SimpleD

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

Sonya

It was some hours later that Sonya found herself bidding farewell to her current company. In the midst of their conversations and the festival air of the camp as celebrations were had, Sonya had lost track of time as she drawn into the light-hearted banter of Amare and Normad, the two helping to keep her mind from wandering back to the struggles earlier that evening. During the early hours of the evening before the celebrations went into full swing, the group of three had found them invited by Silas for a proposition.

Arriving at the location, Sonya quickly made note of the individuals that had also been summoned, each of them having made a noticeable impact in the battle earlier that day. ’Curious, seems I may have been correct he was planning a few moves ahead Sonya mused to herself, curious to see what his plan was. As Silas presented the offer, Sonya noting it was one of the more likely options given the circumstances, she glanced around at the faces of the other gathered individuals, though reactions were fairly mixed Sonya could not see any outright negative reactions most likely indicating the recruitment rate would be rather high. ’Too be expected I suppose, given the options between the former commander and the one who saw us through battle today I can’t say it's a difficult choice.

Catching sight of Odessa, she tried to interpret her reaction but she seemed to only give off a neutral vibe, no doubt taking the opportunity to consider the offer overnight. As the meeting broke, Sonya politely bid her farewells to the company of the two veterans Normad and Amare, taking the chance to stroll towards the edge of the camp, where the flickering flames of the torches cast long shadows and the cool night breeze washed over her form while her mind considered the proposition. ’It’s not as though I have any true fealty to the army, while I do have a desire to protect the lands I call home I still have the choice of how I wish to do that. And if I am going to wade into battle, I would prefer to be working with people that know what they’re doing

Her train of thoughts was interrupted as she caught movement at the corner of her vision. Turning to face the source, she relaxed as she saw Odessa quickly approaching, walking over to meet her. ”I have given it some thought, I don’t have much of an attachment to the army but much the same as you I have a desire to do good for these lands. Given the way SIlas handled this battle and our previous captain seemed ready to march us off to die for their own glory, I can say I know which group I would rather be a part of” Sonya replied, per mind preferring to focus on the more logical questions first.

Beneath the mask, she felt a small bloom of heat on her cheeks as she processed the statement of Odessa looking to continue her guardainship of her, Sonya’s hands fidgeted at her side as she looked to the side to break eye contact while she replied ”I admit that it was very comforting to know I had a guardian looking out in me for battle and...I would still be keen to have that continue”, Sonya’s voice trailing off and leaving the two in a moment of silence before she turned back to face Odessa once more. ”Given what I know of you so far Odessa, no doubt Ashley would have a wonderful person if you called her special. It’s a noble goal to want to honor her passing, given the person she was it could perhaps be the most fitting?” Sonya offered, knowing that if she fell in battle there was a good chance she was a soldier who fought for similar ideals.

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

So quick update for me and Blubaron45, we've been doing a collaborative post and it's just about finished, apologies to everyone for the hold up.

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

@Arthanus Yep still alive and kicking, just been a surprisingly active time these last few weeks. Work was 'kind' enough to give me more work to do over the weekend. Regardless I fully intend to reply this weekend, hopefully later tonight if time permits

The Forgotten Goddess - [Invy, Lyla, ???]

Kail

The faint sensation of heat spread across Kali’s cheeks as she found herself blushing slightly at the Goddess’s comment. Though it involved some assumptions, Samantha had seemed to be a very cherished person in Cecilia’s world, so to be compared so favorably with such a figure stirred a number of strange feelings within Kali, some of them very pleasant and distracting for her. Thankfully Cecilia had taken the time to stand up as she continued her story, giving Kali enough time to recompose herself before she turned her attention back towards her, their eyes meeting once more.

”And I am glad to be here with you Cecilia, if you see potential in me to become a great warrior than I have no doubts that I can” Kali replied confidentiality as her gaze swept down towards the bow. The weapon...no that word didn’t fit, it was more a divine instrument, and it still seemed to glow and pulse with that warm powers he had felt when she first touched it. Curiosity bubbled in Kali’s mind, racing with ideas of what secrets this bow could hold. The time for wondering could come later though though, as Cecilia began to lead the way towards an Inn, Kali quickly stood and fell into step behind her. She was glad to have Cecilia leading the way, as the pleasant sensations she had briefly dismissed before had began to return, and with those feelings came both thoughts that she would have been embarrassed to share and a strong blush that kept her face warm despite the cool mountain air

---

Their journey had taken them the better part of the day, and though their appearance had brought some wandering eyes overall it had been a pleasant walk down the mountains and through the countryside. Thankfully by the time Cecilia looked back and blessed Kali with another one of her smiles, Kali had regained control of her wild thoughts and any physical indication that they had been dominating the attention of her mind had since passed. As the door swung open, the wave of noise washed over the two new patrons. Such an environment was familiar to Kali, a number of heads turned to see the newcomers, perhaps expecting someone they knew or otherwise just ones of a curious nature. ’Just a few stares and no changes of expression, shouldn’t be any trouble for us here then Kali thought to herself, even if this Inn did seem respectable, it never hurt to make sure no one was looking at you as a mark.

Unfortunately for Kali though, there was one individual in the tavern who had marked them for interest, but not the kind that she had expected. Kali and Cecilia had only just settled in when the firey-haired woman wandered over and invited herself to the table. Kali quickly gave her a look up and down, she was a rather striking figure and a day ago Kali may have been rather stunned by her looks, her clothing showing off what she had to work with. At first Kali expect Cecilia to handle this lady expertly, no doubt a lady of her stature was familiar with flattery and the antics of those that showered one with praise, but to her surprise Cecilia seemed a little bashful as though caught off guard by the sheer forwardness of this woman’s offer.

A small tinge of jealousy shot through Kali’s mind, surprising herself that such a strong feeling was invoked from the situation. Though a part of her could understand the desire behind the woman’s antics, it did nothing to curb the flickering of anger in her thoughts at this moment. Kali interjected in a calm tone ”Oh I have no doubt that the task you have in mind would require you to enlist help to solve it, but I am afraid that my companion and I are looking to help solve more...serious issues”, her voice staying level and keeping any heat from the bubbling anger hidden. As tempting as it was to escalate the situation though, it would do little good to make an enemy so quickly. Turning in her seat slightly to face Cecilia Kali smiled at the Goddess as she added ”Of course, that is not to say you could perhaps have some other work that would require both of our skills. Perhaps once the rest of the daylight has been spent there might be time for other discussions”. Kali figured that the Bard would have a ‘hand’ on the pulse of the time and could make a very solid contact, so to fully shut down her intentions and earning her anger would be an unwise move, as tempting as line of thought was for Kali given the situation

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

Life's been hectic, got home at 11pm tonight and cannot find the energy to form a coherent thought let alone a proper reply for the RP (Which annoys me because I do want to get one done). As much of as a pain work has been though there's been a few high points in the week so I can't complain too much.

I'll try getting a reply done again tomorrow.

@Cuddle Pot Aussie here, so my timezones match up with very few people!

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

I've been a bit inactive on here as well sorry. I thought after getting through that last deadline work would cut me a break. Instead they decided since I could handle that one, I could do the next one as well...

Going to try to get a reply done tomorrow but can't promise anything (...Well I can promise being annoyed at work)

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

Finally got time to reply today, apologies for the long delays.

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

Sonya

As the discussion around her continued, Sonya found her attention drawn back to the ring as Carthurg pulled himself back to his feet. While she had intended to keep her focus split, helping Silas and keeping track of the conversation, Sonya was forced to re-evaluate that idea once Cathurg had gone on the offense once more. Enraged the Orc seemed to be swelling with both power and speed, the force sweeping through the Wind barrier and clashing into Silas’s defense with enough strength to shatter the blocking weapon itself. The moment of shock lasted a briefly, Sonya quickly directed all of her attention towards the battle now. Though doing so left her feeling rather vulnerable, there was the comforting fact that she was surrounded by allies, including Odessa. It was a strange feeling to have such a strong sense of trust in Odessa, they had only truly talked once the night before and still knew so little of each other. But at the same time, Odessa had put her trust in Sonya and her magic to keep her protected, so it would be rude for Sonya not to place the same trust in her.

Placing her full attention back at the fight, she summoned up as much of her power as she could as the two combatants faced off once more. Stopping the Orc’s blows was an impossibility, not when she was only using the tempest winds to slow the strikes. ‘It can’t be helped then, Silas will have to weather the storm until an opening arrives and he can strike back’ she concluded rather grimly, her efforts focused on turning the Orc’s brutal strikes just enough so that Silas defenses would hold, each time the axe crashing against the sword with such thunderous effort. Then in a horrifying moment, Cathurg slipped past the wind barrier. Though he may not have understood Sonya was causing the effect, he was still an experienced warrior and after having witnessed the effect for enough time he would have learnt how to counter it. Compensating for the effect of the wind, the Orc’s strike came through faster and on point, striking Sila’s blade at a point where there was too much pressure to maintain the grip and forcing the weapon from his hands.

A feeling of dread settled into Sonya stomach ‘Come on Silas, move damn you. I can’t stop this Orc’s attacks!’ She urged mentally, wondering why Silas was not returning to his feet. Time seemed to hang as Cathurg mocked the human, assured in his own victory, Silas still remaining on his knees as though accepting his defeat. Eye’s were drawn to the steel of the axe as it was raised high in the air, catching the rays of the sun as the winds rushed around it. In that hanging moment, Sonya caught that single word from Silas “Checkmate” and realised he had been playing possum to lure Cathurg into a vulnerable position.

Springing from his kneeling position, Sonya surged the tempest energies behind him, almost as though she was flinging his very body right against the Orc. Silas thankfully seemed to have expected the burst of speed, as he swiftly followed up the motions with a decapitating strike. Silas seized the moment and in dramatic fashion was able to cause a panic to spread throughout the orcs. Cheers spread throughout the Militia as they began to celebrate, though there had been plans to rout the Orcs after the battle, it seemed everyone had suffered enough battling for one day and was not keen to chase down the orcs.

Letting out a sigh, Sonya broke her concentration, her shoulders sagging as she allowed herself to relax, dismissing all of the energies she had gathered during the battle. As the adrenaline of the battle faded, the fatigue from exerting so much of her magic took its place. Returning her attention to her surroundings, she blinked a few times trying to recollect where she was. It seemed in the excitement of victory the group of militia had been overtaken with a flurry of energy. The dancer had turned her attention to helping Silas and even if there were ulterior motives for her actions Sonya reserved judgement for the moment. Stefano was living the moment, calling up for all of those who had gambled. The man was quite lively and his positive energy was almost infectious as it spread to the nearby Militia, creating a buzzing sector of motion and discussion near him.

Strangely though, there was no sign of Odessa in the direct vicinity. ’Perhaps she was called away to manage the wounded? Sonya considered, recalling the last few words of the conversation that had reached her before her attention was fully focused on helping Silas. Her eyes searching further, she spied the area where the wounded were being gathered with Odessa standing at its centre, providing direction to the Militia as they cared for the wounded. Although the cheering and sounds of jubilance carried through the air, there was still much work that needed to be done to ensure the death toll rose no further than those it had already claimed

Making her way through the crowd to the makeshift triage area, she made her way over to Odessa, who seemed to be wearing a smile of pure warmth. It was an infectious smile, one that caused Sonya to smile just as wide beneath her mask as well, the feeling of fatigue subsiding in the brief sense of relief and accomplishment. Reaching Odessa she offered a short nod of her head, before taking a moment of consideration and giving Odessa a quick hug as she commented ”Thank you for keeping your promise, I would not have been able to do as much as I did if I did not know there was someone else concerned for my safety”. As though realising the gesture may have been to forward or perhaps done in haste, she released Odessa from the hug and took a step back, taking a moment to recompose herself after such an impulsive decision ”S-still, though the battle may be over there are still some wounded to attend to, there will be time for celebrating when we have saved all we can” Sonya stated, wanting to turn the topic of the conversation to that which needed attention and away from her perhaps rashful actions.

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

Well I should be able to post tomorrow, I get to be stuck on call for my weekend so that when this work blows up again I'm available, so I can't really commit to any activities in case I get called in. So plenty of time to post a reply at the very least

Adventures of the Blood Rose Irregulars

Just want to give a heads up ill probably be unavailable for the next 2 days. I have been "asked" to accomplish about 3 weeks of work in 3 days. If it is necessary to use Sonya I trust you all