LittleFae

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

Having watched over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye, Autumn took note that Serena did indeed start heading for the tower in the center of town. Nodding her head, her attention turned forward again. A raven's cloak, a Parasol, black armor, and a golem. Surely these wouldn't be too hard to pick out. It wasn't raining, nor had it for a few days apart from the spells the mages cast over the fields that surrounded the town. She wondered for a moment if the clear weather was also an instrument of this town's blatant over-use of magics.

Shaking her head to clear it, she tried to focus. She had to keep her eyes sharp. She doubted that she'd find her query in the crowds around town if they were on the run. But she scanned them none-the-less just to be sure. Her attention was actually focused on the alleyways, and through the doors and windows of inns and taverns, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the outstanding features the almost-assuredly Foji woman had mentioned.

She was sure to keep in mind as well that her former employer would likely be arriving and to keep an eye out for that wooden boy that kept following the guards around. Though as she thought about this she had just walked into one of the town's market sectors when a commotion shook the streets. Gasping and wondering if her former target had finally made his move while she was distracted, she rushed toward the scene of the calamity.

Finding the road had been torn up in a large arc that slammed into a storefront, Autumn rushed forward and squeezed her way around the crowds to perch herself on top of a crate next to one of the street-stalls selling goods. With the higher vantage point she scanned the crowds and the damage. She wasn't well versed enough to know what kind of spell was used, but it was clearly the work of magic. No mundane force could have churned up so much ground without leaving a mark, much less the object itself being present.

Her eyes scanned furiously. There was no wooden boy... no golem, big or small... no man in black armor... She started to relax and push the thoughts from her mind when she glanced up across the crowd and into the alleyway. Was that a parasol?! Her eyes widened as she locked onto the figure for a moment. Sure enough a man with long blonde hair alongside a woman wearing a beaked hood. They were retreating. was this their doing? Leaping down off of the box, Autumn started to worm her way through the crowds. She had to get to the other side before the figures disappeared or she'd likely lose the trail. Cities were hard places to track people. They didn't leave footprints and there were plenty of distractions.

As Autumn pushed through the crowd, she crossed directly between the approach of a very stern looking woman complete with guard. On her other side appeared to be a man standing in the middle of the road alongside a woman who looked rather surprised. A third figure was retreating. She blinked a few times and tried to quicken her pace and move out of the way. She'd rather not get tangled up in what was going on since she'd caught a sign of her mark. She supposed running through the scene made her look rather suspicious as it was, so she dared not use her abilities here to get out of the way. She tried to look up and peer past the group at the alleyway but there were too many people in the way. Damn her height. Pushing onward, she hoped to skirt through without being stopped. She rushed toward the far side of the crowd so that she might spot the figures in the alley again.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

Considerably more relaxed now that they were talking shop, Autumn seemed to be focused on listening and not much else. She had her eyes half-lidded as she tried to remember all the details, frowning slightly as she tried to keep it all straight. She almost wished she had a quill and parchment. this was much more in depth than her previous employer's instruction. The thought reminded her to keep an eye out for him as well, as the missing seed was likely to draw his attention.

Repeating the descriptions in her mind, she frowned in thought. A dark, thin metal golem that uses magic, as if it being a golem wasn't bad enough... A rather nondescript hunter who's only real defining features were the long blonde hair and the parasol... A VERY conspicuous woman in a raven-down dress, complete with beak... and finally a stranger with bulky black armor. Black was not a commonly used stain, especially in these parts so it wouldn't be too difficult to spot. Truly the four of them sounded like the beginnings of a gypsy circus/freak show act. Any one of them might stand out on their own, but as a group? Surely there was something quite odd that they wouldn't already have been found. Then again, she did use the word Fugitives. She supposed laying low would be her modus operandi if she was being hunted. Thankfully she wasn't.

As the rather tall woman suddenly remembered to give her name, and a location where she could be reached, the little red-head blinked back up at Serena. Nodding her head as she was told to ask for her rather than attempt entry to the tower, she smiled beneath her mask. That suited her just fine. The further she got to say from all of the blatant, fragrant use of magic the better. The tower definitely seemed to be the epicenter of it all and she was pleased to be able to avoid it.

"Very well, Ms. Hazetaka. I'm Autumn." she responded, intentionally leaving her last name unspoken. "Though if you prefer, I also go by the moniker of 'Little One' where such aliases are required." she shrugs. She supposed it wouldn't mean much to the woman apart from her obvious stature, but it was a name she was rather fond of. "If there is nothing else, I'll be off. I'll return to the tower as soon as I find any of these curious figures and they seem like they're likely to remain stationary." she nods, turning to head back into the city with her pack slung back onto her shoulders over her cloak. She set about starting to scan the crowds with her eyes the moment she was out of earshot from Serena, hoping that the fugitives hadn't made themselves scarce.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

Autumn listened to Serena's explanation of the task she was set upon. She herself was neither pro nor anti Choir. She'd had her run ins and dealings in the past bot with and... in avoidance of Choir members. At the mention of fugitives in black she tapped her lip in thought. "Seems everyone is looking for someone around here." she commented idly in a subtle hint as to what she was doing prior.

She frowned again but not at Serena specifically. "I'll keep an eye out, as I really do need the coin... Though could you give me a little more to go off of? Four travelers dressed darkly could be quite common. The Golem is really the only defining feature." she mused, "Is it similar to the suits of armor that patrol here?" she queried with a tilt of her head.

Then she blinked a few times. A Golem. Was the little wooden boy she'd been tracking this whole time a golem? "Wait. This... Golem didn't happen to be small and wooden, did he?" she asked carefully. She was treading dangerous waters now, skirting the line between two jobs that might end up opposing one another if it turned out to be the case.

She wracked her brains trying to think if she saw the little wooden boy with any darkly dressed figures during the week she'd been tracking him. She couldn't recall seeing him do much of anything except tail the guards around as if stalking them. Then her mind returned to her previous employer. He'd be showing up within a day or so if he was true to his word. She gave a long glance out toward the fields surrounding the town for a moment before nodding her head and looking back at Serena.

"If I do find something that matches your description... how will I find you? Do you have a way to contact you? Or a place you'll be staying that I'm likely to find you?" she asked, letting her posture relax fully and let go of her weapon as her arms draped down at her sides again, her weight shifting all onto one leg as she legitimately popped it out to one side to rest her hand on it, rather than faking it to grab hold of a dagger.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

The confirmation of her own suspicions brought a crease to Autumn's brow. She was being scrutinized. Questioned. She shifted her posture to stand on her right leg, her left arm folding under her cloak to make it appear that her hand was resting on her hip. In truth, hidden underneath that cloak, her hand had turned the handle of one of her daggers down towards the ground. Her fingers had wrapped around the handle and she was ready to draw at a moment's notice. Her breathing was slow as she tried to look relaxed outwardly even in the face of Serena's imposingly tall figure and partially threatening posture.

The question hung on the air in silence as Autumn realized how it must look. She was of course, under oath not to speak of her task, something she intended to keep her word on. Her mind worked to find a diplomatic solution to the problem presented in front of her. After a few moments of crushing silence she spoke back up softly, "I can't tell you specifically what I was tasked with. It's one of the things my employer was very explicit on. That said, I can tell you that it does not endanger anyone. And indeed is meant to prevent harm from coming to anyone." she says with a soft tone.

She waited with breath abated to see how Serena would react. When the woman offered employment, Autumn blinked in surprise. Her posture changed entirely and while she did not remove her hand from her weapon, she stood more upright and relaxed, only her legs still held tense in case she had to move suddenly. "A job? Well... I do need to find new work, assuming that my previous employer's task is considered complete." she mused aloud. "I'm not concerned about tasks being dangerous. I've made my living as a sell-sword when such work can be found." she mused, "I haven't found such a job here in this town, but I'm sure my uses as a scout could be put to work should that be amenable to the task you've set before me." It was odd. Her voice was so heavily accented, but yet she spoke as if she was fluent in the language. She'd clearly been giving training in Abbalic at some point in her life.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

Autumn sighed and put her fingers to her brow. Today was slowly getting worse by the second. First she was nearly run over, then she dropped the stranger's acorn, and in her attempt to get out of the way, someone had seen her using her shadow step ability. She reached up with both hands and rubbed her face slowly, groaning before looking back up at Serena. She simply stood there staring at the woman for a few moments, trying to see how she'd react.

At first, as Serena tried to help generalize where she thought she'd dropped the acorn, Autumn started to relax. She picked her pack back up and slung it over her back again, staring to walk around and scan the ground with her eyes. Sadly, it ended up being futile and after a few rounds she sighed and gave up. "It... was a... way to contact my employer." she answered the question about what it was. "Sadly I don't know how else to find him. Not that I'm being paid enough to keep doing what I was tasked to do." she shrugs.

As Serena's expression turned sour, Autumn frowned back at that icy glare. She paused in her stance as she started to look the woman up and down. It wasn't a friendly look. One that almost had Autumn's brain telling her to take up a defensive posture. She watched Serena's next moves very carefully, her mouth tensing to a thin flat line beneath her mask. As silence set in, she could feel a breeze roll across the space between them, holding her breath for a moment before she spoke, "Is... something wrong..?" she asked faintly, her accent a bit clearer than usual as she focused on speaking.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

As the dust swirled around in the wake of the runaway cart, Autumn ceased her shouting as the man ran past her after his belongings. The cart came to a stop a short way down the road and the man managed to catch up with it out of earshot. With his footsteps long since past her, Autumn sighed and looked around. She hoped that not too many eyes had witnessed her ability, though in a town filled with magic, she hoped people would pass it off as some kind of spell, even if that wasn't the truth.
Sighing in relief that she was intact and hadn't partially embedded herself in the fence post, Autumn turned and blinked as the woman from before rounded the corner of the gatehouse and approached her. As she was informed that she'd dropped something, she glanced down, checking herself over. she turned and dumped her pack on the ground. Her waterskin still seemed to be attached to her bag. As were the various bits of camping gear. She opened the lid and rummaged around for a moment. Everything seemed to be in place. Gasping she stood up and reached down, checking her weapons. They were all still in their sheathes, although one of blue crystalline short swords was partially exposed causing a glint of blue to shimmer up into her eyes; a mistake she quickly corrected with a shove to seal it back in it's scabbard. Best not to show them off unless she really needed to.
Confused, the woman shifted to checking her pouches one by one. Her smaller coin purse was still there. Her rations and smaller flask was still present. She went along her rather ample hips checking each and every pouch until- Her hand passed over the open flap. She wracked her brains trying to remember what was in that particular pouch. Then she gasped for the second time. Quickly spinning in place she started looking all around, lifting her bag from the spot where she'd set it down and even grasping the fence to peer over the other side in the grass. "Oh no... oh no no no no no, where did it go?!" she cried, looking frantic. She had no idea that she'd trampled and buried the seed from earlier in the mud, and with all the foot-traffic at the main gate, there was no telling where it might be sunk into the mud.
Cursing again, this time in abbalic, she kicked the fencepost in frustration and then sighed, "Great. Now what am I going to tell him...?" she asked rather rhetorically. She'd nearly forgotten that Serena was standing nearby. When she turned and saw the tall possibly Foji figure standing there, she blinked a few times. "H-hey wait, you. D-did you see where it went when I dropped it?" she asked hopefully. Though- she doubted it. between the smoke and dust that the cart kicked up and the flurry of movement, it would be a miracle if she did. She didn't hold her breath. At least- not at first.
The realization suddenly hit her that if she saw her drop something- she saw her shadowstep. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Serena over the black mask that covered her lower face. "W-wait. What all did you see..?" she asked, somewhat nervously. It was almost as if she didn't want anyone knowing what she was capable of. Like she had some reason to hide it like a closely guarded secret. She stood upright again, her cloak flowing down around her body mostly except for the raised hand halfway between the two of them with a tense but nonthreatening posture, palm down and fingers outstretched. She swallowed hard and waited to see what happened next. Six years in these strange lands and she still couldn't be sure of what to expect from anyone so far away from home.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

A Tiresome Task

Autumn Bladerunner - Twilight Tower

Having set out in search of the wooden boy, Autumn scoured the city for a full day and night before finding her mark the following morning. Assuming that he'd spent the night somewhere out of sight, she tailed from the shadows. She was careful not to take her eyes off of him, slinking along and keeping herself tucked under her hood and mask to remain unassuming. Her small size was a benefit, as she did not stand out quite as much as larger folk tend to.

She followed Jumper not knowing his name, his intentions, or what to expect, but as she tailed him day after day, she noticed that he seemed to be tailing something himself. The thought amused her as she spent day after day in a train, following a long distance behind Jumper as he followed after the living mage patrols that made their rounds in the town's busy streets.

Days stretched out into a week, and again into two. Still, Autumn saved her coin and spread it out as much as she could, only spending for meals twice a day, and sleeping out in the cold where she could find a safe spot to settle down. The wooden boy's predictable patterns of following the guard made it easy to find him again when she woke. Still as the end of the second week rolled around she began to grow tired of following an unremarkable target. It started to become hard to believe that he was really a font of latent magical energy waiting to explode. On the night of the 2nd fortnight from when she'd started, Autumn slipped into the very inn that she'd stayed in previously and ordered a room. She only had a few of her coins left from her payment, and with a sigh she decided that in the morning she'd set out to find her employer.

When she awoke, she headed down, skipping breakfast entirely as she slipped out of the door of the inn with a wave to the innkeeper. She was done up for travel, to be sure. Armor and weapons strapped to her figure under a traveler's cloak and silk mask. A light pack strapped to her back as well.

Slipping through the doors Autumn was about to turn when a voice called out to her "Oi" the person exclaimed at her. Turning and blinking as she was asked about the food within the inn, Autumn paused and looked the figure up and down. There was something about her. The way she was dressed in silks that looked very much like kimono of her homeland... and her eyes. Was she Foji? She certainly didn't sound like it.

Stunned for a moment, Autumn called out from under her mask in return as she realized the very tall woman was expecting a response. "U-uh. Y-yes, actually. The prices are a bit high, but the food is hot and well made and the service is quite fast." she replied. her voice would give her away. Her heavy accent. She herself was definitely of Foji descent, at least... partially. She very clearly spent a portion of her life there at the very least.

Autumn waited to see if the woman had any further questions, then turned and slowly walked toward the front gates of the town. She was distracted. Why would there be a woman from Foji here? Of all places. In some ways she looked exactly like the women from her childhood home, and in other ways she looked nothing like them. She was so tall, and her voice was so harsh. She had nearly forgotten that her objective for the day was to hunt down her employer and see what he wanted her to do. She certainly couldn't keep tailing the wooden boy any longer without more coin. She'd starve.

As she passed through the gates, lost in thought she was rudely interrupted as a cacophony of clattering hooves and rattling wood rushed toward her. Shouts to get out of the way as a man chasing after a runaway wagon barreled toward her. Turning around slowly, Autumn's eyes widened as she saw the beasts of burden charging right for her in the threshold of the main gate. She didn't have time to think, she simply reacted. A flash of darkness exploded like ribbons of shadow all around her, enveloping her body and whisking her away from the danger. She didn't have time to watch where she was going as she dashed through the shadows at break-neck speed, slamming into the fence along the road just outside of the city of Twilight Tower.

The impact rustled her pack and the pouches on her belt, the flap of one in particular popping open as the seed she'd been given to call the short man in rags fell from her pocket and into the mud at her feet. Not knowing that it had done so, she turned and stepped directly on the sturdy tree seed, burying it deep into the soil beneath her feet. Planting it. She stood atop the planted seed, not aware of what she'd done as she turned and started cursing in Foji at the cart driver as he ran through the gates after the runaway cart.

She didn't even pause long enough to realize that anyone who was watching her would have seen her 'teleport' from in the way of the wagon to the side of the road in an explosion of shadowy ribbons that faded quickly in the morning sunlight.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

@bobert778
Technically she's run into Serena outside of the bar, but we could fudge things and say that that happened a week later and that she'd been staying at the inn that entire time. Since there wasn't contingency set up for if nothing happened with her target, we can assume that she'd just be waiting for the strange little man to reappear and state that he no longer needed her to watch Jumper, since nothing happened.

If you're sure that's the route we want to take let me know and I can cook up a post. I'll check back when things are a little less crazy to see what we're going to do.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

@bobert778, I hadn't put any thought into it yet, no. I was going to wait and see what happened. Figured I'd decide on what to do with you all if and when it came down to Jumper not coming back.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my mind about it- since Aut isn't really the type to give up on a job, particularly when she's been paid up front, so there'd need to be some sort of reason for her to stop. I could always write up a post detailing how she tailed him for a few days and saw nothing of concern... since that doesn't really force an interaction with a character that isn't here and gives me good cause for her to move on. But- then we'd have to burn a few days of RP to make that work and from what it seems like, that means a very long time IRL.

I'll try and put some thought into it, but if you all have any ideas I'm open to hearing about them.

The Obivec Isles: Battle for Abbaden [Lore Rich, Lots to Explore]

@bobert778

It's been crossing my mind with increasing frequency over the past few weeks as I've checked in for posts. Though without another visit from our mysterious benefactor, I don't know why my character give up on her hunt, so we'll need a way to write that out of the story if we do intend to switch gears.