Lumiere

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

"Y'huudle go well?" Kaath flatly asked as the crew made their way back into the chamber. Using a well worn oil-stained cloth to wipe and polish the last half-meter of blade that had been shoved into the stone, previously. The glowing rich ambers of her eyes vaguely darted between them, watching for sudden movements, but relenting with a satisfied huff once they seemed to be left more or less alone in favor of briefly resting once more. The weight of the dim region of their eyes watched Violet as they approached Kite, Kaath's hand stopping in the motions as they observed; a faint scowl on their expression that turned back to indifference as they went back to their work on the old yet beautiful blade. In the firelight, veins of blue and green lept and licked along it in mirrored distortions. Clean as it was, Kaath continued to 'play casual' and quietly observe while addressing the rest of the massive sword.

The words from Violet's lips.
The hand through their plumed fluff.
With the words of expectation, Kite's head tilted away from Violet's hand with a small "mrph..."

Kaath stopped, her expression showing no element of relief as the narrow, ever-skeptical eyes peering over the edge of the scarf to look between Violet and the rest. The sigh of relief that came from them sounded more like an annoyed scowl before their alien forked tongue hissed, "Sssee? Not'n ever been a difficult bout, fffehk..." before chuckling gently in a more human tone, assumed to be genuine.
Kite groaned and rolled over, thinking themselves on the floor and trying to stand up on the respective platform. Kaath's tone endeavored to be reassuring, though they still curiously watched as Kite stood and coughed, a sound that resonated from...behind their mask.
Drawing in air, the mask hissed and whistled between its grooves. The struggle caused a wheezing sound from the figure who huffed and went to sit, hooking the heel of one of their boots to lower themselves to sit on the edge of the platform.

"Did...that one...always make such noises?" Kaath asked as Kite hooked their fingers under the mask and began to pull, the ripping of fabric audible with every inch they worked.

Looking back, no, I would have been within my right to cut this abnormality out...and nobody would have been able to stop me. It was wrong. Something about this was wrong, but it...felt familiar...I wasn't sure I was curious.

Hissing inhales, whistling from the closed mask and the peeling edges, the black of the fluff around the edges swiftly faded to white as if pulling the mask off drew all the color out of the figure. Seemingly in an even more literal sense, the obfuscation that made up the interior was still clung to the mask like a layer of latex, connecting the bristling white fluff of the face that desperately gasped before throwing the mask to the floor. Clattering like wood, the mask jostled and noisily flipped, the empty, featureless interior invisibly feeling for its place before coming to a rest the way a bowl would wobble around to a still.

Kite, their details apparent, their eyes darting between everyone, hyperventilating for a moment before holding a breath and letting it out, slowly. "Hmemph..phahmph...fefm fefa feffhamf..." they...said?

"N..." Kaath started, looking to Walker. "N-naawhh...ah? Neh..." They began, hefting the massive sword and taking a few purposeful steps towards Kite who looked up at the sight, unmoving.

:ὁ Animalia [OPEN!]

Jeez, I hope theres room for one more.

To the Depths (Underwater sci-fi adventure)

Totally understand. Take it easy.

To the Depths (Underwater sci-fi adventure)

Definitely interested!

I have a few ideas for a character to float you, later (work), but I doubt there should be any serious issues.
>x<

<3 the idea of Subnautica elements, though I've never actually played the games.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

Kaath had grown quiet as the group mingled, their eyes never seeming to settle on anything for very long, though they found an interest in the handling of the man's wound. It was something Violet has said that gave the woman pause, their gaze slowly turning to the inert, masked figure.
Worryingly, she offered little comment to the proposal to form a 'huddle' down the hall leading to their stairs. Merely an idle wave of a hand and a "Ah, yeh. Don' ya wander too far off..." with a distracted warmth in their tone, clearly preoccupied with the information they were given.

She blinked, almost jumping as Ruby approached her, their pupils sharpening with the minor shock of being snapped out of their thoughs.
While 'misconceptions' and 'misunderstandings' came with the territory, they were still tender scars best left unprobed...apologies, though, were an oddity, earning an almost confused furrowing of Kaath's brows and the tilt of their head before she picked up on the distress that the burden of their introductions must have left on Ruby with her behavior. "Iss..." Kaath began, her softer tone coming out as more of a hiss, watching the other two walk off to form the huddle presumably out of earshot. "...Iss...an easy mistake to forgive, Sssstardust~" they reassuringly cooed as Ruby turned and scurried off.

Looking back to the main chamber, Kaath could be seen rising to her feet soon after the others left and pacing over to where Kite laid. Resting their hands on either side of his head, they looked down at him, the fabric of her scarf moving as if she was saying something. After a bit, a tiny popping was heard and the woman had to pull one of her hands free of the stone; long black claws having sunk into the slab.
Resting their hands on their hips, they turned and took a few small pacing steps before looking over to the group, meeting Violet's glance and staring a bit after before looking back to Kite and leaning in once more to say something before waiting, hanging their head and grabbing the beak of the mask to give their limp head a light shake before leaving them to rest as she made her way back to the stump and sitting back down...staring into the fire.

The Rookery and The Ruse

"Two..." I challenged, admiring the fire and how it made dark of a fuel that produced such light. The monochrome filters meshed with the warm glow as I observed how the fragments of wood disintegrated into another swift gout of flame. This brought me peace; let me count the seconds as the humans might. My thoughts were troubled, though...and I was trying my best to reason why details would make me think these thoughts.
Two made no sense. One Kite comes, gets the goofballs, and leaves before...Keepakura...

I was already pacing to the slab before the dots began to connect and it took restraint not to slam my hands down on the stone as I peered into the darkness of the Kite's Mask. I lowered my head to better catch the questionable entity's scent...it was...a Kite. Not an imposter; the stink of Velkets is impossible to mask so perfectly.

The woman is confused. There was only one...there would not be two...it is not how the rules work.
"(What did you do...?)" I hiss, looking into the nebulous pools of the mask's eye holes. Drawn in, I narrowed my eyes to endeavor to pierce the shadows of their veil, seeing only wood grains...deep...deep beneath.
What would it even mean? They...killed...a Kite? Because there was more than one? Are they fighting now? Is it even safe to bring this one back...

Should...should I...

I catch the eyes of the gypsy. They look away, continuing to talk, but I consider my options.
Three humans, one wounded...the tenacious one...two women, a porter and the unstable gypsy. Ten...twelve paces, the one on the left, then-

No! No, it's not like it was, before. These steps matter now more than ever...and...

I sigh and hang my head. "(If this is japery...you had best elucidate your aim)" I threaten the...corpse...though my arms shake as if eager to meet a match...but...I'm not one for mysteries. Leaning back, I jerk from my claws having sunk in while in the throes of thought. Drawing my hands free, I rest them on my hips and pace, unsure what to do.
We have the string...for one Kite...whichever it was, this is what we have to work with.

There was no 'usual method'...this isn't even my story...I...
I take hold of the beak of the mask.
I...give him a playful shake, a smirk forming on my un-face before turning to return to my post.

I sit down on the stump and watch one of the fish blacken with a layer of char from being ignored, and I leave it for countless seconds before toeing it over into the coals to watch the flesh be consumed. It didn't help...I deserve answers. I've wanted answers and now here they are, but they're not for my questions.

They expect me to guide them, but they've delivered me a map I've never before seen.
How...or should I even? Should I tell them? Is the status quo to leave this Kite? Which one is this, even? Does it matter?

Kaath sighed and used the now free, but burning, skewer stick to draw a series of lines on the cobblestone...tallies and arrows as they tried to plot out their quandary.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

With a wave of their hand as they held up their scarf to more obscurely chew, Kaath dismissed Violet's apology. After the light cracking of both a stick snapping and a hauntingly similar click of teeth gnashing as they made light work of the fist, she spoke up, "Ye get a pass, Purple, the oil 'as a way'a messin' with mental faculties."
They then snapped their fingers excitedly at Walker's observation, "That! That is a very good question!" they almost chuckled before briefly choking and coughing for a second on what they'd hastily swallowed. Thankfully, this bought time for both them to think as well as for Ruby to go about better addressing Walker's wound with an otherwise overseen care. While confidence and fortitude could get his sort so far...stopping them was a task that was better seen to be forced, rather than letting themselves wear down. Kaath took an extra moment to recompose themselves while watching Ruby tend to, what was understandably, a complete stranger, with notable care.

The sight refreshed Kaath a slight note as to further calm the glow of their, having returned to a pale amber hue, eyes. "Yeh..." they started before Violet insisted to oppose experience, their story drawing an interest reflected by Kaath's raised brows. Quietly, she looked around to the others before the ambiguous luminescence of their eyes impressed a curious attention back to Violet. "I suppose I got two questions," they chirped, their tone lighter as if content with their previous question in the process of being answered. "Who...was wit'cha at tha time?" they asked, lowering the other half of their fish before her tone grew a bit more inquisitive, addressed to the others, "An' y'didn' lose anyone, did ya?"
Their curiosity began to peek through their composure as their attention returned to Violet. "What did you do? How did it die?" they bluntly asked before clearing their throat, realizing they must have been coming on a bit thick.

"Pardon..." They sigh, holding up their hands with fingers splayed, save for the pinch of the stick they held their meal up on, looking like a shark had mangled the other end of it. "Yeh...where oi was..." they began, tipping their head to Walker, "...some few dozen 'ave come through my shrine." She chuckled, forced and human-ish before continuing, "Elves, orcs, beastmen...even had some kinda golem come through 'ere once," their tone reminiscing fondly before sighing to a hiss as the hue of their eyes darkened, "...and sometimes shite loik goblins'n ogres."
They pointed over to the inert 'Kite', "Troi nah ta take offence, but whatevahs' sendin' Kites...its seemin' desperate" they darkly and mirthlessly chuckled, "So findin' a gig of a bunch of humans doesn't surprise me, much."

With a huff, she leaned forward to idly fish through the embers, again. "Dunno what the oil is...I just call it 'nightmare oil' for what it does to at least a couple newcomers at a time. Having just one case is...luck. Rumors suppose it's an ichor ol'Keeps dredges up from a bottomless cauldron of hungry souls, living in starvation for countless eternities every...breathing...moment." while making a jerking-off motion with a hand and shaking a head, she relayed the apparently abridged version, "Some kinda grudge against the sea, itself, but every single drop seeks to burn their throat."
"But, yeah..." they try to change the subject, looking back to walker, "Kites have their...'string'...that they link to one of their first that they release, from what I'm told. Never had one of the mcguffins, myself...probably why I'm here" they explain, grumbling the last part. "Goblins, trolls and orcs may be strong and too dumb to be scared, but they're hardly a...well...effort. Most just eat their Kites once they get this far and then roam around in the woods, preying on whatever else bled through and made The Bruise its home."
"Not sure how many shrines there are...some of the 'heroes' decide not ta feed themselves to the thresher an just...well..." Kaath concluded, splaying their arms out once more to the room which one steep staircase exited from. "Welcome ta The Bruise...guessing I'll be ya guide, Kaath!" she more formally announced with a chuckle, afterwards.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

Kaath let walker explain the situation, as she figured the logic would probably be best if it came from someone they already knew than the 'monster' the girl saw Kaath as. "I'happens, lass..." Kaath commented to Violet's apology, gesturing from the crater in the wall to the smashed stone alter. "Oi'm not'a stone mason, tha'...so, thanks feh smashin' mah place up," she grumbled, reaching into the fire to sweep the coals closer together, seemingly enamored with the neatness of the bed while openly flaunting her indifference towards fire.
Whatever Kaath was, were it not for their opposition to the wording, she was clearly monstrous in her own right. However, the assumptions and comparisons between herself and Keepa only sat with the beast long enough for them to perceivably...take offence.

The ambers of Kaath's eyes began to burn a deep crimson as the chittering sound from before rose once more, but with less pace and more of a cacophony of hissed psuedo-syllables. Their 'hair' riffled and flowed like grain in a breeze, losing its rigid nature from before as agitation poured from their demeanor. "Keepa..." She softly began, her voice shaky with barely clung to composure, "...sounds like..." her tone lowered with the hint of a snarl, the comparison having struck a dire nerve, though not an entirely unexpected one as she closed her eyes and deeply sighed a few breaths. "...Me." and it was at that point that a creaking rose from where her hand still rested in the flames as their fingertips had apparently horrifyingly lengthened into vicious ink-black claws.
Steam rose from their arm, the claws reverting as she idly shook her hand out and leaned back, opening her eyes once more while slowly letting out the last breath...the warm amber glow having returned.

"Pardon...the creature you know as 'Keepa'...and I...are...at odds," Kaath carefully spoke, suppressed emotion teasing the fringes of their tone as if even saying the name she spat with the inflection was enough to ruin her day. "It...pleases me...to know...that he keeps stealing my lines..." they facetiously remarked with a sound much more akin to a typical 'chuckle, forced as it was'. It wasn't hard to note that everything from the way they spoke, down to their body language was tense and concise with mere threads serving to hold back more telling emotions than simply being 'at odds' with Keepa.

One of their eyes rolled over to stare at Ruby as they tossed the language back at Kaath. "Pleasure meet'n ya, Stardust...but the next of you godless gits ta misplace yer manners'll get ya tongue torn from ya fekkin skull..." cordially, in her own way, Kaath spoke plainly, though having lost patience at this point with the women. She appreciated walker for at least pretending there wasn't anything...wrong...with her. The eye turned to Kite for a moment before rejoining the other in staring into the fire. "Secrets...yeh I got a few intra'dut'ry notes since none'ya'll share who holds tha string," Kaath chirped, eyes narrowing, "Ya friends...dead...? Dunno, prolly burnt 'imself 'a mana bringin' you fine folks ta my shrine." Her tone was deadpan matter-of-fact, splaying their arms wide in a 'behold' fashion to grandly gesture to the chamber. "Yeh, evreh now'n'then Kites leak through, bringin' oll mannah a godless malcontents ta knock mah place over'n call me oll otha manneh'a fekkery..." She went on, briefly tilting her head and cocking a brow while clicking their tonge, "Tch...par fer tha course..."

As she made to lean back to better relax on the log with her back to the wall, she picked up one of the fish skewers and gestured to the others with it. "Dunno why they keep comin'ere. Oi'd rather they'd leave me tha fek alone..." She sighed, inspecting the skewer and picking at it with a finger to make sure the meat was flaking. "But! Tha Scab loves yer sort. Pays me well enough. Got they'own little 'buddy club' of the you-sorts tha...Keepa...don' get ta, first...or tha whosa-whatsits through tha forest between 'ere and there" Kaath went on, cringing just from saying Keepa's name.
She settled on using one hand to pull their scarf forward enough to dip a bit of the fish into the obfuscation it provided, head first. With a snap and crunch, they withdrew the headless fish, even the stick having been bitten off. "Pardon once more...don't 'ave tha most appetizin' a'mugs. Wouldn't wanna upset ye'human sensitivities~" Kaath chuckled before adding, "An nawh, I dunno the kinda fish. Tha stuff comes in from everywhere..."
Swallowing after a few muffled, messy-sounding crunches, she remarked, " 'Ell, these ones aren't even poisonous" before forcing yet another chuckle, not entirely having settled themselves, though trying to give the impression as though they had...likely to avoid intimidating the party any more than they may have, already.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

The monster...this 'demon harpy' quietly looked between the two as they raised a ruckus before slowly turning their head back to Walker, raising an eyebrow. "Out...?" She asked, less that she had not understood him, but that she found some humor in the request, "Woil thay have their bit, I'll speak frankleh, Walkhah." Leaning in, they clutched the haft of their sword to simply push the blade into the floor, freeing up their other hand to go about brushing coals back together. "Ye'look loik shite...an y'thinkin'a...wot? Runnin off loik a big damn 'ero? Where? Een'if I told ya, wouldn'do a lick'a good" She chuckled, patting her hands off and leaning back on the log to look over the two women.

All the while, Kite had remained laying limp on their own table, what heat they radiated being from the fire, though otherwise cool to the touch in spite of their pulse. By all rights, they seemed dead, though kept alive by some anomalous means.

Walker was certainly onto something, though. Their newest company seemed fairly casual about the current situation, much to think that this was hardly their first time, though something Violet said had cut their mirth off, short.
Eyes narrowing, they looked back to Walker and sighed, "Pleasure meet'n ye, Walkah. Moi names'a bit difficult fuh humans ta pronounce...Kaath will do...yeh," Kaath awkwardly admitted, running a hand through what could easily be mistaken as hair. "Y'loud friends'a takin' an illness t'moi appearance, so I assume y'not frem tha same lands," Kaath continued with a chuckle, coldly jerking a thumb to Violet before letting out a chittering sound of a few discordant tones at a pace akin to a laugh. "Nah...ah'd normalleh take offence ta such objectifyin' terms..." the hue of Kaath's eyes growing deeper as the left eye seemed to move on its own accord to glare at Violet before snapping back to Walker, "...buh Keepa's 'Nightmare Oil' 'as'a way'a...tiltin' a moind ta see thay deepest 'an most contextualleh-appropriate fears made visceralleh tangible."

Their speech occasionally paused as if testing out the bigger words, or trying to remember them. Clearly an attempt to make themselves sound smarter, but admirable in their ability to retain and phrase them in at least close enough context...thick accent aside.
"Keepa is a monstah, loud one...moi name's Kaath...an'oi'd invite ye'ta know tha difference, 'cuz oi'm nah paid ta wrestle wiff narrow-moinded human shortcomin's..." Kaath continued, slowly looking back to Violet as she spoke, openly voicing their offence with as much restraint as they seemed capable of by the way their hand resting on the guard of their sword forced it a few more inches into the floor.

Like a lightswitch, their demeanor softened to finally address Ruby, eyes cooling back to a rich amber hue. "Nah, Stardust...oll oi did was catch, clean and stahrt cookin' y'lot a snack," Kaath paused, their eyes looking Ruby up and down and narrowing with raised eyebrows of a newer expression as the fabric of their plated scarf shifted from the concealed expression likely along the lines of a grin or smirk. "...Woi? Would'ye've been jealous~?" Kaath teased before 'laughing' once more and going about turning the fish over.
"Jest! Jest! Buh'nah, welcome ta th'Bruise...s'loik...tha space...in between?" Kaath began to explain, turning their attention down to their work, though one eye briefly lingered on Ruby to try and catch a reaction. "Y'...friend...there. E'prolly brought ya 'ere..." her explanation lost its pace as if reconsidering sharing details, though quickly changing the subject with a question of her own. "So...tha rest'ye got names, ah? Y'humans love tha kinda thin, oi take ih. If y'don moind my askin...any a'ye..." she stopped, glancing to Kite and making a circular motion with their hand as if trying to think of something. "Hold tha string?"

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

[A conversation between _________________ and Walker before the others wake up]

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