GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

No... No, I don't think you're Doctor Cox...

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

... Who are you again?

Legend of Zelda: Templar Ascension

"Well, we should probably wait until we're not in the middle of a hall, don't want to pull out ropes here do we?" Caelan smirked, reaching back to pat the pouch secured on his belt. Once they were in the courtyard proper and somehow having reached it without any issue he figured it was well time to decide on a course of action. Since they would be scaling the walls it made sense to try and go as high as they could, cover as much ground as possible at once. This of course was risky as they longer they climbed the higher the risk of being spotted was, yet traveling through the halls on foot was just as dangerous. Climbing seemed like their best, and really their only option, unless they wanted to risk discovery.

Finding a spot where some plants would in large obscure anyone's sight Caelan set down the pouch, rifling through its warped contents to try and find their hookshots among the other items. One by one he laid them out on the ground, keeping the remaining items where they were for the time being. "Right... So we want to try and reach the tallest balcony we possibly can, and we'll have to do it as quickly as we can too. So that would be..." Taking pause he got to his feet and craned his neck, scanning the walls above for the possible points to which they would ascend. There were numerous balconies, some likely well out of their reach, and others so low he questioned the point in aiming at them. Depending on how long the ropes were as well he would know how far they could expect to climb.

"Let's see, if we figure there's roughly a 3 meter clearance between the ground and the top of the arches, that means we take 3 meters off of the rope for that..." Caelan muttered to himself as he squatted down, picking up a hookshot to examine it, "And if I had to guess... Each balcony looks to be about 2-3 meters apart as well, so... Assuming this rope is maybe 20 meters long, we're looking at... Maybe scaling four levels comfortably? Five if we push it, but that's assuming I've done this right. Hard to say without actually checking it..." Frowning as he thought it over a second time he looked to Regol for some information, holding the hookshot out to him. "You know this place better than we do, if we went up say... Four floors from here, would be be close enough? We should obviously try getting as close as we can now, minimize the walking we have to do." And hopefully minimize the chances of their cover being blown.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"We may have something back on the ship in our supplies. I could go back and check if you'd like," Vegeta offered, "Or we can hope the pain subsides come morning, which it should. Your healing capabilities should be more than enough to mend those, albeit you may still be a bit sore for it. Your decision." They had packed remarkably light for this mission despite the potential connotations it had, so it was their own fault if they didn't have medicines on hand. To be fair the notice had been relatively short and they hadn't wanted to dawdle and wait for supplies, the sooner this threat was extinguished the better. To be frank too no one should be injured this early, the only reason Viral had sustained any real damage was sitting a few meters away from them. "Can't say I agree with his decisions either, it's careless and unfair to abandon you yet dive into danger for Shu's sake," Vegeta agreed with a nod, "It's a good thing he won't be part of your team come tomorrow, I on the other hand will have to rely on him. All you have to bear with is Yumi and Eris vying for your attention," he added in, smirking teasingly at Viral as he nodded in the direction of the women.

There was certainly a wonderment about traveling to new places, there always was. She wondered if the others shared that sentiment with her or if they just saw these worlds as another job, another place to go and liberate. Once all of this was over she would love to revisit some of the places in peace time, just to get a better look at them. "Martial arts is just a way of saying fighting styles," Yumi explained, her eyes seeming to glow as she began her explanation, "The world is filled with all kinds of styles from all different cultures, there's more than I can name off the top of my head. Plus there's armed combat, unarmed combat, defensive and offensive styles, there are styles purely for display and show, they're all amazing in their own way. I loved learning them..." There could still be more to learn out here too, though if there were other styles she hadn't come across any yet. Picking at her food slowly she offered over a piece of fruit to T'charrl to try, picking at the rest of it herself to try. "Of course, it has been a while hasn't it? We should let you see your parents again," she answered, pausing when he redirected the question back on her. Staring at the food in her hands she turned it over idly, her eyes closing slightly as she shrugged her shoulders. "Oh I don't know... It's been years really since I saw my parents anyways, I've been traveling and training. And I have no siblings so it's not like they have anyone else keeping them company. Maybe a small visit wouldn't hurt."

Haku couldn't say he shared the sentiment of returning home, there wasn't much he'd like to return home to. He was happier here among these people and traveling around, even if it meant getting into battles he wanted no part in. Sampling a slice of one of the steaks he made a funny face at how sweet it was, resisting the urge to spit it out as one of the natives was awfully close to him. "I want to see where you're from, T'charrl. When you go back is it okay if I come...?" he asked hopefully, looking up at his friend with a nervous smile, "I'd um... I'd like to meet your parents too, if that's okay. I mean... I should meet them, right? That's what friends do?" Honestly he didn't know, he'd heard that some people on Earth do that though. Hearing Yumi snickering on the other side of his friend he glanced over at her confused, only growing more so when she shook her head before pretending she'd done nothing and resumed eating. Did he not want to meet T'charrl's parents? Or was he not supposed to? Now he was all confused...

"I smell good! Usually, you're the one who always gets dirty!" Takeshi said defensively, growing red in the face as he bit down into his food, "And you track dirt into the bed 'cuz you walk around barefoot, and you --" The older boy had to stop mid sentence as a chunk of food slid down his throat, coughing as he hit his own chest to try and not choke. Managing to swallow it back he sighed, looking over at Viral and shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He should probably do something about this, he couldn't just keep sitting her pretending everything was cool. "Yeah yeah, I get it, I was scared..." Takeshi grumbled as he set down his food, sighing and rubbing at his head. Before Shu had even told him to apologize he knew he had to do it, and then some if he ever wanted Viral to not completely hate him. "Right... I'm gonna go do it, you uh... Keep eating buddy, I'll be back." Of course he didn't expect his apology to be accepted nor did he expect Viral to think any better of him for apologizing, but he should do it. He'd screwed up and he had to own up to it this time.

Meeting Vegeta's gaze briefly as he came over to the pair he bit his lip, standing before Viral and keeping his eyes away from the man for a moment. How should he even do this? Just come right out and say it? Exhaling to try and settle himself Takeshi finally looked at Viral, seeing the bandages on his person and cringing inwardly. "Viral, about earlier... I really screwed up, and I mean worse than usual. You should never even have gotten hurt, but... I chickened out, you know? I... I didn't want to fight that thing, but I was being a baby and you got hurt because of it. You were right about me, I'm all talk and nothing else, I'm an idiot to even think that I have any right to consider you a rival or anything when I'm always running around screaming like an idiot and you're fighting to keep everyone safe..." He'd like to do what Viral did, just fight and protect everyone, but it was never so easy for him. He was either arrogant and got himself hurt, got angry and became irrational, or like today he was too nervous and couldn't even fight. He had no right to even consider himself a proper fighter considering how scrappy he was, he used next to none of his training and sometimes was even more messy than Shu. Feeling fairly displeased with himself he got down on his knees and leaned forward, prostrating himself with his head down as he had to swallow his normally overwhelming pride. "I'm sorry, I'm not expecting you to forgive me for screwing up so badly... But I'm sorry still."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Apologies for the book, but there ya go xD Now we kick things into gear.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

With their medical supplies replenished it was time to join the others, get stock of their situation and decide on their next move. Most everyone was going to be heading along towards the cities to find answers or, in Nymira's case, to secure alliances. Ethan wasn't completely certain if Amuné intended to go the whole way or not either; the further they traveled from her village the less likely they were to find a trail concerning her parents. Much as Ethan tried to remain optimistic he recognized the likelihood wasn't great out here, though not impossible. He'd travel with the girl and chase leads, however small, until they got a definitive answer. Feeling a hand at the back of his neck Ethan glanced back at Zander, furrowing his brow confused in when the healer began walking away from them, back towards the inn. "Hey Zander? Zander!" Despite calling after their friend he went off on his own, leaving the three of them to make their way back by themselves. They could just follow him and meet everyone at the inn but doubling back towards the blacksmith seemed like a safe bet.

"You want to grab some more supplies? We could do that if you want," Ethan said with a smile, reaching down to place his hand atop Amuné's head, "We can look around, might be some things we could use. Maybe while we're at it we can get a couple of candies, would you like that?" Some sweets would be quite nice right now actually, and maybe the sugar would help his headache some? Whatever Zander had done before splitting off alleviated the pain a bit yet there was still discomfort lingering, and the sooner he could be rid of that the better. Giving his head a rubbing he let out a stifled yawn, glancing up towards the sky and shielding himself from the rays as he did so. "Hm... You think we should spend the rest of the day here? One day off wouldn't be too bad I guess, we could use it to relax and recharge," Ethan said thoughtfully, looking back down at Amuné as he broke into a grin, "And... You wanted to see a minstrel back in Galloway, right? Well... Maybe we can find one here?"

"A minstrel? Can we? Yay!" Amuné gave him a big grin, clearly excited. "C'mon, let's hurry~" She practically bounced with glee as they walked down the street, skipping around the Muran man.

"Of course! I owe you for us missing the last one, so we'll visit before we leave Warren," Ethan laughed, watching her Amuné. That certainly put a bit more pep in her step, the girl really liked her music. Even more amusing than the Ydran bouncing about was how Wyth tried to dutifully keep to her side all the while, resulting in the moorcat circling around him and causing Ethan to laugh at the sight.

At the open-air market the Magi began looking around for anything they might have use of, being far more methodical than last time. By then the girl had calmed down again, but she was still excited, and rather impatient. She knew it took time to choose good produce, but...at the same time, it was not very interesting. Ethan was looking much more alert, and he semed to know what he was doing, so he would be fine without her help. "Hey, can Wyth and I go look over there?" she asked, tugging at the hem of his shirt and indicating a booth toward the edge of the area. That one had little figurines made of blown glass gleaming in the morning sun. "Please?"

He looked down at Amuné in question before following her gesture towards the glass stall. "Oh, sure! If you want to get one or two even go right ahead, I'm sure Nymira won't mind!" he answered, pointing then towards a stall with some fresh baked goods, "I'm going to go check that stall, and I'll be around. Just come get me when you're done, okay?"

"Uh-huh! Oh, that's right, she gave me this." The girl pulled the pouch of coins from where she'd secured it under the waistband of her skirt so no one could take it and held it out.

"Thanks kiddo, don't be too long either, okay? I don't know when they'll get back and I don't want them to know I bought you a bunch of sweets," Ethan added with a playful wink, "Nymira might get mad, say I'm spoiling you. Our little secret got it?" Handing over a few coins he watched as she ran off, then cut through the crowds for the bakery stall, his eyes shining with excitement at the sight of the pastries and other baked goods. They should probably buy actual supplies, but... These sure did look tempting.

Amuné admired the tiny trinkets, delighted by the various animals. She didn't plan to buy any, of course, but they were adorable. How did they make all those little details? She'd heard glass got blown, but she'd never seen it done, and couldn't really imagine how it worked. She was so focused on the sculptures that when Wyth's head came up and he focused on something in an alley a few feet away, she didn't notice.

He wasn't supposed to go after the smell of food without permission. And it wasn't the scent of fish that made Wyth go to investigate. It was the sounds, sneaking and a word he recognized as referring to people like his man and sometimes his girl. Not friendly tones, either. A face peeked out, then drew back. But though he entered the alley alert, he did not expect the thing that circled his neck, nor the sudden bite in his shoulder. He snarled. These men smelled like sweat, and fear, but more than just theirs.

"Wyth?" Amuné had just heard him snarl, but he wasn't in sight. Where had he gone? He didn't usually wander off, but maybe he'd seen a rat or something? "Wyth, come back, you're being naughty!" she said, trying not to pay attention to the sudden surge of fear she felt. She headed for the alley where she thought she heard him -- and he was there, but so were two men! They had the moorcat with a rope around his neck, at the end of a long pole, and were trying to keep him from pulling free, or getting close enough to attack. They'd not been entirely successful: one sported a long set of slashes down his side.

She didn't need her gift to tell her these men were bad. Amuné turned to run, but a rough hand grabbed her. Another covered her face with a cloth. "Ain't the best, but it oughtta do the trick... Put you out like a light" a voice growled in her ear, as the sharp scent made her head swim. "That's a good girl, go on an' sleep..."

She couldn't move, couldn't reach her trapped friend. "Ferget the damn cat, we gotta go! Get yer ass in gear!" Wyth was there somewhere, she just had to find him. Where was Ethan? He'd help, he'd make the bad men go away. Darkness weighed her down, and her last thought before she passed out was that if Wyth was here, how would he help Daddy through the dark so he could find her?

"Really 'ope Nymira don't mind me buyin' a few things," Ethan managed through clenched teeth, holding a pastry in his mouth, his arms full of items. So perhaps he should have bought more than just some pastries and a couple of various bits, but he didn't know what they still needed. If they weren't leaving today they could check tomorrow and come back anyways so he wasn't too terribly concerned.

Expecting to see his young companion and her pet he glanced around the busy market, unable to spot Amuné anywhere. Was she still over at the glasswork stall? Taking a bite out of his pastry he carefully held it as he cut through the crowds again, easily finding the glass stall as the crowd around it was rather small. Oddly enough she wasn't there, and glancing back over his shoulder he didn't see Amuné or Wyth around. Where had she gotten off to?

"If you're looking for the little girl, she ran off that way," the man behind the stall explained, pointing to the alleyway to his right with a bony finger, "Her cat went in and she followed after, might have seen a rat or something."

"Oh! Well thanks mister, appreciate it!" Ethan beamed, digging out a copper and setting it on the stall before hurrying off. Peering around the corner to try and surprise his young friend he frowned when he couldn't spot her anywhere, entering the alley proper to take a look around. "Hey Amuné? Wyth? You guys in here?" he called, stopping in mid stride as he felt his foot hit something. Glancing down at his feet his eyes widened in shock at a foot sticking out from some crates, and following the offending limb up he saw a man, dead as could be with several deep tears in his side. Wyth was right by him, struggling to get to his feet. Ethan dropped the items in his arms at knelt at the moorcat's side, he looking him over hastily for any wounds, trying with little luck to pick up the large animal.

"You're alright, doesn't look like you're hurt," Ethan reassured as he undid the tie around the moorcat's throat, throwing the tool aside. Seeing a dart in his shoulder as well he swiftly removed the offending object, tossing it aside and giving the animal a petting. With luck Wyth would be okay, right now there wasn't much time to sit here and make sure that the moorcat was one hundred percent unharmed. Racing to the other side of the alleyway he looked around for the Ydran girl, frowning uneasily at her absence. "Amuné?! Where are you? Amuné!"

"I appreciate the assistance, Cecil. I'd do it myself, but uh..." Nymira explained as she gestured to her leg, still wrapped in bandages, "Putting too much strain on that makes my leg give. I can't apply pressure right now, so... Thank you." After the incident prior with the Machina not feeling welcome or needed she supposed showing a little more gratitude would help. It wasn't as though she hadn't been grateful for anything prior to this, she just didn't believe it had to be said every time. Say 'thank you' too many times and it becomes insincere, like you're simply trying to placate the person. This time though Cecil had earned the genuine article.

While they were moving along she wanted to make sure Geoffrey wasn't in dire need of anything once more, wishing to settle this debt she felt she now owed. He didn't appear to wield traditional bladed weaponry so crafting him a sword or dagger made no sense, the only thing she knew him by was his bow and arrow. Geoffrey did agree to accepting her crafts yet not for the reasons she had originally expected. "So you wish for me to arm Amuné then? If Ethan doesn't raise a fuss over the matter I don't see why not. Having the girl capable of defending herself will make travel easier," Nymira noted, nodding once before glancing at Cecil again, "I don't imagine you'd have need of a weapon? I've seen you fight and you're fine without one, but I'll offer you the same as well."

Amuné had to be around here somewhere, surely she couldn't have gotten far, right? The image of the dead man in the alleyway told him something was seriously amiss and yet he tried desperately to reassure himself otherwise. Maybe Wyth had just gotten spooked by him, or maybe it hadn't even been Wyth to begin with. Yet his claws was bloody and that still didn't answer the question: Where was Amuné? Running down the street, Wyth slowly chasing behind, he pushed through people left and right in an attempt to find his little friend. At the panicked pace he was going he hadn't noticed the streets open up at an intersection, nor did he see the cart in front of him. The next thing Ethan new he'd tripped over someone's leg and gone tumbling across the dirt, ending up on his back all out of sorts.

"Ethan? What in the hell are you doing?" Nymira asked with a frown, looking at the jumbled Muran confused. Hearing a heavy breathing off to her left she noticed Wyth coming up as well, seeming unusually sluggish and having difficulty moving. That was curious, even for his large size the moorcat never had issue moving quickly. There was something even more troubling than that still, something that she almost dared not ask. "Ethan... Where is Amuné?"

"I don't know! I'm trying to find her!" the Magi answered, scrambling back to his feet and approaching his friends, "We were at the stalls, I turned my back for one second and then she was gone! And I found Wyth in an alleyway, almost out cold, and there was a man... And he had this leash around his neck, and a dart, and..." And he didn't know any more than that. He didn't know where the girl had gone off to, why Wyth had been bound like that or who that man was. All he knew was Amuné's disappearance was completely his fault.

The Dimuran let out a sigh before shaking her head, looking at Wyth's haggard form as she reached down and stroked his mane, "So we have to go find her then, because you were negligent. Fine, but it seems that Wyth has been poisoned, or something like it. Geoffrey, go and fetch Zander, we'll need to tend to Wyth. Cecil, forget the cart for now, we should begin searching. And Ethan... You stay with us. The last thing we need is to have to find your directionally disabled self too," the Dimuran snapped, reaching out and pulling back Ethan by his collar. "Wyth, can you track Amuné? Or Cecil, do you have any means?" If Amuné had only wandered off on her own then tracking her down shouldn't be too difficult; judging by Ethan's frantic story and Wyth's bloodied claw however Nymira had a hunch it was a little more dire than that.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Perhaps they have some kind of painkillers available? Your wounds should mend quickly enough thanks to your accelerated healing, though it doesn't help it's late in the evening," Vegeta mused aloud as he edged some food towards Viral again, discretely hinting that his friend should eat, "I apologize we weren't there to help, though it seems like you were ultimately fine. I understand it's largely due to Takeshi as well you were even injured," he added, glancing back at the two boys before shaking his head. "I knew he was incompetent, but this? You and Shu may have been seriously injured where the fight should have been a cakewalk for the three of you. If you haven't slapped him yet I may have to, knock some sense into that thick skull of his." It was always so curious seeing the sorts of fears people had and just how crippling they could be; each of them had quite a lot of power if they were pushed, they could likely level mountains if they were truly made to exert energy. Yet here some of them were, afraid of bugs or the dark or their own shadow, who knows what silly, irrational fears they had.

Having not spent much time with T'charrl as of late Yumi hoped he wouldn't mind her company. "You can't know what to expect out here, and I think that's kind of amazing really," she said as she smiled to herself, glancing up at the fire and watching the flames dance to their invisible tune, "I used to love traveling on Earth, meeting new people and learning new styles of martial arts. This has been kind of like that, only bigger. Haven't learned much in the way of new fighting styles though!" It had been somewhat disappointing up until now that she had never learned anything new since leaving Earth. Many races fought and had their own spins on some of the styles she knew, but not enough to say it was something completely different. Smiling at T'charrl she leaned over and playfully bumped her shoulder into his arm, picking up a piece of fruit and offering it over to him. "I think you've gotten better, you've been better for a while. And I'm sure if you want to go visit your home we could! I mean the war's on hold and this is the only report we have for these monsters, so once this is done we'll be free right? We could always visit then!"

"We'll take a bath after, you need one," Takeshi reiterated as he wrinkled his nose, fanning the air before sniffing at himself, "Ugh... I do too. I got all nasty from running around all day." At least he hadn't crapped himself over that massive bug, that would have him smelling awfully foul. And to be fair Shu did smell but it wasn't enough to keep him from eating, he was far too hungry to really care. Tearing into his food eagerly he glanced over at Viral again, being assailed once more by a massive sense of guilt. He was really ashamed of how he'd acted and couldn't exactly ignore it, not when Shu had been in danger too. Asking about it to his brother he cringed when he mentioned Viral being angry, lowering his food and nodding. "Because... I don't know... I don't like 'em, you know? I... I wouldn't have let you be eaten. I helped right? I said you could rely on me..." After he'd gone and boasted he'd handle the fighting he totally screwed it up, again. Viral and Shu were the reason the thing was dead even with the former getting all cut up, all he'd done is panic and thrown blasts at it to scare it away. "I'm sorry buddy... I should probably go apologize to Viral too huh?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Not always easy, but we managed! Thanks! :D

Legend of Zelda: Templar Ascension

All hail! \(*-*)/

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

After helping himself to some food Vegeta went to join Viral in his spot, curious as to why he wasn't eating as well. "You should have something, your body will heal faster with some food in it," he pointed out, lowering the wooden plate he had and offering some of it out to his friend. There was a small selection of meats, all of which none of them had ever eaten before and doubtless there might be one or two among them they would hate. Vegeta was somewhat timid to have anything other than the fruits and plant material from this world given who its residents were; some species of insect ate rotten meat as it was easier to digest, he had to wonder what the state of the food they were being served was. "You don't seem to be particularly comfortable right now either, those wounds agitating you more than you're letting on?" Vegeta pushed a bit as he lowered his voice, taking a seat beside Viral and setting the plate across his lap, "I know you don't want me checking on you, but I notice these things. Are you certain there's nothing I can do to help you? Just name it."

Yumi for her part was giving Viral a bit of space for now, figuring perhaps he needed a moment to himself. Instead of sitting with him she had picked to join Haku and T'charrl instead, having not spoken with the latter in forever it seemed. Excusing herself when she came over she sat to the latter's right, sighing contentedly as she relaxed on the log and glanced at the flames before them. "An awful lot has happened, hasn't it? Your head spinning too?" she joked as she grabbed a piece of meat, tearing a chunk off before giving it a taste. Tasted a lot like chicken, only a little more gamey, which made her wonder just what in the heck she was eating. Deciding it wasn't too bad she tore off another piece and tossed it into her mouth, looking up at T'charrl with a smile. "How have you been liking it so far? All of this traveling I mean, getting to see all these worlds. I know they haven't exactly been the most relaxing trips but it's neat, isn't it? Seeing different planets?" She wondered if he was homesick too, it had been a little while now since they had last been on Kaesstra. Would he want to return before long?

"Buddy... We are giving you a damn bath before we go to bed tonight, you're way too stinky," Takeshi grumbled as he pinched his nose again, the wind blowing Shu's newly acquired stink in his direction. Fanning the air as though to alleviate it some the older boy sighed, trying to focus on the food in his lap instead. He'd gotten a plate for Shu as well and, naturally, piled it high with only fruits knowing his brother's tastes. Picking up what looked awfully similar to a leg of chicken he gave it a cautious sniff before prodding it, his brow furrowing in concern at how spongy the meat felt. With a nervous swallow he took a small bite and chewed slowly, pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't half bad actually. Tearing into the meat he glanced over in Viral's direction, seeing him being spoken to by Vegeta, then over to Yumi, and he felt a bit of a sense of guilt wash over him again. "Hey Shu... Are you mad at me too?" Takeshi asked with a frown, lowering his eyes to his plate, "I screwed up earlier, you know? Viral got hurt and that thing nearly ate you because of me. Sorry about that... I really messed up."