddenly improved right in front of her.

She spoke. "I am a great element mage of incalculable caliber armed with an immeasurable number of destructive spells in my arsenal and I assure both of you that my participation in your group will result in vast profits for ALL of us. Both of you want me on your team, Mister Blond and Mister Dark Head. Um... what are your names, again?" Margot flashed both of them a grin that for once was actually genuine... because she really, really wanted the money from both the 250,000 gold reward and from whatever both rich guys had in their networth, and she really wanted to go on the adventure.

She was so excited to go with Mister Blond Hair and Mister Dark Hair that she didn't even notice the bar fight.

Mikhail listened to the energetic sounding girl explain herself. It seemed that Margot was a talented mage from the sounds of it if her word could be trusted. Unfortunately he had no way of being able to check for himself if she was truthful when Ashley volunteered them both to work with a scholarly looking boy and she squeezed his bicep. Most girls would get rejected outright or ignored by him if they tried that but he just groaned in response and let it happen.

He was about to try and figure out a response for Margot until he got his attention caught by an incident involving a bunch of assholes. Before he could get up and intervene with the bastards picking on the one armed girl she began to kick the shit out of every. Single. One of them. “Ashley you’re a mage, would you mind making the final decision on this one. I’m about to have some fun and… interview a potential party member.” He started getting up and heading towards the brawl before realizing that Ashley being a knight might have to intervene. “Umm… don’t arrest me?” He asked sheepishly before continuing on into the heart of the bar fight. Though he was slightly worried she was gonna turn ‘arresting him’ into more flirting.

He found the finest dressed dude he could find participating first and easily knocking him out cold. This was the closest he was gonna get to punching a noble any time soon and it was so satisfying. He saw a punch coming towards him and he quickly dodged and landed a left hook to counter before using his right hand to punch his would be assailant in the gut. This was the first no holds barred fight he’s been in since who knows when and he was living it up. Thankfully with his training none of these drunkards and common bar goers couldn’t really stand up to him. One tried to attack him from behind but Mikhail avoided the fist, grabbed his arm and flipped the attacker over himself and slammed them back first onto the ground. Hopefully with his status and them leaving the city soon to go on a quest he’d be able to get out of this whole situation without getting in any trouble.

Eventually he found himself standing not too far away from the one armed woman who initiated the whole scuffle. “Gotta say that was impressive. Name’s Mikhail, me and a partner of mine are currently about to leave to investigate the southern island if you’ve heard about that situation. Someone of your skills in combat would be more than welcome to come along.”

Elsewhere, the resplendent Lord Clive, one of his fully-armored Knight Commanders, and a humble older woman—wearing a burgundy cloak, wooden sandals, a coolie hat, and carrying a rod of bamboo—all waited at the port, beside the doomed Santa Lyrica: an extravagant ship for extravagant patrons. Lady Madeline's mercenaries were almost certainly all boarded by now, as it would be improbable for her to amass thirty men who both outranked Ashley and were willing to do the deed—or, as indeed would be easier, to forge so many false identities—but Clive would wait until the last possible moment, just to be safe.

The older woman, who appeared to be somewhere around her mid to late fifties, or early sixties at most, clacks her staff on the ground. She was a spry woman, standing upright, clearly not needing the staff to walk. "Good heavens! Where is that flighty girl? I thought this was her idea! Has she changed course again already?"

"My Lord," the knight who had corrected Clive's misunderstanding from before interjects apologetically. "As her Commander, the fault is mine for letting her break formation. I shall assume full responsibility for her actions, and my own inaction against her," he rattles off professionally.

"At ease," Clive replies with his trademark smile. "You may feel obliged to say so, but we both know that she works better off the leash."

"Mm. I will vouch for her boldness, if nothing else. She is quite unflappable—much like yourself in that respect."

"Hmph. Is that what you think?" the old woman interrupts, grinning like she understands something they don't.

"You did say something about flightiness," Clive grants her. "We all have our roles to play. Find her, will you?" he says to the knight.

"Right away!"

---

For all her charm and social graces, this was one thing Ashley did not handle well: chaos.

While she was trying to talk to Margot, a man she recognized—Troe Revinah—suddenly made his presence known. Just as she was recalling how much she respected the man for inquiring earnestly about her work for his research, which he published—thus reducing the amount of ignorance in the world, regarding both her particular line of work and dark magic in general—a bar fight was breaking out. Worse yet, Mikhail was joining the fight, before she could object to the idea. Before she could figure out how she feels about this, Mikhail's comment reminds her that she has a duty to stop such... tomfoolery. Then, however, Margot's reply manages to shove its way to the forefront of her mind. Now that she had fully processed what was said, she realizes her blunder.

No! You were serious?! But you're so young, and your quintessence gives you so much potential! Even if life is short, stay in school! Don't do witchcraft! Fall in love! Get married, have ten kids, teach them proper manners! Idiot! Stupid! Ngah! I've made a grave mistake!!

"Ah... haha. I... guess I'll just have to protect you, won't I?" was the only coherent thought that escaped her mouth. S-Smooth! I can be smooth if I try! That works.

The maid from before narrows her eyes at Ashley, envious. "Dear sir... are you, perchance, the type who can't say no to cute girls?"

"W-Well. Strictly speaking, I guess that's true, but it's not like that..." Ashley tries to explain, making a face like she'd been found out. "Anyway, I have to deal with this!" she blurts out, using the increasing intensity of the bar fight as her excuse.

She cuts off the original instigator of the fight—the man with the broken nose—stopping him from fleeing the scene.

"Going somewhere, piggy?" she spits with all the poison she could muster for a man of his... persuasion.

"I'll go where the hell I want, lordling! What are you gonna do about it?!"

Ashley hadn't exactly thought that far. She was skilled with the sword, but against this many men... and she was a just a little on the petite side.

"Halt! In the name of the law, cease this madness at once!" a voice Ashley recognized boomed. It was her Commander.

My savior cometh! she thought. Then, thinking fast, she shows the men a devilish smile, unties her ponytail, and makes a mess of her hair. "Commander!" she cries out in her most feminine voice, covering her face with her hands and running over to him to bury it in his breastplate.

"Ashley?! Report!" he begins, professionally. Then, noticing Ashley's sniffling and ruined hair, he changes his tone. "What... what's wrong?! Speak, Dame!"

Pretending to take a moment to compose herself, she breathes deeply. "That wicked man, over there! That most uncouth barbarian! He is a menace to women everywhere!" she accuses, one hand covering her mouth, pointing the finger in his direction with the other. "I saw him, gro—... looming menacingly, over that poor woman—a helpless, one-armed girl—with intent to... to vio—... to do unspeakable things to her body! I tried to stop him, Commander, but I was alone, and his men joined him, and I... Oh, I was so very scared!"

The maid from before watches the scene unfold, mouth agape, but covered by her hands. "Oh my... She's so brave..!" she says with misty eyes.

All eyes were upon the man who'd started the bar fight. He and his men could tell that Ashley was snickering—but she was putting a commendable amount of effort into making it look and sound like sniffles and sobs. The Commander was fully armored, but no one needed to see his face to know that he was fuming. His Ashley—the woman he'd just praised for being bold and unflappable—was burying her face in his breast, sobbing. Still, incredibly, he kept his composure, as he'd taught his subordinate to do.

"Will any man speak in his defense?!" he roared. He needn't have bothered asking. As a noblewoman and as a Knight Captain, hardly anyone in the entire tavern could give a testimony that out-weighed Ashley's. Even if they could, well... they knew how to read a room.

Realizing how screwed they were, he and his accomplices booked it toward the back door.

"Arrest them!" the Commander shouted.

"You better run, you bastards! You dare make our Ashley cry?!" one knight called out.

"We'll make you squeal for this! You pigs!" cried another.

Once the ruffians and most of the knights were gone, the owner of the tavern made himself known. "A thousand apologies, Dame Ashley."

With one last sniff, she begins straightening her hair, combing it with her fingers. "Pay it no mind, my good man. Any day that justice is served is worth celebrating."

"Hear, hear!" shouted a nearby patron, raising his cracked glass.

"A round on the house, for you and your friends—please, I insist," the owner says as he bows to Ashley.

"Your generosity is appreciated, but we must be going," her Commander cuts him off.

"Yes, we surely must. Mikhail, stop flirting and come over here!" she calls out to him sourly. "You too, Troe, and your friend. Don't fall behind."

Though she doesn't acknowledge the commoners who announced their intent to come along, she silently hopes that they recognize that this is their cue. "My apologies, Commander, for holding you up," she says wistfully.

"No. I will be forever grateful that I made it in time," he responds gravely.

A small pang of guilt seizes Ashley's dead heart. Ugh. I feel bad, making you worry about my chastity, but that's five less bastards in the world!!

Xara can only watch confusion and wander as the bar breaks out in a full on brawl, having not noticed the fight on the other side, he assumed they're all fighting over him. "Wow, I didn't think people would want a ride that badly..." As he says this, a mug goes flying and he side steps out of the way, lucky that the table gave enough stepping room, causing the mug to shatter and soak the back wall. "Hey, you're definitely not going! Well, when you're all done fighting, come and talk to me, ok?"

It dawns on Xara that he's got no way to leave normally with all this chaos, so he opts to find a means over it. He casts a heating spell onto a nearby window, and then immediately after a chill spell, the properties of the glass fall apart and it shatters, he then uses air magic to launch himself out the window and onto the grass, slicing the table Troe was sitting next to in half and landing solemnly onto him and the floor.

---

Nitonka watched the tavern, looking for individuals who seemed capable. Leading her to watch a girl slip into the thick of the chaos unfolding in front of around her. She wondered if the girl was ballsy enough to fight, but she was pleasantly surprised to see she was such an opportunist. She moved fast and clean, someone who obviously was not foreign to the art of pickpocketing, even if it was drunkards. Further more she managed to evade any attacks or objects coming her way, meaning she had a decent understanding of combat or at the very least was combat awareness. Though her weapon of choice was Tonka's least favorite...for obvious reasons. Once it seemed the girl was satisfied with her haul, she left the fight almost effortlessly "Huh, color me somewhat impressed, managed to make a decent amount of money too, have a feeling she's probably from Airi with talents like that." She didn't quite expect to see another girl from Airi here of all places, which made her wonder if the person she was with was similarly from Airi.

Shifting her attention, she saw a man who was completely oblivious to the bar fight stirring behind him. She almost automatically discounted him as a weakling, until she witnessed the man wave his hand and send a man flying. "EXCUSE ME WHAT?!" almost bewildered at the sight of such casual use of magic. Back in her village people used very small amounts of magic, and her father mentioned the basics in her training but admitted he had little ability with it. So to see this man just blow away someone, and not horribly injuring the said person, meant he had a good sense of control with magic. "This is definitely a useful man, I have to make sure I get on that loud mouths boat so I can force him to teach me about magic, or however the fuck that works."

She had also taken note of not only the blonde man that seemed to be approaching her, but the small...black haired man? and the girl talking to him. The blonde was definitely a trained fighter, his stance wasn't awful but it needed some work, at least in. It reeked of a noble for sure, but when he B-lined to what seemed like the richest noble in the barfight and clocked him, Tonka smirked "definitely judged that book wrong" and readied herself for a fight until the blonde spoke. She listened without saying anything, thinking about the offer and figuring that wind mage would be apart of this investigation. She looked away from the blonde man in front of her and watched as the tiny man stood in the way of the man that had basically started the bar fight. The sudden appearance of a huge man in knights armor however, seemed to kill the bar fight almost instantly. She watched as the man..."no that has to be a woman, her voice and the way this knight is treating her" began to put on a pretty decent act, effectively stopping the fighting and putting the men who harassed her in the very, very anger filled eyes of what seemed like a superior to the tiny woman.

These were very useful people who seemed to be capable enough. She didn't really care about this investigation or the money that came with it, but she had a weird feeling akin to her father's that was screaming to go with these people. These people could lead her to people she could really fight and gain experience with. With the fight winding down and the bar starting to retain order, the small woman called the blonde Mikhail and the mage she was interested in Troe. They all seemed to know each other or rather of each other at least, which could be in favor of Tonka or not. "Sure why not, I'm sure ill get to meet some interesting people worthy of me using this guy" she said patting her only hand on the axe holstered at the base of her back "though I'm going to be honest up front, I do not intend to risk my life for you and your companion, if that was your intentions with inviting me along. This will be a means to gain further combat experience, understand? Names Nitonka by the way, call me Tonka or ill break you" she said seriously, before moving to follow the tiny woman. Maybe today was the start of something interesting "or it could be a mistake, who cares either way?"

[color=0072bc][/color]


Kavius easily avoided anything thrown towards him unintentionally. Never moving his feet from the spot he was standing, Kavius would twist and duck whenever a bottle or other small bar items barrowed his way. To Kav this wasn't exactly the last thing he wished to do today and yet he felt like he could have been doing better things. Sitting for example. Much more preferred than standing. Also drinking something, laughing at something, probably but hopefully not getting hit by Sam for something he knows he did nothing wrong as a matter of fact. Instead he gets to not only start working, avoid getting involved in a bar fight, and......well actually that was all there is to it. Kav had gotten himself involved in this with Sam but he had a feeling if he hadn't then Sam would have said something first for sure. Kav had watched Sam as she did her thing with grace and fluidness that you wouldn't have believed she possessed if you didn't know her, is what he believed. Usually they came out better for it and Kav couldn't think of a single time they had been together where Samara performed her not-magic magic and he had to save her in some way. Not including when that option was part of a pre determined plan at the very least. Kav frowned slightly when certain thoughts appeared in his mind after having another good look at all of the different warriors, rogues, and mages were present. Did he have what it took to do something so many people like those before him were willing to pair up for? He knew how to survive off the land when barely anything was around, he knew to cover his tracks and evade those who he did not want to meet, he knew how to spot and setup an ambush, and he knew how to handle himself with or without a sword. Kav could feel the power in the air, even if it may have only been some form of nerves. To be around people stronger than him in such different ways was not a new experience for Kavius bt at the same time he had a gut feeling that he was truly among some extraordinary individuals at the moment. Sure, most people here were stealing or fighting or cursing and drinking or all of the above but that did not change the gut feeling Kav was having.

Seeing Sam finished having her fun and walked back near him then talking with the blonde table person sort of jogged Kav back to reality and out of his head. He smiled and sighed, of course this train of thought got him nowhere. Confidence slowly filled Kav again as he remembered only idiots charge in blindly. Of course you can't win every fight the same way and seeing so many different types of people here just reminded Kav that meant he just needed to keep improving and fight smart. The urge to slack off began to appear within Kav but with a tighting of his fist he kept the will to work. At least for a bit, then he assumed a well deserved nap. That was the main issue Kav faced in his life at the moment, the will to keep to one task. The harder it was, like training, the less he was interested in. Kavius was glad that he had Sam by his side in the moment, she was a very good reminder that if he did start slacking off he would probably get beat to the point of bleeding by the end of the adventure which was a very unpleasant thought to Kav. Another unpleasant thought is this. A man using magic to magic himself out a window is unnecessary and a lot of effort. With Blond table top gone, he really didn't know what else to do except follow. Kav nudged at Sam and spoke loud enough for her to understand him.

"Welp....Im gonna go follow that guy around. I feel like a loud energetic guy like Blonde Table Top Man probably wouldn't betray us. Probably. Plus since you've had your fun," Kav said as he rolled his eyes with a smile, "lets avoid any type of injury before we even start the job."

Kav gave Sam slight curtsie then ducked, narrowly avoided being hit by broken off piece of bar chair log. Kavius raised himself up from his bow and tried to hide his suprise. He gave a hearty laugh and cracked his knuckles.

"Too easy is what I say. If we wanted we could take stop this easily but we-," Kav tried to say as he suddenly felt something break on his back leaving a wet, moist sensation to the touch. Also his back stung now.

This time Kavius could contain the suprise he felt from appearing on his face because mostly he was dismayed more than anything. Feeling as well little cold. Kav sighed and simply rolled his eyes again with a smile on his face now at Sam, then simply turned around and began walking towards the exit/entrance door next to the broken window. He had to duck and spin at times to avoid being hit, at times still a small splash of liquid something droplets hit him from time to time. He reached the door quickly abut calmly opened the door and walked out. looking over and spotting Blonde Table Top Man, Kav shrugged and began walking towards him to see where they were going next.

Troe subconsciously scooted back to avoid the table as he took a final sip of his coffee, completely unaware as he began setting it down that A: he had pushed himself back...and B: the table was currently in halves anyway. The cup fell to the floor and shattered, shaking him from his train of thought in time to hear Ashley say that it was their cue to leave. Of course, he hadn't agreed to anything, but this whole arrangement was kind of exactly what he had been looking for.

When he stood up he casually looked for the Violet eyed stranger, but upon seeing the shattered window he assumed the guy had been thrown out it by whoever had trashed the place. Guess that's what happens when you stand on a table in the middle of a bar? Troe patted his robes briefly to be sure that the coffee he had dropped wasn't all over himself.

As he walked up to Ashley he glanced over to see a rather tall one-armed woman and cocked his head slightly. Given the axe and the way she carried herself, he almost wanted to ask if she was one of the refugees from Irinoth. Women of both Rjaskav and Solvnir were famous for their battle prowess and size, both of which Troe could assume this 'Tonka' had in spades...well the latter more obviously of course.

"So, I may have been...well, locked in thought about the subject of this expedition for the past few minutes. I remember mention of a ship and at least a few claiming that they would also be coming along. I trust that you intend to lead this..." Troe looked at a few of the others that he presumed were coming. "Band of mercenaries?" He said, assuming that would be the most apt description of those present.

Fortunately for Mikhail the one armed girl did not try to deck him like he assumed she might. Which was good because he had a sinking feeling that if she did, she’d kick his ass even if he got a few good hits in. Instead she actually agreed to his proposal fairly easily, today is just full of unexpected surprises it seems. “Welcome aboard Tonka. And as long as you can hold your own in a fight that is all I’m expecting. Have no use for dead weight after all.”

Thankfully for the rest of the bar patrons, not so much for the ugly bastards that picked on Tonka, the guards showed up with a commander that he’s seen a few times but didn’t really know too well to put a stop to all of the commotion. And Ashley… crying? It was quick to see what was going on and honestly it made Mikhail respect her just a little bit more, she was putting up an act to the guard to get the creeps arrested. The only scary part was how convincing she was. If he hadn’t seen everything for himself he honestly would have believed her too. After watching them all get arrested it was apparently time for them to leave as she called him and a man named Troe who had caught a glimpse of using magic. Great, that made at least three, four if you count the guy who threw himself out a window for some reason, mages in their party. Looks like he’d have to play the role of defender here if he wanted to try and keep everyone alive in this adventure. The only downside to travelling with others is that he wasn’t going to easily forgive himself if he let any of them die.

“Of course ‘dear,’ I’m on my way.” He retorted back sarcastically. Ashley was turning out to be a little bit more sarcastic than he thought her to be, which actually made her a bit more likeable in his mind. So he started feeling comfortable enough to tease her back. “You’re invited too. You too mage girl,” he said to both Tonka and Margot. “Looks like it’s about time to head out.” He followed Ashley and kept an eye on this Troe guy that she invited along. He thought it was slightly ironic that he assumed Ashley would lead considering that Mikhail invited her along first but he was not about to complain. She had more experience leading and well, he didn’t feel like he was in any position or any desire to lead.

Everything was dark. That was because Margot's eyes were closed tight and her hands were covering her ears from all the noise. Her head was tucked between her ankles and she was scared like shit.

For a full ten minutes which had felt like an eternity, she had completely forgotten about the world and everything that happened around her. She only cared about her personal safety. In her mind, she pretended she was back in her bed at her mother's house, with all her stuffed toys, not out in this cruel world with all its sharp scary sounds -- which frightened the crap out of her. There was no other way to admit it... she was extremely afraid. She only wanted to get away from it all -- all the sharp clangs and the screaming and the people and the shattering and the violence.

As much as Margot consciously wanted to believe she was not, it was undeniable.

She was a coward.

From the first moment she became consciously aware of the sharp noises, she had somehow 'inadvertently' crawled underneath one of the tables in the corner furthest away from all the danger. For the past 10 minutes... which had felt like an eternity, she had been hiding underneath this table.

Don't hurt me. Don't hurt me, please! Please! I don't want to die. I'm not part of your fight. This isn't me! I'm not here to hurt anyone! Don't hurt me! I just want to be rich and happy and --

Suddenly, she thought about the 250,000 gold coins that was rightfully hers. Uh... uh... the money! Right! The money!

I want the money! But how do I get the money if I'm underneath a table? A sudden realization dawned upon her. She had an epiphany. If she wanted to join with mister dark and mister blond hair, she had to assume the role of someone she was not. She had to be someone she was not. She had to be someone stronger... better...

Omg, is it over?

She opened her eyes and uncovered her ears. Her head peeked out from underneath the table. She heard... Everything is so quiet, now. I think it's safe!

She crawled out from underneath the table and looked around. She saw... calmness. Everyone was so calm. The giant woman, Mister Blond Head, Mister Dark Head, the thiefy girl, the book guy, all the soldiers, and the guy in the armor.

I'm saved! Help has arrived. The soldiers are here! Margot tried to put on her best confident smile, adjusted her clothing, and pretended to everyone in the room that she hadn't gotten underneath a table the entire time.

Gosh, I hope no one saw me.

Then, she saw Mister Dark Hair crying with the guy in the armor. Crying???? And Mister Dark Hair... has so much hair! @Emeth

What? Mister dark hair is actually miss dark hair???? Is Mister Blond Hair also Miss Blonde Hair?? What are my eyes seeing? Wait... is Miss Dark Hair talking to me, now???

She was too shaken to hear properly. She heard miss dark hair say something (was it to Margot??) and then Mister Blond Hair said something as well. “You too mage girl,” said Mister Blond Hair. “Looks like it’s about time to head out.” @TheDemonHound

"R-r-r-right on! I'm with you, mister blond hair and miss dark hair!" said Margot, as she pretended she was a normal person who had fearlessly watched the fight without hesitation. She puffed her chest high and followed all the others out of the tavern.

I can do this. I can do this.

Ashley peers over her shoulder at Mikhail, more than a little surprised. She wasn't above using dirty tricks to see her own brand of justice done, but she did expect others to scorn her for it on occasion. When that didn't happen, she couldn't help but crack a mild smile—a genuine one, with no artificially sinister color to it. "You're being awfully obedient today, you know that? Is it the new armband?" she teases as she poses to show off her rank, like it was some new accessory.

"Ashley," her Commander interjects. "I'm glad to see your spirits lifted, but try not to be a menace to men, yourself," he scolds, bowing to Mikhail.

Ashley made a face like she'd forgotten he was standing behind her. It was at this moment that Troe mentioned her leading these "mercenaries."

Guh. She'd picked a really, really bad time to show off her rank in front of him.

"I suppose that duty would naturally fall to me... but! I am a proud Captain of Lord Carradine's Knights, not a babysitter. I won't suffer anyone to slow me down," she says sternly, tying her ponytail back up. "My Lord Mikhail won't, either, if I may be so bold as to speak on his behalf." With that, she turns to leave.

---

As Ashley exits the tavern, the knights fall in behind her and her newfound companions. "You there," she says to one of them.

"Sir!" he answers immediately.

"Did you see that man who threw himself out the window? Take the man beside you and tail him. He's our backup plan."

"Really? Er, rather—yes sir," he stammers, taking his partner and running off.

Between the clanking of armor and the cries of "make way" from Ashley's Commander, there wasn't much opportunity for conversation, though it did feel as though they were embarking on something important. When the band of would-be explorers laid eyes on the Santa Lyrica, it made them wonder if they'd really get to ride it. It was obviously a fancy ship for fancy nobles, probably fully reserved and almost certainly too expensive even for someone of Ashley's social class to casually pay for a party of five.

Lord Clive at first looked confused at the addition of three extra people to Ashley's party, but then remembered that this was his cue.

"Sir Captain! In the name of the law, stop admitting passengers at once!" he shouted.

"My Lord. Whatever is going on?" a fancy-dressed man inquired, more than a little bit shocked.

"My apologies, but I must ask that no one be permitted to board or disembark for the time being. The knights have been informed that there are criminals aboard, and I expect your full cooperation in the search."

"Huh? But this is preposterous. To stow away upon the esteemed Santa Lyrica would be impossible," he protests.

While their argument is going on in the background, Ashley claps her hands to her cheeks in feigned surprise.

"Wow. This is really terrible." she says, deadpan.

Turning back to her new comrades, she can't help but smirk, even though she knows that they almost certainly won't understand what's going on. Actually, upon further reflection, someone like Lady Madeline would probably accuse her of using cheap tricks to knock out the competition early. This thought wipes the smirk from her face. "Any sign of Table Hopper?" she asks Troe.

"No? I actually lost track of him after he stood up on the table and started proclaiming that he needed companions." Troe said with a shrug. "Truthfully he kind of just followed me into the bar after the bounty was announced."

While Troe didn't know where the Violet Eyed stranger had vanished to, he could at least guess that he was probably nearby. If he had a boat and really wanted to have others travel with him to Irinoth, it stood to reason that he would wait somewhere near the docks.

"Though without knowing much about him or the 'sailor and crew' he mentioned, I can't really offer a vote of confidence. The trip from here to Irinoth is treacherous, and with all of the other wealth-seekers going for this bounty as well...All I can say is that this won't be a voyage for the soft of heart." Troe said, knowing how dangerous the trip to Faroth-En had been. He was no sailor, but the men that had been hired to take him were some of the more experienced seafarers that Irinoth had to offer.

Troe looked at the multitude of ships of varying sizes departing with the same goal in mind. Even he could surmise that at least a few of them wouldn't even make it as far as Airi. Two hundred and fifty thousand gold was a fortune to many, and people had sunk ships for far less. Of course, they also had to contend with whatever had taken the island of Irinoth. To anyone that took a moment to think about it, the reason that the king had set up this quest was clear. All of these adventurers, from the bright eyed and green kids to the stalwart veterans, were expendable.

Xara fortunately landed on a pile of horse hey, the horses nearby stressing out to his sudden appearance. He spits a piece of hay out, annoyed that it left his gums bleeding a bit. He gets up, dusting himself off. The only person who he sees nearby is Kavius, who Xara thinks is pretty sketchy on site, but not sure if it's a combination of his clothes, body language, looks, or all 3, however, he's handle much worse and he assumes they're here to get a ride with him.

"Oh, hey. I assume you followed me to get to Rjaskav. Before we go, I would like to know what you're capable of, you know? So we can have a battle strategy ready."

As he says this, he continues to walk away, expecting the other to follow him. He also checks his pockets and belt, making sure he's not missing anything.


Near the docks, Ashley and friends see another boat pull in. This boat smells legendarily bad, and looks to be full of fish, crab, and other various delicacies. The people, however, look less than stellar. Crewman with missing fingers, battle scars, eyepatches and even brandings run it. You'd think it was a pirate ship if it weren't for the obvious legal goods. They seem to be taking orders from a man in various hides, sounding much like an army vet than a merchant.

Samara calmly walked back to the bar to watch the fight continue. There were some impressive individuals. Obviously, the one-armed woman seemed fairly powerful and she had noticed how she was the only one who noticed what she was doing in that crowd. The well-dressed moody looking man near her had entered the fray and knocked one guy out in a single punch. Her attention was drawn to the two women next to her that the man had been talking to. They were both apparently mages. This piqued her interest. Mages could be quite powerful. If she could get in the good graces of one that'd be really nice. She looked back over to their companion who seemed to be speaking to the one-armed woman. But her attention was ripped away from whatever they were saying as she saw the guy she'd told she would join launch himself out the window like a madman.

Ok yeah, nevermind joining him. If he was the kind of person to literally throw logic along with himself out the window, Sam had no intention of staking her or Kav's safety anywhere near him. She was debating whether she should find him to tell him that she was rescinding her offer of helping or just ignoring him if he brought it up. Annoyingly though, Kav decided to go outside to follow the Jumpy Blonde. She groaned at the idea of going to find that guy. But she couldn't leave Kav to go alone with him to get himself killed.

Before Sam could leave though the fight was soon ended by a few knights entering the building. The older mage rushed towards the leader. The whole act played up by the nobleish looking woman was quite good. It was obvious to Sam that the woman knew exactly how to play that man. She couldn't exactly tell what the relationship was but she somehow had all those knights wrapped around her finger. She lingered a little longer to listen to this impressive group that was gathering. She was happy she chose to stay and listened as she soon gathered that these people seemed like they may be setting out to journey to Irinoth. Her mind was immediately made up. One crazy mage versus two who also had two very strong people? Yeah, that wasn't a hard choice.

Leaving the tavern she quickly tracked down Kav only to see the mad mage getting up from a pile of hay. A strong look of annoyance flooded her face as she listened to him talk. Battle strategy? Really. Sam had a hard time believing that the guy she was looking at would participate in any kind of combat. Before Kav could walk off following him Sam grabbed him by the shoulder. Whispering "Look, I know we both said we'd go with him but just inside the tavern a much stronger and able-minded group is about to set out to Irinoth. We're going with them. I am not dealing with someone crazier than you. Come on they are heading towards the port."

She then jogged past Jumpy Blonde and Kav in order to catch up with the other group. When she reached them she found the knight trying to commandeer the Santa Lyrica. Sam guessed that the nobleish mage woman had put him up to it? She chuckled to herself when the man said that it was impossible to stow away on his boat. She knew that wasn't the case, but admitting that near a few knights likely wouldn't be a good idea. Then the woman in charge turned to the group and asked about the tablehopper. She mentally groaned before speaking up. "He flew through the window into a pile of hay. I went past him on my way here. Anyway, names Samara. I overheard you guys were planning to go to Irinoth. My friend Kavius and I were planning on joining tablehopper but y'all seem like better prospects."

[color=0072bc][/color]


Kavius shrugged, sighed, then jogged past Blone Table Top Man with a two finger fun salute meant to mean "Sorry, Mom said no". It wasn't gonna be fun without Sam, and to be fair she did seem to drag him along as often as he did the same to her. Except this time he got away with minimal pain so that was a plus. Kav had ignored the comings and goings of the bar remnants, but he guess since he hadn't left much room to talk to everyone at the bar he supposed it was possible there were better options. Kavius would miss the Blonde Table Top Man and his crazy antics. The spark of hope that they would reunite was bright within the heart of Kavius, he would not despair. To the port he and Sam went!

Kavius trailed behind Sam but found himself distracted shorty before reaching the port. There was a man selling loaves of bread by the street corner nearby/ Kavius loved himself some street bread and was more than willing to fall behind Sam a bit to purchase a loaf of bread. He had walked up to the stand when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a man selling candy even further down. Kavius apologized to the bread vendor and scuttled away to the candy vendor, purchasing a small pouch containing a multitude of candy varieties. Unwrapping a small, spherical lollipop and putting it in his mouth Kavius felt a surge of joy as the never tiring burst of sweet flavor flooded his oral entry point. Candy was truly, in the mind of Kavius, the best thing ever made by people. Now that he had a small stash of candy on him Kavius supposed he should be getting back to Sam. She had said the port was their destination, and he wasn't far away at all. Sam was probably about to be there at any moment so Kavius turned and started walking back to where he had been with Sam before he wandered off.



Getting back on track was one thing, heading in the right direction was easy, what happened next was more fun than anything else. Kavius walked with a purpose in his steps to try to catch up with Sam, but to do it at his own pace which is always important. Kav did not believe he was special in any way, nor did he think himself greater than anyone else. This was not a pessimistic opinion because Kav believed that everyone, from King to urchin, was born the same will also share the same fate as each other. That we will all die, that we all have a natural end, and we cannot escape it. That's one of the reasons he enjoys living in the moment so much, because he never knew when he would come to his final day. The reason this is being explained is to understand Kavius did not think himself better than anyone but did have a bad habit of saying things in a way many would consider rude. That and if you couldn't keep his attention he would leave or start doing something else when he became bored with something.

Kavius was stil feeling the soaked spot on his back from when he was hit in the bar and the dampness of the middle of the back of his shirt and back was alarmingly distracting to Kav. He would attempt to adjust his shirt to possibly fix this and to feel the wetness a little less but would only succeed in making his entire back wet and most of the back of his shirt damp or soaked. This is what caused Kav to ignore what was in front of him and walk straight into a rather large, appearing to be middle aged, man causing Kav to fall down and the other man to stumble backwards. Kav stayed seated on the ground for a few moments. Realizing slowly what happened and trying to ignore the other guy yelling at him, Kavius stood up and brushed himself off. A sudden realization came over Kavius. Now he could feel....dirt on his back. His wet shirt made some dirt cling to the back of his shirt! Kavius looked the other man in eyes and spoke, cutting off the other mans angry rant.

"What gives you the right to yell at me? You seem to be fine, but as you can clearly see my wet shirt was dirtied. Now I am wearing a dirty shirt, and it feels slightly not good", Kav spoke with a fire in his heart, "and who gave you the authority to let me walk into you? Did you yourself by chance happen to not be aware of your surroundings as well? Other people moved- WHY DIDN'T YOU MOVE?"

For that Kavius received a punch a the face, blackening his left eye but his feet were planted firmly to the ground. The middle aged man thought he had succeded in knocking Kavius out, but as the seconds passed and Kav had not fallen the stranger grew nervous. Kavius slowly turned his head with the strangers fist still planted on his face.

"The audacity of this bitch. What - gave - you - the -right," Kav said as for every word he spoke he took action. Kav grabbed the mans wrist on the hand that was touching his face, twisted and lowered the wrist downwards, as he yanked back he brought his knee up to the strangers chin, dropped the mans wrist and side stepped around him, and as the man was on his knees Kav kicked the mans side and sent the stranger flying sideways and landing against a wall, " To do that to me. That was very rude.....Ok I may ave been rude too."

Kavius looked around and saw he had drawn attention with his theatrics again. Kav sighed, then proceeded to take off his dirty shirt.

"No need to be alarmed folks," Kavius said to the ground as he threw his shirt to the ground, "That man there......kissed my sister!"

Kavius bowed then quickly walked away towards his original destination. He ended up behind Sam as she finished speaking, giving her and everyone a thumbs up. Realizing he had a fresh shiner and no shirt, Kav stood up straight and spoke confidently

"Hello, wonderful to be here. I'm Kav, does anyone want a piece of candy," Kav asked as he reached into his back pouch and pulled out a few pieces of small spherical candy and offered a piece for everyone.

Xara finally reaches the docks, just now noticing Kav isn't following him anymore. And as he does so, he can see and hear another group debating between each other. He can Troe with the group, who is not really doing talking from what Xara can see. He whistle to the captain barking orders, who looks up, and gives a surprising smile
"Xara! Hey, how's the book collectin'? Got anything to sell by chance?"
"Hey Tedreus! Not today, unfortunately. I'm actually here for a favor. You remember the sea monster... Thing??"
Unable to take that last sentence seriously, Xara smiles back.
"Of course, you cut off its limbs with your magic, it was truly a sight to behold. You saved my crew that day."
"Well, I'm actually ready for the returned favor, you see, that guy over there-" Xara points at the fellow blonde mage. "- And I are trying to reach Solvnir and Rjaskav, and you're the only one I can think of who can take us, unfortunately."
"Ahahahaha. Are you mad? Anyone with ears knows the rumors of that place. You drive a hard bargain, savin' my life just to risk it again. But I'm a man of my word, I'll let my crew know our change of plans, some may want to stay ashore, they have families too y'know"

The group can see the rouged man go back to his ship, ready to give them the news, and soon after a few of them do decide to walk away, but a few becomes more than that, it's uncertain if there's gonna be anyone left...

Margot quietly followed the group. Ah, the beach. The ocean. The warm winds. Everything is so peaceful. I like the beach even though I don't even know how to swim.

Someone approached @dabombjk. This shirtless man walked up to the group, and...

Wait, why is this guy naked??

Margot examined the guy. Nice body, so thin and shapely, but... he looks.. poor!

However, everything changed when the man offered everyone snacks. "Hello, wonderful to be here. I'm Kav, does anyone want a piece of candy?"

"Me! me! i love sugar!" replied Margot.

When Margot received the candy, she didn't even think too much about it. She put them in her mouth and the sweetness delighted her. She ate another, and another.

By the time she was done, she had eaten quite a bit. Almost instantly, she got a sugar high. Omg, i feel so much energy! i feel so happy!

Margot smiled. She looked up at the sky and her mind raced with energetic thoughts.

Too bad where we're going, there's going to be no sugar. Or anything for that matter! What am I going to eat?

She couldn't wait to go on glorious adventures, and face nail-biting danger.

I'm not afraid of anything! I'm fearless!
And the money. And when all this is over, I'm going to be ... somehow, some way... agonizingly rich! No, filthy rich! then, I will make babies with the best husband I can find.
I'm on my way to getting famous!
I can't wait!
... But you know what's an even better way to become famous? Leading the group that accomplished the mission by the king!

She looked around, hesitated a bit, but then she went for it. "EVERYONE, LISTEN UP!!! No doubt the adventures we're about to go on will be harsh and merciless as well as DANGEROUS. No doubt some of us will die!!! Now, is the time for all of you to choose! As your new leader, I PROMISE all of you that I will create a just and equitable society, a team that will accomplish our mission and make us all ff-- RICH!!! I am fearless! I am powerful. I cannot be corrupted. I am wise. I am successful! Choose me, nowww!!!!!!"

---

Nitonka had been silent since they had left the tavern, not really interested in pleasantries or conversation. Not that anyone really spoke to her anyways, this is how things had been since she had arrived here. Maybe it was her size or the fact that she wasn't exactly the nicest, regardless, it gave her more of an opportunity to scope out the group that she found herself a part of. Ashley claiming that she was Captain of Knights didn't surprise Tonka. She had guessed the girl wielded a high title, after seeing her dish orders, though it did make Nitonka wonder what kind of abilities she had. Being small wasn't a disadvantage, but it donned on her that Ashley might hold the title simply by blood rather then skill, making her wary of her. "I'll just have to watch her and see what happens" further watching her and Mikhail's interaction, something else drew a red flag. It seemed the two were at least some what romantically involved, either currently or in the past and Nitonka sighed mentally. In her experience, and she had plenty of it, love only made the body react stupidly. Her hand went up to her stump of an arm, the phantom pains seeming to flair up at the memory. Purging it from her brain she looked at the others.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the other small girl of the group with a bow and her companion following them, approving of their choice to join them in her head. She liked having someone who was sneaky around, it meant that she wouldn't have too. She wasn't so sure about her companion however, as he seemed to wander off and do his only thing. Causing some type of commotion she couldn't be bothered to pay attention too, the man came back with candy only further making her worry about the mans ability. He reminded her of another man from her village and she silently prayed he was at least capable of common sense. As it was now, the group would be in trouble if either of the four found themselves in a life of death situation, having a feeling any of them would risk their life for their companions. She hoped Mikhail's words rang true of understanding what she meant when she said she wouldn't risk her life for them. If push came to shove, she would abandon them all if it meant furthering her own goals. As cruel as it was, in her own way it was a way of respect, she didn't expect help from any of them and she expected them to be capable themselves if they were willing to take this adventure up.

Troe speaking up made her pay attention to the situation unfolding in front of her. If he was asking Ashley to lead them, then that meant he knew what she was capable of. It was at least a little reassuring she supposed, as no one else seemed responsible enough to lead the group. Though her opinion was slightly lowered at what seemed like Ashley's attempt too avoid taking this perfectly fine ship, for an evidently worse ship. Not that the smell bothered her, just that it raised some questions as to what exactly was she avoiding. Then suddenly she realized the average mage looking girl, who had been talking to Ashley and Mikhail, spoke up. It was one thing to have others speak up for you, or claim things about you, but when you boast of your own skill, then to Tonka you were full of shit. Moving towards Ashley, she nudged the girl without warning towards Margot, standing with her arms crossed, towering behind Ashely "if you're half the mage you say you are, then beating the Captain of Whoever the fuck's knights should be a walk in the park no? I'm sure everyone else here would be interested in seeing these abilities of yours as well, gotta see it to believe in it is the motto I live by" the smile on her face was filled with a "bit" of malice. The only thing she hated more then weak people, was weak people who tried to act big. If they all agree'd to her being the leader, and later down the line relied on her and she froze up or worse didn't have the strength to fight, they could all get killed. Not that she particularly cared for the group, but a good leadership would increase the odds of survival, which in turn increased the odds of Nitonka encountering strong opponents. Besides, she had never seen two mages fight before, so this would be an enlightening experience if she read Margot wrong.

"if you're half the mage you say you are, then beating the Captain of Whoever the fuck's knights should be a walk in the park no? I'm sure everyone else here would be interested in seeing these abilities of yours as well, gotta see it to believe in it is the motto I live by"

Margot looked at Captain Dark Hair, then at the big giant woman with one arm, then back at Dark Hair. The idea of physical confrontation scared the shit out of her, and so she panicked. Margot replied to the one-armed woman, "Uh, excuse ME??? I am uh... FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I am currently experiencing a type of uh.... sugar relapse disorder and it is incapacitating my ability to physical harness my magical prowess, but....... uh.... REST ASSURED! I can kick anyone's butt anytime! UH... when I'm not currently incapacitated, I mean!!!!"