Member
mickilennial
Spike
Crimson Flame
Angstyrainbow
CitrusArms
Einherjar 906
Foster
Dragonydas
Xaltwind
BunniesOfDoom
Word Count: 766 (+2 exp)
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 250/100
Location: The Avenger - Living Quarters
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
To get to the dormitories, Primrose walked the length of the Avenger from the Spirit Chamber near the front to the vessel's rear. She wasn't exactly in a hurry, so she took her time noting a couple of the locations along her path. She stopped once to chat with some of the Avenger's regular inhabitants who pointed her in the right direction, and then she was riding one of the lifts Therion had mentioned.
She wasn't the only person inside it, but it was large enough that the few people riding could space themselves out comfortably enough. Primrose leaned against the elevator's interior as it took her up, idly watching the little number flick as it moved between floors. The convenience of things like this would be something she missed when the whole ordeal with Galeem was finally over, assuming she remembered it. It was possible she wouldn't if the fabric of reality imploded. Folding her arms, Primrose tapped her fingers along one elbow. She wasn't going to try and guess at conceptual outcomes. What she was going to do was unwind from unwinding, wipe her skin down and make sure her earlier soak wasn't all for naught, and then prepare herself for a more formal meeting.
The next horrible monsters to tackle, more disturbing truths about the world, getting back to the Alcamoth... she thought, listing off likely topics. She wouldn't complain; it was all necessary. As for the Seekers' base itself, she wondered if it would be alright. The Avenger, as had been briefly explained, was a mobile mini-fort. It had weaponry and ways to hide. The city was, well, a city. It might be best to move everyone or find some other vessels like this one... if that was possible. Personally, Primrose didn't mind if the main fighting force stuck with the Avenger. It seemed more secure.
I'm getting used to all this much too fast, she thought to herself with an upward quirk of her lips. When the lift slowed to a stop on her floor and its doors slid open, she stepped outside and started down a hallway that began to branch out into multiple.
"Primrose," Therion's voice said, filtered through the linkpearl in her ear. She blinked, pausing to answer.
"What is it?"
"That tall lady, you know, the one that kinda seems in charge? She came by after you left. Said we're all gonna have to room together with at least one other person."
Looking out for me, Therion? Primrose smiled to herself. Though she disagreed about Sandalphon being in charge - she was probably just one of the most capable people around, which considering some of the people they had on the team... well. Not that high of a bar. She appreciated that the archangel had even though to check to something like that. It made sense - taking in more than twenty people at once was bound to lead to some growing pains no matter how huge the ship was.
"Alright. Good to know," she replied. "Did you want me to move your things elsewhere then?"
"Hell no, finder's keepers. If someone else wants the same spot they're just going to have to share."
Though her friend couldn't see it, Primrose shook her head humorously. She left the conversation at that and continued on into the living quarters. There were random open rooms as well as a block that seemed to have been set aside for the Seekers separate from the family areas, though she couldn't be sure if it was a recent change or not. She perused the obviously open rooms, not wanting to disturb anyone else living there if they were 'home.' There weren't many differences between them, so in the end she just chose one and closed the door.
It was a nice room, compared to many Primrose had stayed in throughout her life. With the two beds on opposite sides of the room it made the whole space look a little smaller, but it was no issue. She'd shared rooms with Ophilia, Tressa, and H'aanit plenty of times, and before that in a communal dorm. She didn't mind sharing, though she did have some preferences for roommates.
Primrose set her bag down and sat on the bed on the right. She felt the sheets and then fell back, letting her head hit the pillow with a sigh. After the morning's battle and the well deserved relaxation and fun, she was about ready for the day to be over. She stayed awake though, just resting for a while until everyone would meet in a little bit.
Word Count: 2158 (+3 exp)
Level: 7 - Total EXP: 305/70
Location: The Avenger - Stolen Moments Bar
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
ft. @Lugubrious as Lakota and Cirrus
In the midst of the last few fusions (the consequences of some pretty amusing to see), Therion crushed the remaining spirits he had in the palm of his hand. He wasn't about to tempt fate by binding more than two Strikers even if he could chuck one into the 'dugout,' and further fusion would probably start turning him into a chimera. He'd stick with what he already had. The three motes of light transformed, becoming items.
The thief ended up with a truly random assortment that he hadn't expected. A creepy tooth necklace, a couple of crystals, and a whole plate of food. Guess I know what I'm eating for dinner, he thought to himself while he inspected the crystals. He'd have to get Sectonia or Kamek to take a look at them, or some other magic user. Maybe the necklace too, though carrying it around sort of felt like an anti-good luck charm.
His next order of business... well, he wanted to see what new tricks he could pull out, but since it had sounded like a couple of others were headed to the ship's training areas he'd put that on the back burner. Even though he had warmed up to the group (which was surely a result of his fusions), he'd rather do it in private. Later, then. For now, maybe it was about time to go get that drink.
Just before he left, Sandalphon returned with one piece of news: everyone was going to have to find a roommate. It wasn't exactly surprising - if anything the solo sleeping arrangements they'd had for the most part was more shocking for such a large group. Therion himself didn't really mind. Back in his home world, he and the other seven in his group of travelers either camped together or split rooms at inns to save money. He'd gotten used to it, as more often than not he'd bunk with Alfyn whenever they passed through towns. So long as whoever he ended up with kept their hands out of his stuff, it'd be fine... and he did realize the hypocrisy of that, being a thief and all.
"Thanks for the heads up," he told the archangel, then followed Ms. Fortune out of the Spirit Chamber before ultimately going the opposite way as her.
Since he didn't really care who his room mate ended up being, he didn't feel the need to go back to the dormitories and move his stuff. He'd already deposited some things into a room, so it was ultimately on whoever decided to pick the same one. However, he did know that Primrose was a lot more picky than he was, though for fair reasons. He pressed a hand to his ear, activating the Linkpearl there to fill her in.
With thirty minutes to kill, Therion did in fact start making his way towards getting a drink. It was getting on in the day, so no one could blame him. Especially after the toll the whole trip through the Under had taken on everyone. He was also curious to see just what kind of tavern this was. He'd always used taverns as an easy way to gather information, and if the Avenger's bar was a busy place then it wouldn't be the exception. There had been talk of the Spirit Chamber's merchant trading spirits for hints, but free gossip was better than paid.
He followed the signs to the bar, finding the white and yellow lit Stolen Moments at the end of a hall. It certainly wasn't like any alehouse he normally frequented, especially with the wall of names... but there were spirits behind a counter and a dartboard hung up on the wall, so it must be the right place.
Unfortunately for the purposes of intelligence-gathering, this bar didn’t seem to be a busy place. In any typical tavern one could usually find boisterous folks drinking and making merry, but in Stolen Moments a melancholy atmosphere reigned, more a spot for somber reflection than lively camaraderie. Right now, only two other people appeared to be here. Naturally one was the bartender, and though Therion hadn’t been part of the team that witnessed the Avenger’s dramatic reveal from the clouds over Everdream Valley, he could see the family resemblance even if Dawn didn’t identify the man as her brother Cirrus. Their similarities ended at their features, though. Whereas Dawn seemed kindly, upbeat, and full of vitality, Cirrus instead looked gloomy and withdrawn, his flashy suit disheveled, like someone who’d given up on self-care. He fit Stolen Moments very well–or maybe, it fit him.
The other man looked very different. Though in his thirties, he sported a lithe figure, with dark skin, fine hair of a dark mint green done up in a man bun, and bright eyes that mixed seafoam green with lilac purple. He wore what looked like a hunter’s attire, with light leather armor over an outfit of modest earth tones, though the crop of his shirt exposed a well-muscled midriff. Most unusual were the long rabbit ears that protruded from the top of his head, one of them permanently bent at a roguish angle. Despite the presence of a pale red beverage in his hand, he seemed sharp and alert, but unlike Cirrus he turned toward the sound of footsteps with an easy smile on his face.
“Ah, hello,” he greeted Therion. “Not often we get a new face around here. Welcome to the Lost Numbers. My name is Lakota. You’ve probably met Dawn? I happen to have the distinction of being her husband.” He tilted his head in the bartender’s direction. “And of course, that makes Cirrus here my brother-in-law! Not to worry though, we weren’t getting into any family matters.”
“God forbid,” Cirrus muttered, almost imperceptibly.
Lakota chuckled, beckoning Therion to join him. “Come on over! This place is a little dreary for my taste, but the booze is mighty fine. Here, first drink’s on me. Consider it a housewarming gift.”
Therion felt he'd never really get used to being on the receiving end of generosity no matter how often it happened lately. Still, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he approached the bar and sat down, leaving a seat open between Lakota and himself.
"Thanks," he said, for the offer and the welcome, nodding at Cirrus as well. "Therion. Good to meet you."
He cataloged the familial information by habit more than anything else. Married with kids, in this kind of world? Rough. It brought to mind that they really had civilians on the ship, which seemed dangerous for them, but then again where would be safer than some kind of high tech untraceable sky vessel?
Therion turned his thoughts to the liquor on the wall behind Cirrus, fully intending on taking Lakota up on a drink. They could probably tell that Therion was one of those 'medieval' types, so he didn't bother to point that out himself besides asking the bartender, "you serve ale?"
“Ale?” Cirrus lifted his eyebrows questioningly, apparently to Lakota’s amusement. “As in, beer? Yeah yeah, sure. Not a ton of it, mind you, but we've got enough people aboard who like the simple stuff.” Getting the impression that Therion wasn't too discerning when it came to booze, he lifted a chilled glass to a spigot on a small metal keg and filled it at an angle to minimize the foamy head. The bartender offered it to Therion without ceremony, who took it just the same.
Lakota leaned on the bar in an easygoing manner. “I figure we're probably in the same boat, Mr. Therion. My mom and dad hailed from a world of magic and dragons. Even though I've been exposed to all manner of newfangled conventions from birth, none of it speaks to me like a good, ‘old-fashioned’ bow and arrow. With a magical twist of my own, of course.” He lifted his own glass and swirled the ice around. “Still, I've grown partial to new styles of drink. Rum, mint, and lime is a delightful combination.” After taking a controlled sip, the archer set it down. “But let me know if I'm being too chatty. I've been with the kids all day, so I'm only now getting a chance to talk man-to-man, as they say.”
"Alright." Though the rabbit-earred man might be disappointed to find that Therion wasn't the best conversation partner, even after a few personality changes and some team building games. He had loosed up a little though, so he had that going for him at least. "...just Therion, though."
He took a long, satisfying drink from the glass. He didn't mind sticking to 'simple,' but he did wonder what kind of drink could possibly fall outside of that range. Some kind of spiced wine, maybe? That was usually out of the thief's budget. In comparison, Lakota's mention of mixed rum was something he was a little more familiar with. He remembered arguing with Tressa about it while they were in Goldshore. How she hated the smell of rum and grog since it was what they served on the coasts, and to keep the group out of the alehouses as often as possible she'd purposely get on Therion's nerves and poke fun at how much time he usually spent in them, despite his protestations that it was for his 'work' more than anything else.
It felt so long ago now, in the wake of everything. He didn't mention any of it, tucking Lakota's suggestion away for another time. Perhaps if they found Tressa, the strong scents and tastes of lime and mint would make the drink more palatable for her. It was another comment that Therion took slightly more interest in.
"Not exactly the same boat. If you told anybody you'd seen a dragon where I'm from, they'd just call you crazy," he said. Which is why no one in Orsterra had lauded them as heroes after they (well, mostly H'aanit) had slain one. Dragons were tales of a bygone era, which made the thought that a family could live with them and metal flying machines pretty unbelievable...
Therion scrutinized Lakota out of the corner of his visible eye. Judging someone's age was hard enough when everyone was a regular human; throwing in all these other races made it almost impossible. Still, assuming his ears were natural and not the result of some spirit, Lakota was human-looking enough - and he appeared to be at least a couple years older than Therion himself. So how did he grow up around advanced technology if his parents were from a more archaic society? Had Lakota's home world had some kind of crazy technological revolution in the space of one generation or something?
A look of mild confusion crossed Therion's face as he thought about it more. With one half of the Seekers having a lot more information than the other half, it led to situations like this: where some of them had no idea about the true nature of the Lost Numbers just yet. "You had this kind of stuff in your world?" he asked, lazily gesturing to the room, and the Avenger, at large.
“Oh no, no,” Lakota replied, shaking his head. “I mean, I was born here in the World of Light, so I've never seen my parents’ world. Just had their stories to go on.” He paused, sighing heavily. “It sounded nice, though. Simpler, like Cirrus said. There's so much weirdness in this world. Bits and pieces of countless places and times. People like me end up…well, adrift. Trying desperately to hold fast to something, find some sort of foundation to build ourselves on. But nothing lasts forever, eh?” Rather than elaborate he took a sip of his drink, longer this time. “Still, I'm glad to be alive at all. There's a lot riding on us, whether or not we're up to the task.” He put on a grin. “So, I'm pretty glad we've got some new recruits in to lend a hand!”
Born here...? That answered the technology question, but that would mean... the World of Light had existed for a least a few decades. Therion grappled with the thought for a few seconds, some scattered pieces of information falling into place and others remaining loose. Ultimately, though, he tried not to think about it too hard. No matter what messed up stuff he learned about the world, it wouldn't change much of anything, or so he figured. Left with questions that he didn't particularly want to ask, he looked back at Lakota.
"Sure," he said, not too convincingly, bringing his glass to his lips again. Realizing how that may have sounded, he added, "...we're not planning to go anywhere until this is all over."
Lakota nodded with a smile and raised his glass. “Good to hear. I’ll drink to that!”
After a moment's hesitation Therion raised his too, clinking it against Lakota's.