While Myra was a bit confused when Astra mentioned she and Vrexen would get fat for eating so much, when she thought a little about it, it was true that there was never a moment in her life where food was so easily available for her than after she began travelling with Astra. Back when she used to live in the forest, she often had to hunt for her food, fight to protect her catch from other predators and when the bigger beasts woke up, she had to run and hide. All those things drained a lot of energy, which helped her to remain fit. And since she joined Astra and Vrexen, she didn't have to hunt, fight or hide at all...

Worried, Myra stopped, looking at her abdomen, her arms and legs, looking for any 'unwanted fat' that might hinder her abilities. After a pinching for fat a few times, Myra was relieved to find out that there was still no significant change, but that definitely did make her worried. Enough to motivate her to try and find some time to run and exercise a bit in order to adapt to that new lifestyle that came together with Astra and the shinies, the 'amas', she brought with her.

Calling Myra, Astra pointed towards the big fire where the orcs prepared their meat. Giving one last look to the one object in the stall that most drew her attention, a pair of mirror-polished metal spheres that were kept inside a small wooden box. Not only they were really shiny and cold to the touch, but they seemed to make a soothing, ringing noise when they moved. Being one of the biggest reasons why Myra got so entranced by the shiny trinkets the orc was selling, Myra was a bit divided between going eating and continue playing with the strange spheres but in the end, the smell of meat was stronger and after a brief farewell to the shiny spheres, Myra went together with Astra, following the smell of meat.

Every step they gave towards the area where the orcs cooked their meat, the smell grew stronger. Unlike other places Myra had visited with Astra before, the amount of meat they were cooking and serving seemed to be the perfect size to satisfy her hunger. Big pieces of meat were being roasted over the fireplaces, from the most diverse shapes, colors and animals. After looking around for a while, drooling while she went from stall to stall, watching the many types of meat being prepared, Myra ended up deciding on one particular stall, where two orcs were taking turns in spinning a huge piece of meat, easily half of Myra's size. While she didn't know which creature that meat came from, the smell coming from it was so good that it was an easy choice even when compared to the other ones. Turning towards Astra, Myra excitedly pointed towards the huge piece of meat, licking her lips as she looked at it and then back at Astra.

---

Astra watched Myra look from slab to slab of the meat being cooked by the orcs. They all appeared happy to feast on and sell what they had roasted. Astra bet this was the safest place anyone could be in an orc settlement. Bellies and coin purses were full here. She trailed behind Myra, figuring she’d just buy something similar to the demoness or they’d just share. That bubble of thought was swiftly burst as Myra pointed at a large piece of meat. If Astra didn’t know any better she might have guessed Myra simply desired a few slices, but she had witnessed how much the girl ate at the Yenworth Tavern.

Two orcs worked the stall. One was bald, without facial hair and two deep scars on his face. One went diagonal across his forehead and the other went down the left side of his face. He appeared to be waiting on customers to buy while the other prepared the meat. The other orc had mess of black hair that made it down to about his chin with no visible scars.

The orc male running the stall looked upon Myra and Astra with a raised brow before he used his elbow to nudge the other.

“Hm?” The nudged orc turned his attention from the meat he was salting on the side to the two women approaching.

“Customers.” He almost chuckled, but instead wore a wide grin as he wondered what the small things were doing approaching he and his brother's meat stall.

“Hi there!” Astra put on her biggest friendliest smile. “We would like to buy that. Yeah that piece.” Astra pointed at the same piece of meat Myra desired.

“This? I'm not one to question a purchase, but you should know that we do not prepare the meat for traveling. That's something you have to do yourself.”

“Oh that's not a problem. We want it as is…. Oh and if you give us a discount, we'll make it worth your while.” Astra winked and smirked, making the orc raise a brow once more before letting loose a chuckle.

“You both might be way too tiny for my brother and I. We would break-”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Stop! Just… I sincerely apologize that I made you think we were bargaining… that.” Astra noticed she was making a contemptuous face and sprung into damage control. “I mean, I've done some things with some orcs. Usually the runtish ones y'know. And they were good times for the most part I will admit, BUT what I'm bargaining for is free advertising.” The bald orc took a moment to think, his brother's attention was drawn.

“No. No deal. You want us to give you a discount and take your word that you will advertise our stall to others? And if it doesn't work, what do we even gain?” The other brother finally butt in, but his words didn't deter Astra.

“We'll just advertise right here then. You give up that piece of meat, we eat and advertise. And then we negotiate payment. We're much too tiny to run off with how large that piece is, so we have to eat it here. And if our advertising doesn't work, we'll pay the full price. If it does… we negotiate. Deal?”

“Hmmm.”
“Deal! There's no risk, brother and she might be able to convince some of her kind if she's good at this.” The mop-haired brother shrugged, which just meant he was okay with the deal too. Astra nodded her head smugly and finally looked at Myra while the requested piece of meat was grabbed to be served at the stall.

“Hey Myra, can I get just one bite? The first bite to be exact. You help me with this and I'll consider having you never wear clothes again.” Knowing what Myra loved and hated was all Astra needed to have things play her way.

Time: Morning
Location: River Port-Inn by the Sea, then The Surfside Cafe
Interactions: none
Mentions: Bowyn @Helo, Rue @Potter, Ismael @Th3King0fChaos, @Kazemitsu Kharne @princess Annya,

Equipment:



884 Amas.

It seemed that the dwarf’s strong stocky legs took him right down the stairs towards the common room of the Inn. His brown eyes had glanced in the direction of the winter fairies rooms but saw nor heard any movement. Perhaps they had already gone. It could be that they were with their new friends. A sigh escaped his lips as he took the last step down the creaky stairs. He silently wished the two white haired travelers the best. He did not know if they would ever meet again.

The young soldier bowed his head to the inn keeper as he crossed the common room offering the man a silent greeting. He had not made much head way into he planky streets of the port town when he heard strong thumbs behind him. He stepped out of the way just enough to let a giant dragon humanoid pass. The medic immediately recognized him as the one who had seemed to be part of Princess Annya’s party. Otherwise, how many hulking lizard brutes could be walking about around town? No demi human male seemed to carried on the dragonborn’s shoulders, though. There was no time for greeting and acknowledgement as the giant warrior moved past with a purpose.

Arn wondered if the urgency was because the dragon man was late. If so, that meant he himself was late. The realization made him pump his little legs faster. It moved him at an almost comical pace without him actually breaking into a trot. While the streets were not as packed as the night before they were already being utilized by early morning merchants and sailors. For some reason the medic began moving in the direction of the hulking mercenary when he stopped himself.

He stopped a fish monger busy cleaning the catch of the day prepping it for the customers. The dwarf got a grumbling response from the man and was pointed in the proper direction of the Surfside Café. His breathing came in long breaths and he was beginning to perspire due to the warmer climate than he was used to. His hair, both on his head and on his face, was moist and a few loose strands began to spring up.
Taking a few more deep breaths to control his breathing and smoothing out the unruly hairs, he entered the establishment. He was greeting a homely looking matronly demi woman who was delivering some plates to a table that sported a variety of races. Riverport was truly a nexus. Faries from the River Kingdom, Elves, demi humans and even some traveling dwarves and orcs could be seen. Despite this colorful representation of races, he did not spot the dashingly stunning Princess.

The matronly lady approached him as he had not moved to try and sit. “You alright hon?” She asked. Now that she was close, he could see that she was probably a fawn demi human. “Um, yes. Good morning. I was just looking around. Um. I am to meet somebody here. Do you mind if I sit down on a table near the door. I um, don’t know how big the actual party will be.” The matronly wench smiled understandingly. “Sure thing hon. Just call me over if you need anything while you wait.”

She moved away and the young medic took a chair facing the door. He saw people enter and leave in what seemed like eternity but could have been no more than 30 minutes or so. The dwarf even began to worry he had heard the princess wrong. He could have sworn she said the surfside Café. Many elves came through he doors, including a group that held a red headed elf, a feline demi human and a brute of an orc.

Years of battling the green skinned neighbors of Iron Hold caused the soldier to keep his eyes on the brutish humanoid longer than normal. Finally sensing no danger, his eyes returned to the door. While waiting another realization came to mind. How in the seven hells was he going to approach the princess once she entered? The night before he had managed to stammer something, and she was gracious enough to acknowledge him. What was he to do now? Walk up to her and thrust the royal envelope into her face? A soft groan escaped his lips.

“Well shit..”

Time: Morning
Location: On the deck of the Harem
Interactions: @Tae Lizzie @Funnyguy "Boarding party"
Equipment: The clothing on his back: A unbuttoned dress shirt of the pirate-y variety, leather breeches, matte black in color, leather boots, in surprisingly good shape

While the crew drank and generally enjoyed the captain-sanctioned festivities, Tesoro took in the sea breeze and wet his lips with nothing but water. He was still on alert. He was on a foreign crew and he knows that the first impression he made was not stellar, to say the least. Plus, the trauma of being marooned from his previous ship stuck with him like tar. He mainly stayed out of the way of the other rowdy, fueled by alcohol, crew members.

The morning sun was bright, but not harsh. Tesoro had fallen asleep leaning his back again the side of the ship. The gentle rocking brought on by the waves was comforting. Not being caged helped as well. He was a part of the crew now, may as well embrace it, he thought. Of course, being a captain of a ship is still what he knew he was destined to do. He would accept nothing less. However, any friends made now means less enemies in the future. The sea, being a small and a large place at the same time, could use less bloodshed and general tension anyways. The ship was still sailing towards the Dreaded Isles, and seemed to be generally ship-shape. The crew, the ones awake anyways, were going about their own business. The captain, Lizzie, was originally at the helm, directing the ship towards her prize. Tesoro spent a few moments observing her. Rough seas bred able captains, and if Tesoro had to guess, Lizzie hasn't seen her share of the brutality over these waves. Nonetheless, she did know how to keep her crew in line, and the folks on this ship seemed generally obedient, if not compliant.

Tesoro felt the ship slow a bit. Lizzie had stepped away from the helm as well. Given that he was still sitting, he was not aware that they were approaching another ship. Taking in a deep breath and sighing slightly, he stood up and stretched. He peered out over the horizon. Another ship, flying the black. Tesoro took a harder look. Gold skull. Croft. Oh Tesoro has heard of this person. However, the size of the ship itself was too small to be the flagship. Instead, they were greeted by a pair of dark elves and a forest fairy. "For fuck sakes." He muttered. First time in the morning, before he has had breakfast. He gets to deal with dark elves. He shook his head. He didn't much like dark elves. At all. The trio from the other ship requested that the captain of The Harem to board their ship to discuss business.

Tesoro knew this to be poor idea, Croft wasn't known as a lenient pirate. It was truly silver or lead with that crew. Tesoro glanced at Lizzie to see how she would respond to the request. He chuckled when she told the trio that they can come aboard The Harem to talk or they can fuck off. She is brash, thats for sure. Rolling his shoulders a little, he approached Lizzie and began to speak in a soft tone "Look. Right. I don't know if this is your first time parlaying with another crew, but telling them to fuck off isn't exactly great. It's not bad, if you think we can win in a gunfight. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to get into a fight before breakfast. An alternative, since it is very unlikely and you can color me shocked if they decide to step on to our ship to discuss business, is that we send a small contingent over to their ship to carry out your orders. And you know I'd very much like to be in that party that you send over. Its not like you lot much like me around anyways. You'd be losing minimum value if they kill me immediately. But if they don't, You'd have a vanguard in enemy territory to begin with. Its a win win for you. Besides, I've been itching for a fight ever since I left the pits anyways..." He finished his sentence with a small wink towards Lizzie. "Whaddya say?"

Nuallán watched the humans' reactions as they walked through the city with an amused expression. From the architecture, to the demi-humans, the humans' reactions ranged from amazement, curiosity and awe, to even indifference, annoyance and discomfort. For Nuallán, the uniqueness in the humans' way of thinking, acting and even living their own lives was indeed amusing. He didn't know if it was a fruit of their short lifespan or their culture, but humans lived their own lives in an incredibly fast and intense manner. For them, every moment was precious, every experience, something to savour and enjoy. In that aspect, there was a stark difference between them and the elves, whom due to their long lives, often took their lives in a much slower pace and in a way less intense manner. Courtship on Elven society only happened after a long time of silent, distant admiration and often continued for many years before any kind of relationship was formed. Which was one of the reasons why Nuallán was so curious and surprised to see Caelan and Sophie already developing some feelings for one another despite having met each other so recently.

Surprisingly enough, just after Caelan and Sophie let go of each other's hands, embarrassed by what happened, he couldn't help but take a quick, small glance at Rosaria, whom he knew would greatly enjoy watching the two humans' feeling blossoming for one another. At that moment, their eyes met for a second, which caused even the normally composed Nuallán to look away, embarrassed after being caught searching for Rosaria's smile.

With the group sittin down to eat, Nuallán did so as well, asking for a simple but balanced breakfast with some camel meat, eggs and a bread and ate quietly as he kept a watchful eye on both his surroundings and the patrons that entered or left the place. The moment they sat down, Nuallán could see how exhausted and tired they all were. They had all rested only for a short time as they were on their way to Myriamor. Truth be told, the journey had been a difficult one until now, but the humans did well keeping up with them so far.

"Myriamor is famous not only by it's beauty, but by it's culture and it's perfumed oils as well. Desert herbs, while rare, do have an exquisite fragrance and hold medicinal properties too from what I've heard." Nuallán said with a smile as he looked at Aurora, who mentioned that the air smelled beautiful in Myriamor.

"Our stay in Myriamor might be short but please, take this time to rest and recover your energy. The journey so far has been harsh and we owe you all a well deserved rest." he said with a silent nod of approval, congratulating the humans for getting this far and thanking them for supporting Rosaria.

Most of the humans were holding on pretty well despite how exhausted they were, with the exception of Jomari of course, whom despite everything, continued with a rather hostile attitude. His comment about the food and the way he asked Rosaria about who were they going to meet didn't pass unnoticed by Nuallán, who sent him a sharp glare as he did so that quickly passed the message that unlike Rosaria, he wasn't that patient.

"Even though Princess Mikazuki is Lady Rosaria's close friend, she is still a princess and deserves to be treated and respected as such. As Lady Rosaria's guests, I ask you to be on your best behavior." Nuallán said to the group with a serious tone, although that could be considered a friendly reminder when compared to the gaze he gave Jomari.

It was at that moment that while Nuallán was looking around and watching their surroundings, he noticed that among the patrons, there were two faces that he had seen a few moments ago when they arrived at Myriamor. The light elf and the feline demi-human from earlier.
Instead of looking straight at them though, Nuallán kept looking around making it look like he was still searching around, before he looked at Rosaria after a moment, seemingly not finding anything suspicious.

"Lady Rosaria, don't be alarmed, but we might have been followed." Nuallán whispered, as he approached Rosaria, giving a small affirmative nod towards her and letting out a calm expression to try and make anyone who might be following them to think that they still didn't notice anything.

"I don't want to alarm the humans and ruin their rest... or yours. In case something happens, I will deal with it, silently." Nuallán said before he went back to his seat.

Time: Morning
Location: Riverport - Boardwalk → Surfside Cafe
Interactions:@Potter Saoirse @Th3King0fChaos Ismael @Kazemitsu Kharne @Omni5876
Equipment:Outfit visible from Disguise Ring,Armor(Not visible); Chest plate is enchanted with Armor of Absorption, Map of Avalia, Water Flask, A bag of elf and demi-human ears and tails, Small book and pen, Ama pouch with 2000 amas on hand, Three large red potions, Wayfinder, Hygiene supplies, Rose-scented Perfume, Location Sender, Shower Tube, Transmission Bracelet, Bedroll, Water Purifier,Axes with returning enchantment,Her backpack



Though the young woman was foul-mouthed in her explanation, Annya did understand that clearly, she had come from horrid family life. Her own parents were quite flawed in many ways but never had she seen many cases of parents hurting their children. Certainly, that drunk man had no resemblance to her mother. But Annya did recognize this situation with a little more thought. Elven warriors who had seen too much sometimes had flipped out in random bursts of rage as they flashbacked to past horrors. Though Saoirse was no warrior, she had been through a battle of her own. She met Saoirse’s gaze once she finally lifted her head and replied sympathetically,” Saoirse, I’m sorry. You deserved a better mother… I can understand why you reacted like that now. However, if we become the demons of our past, then we’ll never escape from them, even when they are long gone. It’s important we work on that and I am here to help you with that.”

Annya gave the girl a warm smile. ”Every day is a new journey. Let’s take it on together okay? We’re friends now, anyway right?”She nudged Ismael as well as she led them to the cafe and opened up the door, ”And you too Ismael. You best believe you are my comrade now!”

The inside cafe was well-lit and was a busy view to the eye. There was a fira with flames blazing in the middle of the room on an elevated stage with chefs swarming around it. Shelves of desserts were displayed above and there were long tables all over the wooden room. Green cabinets and pops of red and green items splashed over the wooden hall. It was not all too busy so it did not take long for Annya to spot the only dwarf in the room. ”Yoohoo!” Annya called as she moved over and leaned on the table, ”Hello friend! I apologize for yesterday! So sorry I had to leave abruptly. Hope you weren’t waiting here by yourself too long..” She offered a hand to him, ”What’s your name?”After a moment, she gestured to Ismael and Saoirse, letting the capable young folk introduce themselves however they liked.

As they did so, she took a moment to answer her buzzing transmission bracelet and listened to Kharne’s statement. She let out a sigh of relief. She was so relieved Raven was safe and coming back to them with no resistance. “Kharne, thank you so much for finding her! See you soon.” She hung up afterward and then paused.

Wait… Friends?

The gut instinct Annya got from that idea was not pleasant. It was definitely not a good idea to trust too randoms. But if it was getting Raven back here, then all she could was hope this wouldn’t be too difficult a scenario. It was also best she found out what this dwarf was about before they arrived. ”So. What led you to me?”

With a voracious look in her face, Myra continued waiting expectantly as she listened to Astra discussing with the orcs. While Myra should probably pay attention at what Astra was saying, she was currently too busy being entranced by the piece of meat. The sound of the meat sizzling and the juices evaporating as they touched the hot embers below, the way how the fire was carefully roasting every side of the meat as it continued slowly spinning over the fire, the juices from the meat slowly dripping into the fire, evaporating as they touched the hot embers below, even the smell the meat gave off, having no unnecessary spices or condiments, just the pure flavor of the meat and some salt to enhance it, everything contributed for Myra to be completely distracted and entranced by it.

While Myra did like and enjoyed the raw meat she hunted, being a predator herself, thanks to Astra's influence, she had discovered the wonders of cooked food and recently started developing a taste for it. From the seasoned meat she ate back on the inn to this one she was going to eat now, each food had a different taste from the other, according to the type of meat, how it was prepared and even the spices used.

It was only when Astra had a strange reaction when talking to the orc that Myra finally looked away from the meat, trying to understand what was going on. Unsurprisingly, Myra wasn't able to really grasp what exactly the orcs and Astra were talking about, both due to some words she didn't know and because Myra didn't really know how to 'read between the lines'. What she did understand though, despite being a complicated word, was when Astra mentioned 'bargaining'. She had already used that word a few times before and always when she was trading shinies with other people. Somehow, Astra seemed to always be able to convince the others to give her stuff for less shinies than they had initially wanted and in some rare cases, even for free. While Myra already had a very basic idea of the value the shinies, or 'Amas' as she called had, she didn't yet understand the weird magic Astra used to always have trades go her way.

Unsurprisingly, it seemed Astra was successful once again, judging by the tone of one of the orc brothers. Myra was about to start devouring the meat, without even bothering to cut it away from the bone as Astra called her, asking for a bite. More specifically the first bite. While Myra didn't really have a problem with sharing some of her meat with her travel companions and was considering doing it even without receiving nothing in exchange, she definitely became more motivated once Astra mentioned that if Myra helped her, she would consider not having her wear the annoying 'clothes' again.

With nothing really to lose, other than a few seconds of waiting before she could sink her teeth into the meat, she nodded vigorously, approaching the meat and showing her claws, looking to Astra almost as if waiting for her to say which piece of meat she wanted and the exact size before Myra cut it for her.

---

The Orcs that had sent Vrexen off to engage the Dwarven scouts had stood at the western edge of Aldrakh ever since they heard the Demon’s screams. There had been a few Orc and Dark Elf soldiers that gathered around the area, but with nothing following the screams, attention to the west faded in time.

“I think it’s about time we head that way and see the damage.” The ax-wielding Orc was tired of waiting to see if the Demon would come out. He knew warcries well. He participated in his fair share of raids, and Vrexen’s screams were not that. He didn’t know how to even describe them. To even an Orc, it seemed odd to find a creature that excited to engage in battle. It was much easier to assume the cries were desperate and that the red-faced Vrexen had just experienced a long torturous death at the hands of the Dwarven scouts.

“Was going to say the same, but if the scouts are still out there, that could be bad.”

“Bad shmad! If they’re up there, we have plausible… uh… plausible… shit… plausible... Y’know what I mean. We just act like we don’t know what’s going on.”

“That… That is a way. No war is declared by Ironhold, so even if they do attack, we defend ourselves and rid the hills of Dwarves without having to explain too much.”

“It’s settled. We will fan out where we heard the creature and-” The ax-wielding Orc stopped abruptly upon watching Vrexen pounce from out of the treeline on all fours. The demon looked upon Aldrakh before he stood up to walk on his hind legs towards the settlement.

“Look at that! Speak of a demon and he appears!” The Orcs were a bit surprised to see Vrexen return with no visible wounds or a falter in his step, especially since he wore no armor or bore no weapon. The existence of high level magic users could smash through ranks of enemy soldiers, but not without some protection. They wonder how Vrexen survived in the way he did.

“These demons… I do not envy those they consider enemies.” The Orc spoke with a hint of a grin.

“Yes. He and that other one. Pride was his name.” The other spoke as Vrexen approached with his hands and chin covered in blood that was beginning to dry.

“Pride? Where?” Vrexen widened his third eye while narrowing his lower two.

“I think he’s in town. Figured you were with him.”

“......”

“Yeah, you can go see him after you tell me what happened up there in those hills. The ax-wielder took a step ahead of the group towards Vrexen who appeared distracted by his own thoughts. After a very brief pause, Vrexen looked up at the Orc with the ax.

“I killed them. Not all. The cowards fled. And you can go see them.” Vrexen mocked as pushed past the Orcs. “Go see my art. The result of my violence. Know that I do not kill for you! I kill for her.” He continued walking without turning back towards the Orcs that watched him crazily ramble like he had before.

“Well… Let’s go check it out!” The Orc smirked excitedly, warranting a few dirty looks his way. “I mean, we have to conferrrum… conferum? Yeah, we have to conferum the kills he’s claiming.” The party eventually moved out into the wilderness to find Vrexen’s “art” while Vrexen used his third eye to keep away from Pride in his search for Myra and Astra. He was surprised he hadn’t noticed Pride’s stink much earlier. That Demon’s presence changed things, making Vrexen wanting to leave as soon as he could. The Sins had no knowledge of Vrexen’s goal to outdo them in pleasing Lilith and he wanted to keep it that way.

---

“Cut me a firm chunk off it, I’m not in the mood for wet meat right now.” Astra requested pointing to where there was less fat on the meat.

Once Astra was given her portion she eyed it some. In a low tone, she addressed Myra.

“Watch and learn.” Astra chuckled just before her face became serious. She had a look of scrutiny as she looked at the piece of meat now. “So you two are saying this meat is better than all the other stalls out here and even Narth’s Flame Game restaurant in Malthemoor. You two have to be the highest fuckin’ Orcs in Aldrakh, and klemara use is a norm here. That or I’m about to have the grandest foodgasm I have ever had in my several centuries of living!” Astra’s skepticism was loud and animated enough to draw some eyes and many ears. She left the two orcs somewhat stunned, because they didn’t expect her to say such things as she was meant to advertise their meat, not question its quality. “You know what, Myra, let me take the first bite and I’ll let you know if it’s worth it.” Astra put an open hand between Myra and the large piece of meat. “But if this shit isn’t as good as you say, we want our fuckin’ amas back. All of it.” Astra held he devious smirk as she faced the brothers.

“Wait a sec… You didn’t…”

“Bitch, you ain’t pay a single ama. Brother, what the fuck is she on about? We should-” Astra took a bite of the portion Myra had cut for her, chewed it, and gulped it down.

“Oh… Oh by Halstra! By Halastra’s wet cunt… THIS IS DELICIOUS! Myra, I know you’re not too hungry but eat it! You must have it!” She said cueing Myra to devour the large piece of meat which would only sell how good it was. Astra looked to the two brothers again who didn’t know how to feel as Astra was yanking their emotions all over the place with her antics. “You two made this?! Orcs on the fuckin’ level of Narth… That doesn’t even sound right. That doesn’t. Even. Sound. Right… Hey brethren, yeah you, come ‘ere! Try my piece!” A Dark Elf soldier that had his attention on the stall reluctantly walked over and took the rest of the piece Astra presented. He took a bite while Astra smiled brightly at him. “Good, huh? Fuckin’ delicious?”

“It’s quite good.” The Dark Elf answered with a nod as he chewed the piece of meat.

“See! I won’t deceive you, I know what my brethren like! If you like Narth’s stuff, here hits the spot!”

Time: Morning
Location: Myriamor Bed & Breakfast
Interactions: Uzul @dragonpiece Slick @FunnyGuy Leaf @Helo @baraquiel Jomari, @Alivefalling Caelan, @13org Nuallán, @princess Sophie, & @Mole Aurora
Mentions: Kuroi [@hideonmana]
Equipment:




Mika made note about the fruit salad, deciding that it sounded quite delightful. She then listened to him tell of his spectacular adventure guiding the lost spice traders across the dune sea. Truly she was quite fascinated by the sound of it all, having never experienced something like that. ”That does sound like quite the adventure. I’ve never experienced anything that exciting yet.” She said happily as they made it to the front of the cafe. Rosaria had said that they were seated in the back so she’d planned on heading straight back there.

As she led Uzul through the doors she explained to the hostess that they were meeting someone and began heading towards the back room. She passed a few occupied tables and spotted who she was looking for. She was almost to her destination, waving at Rosaria, as something registered in her peripherals. She paused for a moment then took a few steps back as she locked eyes with Slick. She stared at him for a long moment, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. He seemed to be sitting with some feline demihuman, but where was Kuroi? ”Slick? While I expected to see you here I expected to see you seated over there with a specific vulpine, not seated here with a feline. Where might Kuroi be? I’m not here to judge who you decide to go on a date with, but you can’t just ditch Kuroi like it appears you have.” She said as she crossed her arms over her chest judgingly. She then sighed as she debated on going to find Kuroi, having a feeling when he realized the human had ditched him he wouldn’t be too thrilled. She then remembered she had another with her and sighed at the situation. She’d have to get Kuroi a transmission bracelet for situations like this.

”I’m so sorry Uzul, this is one of my party members. He appears to have made a friend, but he was supposed to stay with the other party member of mine. If he doesn’t show up soon I’m afraid I might have to go find him. For now let’s join the ones I was intending to meet over there.” She explained to the orc with her, giving him an apologetic smile and pointing over at Rosaria’s table. She then turned back to Slick, a mild bit of irritation clear on her face.

”Mind joining us at the table over there? Your friend can pull their chair over as well and then we can all make introductions.” She formed it as a question, but it was rather clear that it wasn’t actually a question. Perhaps this human didn’t understand what it meant for him to have a bounty on his head in this world? She then turned and made her way over to Rosaria.

”My dear friend, it’s so good to see you again!” She said excitedly, before looking at the others at the table. ”Nuallán it’s a pleasure to see you again as well.” She greeted the man who seemed to always be by Rosaria’s side and then smiled at everyone else there. ” It’s a pleasure to meet the rest of you as well, you all can call me Mika.” She gave them all a respectful bow in greeting.

Time: Morning
Location: Myriamor Bed and Breakfast
Interactions: Jomari @baraquiel, Caelan @Alivefalling, Rosaria @Potter, Nuallán @13org Aurora @Mole Slick @FunnyGuy Leaf@Helo
Equipment:Clothing,Backpack, Sketchbook with drawings, various drawing supplies, iPhone, a PBJ sandwich, charging cable, strawberry pocky, earphones, and a pouch with two rations of food, water flask, a bar of soap and a few other portable hygienic products.


Sophie glanced up from her position as she felt a head pat. She smiled at her kind words despite the complex feelings she felt about this situation.I kinda want to be mad at her for dragging us all here, but she’s so nice I can’t be. It was stressful to try to digest the situation. It felt as her brain wouldn’t accept the situation because it was so insane. She lifted her head and stared in awe as a cowboy and bipedal cheetah walked into the cafe. It was like one of those dad jokes about weird characters going into a bar. She knew she was going to drive herself nuts if she kept getting surprised by everything.

No point in beating a dead horse Sophie. Obviously this is all weird but you’re stuck here. Just go with it.

She found herself nodding in approval and feeling excitement start to overcome her. Wow… A cowboy… I can’t believe it! It’s gotta be one with that hat. I’ve never seen one. But why would they be in this land with elves and fairies? And he’s a gay cowboy. That’s even cooler.

A high-pitched voice came from behind her ear. “Sophie! You are staring so intensely at that man. Have you chosen him as your mate?”

“Uh...Wait... No.” Sophie did a double-take and glanced over at the pixie on her shoulder, but Alette was quick to speak again, “Do not worry Miss Sophie. I will arrange this for you. This is my repayment for snacks!” The pixie was off before Sophie could reply and obnoxiously crash-landed onto the table with the cowboy and cheetah-man. She did a roll or two before jumping to her feet and pointing at the cowboy, “Male! Hi! Are you looking for a mate? I have chosen one for you.” She clumsily got to her feet after a moment and fluttered up to his face to look at him in the eyes, “Come along! A lovely lady awaits!”

Sophie blinked and looked at the others, softly asking, “Uhmm… What should I do?” She wasn’t sure if she should go snatch the pixie back or just move on as if nothing had happened. Before anyone could answer, a pretty white-haired girl with a nice fluffy tail came over and spoke to Rosaria and Nuallán in a manner that indicated they knew each other. She assumed this was the princess they were trying to meet. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at the fluffy tail and the beautiful clothing she wore. She forgot about the whole situation with Alette’s antics for a moment.

---

Uzul followed Mika to what seemed to be their destination, a bed and breakfast. Uzul was curious who were the comrades of the princess. Warriors don't always fit into these kinds of establishments. Coming into the establishment, Uzul worried if he would fit well into the building. Many things in Myriamor were built for more average-sized folk. This place was like most, he had to duck under door frames and was going to have to sit on the floor. He didn't want to break their chairs after all. Uzul watched Mika start to waive over to a green-eyed light elf with raven hair. Uzul felt slightly uncomfortable with a light elf. Uzul had murdered more light elves than he can remember and for her, his decades that seem so long ago might still be fresh memories of senseless raiding. But all he could do is continue.

It seemed the princess caught something on her side. He already took a quick scan of the room and didn't find anything odd. And as he took a closer look it just seemed like 2 men have a date. Nothing weird. But as she approached, it became clear that this was another comrade of hers. Uzul let out a small chuckle as the princess tried to make her disappointment clear to this Slick. Slick seemed to be pretty normal at first glance but the crossbow made it clear that he was a marksman. Uzul didn't have much thought towards the feline demi-human, he was just there. It doesn't seem like Mika was bothered that Slick someone unknown to a place where they were supposed to meet her friends.

Mika turned to apologize to Uzul about her friend, Uzul shook his head from side to side, "There is no need to apologize to me Mika, nothing ever goes completely to plan." Once Mika started to head to the table, Uzul turned towards slick and the demi-human, "It was good to meet you Slick, I look forward to working with you." Uzul moved away from Slick, saying "Enjoy your date" while waving goodbye to the people at the table

After Mika gave her introduction, Uzul felt he should give a quick one as well. Uzul straightened his spear out and kept a firm grip on it as he put his other hand just above his stomach, he spoke as clearly as he could, trying to get rid of any odd mannerisms in his speech, "My name Is Uzul, I hope to be of service to you all." He hoped that was good enough. He felt really stiff in front of them. Things should relax soon hopefully.

Inventory: A rogue-ish set of clothing, his dog tags, and a set of faux demihuman Wolf ears, a Ring of Disguise, two rations of food, water flask, a bar of soap and a few other portable hygienic products.

---

Ismael had let out his feelings of the situation, knowing the stress of the situation was something on high, but then having the princess come in and call out the obvious elephant wasn't something to lash out at her for. Surely not something he should have called her out for like she was threatening them, however, he did want to make it clear in case of how things could become. After all, Ismael wasn't sure if Annya was already blowing over because of this, a war in your home, your people are dying, as you need to babysit what seems to be a motley crew of unstable individuals, and one just ran off. Ismael couldn't think of many people who could keep their cool, even in a situation like this, let alone be able to function properly.

However, Annya seemed to take immediate notice and even started talking down the situation, trying to reiterate her meaning with more clarity. As Ismael felt Annya grab his hand, Ismael let her grab it as he continued to listen. She wanted to get her point across in a softer and more sincere manner, as Ismael understood her actual intentions, not a threat, more clarity of the situation. She wanted to make sure they knew what they were getting into rather than having them find out later when turning back was not an option. Ismael let out a slight chuckle as he said, "Alright I get what you mean, thank you for bearing with what I said". Ismael gave Annya's hand a slight squeeze before letting go as they went and grabbed Shae.

As they began their walk over, Annya spoke to Shae to see what yesterday was all about. Honestly, Ismael was in a very similar standpoint, he wanted to know why she was like that, after all, if they were going to be working together, he wanted to know who to look out for. He wanted them to steer clear of those people as he didn't want Shae to make an ass of herself, nor did he want the person to get beaten within an inch of their manhood. Once Shae spoke of why her outburst occurred, Ismael thought it was going to be a tall order to keep her away from people like her mother/that shopkeeper. Drunkards, Resting Soldiers, people down on their luck because of famine and war, honestly, anyone who is trying to forget about their troubles might be caught up in Shae's rampage. Ismael wouldn't think she'd go that far, but mattering on how her mother was, he wasn't 100% sure, maybe she left something less than controllable in her daughter.

Ismael didn't really respond, a little out of the fact he wasn't sure how to respond and also because it seemed like Annya was ready to respond with a bit of an optimistic line of comradery. When Annya passed the remark over to Ismael and said they were comrades now, Ismael laughed a little and said, "Yeah, I ain't gonna get away from you easily, that's for sure".

Once they made it to the little café, Ismael noticed a familiar face, a short man who had more hair than height who seemed to have been looking for someone. As Annya made her way to him quickly and greeted him, Ismael just watched and waited as he was going to let them speak among each other, after all, if he made his way here to talk to her about something, then that would mean that they would probably have come because of the war.

Complying with Astra's request, Myra used her claws to cleanly cut a chunk of meat, handing it to Astra soon after, licking her claws as she curiously watched Astra as she began her 'performance'. Changing her expression and even her tone of voice in an instant. Her loud exclamations as she looked to the meat and then to the orcs. Truth be told, Myra was confused at first. She didn't need to know much about words to understand that the things she was saying to the orcs weren't exactly praises or anything like that and the orcs' expressions made it clear that they were equally stunned with Astra's little show, if not extremely annoyed by it. Myra was even worried for a second that things might become ugly, but the moment Astra ate the meat, she once again completely changed both her expression and her tone of voice in a second.

Clearly displaying her satisfaction, to the point of pleasure as she took a bite from the piece of meat Myra gave her, all the stares and attention she drew with her previous words immediately began looking at the orcs and the meat they were making, incredulous that it could be really that good. With so many eyes on the meat, many of which were on the piece of meat Astra had bought for Myra, she began getting worried, especially when Astra shared the piece of meat she had cut for her with a stranger. Surely, Astra wasn't expecting Myra to share her food with all those people who were watching... right?

The very moment Astra sinalled Myra she could start eating the meat, Myra immediately sank her teeth into it, taking a big bite as she warily looked around, giving a piercing glare at anyone who got too close from her food and even hissing if they didn't get the message and approached it even more. Just as Astra had said though, the meat was indeed delicious. While Myra did enjoy the different seasonings and tastes they used on the meat back on the inn, this one was much more 'pure'. It was meat. High quality meat and that was it. It needed no seasoning other than a little bit of salt to draw it's full flavour. The fat almost melted on Myra's mouth, mixing with the meat's juices and only making it taste even better. Surprised by how good it tasted, Myra looked to Astra with a surprised expression, before she turned her attention back to the meat and continued to voraciously devour it, savoring every bite of it.

Annya met her gaze once she finished talking. She waited quietly and then stared with surprise. The princess understood her and wasn’t scolding her? She was offering to help her? Saoirse turned away and stared at the ocean so as to hide her shock. Was it a ruse? No, it didn’t seem like it, and her gut told her otherwise. Remaining impassive, Shae nodded to her and stood up. The warm smile on her face made her avert her gaze. Unaware of having held her breath, she finally let it out as her lungs began pleading for air.

Friends…? They were friends? This woman wasn’t scolding or judging her...? She remained silent as she interacted with Ismael and followed them to the Surfside cafe. He didn’t say too much to her but she didn’t quite care. Her mind was whirring from the previous interaction. A warmth had filled her, unrelated to her element, and only increased her confusion. Saoirse fell into step beside Annya and swallowed hard. She passed by a window and noticed a small smile on her face and quickly became impassive once more.

Once they reached the cafe, they found the dwarf from the previous night and Annya introduced herself. She then allowed them to speak on their own behalf. However as she went to speak, Annya’s transmission bracelet rang and she answered it. She turned to watch the hologram of Kharne speak and indicate he’d found Raven with some friends. Her brows furrowed as she crossed her arms and her normal scowl returned. What friends? Chewing her lip, she let herself relax some so as not to intimidate the dwarf. She remained silent as Annya spoke once more and glanced around. There was a tall green creature that she wondered if it was a hulk. Next to it was a red haired elf with the longest hair Saoirse had ever seen, then a feline demi next to it who looked dark and sinister. She studied the rest of the inhabitants, a mix of fairies, elves, demis and other creatures names she didn't quite know.

Turning back, she finally glanced at the dwarf and introduced herself after a moment. "I'm Shae.” She glanced sideways at the door then back to the group.

---

Rue watched with surprise as Bowyn had moved out from in front of her just a step. She noticed how cold he’d become and the tension he’d held. Even Moonlight hadn’t relaxed yet, and the peace they had together was now shattered. She wanted to regain it, but the air was stifled by the odd interaction. Every fiber of her being screamed danger and to avoid them all costs. Why? What was wrong with them? She couldn’t understand it, but the way that Elf had spoken to the orc, and the wya the feline ahd glared at him to shut up, made her curiosity spiral more into anxiety. The elf seemed almost familiar to her but why? She racked her brains for the solution. However Bowyn’s voice interrupted her reverie. She giggled and nodded in agreement. ”I wonder why that groups together. They’re an odd bunch.”

His comment on Arn made her hesitate and glance at him with fear. While his tone remained neutral, she knew how he felt. His unease with the dwarf made her consider her response. Prior to the trio’s odd and foreboding encounter, it had started seeming peaceful between them and didn’t want to ruin it. Arn and her had been on better terms, and he seemed genuinely upset with the whole ordeal. She also remembered the blonde Elf had said the previous night, how he’d ogled someone. That didn’t sit right with her seeing as the two of them could barely look at one another, and would only sneak glances at each other. On the other hand, Bowyn wasn’t fond of him. Frowning, she remained silent for a while as she considered her words. Then her stomach clenched and she bit her lip. ”No.. I.. I think maybe we should try hanging out today.” The word’s left her mouth before she’d processed them. ”I was thinking we could catch up during breakfast.”

”Why did you say that?” Moonlight asked as he tilted his head to one side.

Rue ignored him and the pang in her chest.