[IC] The Five Senses - Second Arc (Accepting New Players!)

[13org]

Karina Frost

"Feel free to use this to clean yourself if you want... It's ruined anyways..." Karina said with a heavy sigh and an annoyed, bitter tone, handing her torn jacket to Týfurkh and Tayla as she watched the spectacle that they were doing after for some bizarre bad luck, a bird pooped straight into Tayla's mouth.

Akai, who was watching that scene with a mischievous grin on her face let out a snicker, watching Karina's small tantrum after having her jacked ruined.

"What is this girly reaction? It really doesn't suit you, you know?" Akai said, teasing Karina as she laughed.

"I swear to you that I will freeze you in a block of ice if you don't stop right this instant, Akai." Karina said, sending Akai a death stare, enough to make a shiver run down her spine.

"Now that's more likely!" Akai said, with a teasing grin as she raised her hands, signalling her defeat.

Despite the confusion, Karina couldn't help but to wonder since when Týfurkh had gotten so close to Tayla. Were they still playing the bit of 'lovebirds', or was there really anything going on?

"It doesn't matter. As long as it doesn't impact their performance and as long as they don't forget our mission, that is." Karina thought to herself, shaking her head. The fact that she didn't say though out loud was also very lucky. After all, if Sil had heard such thoughts, even if those were mere curiosity, it would undoubtedly only contribute to the weird love triangle Sil had created.

Not even a second after she dismissed those thoughts though, Sil suddenly approached her, mentioning that she had lost her chance to 'sweep Tayla off her feet'. Caught off guard, Karina looked at Sil with a worried expression. Was that pure coincidence? Or was Sil somehow learning how to read minds?

"Sil, don't even start with-" Karina protested unsuccessfully before Sil zipped away once again.

Much to Karina's dismay, she watched as Sil immediately grabbed Chres' flask of water and struggled with it's weight before she handed it to Tayla, saying it was Karina's courtesy.

"Don't let a mere flask of water win! Show it you're stronger than it!" Akai said, encouraging Sil as she laughed, clearly finding that entire situation incredibly hilarious and amusing, much to Karina's dismay.


"Hey! Easy, easy! I'm just encouraging Sil! I'm not doing anything wrong... this time!" Akai protested, hiding behind Chres as Karina looked to Akai once again, this time with a cold current of air beginning to emanate from her.

"Please tell me Sil doesn't know how to read minds, Chres... Knowing her, that would probably only make the misunderstandings even worse and more frequent..." Karina asked, with a heavy sigh as she watched Sil giving her a 'thumbs-up' with an annoyed expression.

[Pezzle]

Chres
Princess Lys
Lord Ru'Tev
Tayla

Interactions with @13org @HokumPocus @jerkchicken

---

Chres spared Karina a sideways glance, his face expressionless. Casually, he pulled out his flask of ale and handed it to Karina.

“Alcohol makes everything better, Karina.” He said in response.

“Does it now?” Princess Lys injected.

She snatched the flask out of Chres’s hand and took a swig for herself. But no sooner did the alcohol touch her lips, did her eyes go wide and she spat it out in Chres’s face.

Chres gave the princess an unamused look.

“Thanks.” Chres said flatly, while wiping the alcohol from his face.

Lys winced apologetically as she hesitantly handed the flask to Karina.

“It’s a far shot away from wine. I’ll tell you that much.” She said to Karina.

Lord Ru’Tev cleared his throat to interject.

“If I may, the hour grows late.” He said. “It is well time to take the lift back down. We must swap out your visitor bracelets for guest bracelets, before showing you to my guest chambers.”

He then eyed the princess. “Princess.” He said with a nod. “I believe you and I are in need of a one on one conversation.”

The Princess nodded at the suggestion earning her a smile from the Lord.

“Very well then, let’s head to the lift.”

---

Tayla glanced from Octavio to Jen -she grimaced at Jen’s unkempt attire- and then back to Octavio. She then looked down at Lynx. The cat that thought it was human

“You don’t think I have to worry about these two weirdos hitting on me, do you?” She asked Lynx audibly as she followed the rest of the group to the lift.

[HokumPocus]

---

Octavio's small step backwards was almost a hop. A quartet of fingers tore the air in front of his nose.

"Projection. Three syllables." His eyes lolled as he confirmed it to be the right number. "They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it's the weakest form of charm. Everyone has a distorted view of the people around them. Your job is to determine and pine for that, not exact similitude. Amateurs." One of the Lord Ru'Tevs swiped at him a second time, once again only missing by a hair.

At a distance was Lynx, observing the rest of the party recover from Tayla's incident the way humans observed primates. The two were approaching the lift at a relaxed pace, but the sudden conversation from her still caught him off-guard.

"Unwanted surly behavior from Octavio should not be a concern. He favors those of a tasteful persuasion."

The familiar turned his head towards the man, and was met with the sight of him critiquing the chameleons. Lynx regretted having spoken. It was so easy for onlookers to view Octavio as the gracious man entertaining a familiar's delusions, Lynx thought, when it was clearly the opposite. Perhaps one day they would cross paths with another psychotic deity, one that would have them swap bodies. The man was far more suited to the life of a feline. He was practically pawing at the metal bars.

"Weirdo. That would be an accurate term." Not that Lynx didn't understand colloquialisms. The familiar simply once lived in a library, and those were places where phrases such as 'curses!' or 'by the gods!' made their appearance more frequently than the four letter word Tayla nearly... graced the party with. Weirdo seemed more interesting than the others he'd heard of. Newer, and possibly more appropriate. An idea struck him. One that would not have occurred to him under normal circumstances.

"I want to know more of this world's... colorful language."

[Fetzen]

Týfurkh

"Thanks ?" Týfurkh repeated, arching both eyebrows in an attempt to make clear that this was not exactly what he had expected. Or rather not all of what he had expected. Yet just to make it clear, he also stated just that verbatimly right afterwards: "Is that everything ?". The giant kept keeping his eyes locked onto Tayla, a task made much easier by the fact that she now was far less disgusting to look at again.

"How about apologizing for treating me like scum ? How about realizing that openly requesting for somebody to be imprisoned her could go very wrong ? Or how about accepting that 'fat' and 'big' are not necessarily the same ? I'm not saying that you are an ant just because an ant wouldn't fit through what you made your mental horizon appear to me so far either!"

Týfurkh did not wait for an answer. He just snatched the flask out of her hands once he was under the impression that Tayla had used enough water to clean herself and her dirty mouth up properly and handed it back to Sil. Too bad that now it was almost empty -- it would have been so amusing to see the familiar struggling to make the return trip! Now that that was out of the way, too, Týfurkh turned on the spot and stepped forwards towards Lord Ru'Tev.

"I am from the Nation Of Hearing and I don't like how you fiddle around with things you don't fully understand. A prison is not exactly a good environment for testing purposes, and those errors you have to iron out might very well be prisoners either escaping or suffering from things they shouldn't. I will take that as the resumee of our introductionary inspection tour. If you need help contacting people from my nation that could help you, then maybe I can be of assistance."

Týfurkh said this in a tone clearly not intended for everyone to listen too super easily, but not really secretly either. One could consider it the safest possible approach to deny the Lord any opportunity to claim that his eardrums would now have been damaged, too. And then Týfurkh pressed his palm gently against the other man's back and sort of made him move forward.

[13org]

Karina Frost

"A few weeks ago, I would have sternly refused to drink for such reason but after what we've been through... I might be changing my mind about it..." Karina said with a heavy sigh as she heard Chres' comment about alcohol.

"But not just yet. Thank you, but I really don't need anything that will only make my mind even more messy than it already is." Karina said as she nodded to Chres, just as the princess snatched the flask from his hand, much to Karina's surprise.

"Princess I don't that is a good ide-" Karina began protesting, only to be completely ignored as she watched, shocked as the princess took a big swig from Chres' flask, only to immediately spit it all on Chres' face.

The action the princess took was so sudden that Karina couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

"I am fairly sure that for Chres, wine would be little more than just a light drink." Karina said, raising an eyebrow, insinuating Chres was definitely used to drink much heavier stuff than just wine.

With her attention being drawn to Lord Ru'Tev once again, she listened to his words in silence, offering him a discreet nod of acknowledgement and thanks for his offer for them to stay for the night. His request to talk to the princess privately wasn't ignored by Karina though, which couldn't help but to wonder what exactly Lord Ru'Tev wanted to say to the princess that they couldn't hear.

Regardless, Karina ended up simply heading to the lift together with the group.

"Testing in such a... delicate environment might indeed not be the best idea, Lord Ru'Tev. I do understand it is rather necessary for improving the security of the prison, but we cannot deny the possibility that these tests might be the cause of a possible security breach." Karina said after hearing Týfurkh's words.

"What I am trying to say is, there is no such thing as being 'too careful', especially in a place like this prison. But again, I am certain this is something you know very well, Lord Ru'Tev." Karina said, with a nod towards him.

[Jerkchicken]

Jen

"You said something?" Jen would say as his head stuck out curiously through a door. "Oh man, I really got split from you guys. His voice getting muffled as the door closed and he scurried to meet the group. Another door would open but from a different floor. He would grunt annoyedly and close the door heading back.

Jen was completely unfazed by Tayla's attempted barb. His annoyance was currently focused on this labyrinthian jail and the vexing effects of the divergence it had in getting him lost, among other woes that have plagued him since the group's arrival to this town. Eventually he thought he saw Týfurkh or perhaps one of the biggest guys that worked in the prison that matched his stature. Hey there big guy! Finally glad to get to you guys. I hate walking through this place, and I can't to leave." He said smiling and attempted to give an almost pitifully weak back pat. Which wasn't him trying to be funny, but more of a safety precaution after getting banned from various pubs after multiple door destruction incidents.

[Pezzle]

Tayla

Interactions with @fetzen @HokumPocus
Mentions of @jerkchicken @13org

---

Tayla eyed Jen, frowning at his feinted ignorance. She wasn't sure what to make of that one either.

"This world's more colorful language, huh?" Talya said, looking back to Lynx. She gave a subtle, yet mischievous, smile at the cat's words. "Try asking a nice young lady if the carpet matches the drapes. Plenty colorful; even color related... And,-" Tayla flashed the familiar an innocent smile, "-its sure to get you a... 'friendly' pat on the cheek."

Tayla spared a glance for Karina. Was Little Miss Princess's silvery hair natural? It was always a question she wondered.

Nah, couldn't be. Tayla thought.

"Thanks? Is that everything"

She spared Týfurkh a side long glance.

"That right there is also colorful language, but of a different sort. It's the tone that matters here." She said to Lynx.

"How about apologizing for treating me like scum? How about..."

Tayla frowned as she listened to Týfurkh's frustrations. She felt annoyance build up at the man's nerve to confront her. The need to defend herself. The urge to stick it to the overgrown man further.

"I..." Tayla paused. A quip tied up in the back of her throat.

Memories of Smit's pointless death crossing her mind. She didn't empathize with the man's words but... her pride... It got someone killed before... perhaps there was need to relent... even if just a little.

Tayla sighed and looked away from Týfurkh.

"Thanks" She said at length with a sincerity that surprised even her. "Thanks... for being the first to help."

She looked back to the man and met his gaze. "Next time, though... ask."

Memories of her father bubbled to her mind. The cold rage lighting his eyes after a late night. The pain that followed. The humiliation...

"I do not like being touched unexpectedly."

She met his gaze for a painfully long time before finally looking away. It was the closest she could manage to an apology. Particularly to someone who tore her feet apart the last time they crossed blades. That memory was painfully still fresh in her mind.

"Also, for the record, this-" Tayla pointed back and forth between herself and Týfurkh repeatedly. "-not going anywhere. Last time I didn't make that clear, it got someone... a friend... killed."

Tayla frowned. Saddened by the thought of Smit.

[Pezzle]

Lord Ru'Tev
Princess Lys
Chres
Tayla

Interactions with @13org @jerkchicken

---

Hider

Lord Ru’Tev stopped at the lift entrance “And here we are-"

Lord Ru’Tev’s words cut off after a loud crash coming from Jen smashing through a random door. The lord’s eye twitched in annoyance as he eyed the ruin door and then Jen.

“I see feet aren’t the only things your group is experiencing in ruining. By all means, please, you might as well smash through more doors while you’re at it."

“He… already did…” A worker from down the hall groaned. “Sixteen times, actually…”

“He- What?!" Exasperation filled the lord’s voice. He looked from Jen to the worker and back again.

“The Royal purse will pay for your expenses." Princess Lys stated.

Lord Ru’Tev eyed the princess, his annoyance still written across his face. “Oh, and you have a coffer of coin on you now?"

“The Royal purse will pay for your expenses." Lys reiterated, but then added, “... at a later date…"

Lord Ru’Tev rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and sighed.

“Very well." He relented.

He then looked to Karina to address her concerns. “I will prepare the ones involved in these checks for interrogation tomorrow."

Lord Ru’Tev opened the lift, and allowed the group to enter. The lift was actually composed of several disconnected lifts that lowered no more than two floors each. Designed as such to account for failures caused by the Divergent’s ill fortune. So after every two floors, the pactmakers would have to exit the lift and enter a second lift nearby.

After switching between four lifts, the group finally reached the bottom floor where a group of servants were waiting from them. The servants assisted in removing the visitor bracelets and exchanging them with metal bracelets of an orange color to symbolize that the pactmakers were ‘guests’ bracelets.

“Come." Lord Ru’Tev said. “The way to my living quarters is this way."

Ru’Tev led the pactmakers to an exit on the far side of the manor. Exiting the prison, the pactmakers could make out Ru’Tev’s manor nearby.

The Manor stood as a somber yet imposing structure. Like with the prison, it was situated on its own tiny island at the bottom of the crater, surrounded by a very shallow moat. A moat that you could wade through. Two individual bridges connect the Manor to the prison. The first bridge was a covered bridge that, though covered, was still exposed to the elements on either side. This bridge connected the prison’s lobby to the manor’s first floor. The other bridge of which was an indoor sky bridge which connected the second floor of both buildings.

So, as Lord Ru’Tev said earlier in the day. His manor was ‘technically’ a part of the prison building. That said, his description of the connection was clearly an exaggeration.

Like with the prison, the manor also had those magical transmitters surrounding it. The manor's architecture, a reflection of the cautious design choices made by the Divergent’s residents, incorporating features tailored to counteract the pervasive bad luck that plagued the area. As the pactmakers approached the manor from the covered bridge, a sense of foreboding hung in the air, intensified by the absence of a traditional garden. Instead, its garden looked more like a wild and untamed wilderness. A testament to the difficulties of maintaining order amidst the capricious nature of the Divergent.

Here, resilient plant life thrived amidst the chaos. Hardy shrubs and vines burst forth, seemingly defying the unfavorable circumstances that surround them. The plants grew with a certain tenacity, despites the ever present shadow that hung over Horizon’s Dip. They reached towards the sky desperately, seeking the sun’s light which was eternally lacking.

“If you would Ignore the weeds." Lord Ru’Tev stated offhandedly. “Gardening in the Divergent is its own challenge. Weeds seem to grow at an accelerated rate and seem to reappear even the day after removing them. Trim a bush to make it neat, and the next day you get ten more branches shooting forth to offset the order and work that was just put in. The best we can do is to guide the chaos, so that it may take on its own beauty."

Lord Ru’Tev nodded to some nearby Ancient trees, their gnarled branches twisting and intertwining chaotically, providing shelter and shade within the garden. They stood as sentinels of resilience, with moss and lichens clinging to their ancient trunks, adding an aura of mystique and indeed a unique form of beauty to the surroundings.

Chres took out his flask as he looked around the garden.

“The ways in which people would adapt to the problems presented to them." He said.

He raised his flask in acknowledgement to Ru’Tev’s gardeners and then followed up by taking a sip. The gesture seemingly earned him a sneer from Tayla.

Frowning, Chres turned his gaze upwards. The exterior of the manor seemed to reflect its connection to the prison, displaying a hint of gloom while maintaining a sense of grandeur. The dark stone walls rose majestically, punctuated by small, narrow windows that seem to guard the secrets within. Weathered gargoyles perch atop the corners of the manor, their stone forms weathered by time and perhaps even by the effects of the Divergent itself.

Taking another sip, Chres follow Ru’Tev into the manor. Inside revealed a world of refined yet subdued elegance. The entrance led to a grand foyer, where a high vaulted ceiling adorned with large bits of crystal Jade jutting out from above, cut in the shape of hexagonal prisms. They seemed to act as a replacement for traditional chandeliers, likely to avert the risk of Lord Ru’Tev’s lighting fixture from becoming a hazard should it fall. The stone walls are adorned with tapestries depicting scenes from noble history, their colors muted by time and ill fortune.

Lord Ru’Tev stopped in the middle of the foyer and turned to the pact makers. “Welcome to my home." Lord Ru’Tev said. “You may help yourself to any amenities for as long as you stay… So long as you don’t go bashing through any more doors." He turned a gaze for half a second on Jen.

“My servants will help you to the Guest Wing." He then looked to Lys. “Princess, if you would follow me."

Lys nodded and separated from the group.

“Guests?” One of the servants asked, an absent minded looking woman who seemed no older than 23. “We have guests?”

“And some interesting ones by the look of things.” Said a second servant. This one with a strange yet familiar sounding accent. She stared at the pactmakers contemplatively.

“We weren’t supposed to have guests!” The first servant squeaked, sounding somewhat in a panic.

The second servant frowned, arms folded. “Then why do we have a guest wing?”

The first servant blinked and then bowed in a hurry to the pactmakers. “Forgive us. We just weren’t expecting anyone.” The woman raised her head to the second servant who frowned at her contemplatively. “You! Go make sure that the cook and the rest of the servants know that we have guests.”

The second servant frowned, “And where are the kitchens again?” Clearly this servant was new.

“That way! That way!” The first servant pointed down the hall urgently.

The second servant gave the first an amused smile. She gave the pactmakers one last look before heading to the kitchens in a gait that clearly showed that she was not in a hurry.

The first servant tsked and shook her head. “This way! This way!” She said waving the pactmakers to follow her.

Chres frowned as he followed her deeper into the manor and to the guest wing accessed through a grand corridor adorned with tapestries and lit by ornate wall sconces. The corridor, wide enough to accommodate several people side by side, led to a smaller foyer within the guest wing. The foyer was equipped with homely furniture for lounging and a recently lit fireplace acting as a centerpiece in the room. The fireplace was carefully surrounded by thick glass casing with a stone chimney above the fire acting doubly as a pillar.

A servant could be seen opening the glass casing surrounding the fire and tending it as the pactmakers entered. He didn’t raise his head towards them indicating that the word had probably already gotten out.

The guest living quarters featured a series of interconnected rooms, ensuring privacy while allowing for convenient access and social interaction when desired. Each guest room was furnished appropriately with comfortable beds, adorned with draperies that could be drawn to provide an extra bit of privacy. Fabrics and plush cushions adorn seating areas, creating inviting spots for relaxation or quiet contemplation.

“You may help yourself to any room you choose. We will have staff nearby to meet your needs if you require anything.” The woman servant stated as she turned to the pactmakers. “There’s a bell by the fireplace you may ring if nobody is nearby.” She said waving to a bell on a small table near the fireplace. “And please, do not open the casing to the fireplace, these things are dangerous enough to attend to with this Divergent hanging over our head.”

And with that the servant bowed her head and before any of the pactmakers could get a word in, she stormed out of the guest wing in a hurry.

Tayla sniffed. “What’s up her ass?”

She approached a nearby couch, frowning, hands on her hip, as she looked around the foyer. “So this is what these rich people call home, huh?” She said with a sneer.

Examining the nearby couch, she hesitantly tested the cushion with her hand and blinked. Smiling wickedly, she then jumped onto the couch and lounged across it, dirty boots still on.

“Disgusting how these people live.” She said with a yawn.

[13org]

Karina Frost

Karina couldn't help but let out a sigh as she heard the loud crashing noise as Jen reunited with the group. When one of the workers replied to Lord Ru'Tev, mentioning about the other doors Jen had crashed, his irritation was apparent. Their saving grace was that the princess was with them, which probably saved their group from having to repay for the damages or even deal with the consequences of doing so... At least for now, that is.

"It might be a good idea for us to keep an eye on Jen... In order to... avoid him getting lost again." Karina said as she looked towards Jen with a chastising look.

Hearing Lord Ru'Tev mentioning that he agreed with her suggestion to interrogate the staff members responsible for the checks was met with a satisfied expression and a nod from Karina. Knowing that he was willing to cooperate despite everything that happened would make their job definitely easier.

The group continued following Ru'Tev until they got to a set of two lifts. It was only after they exited the last lift that they were allowed to take off the visitor bracelets and exchanged them to different ones, to identify them as guests. As soon as their group left the prison, they saw Ru'Tev's manor. The very moment Karina laid her eyes on it, it became clear that Lord Ru'Tev had... exaggerated a little bit when he mentioned the connection from his house to the prison. Regardless of how true was the statement that his manor was 'part of the prison' it still enjoyed similar protection as the prison, including the magical transmitters that could be found in the prison and the same cautious architecture from the prison itself, which made Karina wonder if it was built together with the prison itself.

"The Divergent's chaotic nature seems to affect even the plants around it, isn't it?" Karina said to herself, acknowledging Ru'Tev's comment about how even something as simple as gardening showed itself to be a challenge in that location.

The moment lord Ru'Tev welcomed them into his manor, Karina could quickly notice that his servants acted in a very... peculiar manner. Although, it was somehow understandable. Anyone who had to deal with the Divergent's chaos in a daily basis was bound to be a little weird. Maybe part of it being even influence of the Divergent itself.

With the Lord and the princess soon separating from the group, they were left under the care of the servants, which showed each a multitude of reactions. Some in panic and in a hurry, not having expected guests while others seemed to not care at all about their presence.

After following the servant that was guiding them for a bit, they were presented with a multitude of rooms at their disposal, all of them furnished and decorated appropriately and offering a good deal of privacy, despite the architecture focusing on cautiousness and practicality over comfort and luxury.

"Anyone who has to deal with the Divergent on a daily basis is bound to be a bit... different themselves." Karina said, replying to Tayla as she complained about the servant, which had hurriedly left them as soon as she finished guiding them and warning them not to open the casing to the fireplace... Given the strange misfortune the Divergent seemed to emanate.

"Regardless, her warning is a valid one. We already felt some effects of the Divergent. Anything that can go wrong, probably will. Especially while we are here." Karina said with an annoyed sigh, remembering her ruined coat.

"While I am glad you seem to like the couch, it might be a good idea to not do anything that might make the servants any more annoyed by our presence than they already are..." Karina said, raising an eyebrow as she looked to Tayla, clearly referring to how she didn't care about taking off her boots or even cleaning them before jumping on the couch.

"I don't know if the Divergent also affects people... Still, it doesn't hurt to be careful." Karina said, glancing back towards where the servant had gone before she took a seat on a different couch than Tayla.

[Pezzle]

Tayla

Interactions with @13org
mentioned @Fetzen

---

Tayla arced an eyebrow and glanced at her boots.

“But does she really care, -” Tayla muttered audibly with a smirk, “-or is Little Miss Princess just a foot person?”

Regardless of the taunt, Tayla made to remove her boots… That is until Sil appeared inches from Tayla’s face.

“She can be if you want her to be!” Sil said excitedly.

“Um- what?” Tayla asked, taken aback.

“Týfurkh though, he hates feet! Stomps all over them.” Sil continued shooting passed Tayla’s confusion. “Icy-rina though, biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig foot person! Right Akai?”

Sil looked at Akai and gave her a wink.

Tayla however visibly tensed up. “... I think… I’ll keep my boots on…” She said, moving her hands away from her boots.

Sil fluttered passed Karina and gave her a thumbs up.

“I got you!.” She said before heading back to Chres’s side

“Dinner will be served within the hour.” Called out a nearby servant.

[Fetzen]

Týfurkh

If it had taken anything more to convince Týfurkh that this Lord Ru'Tev was a tad odd at the best, then the man's luxurious dwelling place would have done it. A not so brief glance at the ceiling left him wondering just how absurd an amount of coin it must have cost to gather and install all this crystal jade, yet instead of keeping his manor entirely devoid of any real fire it merely took a short stroll over into the guest's wings in order to find just that. Wasn't the Lord aware of the possibility that a chimney could become clogged up, causing the smoke to blow back down and seep through the gaps between the glass cupola and its socket ? Evil to him who evil thinks, Týfurkh thought. Maybe refraining from installing real fireplaces everywhere except for where it was closest to the guests made much more sense if one... changed one's mental approach to it.

The giant's eyes followed Tayla as she turned her back towards him. Had he really just wittnessed a serious attempt of an apology ? Maybe there was hope. Or maybe there wasn't, given how recklessly she placed herself and the dirt sticking to her boots onto the next peasant's lifetime of a pricey seat she chould possibly find. Had Sil not suddenly addressed him in this very Sil-like manner, Týfurkh might have attracted Tayla's attention right away a second time by just staring at her for a few moments too long. He gave Chres' familiar a stern look, wondering for a brief moment whether Sil might actually be the one behind this love story -- the one and only thing he and Tayla actually could agree upon disliking.

Theories, theories. He couldn't work with pure speculation, he needed proof! Then however... How could one exact revenge upon a cute little familiar ?

For the moment though, there were other problems, and Týfurkh decided to address them openly towards the other pactmakers:

"It looks like there are plenty of rooms available to us, at least the servants weren't aware of any other guests in this part of the manor. For the sake of safety I'd suggest that we don't take a room each though, but share where we can." No, he did not reward Tayla with even the tiniest bit of a sideways glance at this point. This kind of elephant was just so large that everyone had to spot it no matter how mentally absent or not. "So, any volunteers ?" Theoretically he should have teamed up with Chres so to prevent the man from drinking, but Týfurkh didn't even know how much alcohol was an issue within the divergence in the first place. What if people didn't make any because the process of destillation or whatever else could go wrong ? The giant made a mental note about asking the servants even though they had made a rather clueless first impression about a lot of things. Also: He just could neither chain Chres to his bed nor be the man's silent shadow all the time...

Týfurkh's eyes scanned the other pactmakers so to see who might be willing. He could't help but let his view rest a little longer upon Jen. Getting to know each other could never hurt and this fellow seemed to have some decent muscles on him, indicating some serious prowess in one way or the other. Little did Týfurkh know that Chres was not the only one with a drinking habit...

[Pezzle]

Tayla
Chres

Interactions with @HokumPocus @13org
mentioned @Fetzen @JerkChicken

---

Sil zipped back over to Karina. “Oh Karina! I know the perfect partner for you to sleep w-"

Tayla bolted up in her sofa. "OCTAVIO!" She yelped in half a sweat. She barked so loud that she even caught some stares from the nearby servants.

Tayla blinked twice and looked awkwardly to Octavio. "Um, yeah... Octavio... I'll share a room with Octavio." She said.

She then frowned and glanced at Lynx. The familiar sat in a chair like a human. Who was to say it wouldn't sleep in a bed too? "You two... um... don't sleep together... do you?"

---

Sil eyed Karina as if to say 'Look at what you did.' And then with a sniff, she zipped back over to Chres.

Eyebrow arched, Chres looked to Sil. Sil was causing trouble, Chres knew that... buuuuuuuuuut, Chres wasn't sure he cared anymore. Instead of berating her, he took a swig from his flask.

He then eyed Tayla and Octavio; Týfurkh and Jen. His gaze then fell on Karina.

"I'm guessing you'll take the bed." He said to Karina, the barest hint of a lopsided smirk on his face.

[13org]

Karina Frost

Unlike Sil, Karina was clearly not amused by Tayla's joke, looking towards both her and the mischievous little familiar with an icy cold expression.

"Very funny Tayla, just don't-" Karina began, just before she was interrupted by Sil. Whom unfortunately, didn't seem to miss a second of their small exchange and was ready to further reinforce the misunderstanding that Karina felt something for Tayla.

"Sil, please stop... I merely wanted to be considerate with our-" Karina tried futilely to put some order into the chaos that situation was quickly devolving into.

Akai, who was a bit distracted by observing the mansion, immediately noticed the very moment Sil mentioned Karina and Tayla, stopping everything she was doing and paying close attention to them.

"Don't look at me, I'm quiet!" Akai said to Karina the moment she noticed Akai approaching them, holding her laughter.

Muck to Akai's enjoyment and Karina's dismay, Tayla's reaction after Sil mentioned Karina was a big 'foot person' only made it look even worse to everyone involved.

At this moment, the cold air around Karina was visible to those around her.

"Sil, Stop." she said, looking to the familiar with an irritated expression.

Akai who was laughing, immediately stopped when she noticed Karina's reaction and instead simply looked away, pretending to be paying attention on something else.

"You should know better than to believe this sort of nonsense. Please tell me you aren't taking her words seriously..." Karina said as she looked to Tayla, clearly annoyed as she tried to correct any misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Tayla believed Sil's words enough to warrant her rather immediate reaction when Týfurkh mentioned them sharing a room for safety, immediately saying she would share a room with Octavio, thankfully interrupting Sil before she said anything.

"I will be sure to ask them for a few extra blankets for you." Karina said to Chres as he asked if she would take the bed, before heading to her room.

"Well... This will be a very cold night for us..." Akai said, sighing as she looked to Chres.

[Jerkchicken]

Jen

@Pezz570@Fetzen

As Jen walked followed the group, he could scarcely believe his eyes. The manor really was connected to that prison. And with two paths too! And it had its own damn moat! Oh sure, he knew that the homes of the rich could be elaborate and unusual as they could pay for their tastes to be realized. However, this was much more different and striking. He understood why Lord Ru’Tev would want proximity to the prison given the nature of the prison and the area. Still, he wondered if there would be a more pleasant alternate place for it to be built. Although given what they were given to work with in The Divergent, it was pretty good for what it was.

“I’ll try, but the funk of this area is giving me a hard time.” Jen said feeling some slight embarrassment as both Ru’Tev and Karina mentioned his blundering through those doors. He let those feelings slide off as he took a gander at the interior. The hospitality was rather lacking given the less-than-welcoming reception by the servants. Might as well sleep outside with that reception. Although in Jen’s case maybe it might be for the best, lest he break more or worse destroy the mansion. Jen’s mood improved once more with Sil’s hinjinx. ” Are you sure, they even have rooms ready for us? You heard the maids, might as well sleep outside. Still, I’ll take your offer Týfurkh.” He said trying to suppress a smirk.

[Pezzle]

Tayla
Chres

mentioned @13org @HokumPocus

---

Chres grunted and took a sip from his flask as he followed Karina into the room.

Tayla frowned as she watched the two go. Did she believe what Sil was implying? Noooo -Tayla's back stiffen- well... maybe???... It was complicated.

Sil's words triggered her. Experience had taught her that she couldn't be too careful when people start tossing around comments such as Sil's. And besides, Karina with a man????

Tayla had trouble picturing such a thing. Although the woman did have her moments of typical femineity, they were often sidelined by the murderous looks she gave others who slighted her.

Furthermore, could a curiosity in other woman be the real reason Tayla that was still alive? Three times, Tayla did battle with the woman. Three times Karina let Tayla live. Heck, the third time she had even saved Tayla's life! Then she even went to Tayla and asked the woman to serve her! Who did such a thing with someone who tried to murder them?!?!

Maybe Akai was right. Maybe Karina really was a dominatrix.

Tayla cringed at the thought. With a shake of the head, she thought it better to focus on a different topic.

She looked to Octavio, the man she had chosen to stay with in a panic.

Somehow, she got the impression that this one wouldn't be a problem like the others. Not once had she caught the man glancing at her backside or chest. The lack of interest made her feel a little more at ease.

---

The guest rooms were all identical. Each with a bed large enough for two and a privy set in a connected room. The privy even came with a tub for bathing. With a simple request to a servant, they would bring buckets of water and fill tub.

Unfortunately, they were unable to provide quality soap. Due to the war impacting trade, obtaining proper soaps from the Nation of Smell had become a tall order. Instead, the only soap they had on hand were poorly scented soaps made of animal fats and wood ash.

It didn't take to long for dinner to be called. Chres and the rest were invited to the dining room where they were all seated at a long table and presented with a generous spread of food and wine.

Chres eyed the wine and made note that he would have to ask if they had anything harder.

As if on cue, the young servant from earlier entered the room.

"My apologies, Sirs and Madams." She said with a bow. "Master Ru'Tev and the Princess will not be joining you. I've been instructed to inform you that they will be taking their dinner in the Master's study. They are in the midst of discussing political matters and asked not to be disturbed. In the meantime, the master wishes that you enjoy the spread before you."

[Fetzen]

Týfurkh

Týfurkh gave an appreciating nod towards Jen, then went to actually inspect the rooms they had been given as he shared little interest in listening to the ongoing banter between Karina, Chres, Tayla and Sil. In fact, he was quite happy to have some kind of reason to get out of there. The best way of not getting dragged into another weird... affair... was simply not to be present in the first place. Or at least so he hoped.

The good thing: The bed held and the soap wouldn't kill him. The bad thing: It still was an outstandingly backwards method of basic, everyday cleaning to use water and soap. Water and sound was so much better for a broad variety of items that weren't one's own skin and his armor could use some proper polishing at this point, too... On other hand maybe he should be surprised about Ru'Tev having buckets of water and soap in his manor in the first place: What if one stumbled over the piece of soap one had accidentally dropped to the ground, slipped, hit the wall and fell unconscious, dove into bucket of water head-first and ultimately drowned in there ? The divergence certainly made that a real possiblity, didn't it ?

This Lord had to be an absolute madman and so had to be his advisors. Settle down into what probably is the most hostile area to be found within who knows how many hundred miles to have the perfect containment for some special kind of prisoners, but at the same time not understanding how this containment works truly, and then not run this whole facility with as few people as reasonably possible while allowing everybody else to settle out of range, but drag a whole, large settlement into this mess ? Týfurkh could invision plenty of reason not to trust Lord Ru'Tev. Oh and then there was the morale aspect of imprisoning people in a dark, damp, magically infused catacomb forever. Maybe some of the inmates would have preferred death ? If something couldn't be contained by death, then it probably was so far out of any mortal's reach anyway that locking it away here didn't change much about that either.

Týfurkh was not in the mood for feasting. He had placed himself at one of the front ends of the table so not to take too much space away from anybody else and only piled up a not so large amount of food on his plate along with simple water. Could one even trust the wine here ? At least this was not a product that had to be destilled where, even under normal circumstances, a lot could go wrong if the one doing the job had no idea.

[13org]

Karina Frost

Despite being a Lord's manor, luxury was hardly present, considering the adaptations one had to do to most things due to the influence of the divergence. Regardless, it wasn't anything intolerable. The soap, albeit bland and cheap, was more than enough to clean oneself and the overall accommodations, while undeniably bland when compared to most stuff outside, were still as adequate as they could be, considering the divergence.

Even though the lord had offered them his hospitality and decided to cooperate, Karina still respectfully declined the wine after they were told the dinner was served. While the probability of it being poisoned or drugged was very low, drinking alcohol in the place and situation she was in was hardly a smart choice to make. Regardless, she still sat at the table and ate a healthy portion of food, despite the announcement made by the servants that the princess and the lord would be dining by themselves in a separate room, something that wasn't exactly suspicious or anything, considering the political implications that such conversation between them would have.

"Thank you." Karina said towards the young servant, with an understanding nod before she turned towards Chres, which she had caught eyeing the wine just a moment before the servant arrived with her message.

"Getting drunk here wouldn't exactly be the smartest choice, Chres." Karina said, not so discreetly suggesting him to not overindulge as he usually did.

"Smart or not, it would at least liven up this dinner a little... This silence is almost depressing..." Akai said, rolling her eyes as she looked to the others.

"Not only the divergence's effects are unpredictably dangerous, but the fact that there are dangerous prisoners nearby make certain... luxuries impossible for the people living here.. These peoplemust adapt to these circumstances in order to afford unfortunate... 'accidents'. Just think about what would happen if a bunch of people threw a party and got drunk here? I can imagine a hundred different things that could go expectacularly wrong." Karina said to Akai while at the same time, giving another glance towards Chres, as a reminder that drinking right now was a REALLY bad idea.

[Pezzle]

Sil
Chres
Tayla

Interactions with @13org

Mentioned @fetzen @jerkchicken @HokumPocus

---

The serving woman. Stood there a moment longer as if anticipating further questions. But with Karina’s ‘Thank you’ she seemed to take that as a dismissal. She quickly smiled and bowed before hurrying off elsewhere.

”I know how to liven things up.” Sil said, zipping to the table.

”Please don’t.” Said Chres.

He took a seat at the table. He stared at the wine. Moved his hand towards it, but then hesitated.

Perhaps Karina was right. Perhaps he should try going sober tonight.

”FOOOOOOOD FIGHT!!!” Sil shouted.

She took a pile of mashed potatoes and threw it at Týfurkh… or at least that had been who she was aiming for… Instead, it hit Chres splat in the face.

Ooookay… Perhaps he’ll just have one glass tonight. He poured himself a glass, ignoring Karina’s concern.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Tayla smirking at his misfortune.

”Nice aim, Sil.” She said encouragingly. Tayla was next to get potatoes to the face.

“Sir, if you could control your familiar please.” One of the servants said in an irritable tone.

Chres looked to the servant and then back to Sil, who had grabbed another hand full of mash.

”Hey, Man with stick!” She said shouting to Jen. ”Catch-”

”Hey Sil?” Chres interjected quickly. Sil paused mid-throw. ”Would you like to see me eat a puddle?”

Sil immediately dropped the mash. ”Would I ever?!” She gasped, mouth agape.

Sil flew over and cheered Chres on as he down half of the wine. The servant raised an eyebrow but made no comment. He then walked away, hands clasped behind his back, as he tended to his other duties.

After Sil had calmed down, he looked to Karina. ”This will be the only glass tonight.” He said, ”I promise.”

---

After cleaning herself off, Tayla eyed the food dubiously. She had never seen so much food in one place before. She hesitantly reached for the roast.

“Please,” said a nearby servant. “Allow me.”

He took the nearby knife in hand and carved the roast… poorly… The slice he carved Tayla was thick on one side and thin on the other. He then proceeded to carve similarly poor cuts for everyone else.

Tayla frowned at the cut of meat. The meat was overcooked. She then grabbed some mash. The mash was lumpy. She tried roasted vegetables. They were burnt, yet still somehow undercooked.

The hell????? What kind of lousy service was this? Was the Divergence to blame. Or did they just have a poor cook?

She grabbed a drumstick of chicken. The chicken was cooked, thank the senses, but it was bland with no seasoning.

Disappointed, she lowered the drumstick back on the plate. No… they just have a terrible chief. She decided.

”Anybody else enjoying their food?” She asked with a sigh.

Face resting in her hand, she looked up. Octavio had dismissed himself from the table for some odd reason… or perhaps for a very good reason.

She took a bite of roast and winced. Too much pepper!

Dejectedly she looked up and caught a servant staring at Tayla and the rest contemplatively. It was the older female servant from before. The one who didn’t seem to know where the kitchen was.

What the hell was she looking at?

[Fetzen]

Týfurkh

Had it not been Tayla, Týfurkh might not have made the decision to risk personal contact with the food in fromt of him after the statement she had made. Since it was Tayla however he just had to take a sample himself in order to make sure it was really as bad as she claimed it was, because Tayla had already proven to be a person without even the slightest amount of respect or decency.

He reached for the knife -- or rather for the petty piece of sheet metal that was barely more sharp than, let's say, the piece of butter it was supposed to slice through --, and made the honest attempt to cut away a chunk of flesh small enough to fit into his mouth. It remained an attempt though as the dried flesh could hardly be impressed by a tool whose design had been watered down by excruciating security measures against the divergence, so in the end Týfurkh just used the fork to rip off a piece by means of sheer force.

And how certainly he soon wished he hadn't! He managed to stop himself saying this publically, but his facial expression made clear there probably was more water to be found in the desert sand than in this piece of charcoal hiding behind his closed lips now.

"I... will try some of the wine."

Quick! Before this piece of meat would balloon and get stuck in his mouth or even worse his throat forever! Týfurkh poured the red liquor into his wine glass rapidly and swallowed one large gulp without even really taking the time to taste properly, but that didn't stop the aftermath from impacting him. The man grimaced as if he had just swallowed a handful of raw pepper.

"I think they might refine the recipe and put more poison into it next time. Might make it more... how shall I say... enjoyable ?"

That evening was pretty much ruined. If it wasn't a problem with the cook but with food here in the divergence in general, Týfurkh knew they either had to get out or starve to death quickly. What hit him even more though was the thought that all of those living inside the divergence must already have grown accustomed to this sort of horrible food or otherwise they would not be here anymore.

Then, he turned his attention to Sil whose failed attempt to hit him with some mashed potatoes had not gone unnoticed.

"How about we just don't eat this food but cook our own ? The supply of bread, meat and wine might not be the most favorable here, but let's not forget that we brought some much more reliable sources of meat along ourselves!"

A sheepish grin appeared on Týfurkh's face and now he started looking at Chres' familiar, too.

"Personally I do enjoy raw meat as well, so we might even be able to bypass the entire process of cooking and thus deny the divergence any opportunity to mess things up again. Think about it... Ripping off some of those tasty, juicy wings and digging into that dilicious muscle! Or this well trained tongue! Peppered and salted by years of foul words spilling all over it! Delicious!"

Týfurkh raised himself from his chair and reached out across the table towards Sil in one quick move, trying to grab the familiar. Of course he had not the slightest intention to actually use Sil as a food source, but if Sil thought he could provoke him at any moment no matter how inappropriate, then he could have back some of the shock as well!

"You will make for one big, dilicious puddle, Sil!"

[Pezzle]

Chres

Interactions with @fetzen

---

Sil yiped and zipped behind Chres in hiding. Of course she knocked over the rest of Chres wine while doing so. Chres who had just recovered from the mash potatoes and had just started 'enjoying' his meal, sighed as he stared down as his now wet pants. Glancing back up, he gave Týfurkh a flat stare as if to say 'Thanks. That helped.'

Sighing Chres grabbed a clean napkin to clean himself up with.

”In all honesty,-” Chres started while patting his lap. ”-I say we just eat it and save our rations for another day.”