Helo

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: River Port
Interactions: Malachi@princess, Belle@Potter

Valok took in the sights of the quiet seaside town as he limped along with Malachi, Belle, and her new owlbear. Although they were headed towards the healing center it had not occurred to Valok that it would be for him. He simply figured Malachi or Belle were simply far better at hiding injuries than he was. Amongst the dark elf army only those deemed important enough kept fairies for their healing abilities, this magic was not wasted on disposable soldiers. Malachi had already bandaged his wounds, an unfamiliar kindness, and for the dark elf that was more help than he was used to. Valok simply followed along, waiting until it was time to rest, time would either heal his wounds, or it would not. Death came for all things eventually, and with the knowledge that he might not end up undead, it was a much calmer possibility.

Another animal approached them with a note attached to its head as they walked through River Port. It seemed a less than secure way to deliver messages to people and Valok only continued to follow the others paying little attention to the dog. As they passed the dog the sound of a loud battle horn filled the quiet streets, echoing through town. Valok nearly jumped out of his own skin and immediately looked around for the source of the sound. When he could see no source for it nearby he turned his attention to Malachi.

“Do you know the source of that horn? Is it your allies?” He asked the light elf. It was a sound that was almost certainly meant to summon allies or alert others to a threat. There was the electric excitement that the sound meant the possibility of a fight, even injured Valok would never turn down the opportunity to test his ability, to prove himself. He wasn’t sure how pressing the other’s injuries were, and healing centers were not something the dark elf was used to relying on. To fight and to win was proof that he had earned his survival, to do so injured was even more validating. He was raised and taught to live only for his next fight, even if injured, even if survival seemed unlikely. It was an urge that ran even deeper than mere instinct.

---

Time: Evening
Location: River Port-Beach
Interactions: Lucia@Potter

After drinks, they had parted ways with Orland and Nur, and shortly after that, Vaeril had wandered off as well. Leon was grateful for the brief moment to catch Lucia alone, he did have exciting news to share. He hadn’t wanted the others to know about the strange invitation he’d gotten from the dog, he still wasn’t sure what Vaeril was all about. While Nur and Orland seemed nice enough, and Orland was definitely a human they hadn’t really had a chance to talk about the rebellion and he didn’t exactly trust Nur based on her cold reaction to the dog. Leon figured if they were meant to be at the meeting hall tomorrow then the dog would’ve invited them as well. Lucia on the other hand was entirely trustworthy and he was excited to tell her about the note he’d gotten. Lucia however asked him about his weird reaction at the cafe, an incident he’d almost forgot about.

“Oh that, nah it wasn’t Vaeril, but when I gave my fake name I heard a voice in my head telling me I should’ve chosen something more elven. But I haven’t heard it again so maybe I just imagined it. Hey, remember that dog from earlier? Well, she gave me a note and it says to be at the meeting hall tomorrow afternoon.” Leon was excited to have something useful to contribute, a possible lead on a rebel meet-up, or maybe just a party hosted by the dogs of River Port, either way, it seemed like a good way to spend tomorrow afternoon. Up until getting the note, Leon hadn’t felt like he’d done much that was useful, he’d just been keeping himself entertained while Lucia handled pretty much everything.

Leon jumped to his feet when the horn sounded throughout River Port, he had no idea what it meant but it certainly sounded exciting. He grinned at Lucia who looked more than ready to shot whoever was making the loud noise.

“Lucy you gotta relax some, I’m guessing you’re not supposed to shoot people for being too loud. It’s frowned upon back on Earth and it won’t help us blend in here. You sure you’re alright? I mean, I already said I’m all in, being here, in Avalia, basically saved my life. So everything else, a big rebellious adventure, that’s all just the cherry on top. Don’t worry about me, I laugh in the face of danger. Whatever you want to do I’m happy to follow. And you may not be cunning, but you’re clever, and that’s loads better. Don’t undersell Avalia’s best elf.” Leon said with a grin. He didn’t mind the acting or the possibility of danger, these weren’t new things for him. What was new, and exciting, was having a friend like Lucia and the possibility of doing something good and worthwhile with his life.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests, now closer to River Port than Roshmi
Interactions: Cora @Potter, Elsea @Tae, Ezeri @Alivefalling

“If your plane is so lonely why not stay here? We certainly enjoy your company Ezeri and I hope you at least find ours, tolerable.” Cade offered after she finished her story about the fox beast. Ezeri’s world sounded so impossibly lonely to him, it was hard to imagine how anyone tolerated such a life. His face lit up into a large grin when Elsea mentioned one of her friends was the rebel princess herself.

“I had the honor of meeting Princess Risa at the ball. I would not worry too much, she is a very brave fairy and if your friend is a fox I have no doubt he is fierce and crafty. We will find them in town, I have no doubt. Avalia looks after those who look after her.” Cade spoke with absolute certainty as he rested a hand on Elsea’s shoulder. He put his faith in a just cause, one that served Avalia and he believed with all his heart that the world wanted to be set right, to have natural balance restored. This would bring them luck, just as their paths had been fortunate enough to encounter a unicorn. Just as he and Ayita had found Sakura when all had seemed most dire against the dracolich. Avalia had led him to those he needed to find because he trusted it would, and he now believed there was a reason they had run into Ezeri as well.

---

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests near River Port
Interactions: Zephyrin@Howlsofwinter, Kenia@Tae, Clara@princess

“I’m a winter fairy, Clara, the cold is like home to me.” Bowyn said shaking his head as the human offered her cape. He went straight to work helping Kenia salvage what they could from the wyvern corpse. Work would be the best way to warm up anyhow, and his mind welcomed focusing on the task. Kenia went right for the poisoned stinger on the creature’s tail, while the first thing Bowyn went for was one of the large canine fangs. The wyvern’s partially frozen jaws made it easier for him to extract the tooth. Smashing off bits of frozen flesh around it and using a knife to free the rest of it. Once he had the tooth he grinned as he admired it, Bowyn had a plan for this fang once they made it into town, and he slipped it into his pocket.

“Too bad indeed, we certainly wouldn’t want to get mixed up in any trouble.” Bowyn said, offering a smirk to Kenia as Clara explained that she wasn’t safe company. He helped skin the less damaged portions of the wyvern.

“There is nothing I want more than to bring about the end of Aklenroth, that evil skeleton guy, and to help keep you humans safe in this.” Bowyn said once Kenia had welcomed her to the rebellion.

“You know I’ve got a human friend with the same power as you, got another with hydromancy, hopefully, we’ll find them in River Port. Maybe we can all share a few drinks once we get there.” Bowyn offered, keeping his mind on something to look forward to as he worked.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: River Port-Gadgets and Conveniences
Interactions: Lucia@Potter, Vaeril@Alivefalling, Nur@dreamingflowers, Orland@Funnyguy

“So it does, you clearly have excellent tastes.” Leon said Nur mentioned his hair matched her dress and linked her arm with his own. He held up the memory glass to take a quick selfie of the two of them right at that moment and noted that she was definitely not an elf. Her dark hair and lashes only served to further accentuate her bright green snake-like eyes. Her eyes made him a bit uncomfortable like he was in the presence of a predator, but his excitement about meeting creatures other than elves quickly overtook his apprehension.

Orland seemed surprised by his fake name, mentioning that he recognized it from somewhere. Maybe the name hadn’t been such a mistake, seemed like it was common enough that this other elf had encountered it. Then Orland began strumming a familiar song, and Leon found himself almost sure that he’d encountered another disguised human. It was a lot of coincidence, but just to make absolutely certain they were on the same page he threw out a reference to the same old movie that he recognized the song from.

“The stories of the greatness of Vaeril are truly a tale as old as time.” He added to Darius with a grin.

Once they began heading towards another shop a most magnificent creature bounded towards him with the most ungraceful gait imaginable. It was a mess of jowls and wrinkly skin, and its eyes were full of pure excitement as it nearly collided right into him and Nur both. The large dog nearly knocked him over again as it aggressively rubbed itself around his legs. Leon immediately let go of Nur's arm and knelt down to give the dog proper attention.

“Who’s a good dog, you’re a good dog.” He said rather loudly as he rubbed the big floppy ears. The dog then shook its head and released a surprising amount of slobber in every direction and its tail flailed about wildly, smacking against anything nearby. Leon continued to pet the big wrinkly dog and gave a quick check to its undercarriage and noted that it was a girl dog.

“Who’s the prettiest girl in the world, you are. Yeah, just the prettiest doggo in the whole world.” He continued talking to the dog as if it were a small child, as he looked around for whoever owned the dog but didn’t see anyone coming over to collect her. While he was distracted looking around the dog dropped a slobber-soaked paper into his hand. He starred at the paper and then at the dog. The paper, damp and just barely legible, read ‘Meeting Hall tomorrow at 2.’ Had he just been invited to a party by a dog? Avalia was, without a doubt, the greatest place. He smiled at the dog and slipped the paper into his pocket.

“Did you bring me trash? That’s so nice, what a good puppy. Thank you.” He said beaming as he played with the dog’s slobbery wrinkly face. In response, the dog licked his face a few times before running off again. The dog only paused its wild run through the market to snatch some sort of unattended pastry from a nearby dessert shop off the counter. Then she continued her run through the market with her snack before disappearing from view.

“Hey Lucy did you see that? I’m very popular in River Port today.” Leon said grinning as he wiped dog slobber off his face.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: River Port-Gadgets and Conveniences
Interactions: Lucia@Potter, Vaeril@Alivefalling, Nur@dreamingflowers, Orland@Funnyguy

“We met Vaeril during lunch and he offered to take us shopping. How could we say no to the coolest elf in town.” Leon said to the red-eyed elf that introduced himself as Orland Legolas. Legolas, a name he was now thankful he hadn’t given as his own, seeing as how another elf here had it already. Who would’ve thought that the most famous fictional elf on Earth was an actual elf’s name here in Avalia? Then he wondered if Tolkien had actually been to Avalia, that’d be pretty cool, maybe Lucia would know the answer to that one. Then he remembered that he should also introduce himself.

“Nice to meet you, Orland, I’m Frodo.” He added after Lucia had introduced herself as well. As annoying as it was to continue with his poorly chosen fake name, Vaeril would definitely notice if he changed it now. Nope, he was probably stuck being called Frodo for the rest of their time in the river port. Best to just get used to it.

“Whoa that’s a cool instrument you got there, know any good songs?” Leon asked Orland as he looked at the weird guitar the guy was attaching a leather strap to. He wasn’t paying much attention to Lucia as she attempted to signal something to him, he was was much more interested in hearing if the others were coming with them and excited to see if Orland would play them a song. Currently the ‘I’m Blue’ song was playing in a never-ending loop in his head when he wasn’t distracted by random things for sale in Avalia. Right about now he’d more than welcome hearing any other song.

“Thanks Vaeril, hey say cheese.” He added as the elf paid for the things they had picked out. He snapped a quick picture of the guy while he still had the sunglasses on, managing to catch the grumpy cat man in the background as well.

“I guess Odds and Ends it is, looking for anything particular Lucy?” He asked turning to Lucia once he’d gotten a quick snap of the memory of his first big shopping trip in Avalia. The memory glass was perfect, he’d look like just another elf on vacation in a seaside town, a perfect cover for why he was so enthusiastic about everything. He would be Frodo the wacky elven tourist, and that sounded like a fun cover to play.

---

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests north of Roshmi City
Interactions: Malachi@princess, Belle@Potter

“The Roshmi Grand Ball? No, I am not meant for such important events. The guards there, they are there as a reward, for service and loyalty, most are of higher birth status. Not like me. I was trained for battle, to be sent out to squash rebellions, hunt down fugitives or traitors, for assignments where they needed expendable soldiers.” Valok spoke with a detached tone, as he had accepted he was expendable long ago. In the grand scheme of things his life mattered little, he was raised to serve a purpose, his life and eventual death were for the betterment of his people.

“But I was in Roshmi City, there was a message played of a fairy speaking about the rebellion. It was not the message I had expected to hear, and I liked what she said. It sounded,” Valok paused for a second as he tried to think of the right word for it.

“Hopeful.” He continued. That seemed like the best word for it, though it was a word he knew, it wasn’t something he had ever really felt before. There had never been the hope of improving his status in life, or of having any control over it, only the acceptance that he would die in the life he was born into. The concept that he could choose something different from what fate had laid out before him, was so new and alien to him. It was still hard to accept, that he could decide the path he took. He could still make life better for dark elves, and he might even be able to do that without becoming something cruel.

“Before that, I helped hunt humans, in Chesm. It was my first real assignment outside of Daka. There, my commanders tortured a human and anyone who helped them. At first for information, and then for fun, for spectacle. It was horrific.” Valok shuddered at the memory of it. The mere thought of Chesm sent chills, made him feel sick. Even though he had only played a small part in it, standing guard to keep the crowds from intervening, he had been a part of it.

“I didn’t want to become that. I was afraid that I would. So I left, I wandered, south, until I heard the message in Roshmi. This seemed a better path, I have to fight for something, that is all I am, all I know how to do. I trust you, Malachi, as a leader. You are an honorable man. And you saved my life, I will follow your command.” Valok saw no reason to hide things. His attention turned from Malachi to Belladonna, who had a familiar look across her face. There were a great many things that Valok did not understand, but what he did understand were pain and sorrow. He saw that in Belladonna’s eyes, and he watched as she fiddled with the owlbear. He wondered if she was pained from a physical injury from the fight, or if its source was something deeper.

“The owlbear is not injured, it is not necessary for you to carry it. If you plan to train it for battle, coddling will not make it strong. You should think of a strong name for it, something that will strike fear in your enemy’s hearts when it follows you into battle.” Valok said, attempting a smile that resembled more of a wince than anything. This was a lot of talking, it was really only making him more tired than simply walking, and he wondered how far they were from their destination. Belladonna had also used a significate amount of magic, he could only assume that she must be tired as well. He thought thinking of a name for the owlbear might take her mind off whatever seemed to trouble her.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests north of Roshmi City
Interactions: Malachi@princess, Belle@Potter

Though he would never admit it, Valok was thankful when they took a brief break from the walking. He only nodded to Malachi, not sure what the other elf meant by his words. He did not consider himself brave, he was made for battle, to follow orders, and that was all he did. Belladonna offered a similar sentiment, the human also seemed worried by his injuries. He thought she might be better off worrying about the owlbear that pecked at her face, a behavior that would be far less amusing when it was full grown. He decided that surely they must think him useful, as a warrior for the rebellion, there was no other reason to explain their concern with him. This was good, if he was useful to the rebellion they would keep him around, and he could learn more. He would have the chance to fight for something different and maybe that was what he needed to feel the sense of purpose he was supposed to have felt in the dark elf army.

“My injuries are unlikely to be fatal. But to go out fighting and to be remembered for strength in battle would be the highest honor.” He said to both of them, he wondered if light elves and humans desired something different from death.

“If and when I do die, and either of you are around, would you burn my body? I do not wish to become one of the undead. Or you could feed me to the small owlbear, I believe they eat mainly meat.” Valok asked, not worried about voicing such a treasonous request in front of these two. Dark Elves did not burn their dead, they allowed them to be used in the undead army as it was seen as a great honor, and that was the only fate he truly feared. But to rebels, such a request would not be seen as an act of treason the way it would amongst his own people.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests near River Port
Interactions: Zephyrin@Howlsofwinter, Kenia@Tae, Arwen?@princess

As he watched the wyvern draw its last haggard breath, Bowyn grinned with satisfaction. He had no interest in why the wyvern attacked, only the sense of victory for having killed it. And with that feeling came the guilt, the knowledge that this wasn’t how a fairy was supposed to feel about killing. He shouldn’t get any joy from it, killing with magic was a deep perversion of a gift made to protect and celebrate nature. He had used that gift not only to kill dark elves but now a creature of the forest. One that could not reasonably be held accountable for its actions, it wasn’t an action that should bring him joy, but to watch it die had brought him a spark of that. It had killed Boreas, and he felt the missing weight upon his shoulder. He had nothing to dull that pain, not even a drink to stop it from all crushing down on him.

The thought of Boreas brought a heavy weight to his chest and it was hard to breathe. His only friend for so many years, gone. Beady eyes that he could trust not look at him and see what others surely saw. The reason he couldn’t go back to his own village. The knowledge that when his own people saw him they must know; that out of dozens who had died he was the least worthy to still draw breath. The first time he’d ever killed a dark elf he had found it cathartic, it had felt like validation that he was worth something. Worth life for having taken it from another, proof that he had more strength than he thought. He had found himself horrified at this part of himself. He stayed away from violence as much as possible, and that had made it easier to pretend it wasn’t part of his nature. He had watched a massacre, seen the evil in those willing to give in to that nature. It hadn’t been what he wanted for himself back then. But it was clear that there was power in that, the wyvern lay dead, and he survived. They had all survived, except for Boreas, but the bird knew what he was doing, he was making sure they all stayed safe, he had shown Bowyn how to be brave. It hadn’t been mercy or kindness that had saved them, it had been through violence that they all now lived.

Bowyn knew that he was not a good man, but good men didn’t win wars, didn’t overthrow kings, and couldn’t protect those close to them. Bowyn knew he would go to horrible lengths to achieve his goals. He also knew he’d have to keep that part of himself buried until necessary. If others saw it, he’d be alone again. He’d thought he’d been alone before, but he’d always had Boreas at his side, to force him to keep going. Now, now what did he have? He had a chance at vengeance, for everything he’d lost. A chance to, if not destroy, at least hurt the lich he held most responsible. He had Torvi and Belle, who somehow cared about him, somehow managed to make the rest of the world seem a little more like a place he could stand. He had this new group, he wasn’t nearly as close to them, but he wanted to keep them safe too. None of them had run, they had all fought together, and that bonded him to them. They were all worthy of his trust, and he found them all to be good company.

Even though the fight was done, he still felt impossibly cold from his own magic. He shivered uncontrollably and tried to calm himself enough to feel warmth again. Before the forest here had felt almost unbearably warm and now warmth seemed like a distant memory. His teeth chattered and his skin had remnants of frost upon it. His attention turned from his own thoughts to Arwen who moved closer and drew him into a hug. For a moment he remembered warmth, felt the cold of his magic wane, and Bowyn felt calm again. He no longer saw his own breath appearing in clouds from the cold that radiated around him.

“Thank you. I guess I was wrong, you fight well human, but I still don’t plan to ditch you in the forest.” He tried to offer Arwen a smile but couldn’t quite manage it. He followed Arwen over to a tree where he placed his own flower crown on the ground as well. He hadn’t cried for Boreas, the attempt had frozen to his face during the fight. He was too exhausted for tears now anyway. Instead, he managed a sad smile as Kenia built a rock monument and engraved a wyvern scale for Boreas. He was more than a bit surprised that the rest took the time to pay tribute to his friend. This also brought him warmth, he did not feel as alone as he thought he would without his friend. Kenia placed Boreas’s flower crown in his hand and began to sing a mournful song. He placed the flower crown beneath the wyvern scale and smiled at how shiny the grave marker was.

“Boreas always loved shiny things, he would like this a lot. Thank you.” Bowyn said softly.

“He would expect us to continue, we shouldn’t stay here long. We should take what we can from the beast; its horns, hide, teeth, they’ll be worth something at the market. Shouldn’t let it go to waste.” Bowyn added as he looked back over to the corpse of the wyvern. It was easier to think practically, there were things that needed to be done, he had to focus on that now. If he spent too long thinking about loss, and about Boreas, he would only lose the will to keep going, and it would be so much easier to just sit and wallow. They had to make it to the river port, once they were somewhere safe, then he could allow himself to feel the pain. Right now, he was too numb and exhausted for it all, but the grief loomed, threatening to hit him all at once if he let it. When it did hit, he needed to not be sober, needed something to soften its blow.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests north of Roshmi City
Interactions: Malachi@princess, Belle@Potter

Once it was clear that both owlbears were dead Valok managed to get back on his feet. He was still dizzy and none of the pain from the owlbears attack had faded, but he was alive. Even in pain, it felt good to be alive. Malachi bandaged the wound to his head, an action that both confused him, and made him uncomfortable. To have another aid him was to show weakness, to have his new commander not only bandage wounds but aid him in even walking was a great embarrassment. Valok was sure he had done everything right, followed orders to attack and he had not given up. Yet he felt that he must've disappointed Malachi in some way, that to put his injury and weakened state on display in such a manner must surely be a punishment. His former dark elf commanders would have at least have given him the chance to at least try and keep up or be left behind. However, he did not argue with Malachi, he would not publicly disrespect or question his commander. His head hung low with shame as he walked as silently as possible.

He watched as Belladonna coddled the smaller owlbear that wandered out of the forest. He understood humans even less than the other races of Avalia. This was one of the same creatures that had tried to kill them, and the human was petting it and treating it like it was precious. Were they keeping this owlbear as a spoil of victory? Certainly, it would fetch a decent price on the black market, or with proper training and an obedience collar, it could prove useful one day. While he could certainly recognize the usefulness an owlbear could provide in battle, he decided he certainly disliked the creatures and he would prefer to keep his distance from it. He kept to the other side of Malachi, away from the owlbear. Belladonna treated the creature like a child, and this was clearly the wrong approach to start training a warbeast. He kept his thoughts on the owlbear to himself though, as Malachi had ordered they stay quiet as the light elf made a shield of invisibility while they walked.

Valok found himself disappointed that they were leaving the others behind. Although Mathias had fought rather clumsily, he had enjoyed hearing the demihuman’s stories of his quiet life. He had wanted to learn more from him about why he hated The Great King, to better understand why so many clearly felt this way. Myra had fought exceptionally, and he held great respect for the demon. He had felt more at ease when they had the company of a demon from Daka, like he was not the only outsider of the group. Now he was only in the company of a light elf and a human, and Belladonna was so distant, he understood so little about the human and she relieved nothing willingly. Malachi was a leader, and while Valok was comfortable enough following his orders and trusting in his judgment, he could not burden a commander with his endless questions. The thought of making it to the next town filled him with nervous anxiety, he had no idea what to expect from the other rebels, whether they would be in any way welcoming of a dark elf.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests near River Port
Interactions: Zephyrin@Howlsofwinter, Kenia@Tae, Arwen?@princess
Mood: Hypothermic

Bowyn lost sight of most of the fight, his focus solely on the beast in front of him. The wyvern hit the ground, its wings now shredded and useless. Arwen had managed to pop its tail, splattering blood across him, and that threat was gone as well. Zephyrin put up an impressive shield, preventing the worst of the beast’s attacks. Kenia was gone and then suddenly atop the creature taking out its other eye. He knew the wyvern was done for, and there was only the choice to go for the kill and end it quickly or other option, to unleash vengeance, allow his magic to be spent until the exhaustion numbed him. All the wyvern had left were its jaws, wild and snapping, and rather than go for a kill, he wanted to take than from the wyvern too. Make sure the creature felt helpless before it died, made sure it knew right before it lost its life that there was no hope left that it would survive.

Bowyn didn’t move from where he planted his feet, he felt nothing but cold and numb as he kept his eyes trained on the raging creature. He wouldn’t run from this beast, he wouldn’t allow himself to fear it again. It had killed Boreas, it wanted to kill them too, and that was all that mattered. He was going to enjoy watching the life leave this beast. He breathed in, then out, and was surprised to find his breath lingered in the air. The air around him was so cold, beyond what it should be here, and he knew it came from him. It radiated out from him, he felt cold in a way he never had before, in a way that made it almost impossible to even remember what warmth felt like. He heard the wyvern unleash another cry of pain and fury and Bowyn returned the scream back at the beast. He tapped into magic so cold his own lips turned blue, his fingers felt like they were on fire as the icy magic left him. He didn’t think about that pain, or what tapping into magic like that would do to him. He only thought about the empty spot on his shoulder where a merlin used to sit, and the solace the wyvern’s death would bring.

He kept control of the ice daggers that had cut the beast’s wings, sending the now bloody shards of ice after the beast’s mouth. His next plan was to have the ice daggers strike right as the wyvern snapped its jaws. He’d use the ice to pierce the wyvern’s mouth to keep it from ever opening again. Once he had the mouth closed, he’d freeze what remained of the creature’s frothy slobber to further freeze its mouth closed. Then control the bloodied frozen saliva to force the wyvern to slam its head hard against the ground. Kenia was still atop the creature’s head but he had little doubt she’d be able to move in time, the elf was quick. Bowyn had no plans to show any mercy, the thought of mercy or giving it a kinder death did not even occur. He’d seen enough of what these creatures were capable of, and he wouldn’t watch it happen again. Wyverns, dark elves, and Aklenroth were all creatures that had taken things from him, creatures of destruction, and they weren’t worthy of mercy.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: River Port-Surfside Cafe
Interactions: Lucia@Potter, Vaeril@Alivefalling, Nur@dreamingflowers, Darius@Funnyguy

Leon nodded at Vaeril but couldn’t help but still feel weird about his offer to buy them whatever they wanted to pick out. There was the somewhat obvious and sinister explanation that he wanted something in return for his generosity, something he wasn’t willing to be upfront about. Then there was the way he seemed very quiet, reserved, and almost awkward, especially in comparison to Lucia’s very extroverted nature. It reminded Leon of the way he had been as a kid, always insisting on extravagant birthday parties to ensure people would actually show up. The way that, back when he was on Earth, he always took care of the bar tab or dinner bill, because he always suspected that without money, without having something to offer, other people wouldn’t stick around. He couldn’t help but wonder about the elf’s motives, whether they were just lonely or actually sinister as he looked around at the merchandise Gadgets and Convinces had to offer.

There was the stuff that immediately drew his attention, winged shoes that promised an increase in speed, or an extra boost to a jump. Then there were rows of hoverboards, newer and nicer than the old beat up one he’d gotten a little over a week ago, but his worked just fine, he’d fixed the thing up himself. It meant more that way, when you took something old and broken, something labeled as junk, and fixed it up yourself. There was a strange-looking tricycle that would be fun to study but certainly wasn’t something he needed, and the same could be said for the location senders and transmitters. They were things that would be fun to study, to take apart and figure out how they worked, how they could be improved upon, but not anything he needed. He did grab a light maker, a pair of sunglasses, and a memory glass mirror. If he did ever go back to Earth, it would be nice to have memories of Avalia, though he wasn’t sure it would survive a trip through the portal the same way the tech he’d come with had been fried by the journey here. He made sure what he grabbed wasn’t too much.

Lucia was clearly greatly enjoying the shopping trip, grabbing all sorts of strange things. A lot of it looked like camping equipment, and it occurred to him that the rebellion would probably not only take place in cities and well-stocked towns like the port they were at now. Leon had never been camping, he wasn’t even sure what all one would need to bring with them to survive in a forest. The closest he’d ever been to the wilderness was an area of town where all the buildings were mostly abandoned or bordered up. He’d have to add wilderness survival to the long list of skills he was going to have to learn in Avalia. He watched what Lucia grabbed, also grabbing a travel shelter, blanket, backpack, and water purifier.

“As someone usually in your general vicinity, I would definitely prefer you not shooting things blind. This shop’s pretty cool, lots of random stuff here. Hey did you see the shopkeeper? Looks like an extra from Cat’s...” Leon said with a grin. He realized they probably didn’t have that weird nightmare of a show here in Avalia.

“Uh nevermind, but hey look what I found.” He said showing the small handheld mirror that could capture pictures. It was much cooler than a camera.

Leon grinned at Lucia’s excitement over the darksight glasses, and he decided at that moment he rather liked Vaeril for making his friend so happy. He held the memory glass he’d picked up and he took a quick snap of Lucia as she grabbed the darksight glasses, before grabbing a pair of the glasses as well. He relaxed more, maybe Vaeril really just wanted to make some friends. He headed back over to where they’d left the elf and with a grin went to place the sunglasses on the rather quiet elf.

“Hey buddy, I think these really fit your look. Way cool. You know, I don’t really need much here, but maybe after we’re done shopping I can get us a round of drinks. My treat, as a thank you.” Leon offered, sure a drink was a lot cheaper than everything Vaeril was about to pay for, but he’d feel a lot better if he could return the gesture in a small way.

“I grabbed a few things, you sure you’re okay with this?” He asked as he showed Vaeril the backpack and the stuff he’d packed into it. It would come to about 260 amas, and other than the memory glass none of the stuff was anything he was too attached to owning. Then he spotted Lucia loudly reminding the couple they’d seen at the beach to grab birth prevention. He laughed and shook his head.

“Honestly Lucy, no more fruit for you, even the slightest amount of sugar and it’s all bets off.” He teased from across the store.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forests, now closer to River Port than Roshmi
Interactions: Cora @Potter, Elsea @Tae, Ezeri @Alivefalling

“I had never heard of devil’s before but just because we have yet to encounter something does not mean it cannot exist.” Cade said to Ezeri with a smile. She seemed more open-minded than her companion, Mel.

“And I never thought it was possible to encounter a creature more foul-mouthed and tempered than an orc and yet…” Cade simply glanced at the imp and chuckled. It was quite humorous to see the little creature attempt to act threateningly, reminding him of something akin to an angry raccoon.

He did not listen to the warning against trusting demons, though he and Sakura disagreed on a great many things, she was a true friend. Just as he believed Ayita to be, and just as he was beginning to accept Cora, Elsea, and even Ezeri to be friends he could trust. In all of them, Cade saw good hearts and strong spirits, and those were the most important qualities one could possess, that was all he needed to see in someone before he counted them as a friend.

"We can surely make up for a single missed lunch once we arrive there. Once we find our companions we should celebrate with a great feast and much ale. Who should we be on the lookout for?” Cade asked of Elsea and Cora.

"Ezeri, what is it that brings you to Avalia? Is it anything we can help you with?” He added, realizing he didn’t know why the devil had come to their plane.