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La Storia della Arcana Famiglia [T]

Khawill

<3
1,567
Posts
11
Years
Annabell
"What do you mean I'm out of control!?" I yelled at a guard of the swords, "Who put you up to this!?" I had been stopped in my house clothes by some stupid guard

"Nobody Ms. Annabelle, simply put, today you have broken sixteen rules." He said sternly, he was a fat, ugly, meat head, "Six accounts of stealing, two accounts of breaking and entering, three accounts of disorderly conduct, and four accounts of assault."

"Ha! You can't count! You stupid guard, that was only fifteen accounts." I got him there, he looked like a fool, "Why don't you scurry on back to your post." I said sticking my toungue out at him.

"There it is, sixteen, insulting a superior." He wrote in a small notebook.

"Hey! That isn't fair, that isn't even a law, and I'm a coin, which means rank is irrelevant!"

"I'm going to take you in to see Marcus, your misdemeanors have caused too much trouble." The man thought I would go without a fight, clearly he was new.

"You see the problem with that is," I kicked him in the stomach, "You have to catch me first!" I laughed maniacly. "Ask your friends why I always get away, hahahaha." I grabbed the rope I hid under my bed and tied it to my bed post. The guard had begun to recover, "Oh crap!" I jumped out the window and shimmied down the wall. The guard leaned out the window confused, "Remember this next time you come to me to take me in!" I laughed with a taunting manner, "You'll never get me! NEVER!" I ran through the garden, careful not to step on any flowers.

I had a list of hiding spots, by my favorite was on top of the roof, nobody looked there, and I hid another rope up there so I could get down if needed. I climbed a tree near the mansion, then kept onto a small ridge under the roof, then all I needed to do was pull myself up. I figured I'd stay up there until the guards forgot about my misdemeanors. I mean come on, I paid all my debts, and the four guys I attacked were all saying how small I was. Not to mention I only broke into that store because I wanted to buy some candy, but they were not open.

I sat on the roof for a bit, until I saw a ladder, a curious sight indeed. Though I soon found out what had propped the ladder, that stupid guard had followed me up here! "Hold it right there! We must take you in for disciplinary action."

"How did... Never mind, I will never go to your leader, I'm not even a sword, so he isn't in charge of me!" The guard sighed.

"Don't do anything rash girl, just come peacefully with me." He slowly climbed by, treating me like a dog that was about to attack because it felt threatened. He wouldn't be too far off though.

"What exactly qualifies as rash?" My rope was hidden near where he stood, "Like kicking you in the stomach again or pushing you like an old man and skidding down your ladder?" I probably wouldn't be able to sneak attack him again, but I had practiced softening my falls with energy shields, well rather energy absorption shields. It works by taking physical, potential energy and negating it. It took a lot of reading to actually relate my. Skills to science and math, but I had succeeded. I looked over the edge, quite a fall. "Would jumping count as rash?"

"Don't jump, I'm sure your punishments won't be excessively severe." He said with a red face.

I calculated that if I jumped I would either break my legs, or absorb the fall. Oh well, first time for everything! "Haha! I guess you'll never find out." I jumped while yelling and laughing. Right before I landed, I prepared the shield, it somewhat worked. I didn't break anything, though I did feel a sharp pain, along with the still open deep cuts on my arms. "Crap! I forgot, I'm probably heavier than the last time I weighed myself, I completely forgot to account for a mass increase..." I layed on the ground a bit winded, my pride hurt more than my body. "Maybe I should try again, and this time with the new weight."

"No no," The guard was very out of breath, clearly he had run to check and see if I was dead or crippled, "Just come with me."

I really wasn't in a position to run again, my legs hurt, as did my arms, though he was way out of breath, so I guess we were on even ground. "You. Will. Never. Catch. Me."

He walked up and layed down next to me panting, we were in the garden. "Well lets rest and then we can try this again." He said this in a much kinder tone, so I didn't attempt to punch him in the side. I will should retract my earlier statement about him being ugly and fat and a meat head. He really wasn't all that bad looking, he was still stupid, but he certainly was a sight to look at. I think he was older than me by a few years though.

"Well you should catch me now while you can, because once I'm better, you won't catch me." I said, a bit less enthusiastically than before.

"Well what is your name?" He asked.

"Well you're an idiot, you already said my name earlier." I might add meat head back in actually.

"Well I am being polite, you know formal introduction and all. My name is Steven." He said, a little less tired now.

"Well my name is Annabelle, but if you call me anything but Annabelle or Anna, then I will beat you up." I made sure I was always called by my first name, and not the second half of it. "And why do you care? Your just a swords member, and not even a good one."

"Well we are laying in a flower bed, together." He must think he is s smooth, "I mean isn't it better to be taken in by someone you know?"

"Are you implying that you are going to take me in and you know who I am? Because neither of those are right, and if your leader wants to talk to me, he can attempt to catch me at the ball tonight."

"Here is an idea! Why don't I escort you to it, and bring you to the leader, then if you want you can punch me in the gut and run again. If you do that, I'll leave you alone until then." I couldn't really decline that offer, he practically asked me to punch him in his abdomen.

"Deal, now carry me to my room, I need to change and my legs hurt because of you!"

He sighed, "It was you that jumped. You could've easily followed me down the ladder and ran if you wanted." Silly normal people always think of normal ways to do things, so I ignored him. He stood up slowly, now back to a normal heart rate. He then picked me up like a baby. Now I am not very tall, only standing at 4"11 but, I still can't say I am the lightest person. Well he must be pretty strong because he didn't even struggle to pick me up. "Can't believe I have to carry you to your room because you were stupid enough to jump off the roof."

"I miscalculated! I forgot the my weight was higher than the last time I took it." If I could cross my arms without them hurting, I would. "Get a maid, I need someone to put my dress on."

"So you need to get dressed like a little girl too?" He laughed.

"Shut your mouth, for your information, I have problems with my arms because I stop real bad guys. Get Sharon, she always gives me cookies and puts bubbles in my bath!" The last part was a slip of toungue, I was slightly embaressed. "You know, with my bath of blood and evil tears!" He simply laughed and placed me on my bed.

"I'll be here to pick you up right before the ball, if you run away I will send more guards after you."

"Whatever." Steven laughed and walked out, a few moments latter Sharon the maid walked in.

"I was sent in by a handsome young man, is he your date?" Sharon was an old lady, with a lot of history in the house, she was like a grandmother to me.

"Sort of, he wants me to turn myself in at the ball." She slipped of my house shirt and asked which dress I wanted, "The red one please!"

"Pretty nasty cuts dear, tell me can I convince you to see a nurse?" She said in the most fragil, caring, and nice voice I've heard. She slipped the dress on carefully, and began brushing my hair.

"No it is fine, I'm way too strong to seek medical help. I'll be fine." She brushed all of the knots in hair away, a very painful process I hated. "I need to sleep a bit before the ball actually, do you think you can come later and redress me? I'm so sorry if it is inconvenient."

"No no, it is fine. Even the strong a beautiful have to sleep! I'll wake you with enough time to change." She slipped my dress of, but me in a night gown and left the room.

I laid in bed for some nice, relaxing sleep.
 

SV

See You Space Cowboy
3,393
Posts
13
Years
  • Seen Feb 7, 2022

Marcus de Telarius- #8 Strength


As he gave the order, his siblings dispersed and engaged with their selected opponent. Marcus squared off with the thief on the far right. The others should be able to handle a single thief. Even if they didn't belong to the Sword sector, and for the most part weren't fighters by trade, there was no sign that their opponents had any real impressive skillsets. Besides, they were of the de Telarius family. Even Flint, whom Marcus held so lowly, was probably leagues ahead of any of these criminals.

The thief he squared off with was probably a good head shoulder than Marcus, and not particularly muscularly developed. He was probably in his early twenties, maybe even a bit younger. He didn't seem like much of the fighter type to begin with. Yet despite this, his face was marked with a grin of overconfidence and poise. Marcus found the gesture interesting, mainly for the reason that he had become quite intimately known to most criminals on Regalo for his...strict, borderline dictatorial observance of the law (particularly with matters concerned of his sector of defense), and harsh penalties he imposed on those who did not comply to the rules. But of course, Marcus concluded that perhaps and most likely, these thieves weren't even from Regalo, hence the destination overseas.

For those that did know of Marcus, his most recognizable feature was that of his golden gauntlets. He wasn't exactly sure what first compelled him to put them on those many years ago. They were a gift from a distant family relative intended for the de Telarius armory. Besides being of the most durable design, they held no significant complementary power to his own Arcana card. Yet for many since his initial debut with the gauntlets, they have become a symbol of his sense of justice and strength, despite the source not coming from the gauntlets themselves. They have also added a heightened dimension of fear to many enemies, as no way in hell did anyone want to be punched by Marcus while he wore those. In other words, the very appearance of the gauntlets upon the hands of Marcus that became frightening. Many have since come up with many telling tales involving the gauntlets, including the perception and comparison of Marcus to that of a knight in medieval times, some going as far as giving Marcus the moniker of the 'Knight of Regalo'.

Marcus seemed to have been able to wait forever for the thief to make his move. He didn't like much to strike first (unless the situation demanded for it), preferring instead to give his enemy a sort of symbolic one last chance to turn around or to surrender. As the thief stepped forward and prepped himself to attack, any chance he got was thrown out the window. Armed with a rather long knife, the thief approached Marcus and began swinging the knife around wildly, probably as a scare tactic, before extending his arm forward and thrust to knife at him. Marcus took a pace to the left and sidestepped the knife with such a effortlessness, it almost appeared comical. Before the thief even knew what happened, Marcus lifted his left arm, and connected his gauntlet-covered fist with the man's face. At the point of impact the deep snapping and cracking of bone was heard, and the force of his punch sent the man straight onto the deck. He didn't make a sound of protest, nor did he whine, screech in pain, or cry. He simply lay right where his body had dropped, blood oozing from the point of impact on his face, and any expectation of an extended fight was ended in a few mere seconds.

Marcus walked over to the thief, lingering over his unconscious for a moment. He wondered what compelled someone so young, perhaps so promising he did not know, to commit a crime. He couldn't understand it. Strict observance of the law wasn't so difficult. Yet once greed, desperation, or anger kicked in, most senses of duty, uprightness, law-abiding nature was suddenly put aside. This was the inevitable result. Marcus firmly believed that. Eventually, all criminals were caught, and all crimes were punished.

As Marcus turned his attention to his siblings, one of them, Beck, shouted for his aid.

"M-marcus!! H-help!!"

The eldest de Telarius sibling immediately reacted, coming to the aid of his youngest brother. As the larger thief choked Beck, Marcus came in from behind, grabbing the man by his shirt, and, using his superior strength, tossing him off of his younger brother. The man let go of Beck's neck, and was hurled about two meters to the adjacent side of the ship, crashing into a few barrels on the top deck. Marcus did not say anything to Beck, but merely gave him a look. It wasn't exactly one of disappointment, well perhaps it partially was. It was a look Beck was accustomed to seeing from Marcus from time to time, in it he could say everything that could be said in much more words. Most perceptibly, it was a look that said to Beck that Marcus expected more out of him than this. Yes, he wasn't in the Sword sector of La Famiglia like Marcus was, but Marcus set a higher standard upon his siblings to perform at a peak level he never placed on anyone else. Being of the de Telarius family meant that such high precision was expected of them, in Marcus's opinion, and he expected them to adhere to that.

As the larger thief recovered from Marcus's initial toss, Marcus turned away from his sibling to engage back with the man. He seemed angry. Pulling out his rather large sword, he charged forward. Marcus held his ground. The man swung his sword wildly, hoping some of his hits would slash at his opponent, but as he got closer, Marcus lifted his fists and prepared to engage back. The first clank of metal was heard as his gauntlets met with the man's large sword. The larger man tried to use all of his might to try and force the blade down, but Marcus's gauntlets didn't budge. He was confused, but continued to try and force it down, sweaty protruding off of his body intensely. Marcus, on the other hand, maintained a look of dispassionate tranquility. Inhaling a deep breath, he force his gauntlets forward, now meeting the forward push of the thief, causing the blade to break in half, much to the wide surprise of the thief. Before he could give any other reaction, Marcus lifted a fist and connected it with the man's face, the resulting sound of a crack to follow, followed by blood from his nose. A second punch was brought to his ribs, producing an equally potent, if not more so, crack, and this was followed by a third punch as an under hit straight at the man's chin, elevating him off of the ground and hurling backwards, causing all manner of broken items on the ship. With both of his opponents no doubt down for the count, Marcus took out a small handkerchief and extracted any blood or dirt that found its way onto his gauntlets. Wiping away any marks on them, he returned them to their shining, flawless form, and watched to see if the others had dealt with their part. He took out his pocket watch in his pocket, always mindful of events ahead, keeping an eye on the time to make sure they weren't late for tonight's ball.
 
1,176
Posts
15
Years
  • Seen Jul 18, 2016

Ari - The Empress - Mission 1


A feeling of accomplishment settled in Ari, one that she didn't feel too often lately due to lack of work. Her mind wondered places and so her feet carried her ahead without too much of a second thought. Pebbles lodged themselves between her bare feet as she hastily walked the streets of Regalo. The people around her hesitated to look her in the eyes because they feared her reputation. Once or twice she had traumatized innocent victims for the sake of fun. Ari wore a smug look on her face as she recalled the memories. When someone is either surprised or dying that's when their screams became pleasurable to her. Above all else was when one pleaded for their life to be spared as if Ari cared enough to listen to their words. Her mind focused on the sensation of breaking them down into emotional wreckage along with the physical torture. Unfortunately she was under strict orders to spare their pitifully lives from Nova but driving them to the brisk of death and back had satisfied her, for now.

"Ms. Terranci?" Ari wiped her head in the direction of person who daringly spoke her name. If her minacious glare had the ability to kill someone this person had been exterminated, her state of mind still rolled in the memories of her sadistic past. Instantly Ari relaxed as she realized it was only Domencio but he had done the exact opposite. His whole body immediately tensed and his eyes shifted to the ground as if he were being scolded. In his rather large hands he clutched her shoes for his miserable life. The simple power she had from her reputation was truly an astonishing feat. Yet the public thought she got her power of illusions from her menacing eyes. A rumor that she hadn't properly corrected in fear that it might do irreparable damage to her notoriety.

"Thank you, Domencio. Here!" She whispered as she crept closer to the man until there wasn't any space between their bodies. Her breath tickled the man's skin as a chill ran down his spine. She watched his Adam's apple go up then down as if he had swallowed his words. She, in a flirty gesture, walked her fingers down the arm that held her shoes. To put the final touches on her rather perfect manipulative scene she moved down to his fingers where she fiddled with his worn silver wedding ring. Then she stuck her hand slowly into his pocket where she placed the money she took for them thief earlier in the day. He reluctantly in return met her eyes clearly responded more pleasantly this time. Ari erupted in laughter and snatched her shoes and disappeared into an alley. Her feminine wilds had never worked on anyone better than a middle aged, married man whose wife no longer had an interest in him. She casted a glance over her right shoulder to make sure he still watched her every movement, which he most certainly was, and with hands positioned on her hips walked with such confidence it demanded all attention be attracted to it at once.

Right away Ari regretted her strides as she stepped in the remains of dead rat and sewer water. At least she hadn't taken the time to put on her shoes, which would've caused uproar and a vast wardrobe change for tonight's ball. She muttered her distaste for her current uncouth environment, as she not as confidentially strutted back to the Famiglia's mansion. Fate had timed her appearance perfectly as she watched the scene of the day take place in front of her. Ari in a short moment noticed the Arcana Mark before she took note of her the girl who displayed her self in a tacky manner. Her distant placement from the conversation hadn't hinder her as she assessed the situation in a cruel yet reasonable way. The girl clearly was new to the Arcana Famiglia and had yet to learn respect, which by Ari's standards is intolerable. Ari silently strolled forward and continued to watch the girl climb a tree to escape inevitable capture. The rest of the ordeal unfolded in a rather predictable way with the newbie on the roof and then stupidly jumped. She questioned how the girl made it with seemingly no scratches or severe injuries. Eventually the guard carried the girl into the mansion; Ari traveled across the garden in order to lurk in the background to find out where he dropped her off at then patiently waited outside the bedroom for the maid to vacant her room where she heard the last tidbits of conversation. Before she entered the room in a fashion that seemed to demand attention she slid on her fancy golden heels that boosted her height to a staggering 6'.

"Did you just ask a maid to redress you? How pathetic." Her voice filled with disgust and her words of venom but she hadn't wasted any time to wait for Annabell to respond. Ari carefully leaned her body against the doorframe so her elegant yet teasingly seductive dress hadn't snag. "You're new here so that means you should be speaking when spoken to. When I commit your name to memory is when you are allowed to talk but I haven't got the slightest clue of who you are." Her lies spun a web so convincing it couldn't help but be taken as the truth. The girl's named was Annabell Belizaire, she was eighteen years old, holder of the eighteenth card titled The Moon, which allowed her to draw out people's memories, and a member of Coin. Her control over her so-called Arcana Powers was laughable and she had a mangy, yellow mutt that followed her around. Ari had a file about every single person who was a contracted cardholder and within the Arcana Famiglia. "Grow up, kid. This isn't fun and games anymore if you want that go play in your bubble baths back at the bank and stay there." She kept her trained eyes on her, ones that seemed to be swirled with hatred as she glared at the vile human being on the bed. In case of the need of emergency reinforcement her Arcana Mark came to life on her back unknown to Annabell.​
 

Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years

Camellia de Telarius – #20 Judgement


"Four of them, four of us!" Marcus said to Camellia and her brothers as the thieves scrambled to their feet; noticing the slumped figure of their captain at Marcus' feet. While the three boys made their motions to intercept and face off against a thief, Camellia took the chance to walk backwards to the bow of the ship, hoping to separate herself from the fighting going on. However while the others had engaged their opponents, Camellia's began walking towards her, tapping the pipe he had picked up off the deck menacingly. She winced every time he struck the pipe; the reverberations passing through the air making her shiver.

Camellia withdrew the knife from inside her jacket, holding it out shakily in front of herself. Having never used it for anything more than decoration, she didn't know how to fight with it, much less fend this man off. She continued to back up, feeling the front of the boat draw near; the end of the line. With every two step she took, the thief matched it in one stride.

"Little girl with a little knife, doesn't even know how to hold one," a raspy laugh escaped his throat as he drew nearer to her; almost within striking distance.
"I-I-I can, you don't want to hurt me!" She stammered, hoping to catch the guard out.
He smirked, "Why would that be, missy?"
"I-I have an Arcana Card!" Almost anyone knew of the famiglia's affinity with the Arcana Cards and were equally wary of the people who held them as the power the cards imbued.

He lunged for her, swinging the pipe wildly, giving Camellia enough time to duck as it sailed past her head; brushing against the top of her ponytail. Again she stepped back and again he swung at her, but Camellia saw the attacks coming only moments before they were executed; giving her the upper hand and ability to dodge any coming her way. She silently thanked her Arcana Card for giving her even the briefest of visions as she used it to dodge any swing the thief aimed at her; but it couldn't go on for much longer.

There still remained the small matter of her lack of space as the next volley of swings brought her to the bow of the ship; wooden skirting separating her from a metre drop into the crystal clear waters of the bay. He knew she was out of room, sprinting forward and slashing the pipe in a downward motion. She tried to sidestep the strike, hoping to appear just outside of his swing, but Camellia forgot the wet skirting that lined the ship. At the wrong angle, her foot twisted, sending a sharp pain up her body as she fell backwards into the cool waters below.

The waters around Regalo sunk into the ocean quickly, making it a great place for sea trade and ships to dock. With clothes on, Camellia struggled against the weight bearing down on her as well as the current that threatened to drag her out into the sea. It didn't help that, in her last inhale, she had drawn in a large quantity of water. She continued to struggle, disorientating herself even more as she fought with her restricting clothing and tried to push herself to the surface.​
 
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CarefulWetPaint

Doctor Lobotomy
1,193
Posts
12
Years
Aerous Oxus

Oda's gaze feel on Aerous as she turned around to see his smiling face. A look of frustration quickly passed over her face when she saw him, before recomposing herself, the look easily brushed off by Aerous as she was annoyed with having to deal with the thieves. A slight breeze had come through, making his jacket ruffle slightly at the bottom, which he also took no notice of. As he got closer Oda, returned his wave, which he had continued. He stopped where he was and waited for her to say something but she continued to wave, in her own direction. Oh she must be waving me over as well. He thought, continuing to walk towards the ship to talk to her.
"Hello, Aerous." She said this in a firm voice that Aerous dreaded, I'm definitely about to be scolded again.
"Marcus said I didn't have to hold back as long as I didn't kill anyone, so its okay Oda!" He said, already defending himself. She didn't even reply to this as she looked ad the blood that had pooled into the carpet in front of her. Looks like someone got shot. He thought, waiting for a reply as he got closer to her.
"Are you getting ready for the ball soon?" She said, completely ignoring what he had just said.

Now feeling safe he smiled as he replied. "Yes! Marcus put me on Nova's bodyguard duty for the first half of the ball." Aerous was looking rather proud as he said this. Oh no, I gotta get ready! Oda sighed a sigh of relief as she heard this.
"Sorry I just remember I have to get back and get cleaned up and a new suit! Sorry again Miss Oda see you tonight!" He spoke, ignoring anything she said as he turned and began running to the main mansion to get ready.

The street's were busier now than when he had gone to the harbour earlier, much to his confusion on why there was more people around. Brushing off the fact he didn't understand he continued to run, easily avoiding anything and anyone who got in his way, even if it was a building, which he just climbed up and jumped over like he was Altair. Ah such a lovely place to run around this city is, he thought while jumping over a fence in a back alley that was only a block or two away from the mansion. Approaching the gates he saw Ari, a fellow member of the family hiding in the garden. What is she doing? He stood in the middle of the gates looking on in wonder as she proceeded to go into the mansion. "Hmm." He said out loud, beginning to walk towards the main entrance of the mansion. The guards at the entrance of the mansion greeted him as he opened the doors and began to make his way to a room he regularly used that had a shower and a few spare suits stored in it.

As he was walking down the main hallway of the bedroom quarters of the mansion towards his regular room he her a woman's voice. As he got closer he recognised the voice as Ari's and decided to pay a bit more attention to what she was saying. "Grow up, kid." She's belittling someone again, I hope it's not a new member. He wasn't a fan of the way Ari treated new member's as she seemed to treat them as they weren't part of the family, which frustrated him greatly because in his mind once accepted into the family they were a part of his family.
"..back at the bank and stay there." Hatred was clearly present in Ari's voice as she came into Aerous view, apparently finishing her sentence. She was leaning against the door way blocking the entrance so the person inside couldn't leave if they wanted to without smashing through the windows. Quieting his footsteps he approached her and tapped her on the shoulder, making sure to avoid eye contact as she turned around, clearly looking angry.

He had already seen that she'd try to use her powers on him if they make eye contact so he just continued to walk away while speaking. "Miss Ari, don't pick or try and intimidate new members of our family please." His voice was firm and piercing, though lost a bit of its effectiveness as he wasn't looking at her as he spoke. He continued onto his room, ignoring anything she may have said in reply as he was more focused on getting ready and looking presentable enough to stand next to Papa Nova at the ball later that night. "Ah tonight will be a great night." He said to himself as he threw his clothes off and got into the shower.
 

Khawill

<3
1,567
Posts
11
Years
I almost got away with my sleep, "Oh look, the tramp." I said still laying in bed, I figured an insult for an insult would easily put us on even ground, "Just so you know, I would go back home until the ball, but they have some swords trying to get me in again." I sat up and yawned, "I guess that attention isn't much different than yours though. Anyways you have no control over me whatsoever, considering our diffence in branches." I had no intention of fighting with a nightgown on, though I could feel the anger she had even when she came in. Since there was no way I'd get back to sleep, I might as well go down to the kitchens. I walked toward the window, "I always like some fresh air, you know how stuffy it can get with all your hot air filling up the room." My arms still hurt, though I wasn't going to try for the doorway and the rope I had there when escaping from Steven still hung out the window. "As a matter of fact, I think a nice snack before the ball would do nicely." I slid down the rope, wincing as the vibrations shook up my cut.

"Bye Mrs. Ari! See you at the ball!"
 
897
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
Just as Oda had expected from the young man, Oda's conversation was mercifully brief, which would have left her some more time to ponder, were it not for the silhouette she spotted dockside. As Aerous walked away with all the social grace of a lemur, Oda narrowed her eyes upon the figure and gave a tilt of her head in the direction, as she realized that Xoxaa had yet to board the ship. Or perhaps she already had, and was waiting for Oda while the latter foolishly decided to stand aboard the ship.

It was a situation easily rectified, Oda reasoned, as she hopped off of the edge of the ship and, with a thump, landed on the wooden pier. The Apprentice was shy, she had no doubt of that at this stage, yet curiously so in the woman's presence. She wondered whether there was something about her that was causing the girl distress; there were always some who were intimidated by her military uniform, but Xoxaa was in the Swords, too, so it couldn't have been paranoia over the position as a defender of Sword.

Now that Oda thought about it, Shield would have been a more fitting name for the sector she stood in. A shield was to be used for defense, for parrying, to allow the other hand to strike. While a sword, at most, could clash in defense, an image that brought to mind war more than defending an island. Perhaps there should have been multiple names for parts of the sector, where the regular guards were bucklers, the private military were the swashbucklers to denote both statuses, and the Adepts were daggers in the dark. Because that was their purpose, at least in Sword; to serve as wild cards.

In her pondering, Oda had appeared before Xoxaa and looked over the amber sunset, instead of directly at the girl, to allow her some form of comfort from the older woman's apparently steely gaze. It was a curious thing, for she never truly tried to intimidate, and the fact her aging had ceased all those years ago gave Oda the physical appearance of a woman far older. Perhaps it was her eyes. The one part of the body that seemed to reflect one's soul, and the wisdom therein.

"Are you feeling ill, Xoxaa?" Oda asked softly, as she looked away, in an attempt to drop the tone she used while working. It was what she would use with the maids of the mansion and little else.
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

Just as the flamboyant boy arrived, he left. He's quite awkward in Xoxaa's mind, so much so that he acts as a source of humor, unbeknownst to him. Of course, this left a void in the other woman's attention, so naturally her focus shifted to Xoxaa. She then approaches, disembarking with a graceful leap onto the pier, and continues to approach the girl. Naturally, Xoxaa's gaze stays glued downward, fixated on the older woman's legs once she stopped. Out of the corner of her eyes, Xoxaa spotted the woman's eyes aiming elsewhere, towards the sun.

"Are you feeling ill, Xoxaa?", the woman spoke calmly, her mind, once again focusing not on duty but rather the overall well-being of her allies and subordinates.

Xoxaa's eyes shift upward with the rest of her head, still lower, but she was this time seeing the woman's upper body, such as her shoulders. The situation softened the previous mood Xoxaa had, after evidence of the woman's intentions were revealed.

"No..." she responded softly, visibly more at ease, but her eyes still defiant, unwilling to meet the woman face-to-face.

"The others!" dawning on Xoxaa, her eyes widening along with her head tilting back to its original position, she recalls the details she heard uttered by the guards earlier. "There were 12 according to the guards, but at this location there's only one. I can assume that the others heard about the criminals and went out to pursue them, but where the other members decided to deploy in correspondence with the last spotted location of the thieves is intelligence that I don't have."

She then shifts her focus back to town, aware of the existence of other thieves. Taking a few steps towards town, she then abruptly stops, not bothering to turn around to speak with the woman despite her presence a few yards behind her. Her composure, now much more at ease and with an air of confidence in her voice, prompts her to speak, bringing her acknowledgement of the circumstances to light.

"There are other thieves on the loose. We should look for them."
 

machomuu

Stuck in Hot Girl Summer
10,507
Posts
15
Years

Adam Randi - Justice Arcana


A little direction would have been nice, Adam thought to himself , hands in his pockets. Then again, that'd be too much to ask for. He sighed to himself and continued walking. His exploit rested entirely on the idea that there would only be one criminal to go after at a time, but he wasn't so sure if he'd be so lucky. The letter, at least as Mina explained it, implied that he would only have to go after one, which he found to be odd. Granted, there were definitely more than enough arcana users to take care of the thieves, it wouldn't have been surprising if he were met with more than one, especially since he only brought his dagger with him. He did wonder if he should have brought Mina along in the case that the criminal was more than he could handle alone. Though...he'd been walking around for quite a while. He was getting pretty pissed off.

"Oh, Adam, is that you?" Yet another familiar voice; it seemed to belong to a middle-aged woman, probably slightly large in size. Adam turned to see who it was. It was Georgia, a woman who sold fish behind a nearby kiosk. "Oh, it is you!" He thought it slightly funny that she wasn't sure if it was him, reason being that not many people he knew dressed like he did and had white hair, not even his father, as he inherited his white hair from his mother. "I've been seeing many of La Famiglia members running here and there, it's probably because of those strange people that were running about last night."

Ah, a witness, what luck! "You heard the commotion last night, ma'am?" Adam said, drawing closer to the counter.

"I did," she confirmed. "They were a ways away, but their footsteps were rather loud when they were in a group. I just happened to be here doing inventory when they were doing...whatever it was that they were doing."

Adam rubbed his chin with his pointer finger and thought for a few moments. "Did you happen to see any of them? Did you see where they went?"

The woman nodded and said, "Just one. Actually, that's why needed to talk to you." Adam shook his head and asked what it was that she needed. "Well...this one didn't seem to notice me and took shelter in the Cold Storage Facility." She pointed to something of a small structure next to her. It wasn't exactly what one would consider a "Facility" by its size or even its external appearance, but it did the job of one. "Which is a problem, because I don't have a place to store my fish. All the members of sword seem to be occupied with something...but you seem to be free."

"It's my duty to serve." Adam said with a smile and bowed. He then walked towards the facility and looked at the door. Knowing that the guard was probably waiting for him, he unbuttoned a button near the bottom of his polo and slid his dagger inside and placed it between his stomach and his pants, for easy access. He opened the door slowly, yet casually. He entered, closing the door behind him so as not to involve any civilians. He looked left and right, scanning his surroundings. Surprisingly, there were a lot of hiding spots for such a pathetically small building. Of course, these "hiding spots" were, for the most part, frozen fish. It was really less safe for him here than it would have been in jail, as he could die of hypothermia or some bacterial disease. Fear can make man do strange things.

"Don't move! Put your hands in the air and stand still!" A voice shouted from Adam's side. Adam was surprised at the amount of energy this man had and how much power was in his voice, despite him having been in a freezer for several hours. However, that's all that surprised him. He was expecting the criminal to be close by, and it only made sense that he'd get a jump on just one other person, especially one with Adam's build. Adam complied and raised his hands, boring a grin on his mug. "Tell me who you are!" The man demanded.

"I plead the fifth," Adam replied with a chuckle.

The man was clearly pissed off, probably taking out frustration and fear that had pent up in the time until now. "Don't screw with me! I'll cut your-"

"You wouldn't dare." Adam interrupted. He kept his hands up and turned to face the man, who had a dagger close to Adam's neck. "You might nick me, and you might cut me, but you won't kill me. You can't."

"Don't think I'm afraid to kill you, I've killed before!" The criminal yelled, bringing the knife closer to Adam's neck, his frustrations mounting. He seemed as if he was completely willing to kill Adam, and he probably was. He showed no signs of being nervous, and he was pretty convicted to the idea of killing this arrogant punk that was standing in front of them. Still, this didn't seem to faze Adam at all.

Adam put his hands in his pockets and laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you have, but you can't kill me: I'm better than you." Even angrier now, the thief shoved the knife into Adam's neck; he didn't pierce it, but he was putting pressure on it. Still, even to Adam's surprise, the arcana user wasn't at all scared of being killed on the spot. Adam felt in control, his advantage became apparent not long after uttering his statement. The criminal's hand started to shake and the pressure applied to Adam's neck started to lessen. Slowly, the criminal withdrew his weapon. This was really the first time Adam had used his arcana's ability in a life-threatening situation of this nature…but wasn't over. Adam didn't have control over the man's actions or even his thoughts, so his next move was still unpredictable. Unfortunately, Adam was too caught up in his moment of triumph to think logically, and was promptly punched in the stomach by the criminal. The thief made his way out of the facility while Adam was writhing in pain. Adam made quick to follow him, but once he was outside the facility he found that the man had taken hold of a hostage. Georgia had been captured by the thief and was being held at knifepoint.

"Don't move or the woman gets it." The man said, pressing the knife against the Georgia's neck with his knife. Georgia was filled with terror, but he had his other hand over her mouth so she wasn't able to scream. Adam again assessed the situation. It was a by-the-book scenario that Adam'd scene time and again. He'd actually trained for scenario's like this…but Adam didn't feel that he should go the diplomatic route; he was done talking to such a generic character. He scanned the man's makeup and his position, calculating the right way to execute his plan. He then took a stance that confused the criminal and quickly took out his dagger from his pants and threw it at the man. The assailant didn't see it coming, and he didn't feel it immediately, but after a few moments he noticed a piercing pain coming from his ear, followed by the copious amounts of blood leaking from his head to his shoulder. He started to freak out and accidentally released Georgia. Adam took advantage of this situation and ran up to the man, jumping on the counter of the kiosk and smashing the man's head into the back of the fish stand, knocking him unconscious.

He removed his dagger from the wall and wiped off the blood that was on it with the criminal's shirt. "If you would, Ms.Georgia, I'd be delighted if you could get a member of sword to take this criminal to jail." Georgia was still shaken by the whole incident, but she shook her head and thanked him for all the help. Adam received her gratitude and headed back to the main house.
 
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897
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11
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  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
The Apprentice's response was brief, but it was enough to calm Oda's worries for the moment. The Adept would have been far more anxious than normal, were there to be some sort of outbreak brought to the island by the thieves, and even more so if any of the Famiglia had caught it. The girl's meek nature was a curiosity, though, but the confidence with which she spoke next told the woman that not putting pressure on her was working, if only in a minor way.

"There are." Oda confirmed, or at least by her count, and the line of guards leaving the yacht seemed to indicate that no more thieves were within its corridors. She turned away from watching the turn of day into night, and took a few more steps towards the young woman, only to stop a few paces behind her. Though she wanted to ask questions of Xoxaa, this was not the time for it, but she hoped that there would be time at the ball. "There will probably be one in the caves, or looking for a plane."

She offered the choices to not burden Xoxaa with the pressure of thinking up where to find them herself, but allowing her the confidence to choose or come up with her own decision regardless.
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

The woman approaches her from behind, but stops short of meeting her by her side. Focused on duty, Xoxaa finds herself in her natural conduct.

"There are," the older woman promptly responded, her focus returned to the pursuit and detainment of the thieves. "There will probably be one in the caves, or looking for a plane."

"Caves?" questioned Xoxaa, not entirely sure of what the woman meant, but perhaps she knew more of the geography and history of the island than Xoxaa would know, having lived there for far longer than she has.

Xoxaa paused in thought, knowing that searching blindly for a place that thieves might hide would only buy time for the villains to make a clean escape. It won't be an effective course of action, so an alternative method would be necessary if they intend to apprehend the criminals before it's too late. It then dawns on her, obviously, to consult with those who'll have the best intelligence, knowledge they'll need.

"The guards!" concluded Xoxaa, an evident source of intelligence on the thieves.

Naturally, to extract this kind of information warrants confrontation with the guards themselves. Quickly deducing the consequences of obtaining such elusive data, she reacted quickly before speaking without thinking. There's no way Xoxaa will find herself doing the dirty work of pulling those teeth.

"We might be better off if we ask the guards for information on the thieves. Why don't you ask them and see what they know?" cleverly weaving her words to attain a desired outcome, speaking inquisitively as if her statement was a spontaneous thought rather than carefully plotted out so she could avoid socializing with strangers.
 
5,114
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17
Years
  • Age 30
  • AU
  • Seen Feb 18, 2023

Beck de Telarius: The Hermit

At first, Marcus' fist coming to the rescue was a huge relief and when Beck felt his body slump back onto the deck, he let out a big sigh. It was when he made eye contact with his eldest brother that he felt the guilt and pressure set back in, his brother's scolding and disappointing eyes piercing Beck's heart, like it usually did. Beck despised these eyes on so many levels; it was like his father telling him he wasn't good enough, except it was coming from one who should be empathetic with him. It sucked.

Marcus quickly dealt with the criminal, knocking him unconscious. Beck didn't stick around to know how he finished him off. Instead, he slipped into invisibility and skulked off the ship, taking notice that both Flint and Camellia seemed to be doing alright on their own (well, Camellia had taken a dip into the water but not without Flint quickly coming to her aid. He didn't give Camellia those horrible looks that Marcus did.

Because there was not much else to do (the boat was now unusable which meant the criminals had no way out, unless they got a smaller boat. But a smaller boat meant smaller loot), Beck hurried back to the Famiglia mansion, passing other members as a ghost but not saying a word. When he had reached the front gates, Beck let himself become visible again and wandered around to find something to do. A bit of shouts led his eyes to a small argument or something between Ari and Annabell, who were also members of the Famiglia. He also found Aerous, who had stopped for a second to say something before moving on. Beck didn't add any words to any conversation at risk he may be pulled into it. He kept his head down and hurried past the girls to his own room.

He closed the door behind him and sighed, his knees giving way and sliding slowly so he was not kneeling at his door. What could he do before the ball tonight? A bit of reading? Perhaps he could get dressed and be early for a change? Or maybe he could head to the guard infirmary and see if any guards had been victims of today's kerfuffle.

A knock at his door made the decision for him and it didn't take long for Beck to open it back up, revealing the Head of Alchemy standing there looked a little flustered. Aislinn Brennan was a sweet-faced 30 year old woman who had beautiful long dark hair and bottle green eyes. She was amazing at what she did and any praise from her felt like Beck had been told he was the best in the universe. Of course, she wasn't here to give praise.

"Beck!" she said, pushing his door further open and waving a hand at him, gesturing at him to follow. "Good, you're back. A few of the guards were injured today. I need any available Alchemists to help out. You're free now, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course, ma'am," Beck nodded furiously, closing the door behind him and following Mrs. Brennan down the hallway. "Is it anything serious?"

"Nothing extreme, mainly just cuts and half a dozen gunshot wounds. I just need the extra hand. Haans is out setting up for the ball tonight," she kept her speed, leading Beck to the infirmary, waving her hands about as she spoke. Beck immediately noticed that her arms had splatters of red dotted up them, her hands clean from the gloves the must have been wearing.

She took a quick left and opened the door to the infirmary, Beck immediately realising that Mrs. Brennan had been quite right. It was easy to see they were mild wounds, and each of the guards looked up in excitement like puppies as the Alchemists found their way in. Beck hastily hung his coat on the rack and grabbed a pair of gloves and got to work, thoughts of the ball quickly leaving him as he began to concentrate.​
 

Legend

Kingslayer
1,308
Posts
15
Years

Flint de Telarius: The Chariot


Fighting was always a drag. Flint never particularly developed a love for it. Do not confuse such sentiments with pacifism. It is more than Flint sees little fun in the escapade of combat, and much rather weasel himself out of such tight situations with a careful choice of words or a nimble escape. Others may consider Flint a fleeting coward. He considers himself a clever strategist. However, despite this, Flint had gotten involved in a number of scraps (especially in his travels) and was experienced to say the least.

On Marcus' order, the siblings each engaged a single thief. Flint's opponent was comparable in build to Flint, though he was a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier. No matter. Nothing he couldn't handle. Hell, even Marcus would say Flint could handle this guy easily and he never admired Flint's fighting style (though he might commend its efficiency). The thief was probably in his late 20s, maybe early 30s, but it was hard to tell given his unkempt beard, missing teeth and patchy hair. For once, Flint felt gorgeous. He sighed as he approached his opponent: "Alright, let's get this over with." Flint brushed off his opponent, taking a neutral stance, drawing his hands out of his pockets, and placing them on his sides.

"What did ya say say, punk?" The thief said, drawing out his knife and brandishing it. The knife was a bit bigger than Flint expected, but at least he didn't get the guy with the sword or machete. That would of been annoying to dodge. Then again, the knife is a weapon of agility and precision. Smart fighters know how to use it. This thief was far from intelligent. Flint could tell.

"I said, come on! Stop dancing around like this is West Side Story. I got things to do. People to see," Flint said taunting his opponent with vulgar gestures.

"Ya think you're funny. Imma cut that tongue out of your mouth!"

"Try me. Oh, here I'll make it easier for you," Flint said, leaning forward, sticking his tongue out. The thief's face contorted in anger at Flint's arrogance. He lunged forward, going for a quick stab, but Flint read the move, hoping his taunting would pay off. Flint sidestepped the attack, grabbing his opponents wrist. He twisted it sharply and quickly, disarming the thief with ease before hammering his forearm against the thief's elbow to the orchestra of ear wrenching crack. The thief stumbled to the ground in pain, holding his arm gingerly, taking shallow breaths as he tried to reconcile with the pain. "Oops, seems I broke your arm," Flint said with a chuckle. "My bad."

"You son of a b-" Flint did not let him finish and he drove his knee into the face of the thief. As the thief squirmed in pain, suffering from breaks in his arm and nose, Flint grabbed the thief by the collar and approached the side of the boat.

"Take my advice and cool yourself off," Flint said as he chucked the broken man into the cold waters below. "Have a nice swim!" Flint called out as the man tumbled into the sea below. Flint took a cigarette from his back pocket and put into his mouth, his patted himself down to find his lighter before catching a sight in the corner of his eye. It was someone struggling in the waters, probably drowning. Flint wondered if it was the thief he just threw overboard. It wasn't likely. Did Marcus or Beck throw someone off the ship? Wait…Flint squinted and caught a better look. "Oh you gotta be kidding me…"

Flint did not hesitate at the sight and immediately jumped off the ship, quickly using his Arcana card's abilities to allow him to walk on the surface of the water. He ran over to Camellia, almost tripping over his own feet as he treaded across the water and lifted Camellia out of the water and over his shoulder. He ran over to shore and threw her on the ground. Not versed in CPR, Flint firmly pressed against her chest until he heard coughing and saw some water spew out. It was good enough for him.

"You know…now you owe me a new cigarette."
 
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1,176
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15
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  • Seen Jul 18, 2016
Ari - The Empress - Mission 1​
"Oh, look the tramp!" Annabelle's voice was surprisingly confident. Ari had a special distaste for newbies like her who thought they possessed the ability to outwit her. The rage within her swelled with every moment that passed between her and Annabelle. "Just so you know, I would go back home until the ball, but they have some swords trying to get me in again."

"I wonder why? Maybe because you can't enter through a door like a normal child," Ari emphasized on the word normal to further critic her verbal opponent one who got her far too upset. Ari released her anger that threatened to overwhelm her through her tightly clenched hands, which opened and closed every few seconds.

"I guess that attention isn't much different than yours though. Anyways you have no control over me whatsoever, considering our difference in branches."

"Listen here, brat. I gather attention in a very respectable way, do you want your dead body to gather attention?" Her voice came to a point were her words had trouble getting passed her seething clenched teeth. "I've been looking for a new pelt for a coat I'd like to have. How about that mangy mutt of yours?"

"I always like some fresh air, you know how stuffy it can get with all your hot air filling up the room." Annabelle nonchalantly countered her statement while she walked towards the open window. Her obvious exit route through the door was blocked and it seemed she was eager for an leave of absence. "As a matter of fact, I think a nice snack before the ball would do nicely." The girl disappeared out the window, Ari stepped forward to try and stop her but there was movement in the hallway that halted her pursuit. She heard footsteps that clearly belonged to a man one who overheard their conversation.

"Miss Ari, don't pick or try and intimidate new members of our family please." The words were pushed forward with confidence that the man himself lacked. His that head was deliberately lowered and his fast paced walk were strategies in order to avoid Ari's vengeful eyes as if those actions protected him from her illusion spells. She began thoughts of ways to trap him in an illusion that was so terrifying he'd only have the strength to blink his eyes after she had finished. Aerous Oxus, Adept of Swords, cardholder of number seventeen The Star, age twenty-five, which meant he was 2+ years her senior. One might not have known he outranked her in years by the way she treated him. He was known for his pure gracefulness with a sword and marvelous physical combat skills, that and for his stupidity. It intrigued her how number seventeen defended cardholder number eighteen as if bounded by duty and card order. Unlike the rest of the Famiglia Ari hesitated to be a fan of his.

"Hey, Aerous, why don't you go back to school? I still think they have classes for idiocy! Oh, by the way, can you weaklings of Sword learn how to stop measly bank robbers without getting the rest of the Famiglia involved?" Her words were thrown out like daggers but somehow he managed to parry them and then carried on with his business. Aerous had made one crucial mistake that he would now regret.

Anger fumed within Ari, her breath became erratic as she took off down the hallway. As if they warned anyone in the hallways of her presence Ari's heels stomped into the wooden floors. A look down the hallway revealed a meek Beck who slipped almost unnoticed into his room. Everyone knew, for the most part, if one sibling was in the mansion then they all were. This meant she had little time before an expected interruption would occur. She removed her shoes in order to sneak into Aerous' room but the shower was on so he wouldn't have heard her anyway. As a caution Ari tipped-toed her way in and slowly got in reach of his filthy clothes. She plucked them up as if they held the plague on them and turned to backtrack before she had an idea. The door to the bathroom, which held the shower, was slightly cracked giving her a blurry view of Aerous. Her Arcana Mark flared to life as she casted an illusion of bug larvae squeezing themselves from the cracks in the wall down into the shower. They swarmed to life and multiplied themselves by each second that passed. With his clothes in tow she carefully backtracked her way into the center of his room where she noticed a small lighter. "You sure are flamboyant now!" Ari snickered at her own joke as she dropped Aerous' clothes onto a small fire she had created in his trashcan with the small lighter she found. With that she left the room and leaned on his door in order to hear his reaction before she took off down the hallway unnoticed. Ari headed toward her section of the household where she overheard a nearby conversation that involved a pair of loose-lipped guards. Her smirk returned but her foul mood still overpowered any information that she had gathered.​
 
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Khawill

<3
1,567
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11
Years
The Mansion
I made the jump and ran to the garden, I figured now would be a good time to use the front door. I walked through the hallways of the house fairly bored. My arms felt sore from the wounds, my legs felt sore from the fall and running, and I was pretty tired considering my rude awakening. I can't say that right now, I was in the best of moods, though I couldn't wait to go to the ball, I'd show up that attention hound one way or another! I hadn't eaten at all though, so I decided to go to the kitchen and have some lunch. I hoped that a maid would be there to cook.

When I got to the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the chefs and maids working on food for the ball, though that delight turned into annoyance when I couldn't get one to make me food. My stomach rumbled, and I had no idea how to cook, there was no way I'd get food here, so I decided to head into town, maybe that cafe would give me some coffee now that I saved their money.

Cafe
"We are still not going to give you coffee. We appreciate the help you gave us, but we are positive that giving you coffee will cause us to lose more money than you saved. Do you understand?"

"Aw, but it is so goood." I whined, I really wanted more, "Can't you just give me a little bit?" It was typical that I'd get the same waitress as last time, with her iron will.

"Would you prefer hot chocolate?" She said with a smile, she was much more cheery than this morning, but still, I wasn't getting my coffee. "I'm sure the boss would more than happy to reward your heroics with a free meal and cocoa!"

I liked free food! "Really! Like really really! That would be so great, I'll take some cocoa and..." The menu had very few lunch meals, but there was one that I always ordered, "And chicken alfredo! With fettuccine pasta!" My mouth watered simply at the thought, it was my favorite food.

"Okay, I'll bring that out very quickly!" She leaned in, and whispered, "By the way, did you know you are in a night gown?" and walked away.

My stomach dropped as I looked down, I had walked all the way over here in nothing but a night dress. I looked around to make sure nobody was looking,and it didn't seem like anyone cared, I was in the clear. I waited patiently with my head down, waiting for the meal.

"Okay, the manager said you can have the free meal, but we have to ask you to leave. He doesn't want indecently dressed children here, it looks bad to the customers." She said it as if it was the most awkward thing she had ever said.

"I am not a little girl! I'll have you know I'm 18." I lowered my voice because people began to stare, "I'm just very small."

"I'm sure you are! But still, you look like a child and for that reason you should leave. I'm sorry!" She probably wasn't sorry but I agreed kindly and rushed out, taking the long ulow populated route back to the mansion to lay in bed.

I still had my food and I was fine with eating in my room, though I couldn't help but feel I shouldn't go to my room, so I walked to the garden and chowed down on my delicious meal. After I finished, and I felt full, I decided that there was no way I could sleep now, but I did want to try on my dress, so I walked through the front door again. I noticed the tramp walking away from the Aerous's bathroom, which struck me as odd. I contemplated whether I should care or not, considering Aerous was a sword. Though eventually I figured the mere act of retrieving information wouldn't neccisarily qualify my interaction with him, so I casually walked in the direction Ari came from.

I can't say that I was surprised to see that his trash can was on fire with clothing fuel, nor could I say I didn't suspect that she had probably taken his clothes while he was in the shower. But as much as I wanted to help, he was in the shower. There was no way I would risk seeing him out of the shower, so I just kind put the fire out and quickly left.
 
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897
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11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
"Of course." Oda's agreement was swift, despite the reservations flashing clearly across her face at the apparent lack of sociability in the Apprentice that stood before her. She turned into the streets with a fluttering of her coat and returned within a few short minutes, with a sufficiently dour look hanging across her eyes as they met Xoxaa's azure orbs. "Come, quickly. The guards have received word of a truck headed towards the airfield; we'll need a vehicle, in short." Without waiting for response from Xoxaa, the Adept returned to the shadowy dockside street.

A gaze cast down each side of the street told Oda that only one viable vehicle remained, if they were to make use of the shortcuts that littered Regalo Island's surface like scars across a veteran's face; she'd seen enough of both to dread the bumpy ride. There happened to be a finely crafted motorcycle sitting on the street corner, unattended, whose silver sheen seemed to call out with an enticing glamor. It was a fine machine, not dissimilar to Oda's own, but that was stored by the mansion itself.

There were certain liberties allowed to Adepts of the Sword more than any other rank within the sector, such as the one Oda was about to take advantage of. It would cost money out of her own pocket if she were to damage the vehicle, but she trusted enough in her own confidence to not end up in a fiery wreck with an Apprentice on the backseat. The thing that worried her the most was the potential damage this thief could do, depending on the weapon they carried, or if another traveled with them.

Regardless, the time for worries had passed, and Oda knelt beside the motorcycle with a Swiss army knife retrieved from one of her many deep pockets. Hot-wiring the vehicle didn't take long, and was luckily a skill Oda's father had taught her back in Sweden that proved to be more useful than she'd ever expected. It was certainly quicker than knocking on the owner's door, and could possibly save one twelfth of the Famiglia's bank, if they caught up in time.

With no helmets hanging from the handlebars, Oda would need to be especially careful in her driving, and push back the instincts that would cause her to speed recklessly across the tracks of dirt worn through by many years of enthusiastic teenagers; ones like Annabelle, in fact. The Adept climbed aboard the motorcycle and revved the engine a few times, making sure she hadn't broken anything lethal, like the brakes, and whistled over to Xoxaa with the knowledge that the young woman's mind oft wandered.

"Get on."
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

"Of course," replies the woman, agreeing to Xoxaa's suggestion.

The older woman's response and reaction is quick and decisive, seemingly not having even a second thought about what Xoxaa asked. Granted, it was a very logical course of action so it isn't surprising how the woman chose to act. Xoxaa wastes no time, following not too far behind the woman as she recovered intelligence from the guards before turning around to fill her younger ally in on the details of the thieves.

"Come, quickly. The guards have received word of a truck headed towards the airfield; we'll need a vehicle, in short."

"Alright, but where will we find a vehicle appropriate for our use, much less one we can take, or do you-," reciprocates Xoxaa, only for her question to be cut short as the woman found her answer.

"Ignored again," concludes Xoxaa, used to but still frustrated when others seem to either not hear what she said even when she's clearly audible, or, well, she never really figured out why she seems to be invisible, maybe even more invisible than the invisible man she heard of.

Perhaps the woman's response to things is more direct, Xoxaa following her older companion to the site of the woman's focus. She keeps her distance, watching as the woman pulls out a knife and begins to release the vehicle that Xoxaa inquired about. However, Xoxaa's certain the motorcycle isn't hers, and the woman certainly doesn't seem to be the kind of person to justify criminal activity, and yet she's deliberately confiscating someone's property. Xoxaa would never do something such as this, regardless of the situation. Naturally, she feels uncomfortable about what she can predict is about to happen. Her face naturally slumps, a slight frown on her face as she stares at the vehicle the woman released, revving the engine, sure to draw out the vehicle's owner if they're home. A sharp whistle then breaks the string of thoughts Xoxaa mulled over regarding the "borrowing", as she suspects how the woman would justify her actions.

"Get on," advises the older woman, slight urgency in her words as they need to go after the other criminals before they get away with the stolen property, now an ironic circumstance given what the woman had just done.

"Uhm..." hesitates Xoxaa, looking down slightly, approaching the motorbike a midst its loud, roaring engine so that the woman might hear her. "Are you sure we should be doing this? The bike's not ours."

Xoxaa contemplated what the woman's answer might be, but she needed to ask anyway, especially since it seems a bit odd that thieves would be trying to bring other thieves to justice. The woman probably intends to return the vehicle, but it still seems wrong to take something that's not theirs without asking, even if it's to apprehend thieving villains. Given the woman's likely response, Xoxaa prepares herself to hop on the vehicle anyway, delaying in action still as the moral ambiguity of the situation makes her too uneasy to act effortlessly.
 
897
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
The Apprentice's response had been the last thing Oda was expecting, when she hotwired the motorcycle to apprehend the thief. The way she stood with the effort of hours of training marked across both skin and cloth, yet whose vision of the world had the naivety of uncommon to the Adept herself; this was a state of mind she'd gotten used to long before now, as she straddled a rumbling engine and gripped the handles firmly between her slender fingers. There was perhaps complacency in her actions, of getting numb to the true morality of her actions through repetition.

This particular right, Oda hadn't used excessively before, for it was rare for there to be such a large emergency that would require stealing from the island's citizens. Yet it was as easy to steal from the owner as it had been to assault the thief on another citizen's boat, or the times when she'd been required to run a man through with her blade, or even the first time she actually hurt somebody in her youth. All of those times, it could be justified with the notion of self-defense, that there were times when morality could be applied to actions and justify even the most horrible of crimes.

Yet, as many great people throughout history realized, the passing of events could only be described by those present, with whatever moral norm society was used to at that stage. Some were abhorrent to most, thanks to the teachings of religion, such as many scandals in the Americas all the way back through to the times of Ancient Rome. Yet, these potentially great people committed crimes most would call foul of. From slavery, to the slaughter of innocents in the name of a supposed sovereign or deity.

And all of it was unnecessary, because Oda had learned that morality was a concept that was impossible to truly gasp. It shifted with the clouds, and the only person to trust is oneself. To make the decisions that one deems necessary in any situation, based on one's own knowledge and calculations of collateral damage, instead of blindly following an ideal put forth by supposedly wiser beings. They were useful for many things but personal meaning was not one of them.

To gain personal meaning, Oda had been taught, was to explore oneself more thoroughly than any psychiatrist or witch could try. She was still on this path to self-discovery, but maintaining one's own actions was something she learned to deal with long ago. Nothing was worse in the world than insanity that could be supported by others, like those who suffered under the boot of Roman armies. By taking responsibility for herself, she was allowed to make the decisions that would haunt her, if they were necessary, because actions were objective. A man who murdered in the name of his God or country was still a murderer, and the harmful part of it was boasting it as heroism.

"No, Xoxaa, this bike isn't ours." Oda explained, her voice still smooth and her gaze averted to avoid putting pressure on the Apprentice. "I'm a thief, and, no matter how necessary this is, it's still a crime. I will prostrate myself before the owner and admit it, then allow them to decide whether to judge me for it. Meanwhile, I'm under the employment of the Famiglia, and it's my job to get the money back; so that is what I'll do. Are you coming along for the ride?"
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
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Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

"No, Xoxaa, this bike isn't ours," is the woman's sharp response, clearly giving her attempt to explain the circumstance. "I'm a thief, and, no matter how necessary this is, it's still a crime. I will prostrate myself before the owner and admit it, then allow them to decide whether to judge me for it. Meanwhile, I'm under the employment of the Famiglia, and it's my job to get the money back; so that is what I'll do. Are you coming along for the ride?"

It felt more like a lecture to Xoxaa, her suspicion proven correct by the response the woman gave her. Theft in general is a wrong act, regardless of how one might want to justify their actions, at least as Xoxaa saw it, but reality hardly holds to absolutes since so many variables would be at play in any given situation. She certainly wouldn't suspect the woman of outright stealing something without making amends later if there's the potential of harming others. Then again, Xoxaa doesn't know her that well, and looks certainly can be deceiving. In truth, the bigger issue for Xoxaa would be returning the bike, not taking it, as it would warrant confronting the person she stole from, but this problem is easily alleviated as she can't say that she stole the motorcycle. To each his, or in this case, her own, as Xoxaa concludes, knowing that in the end, she's responsible only for what she does, even if those in power would like to think otherwise. Honesty is a virtue Xoxaa would never shy away from, no matter how shy she might be otherwise. Their objective was simple now: locate, apprehend, and turn in the criminal.

Xoxaa's expression hardened, appearing more sure of herself as she looked towards the older woman sternly. Nodding her head, she approaches the vehicle, boarding the rear while holding onto the woman's shoulders. Suddenly, it then dawns on her that she has no idea how to ride a motorcycle, much less how to ride as a passenger.

"Uhm..." she utters softly, barely audible to the roar of the bike's engine, her expression quickly returning to an uneasy frown as she looked down, glancing at the woman's lower back.

Pulling up data from her memory, Xoxaa attempts to address her problem before the woman begins accelerating, thus causing Xoxaa to fly off the vehicle and possibly suffer some serious physical damage. She recalls how passengers typically remain seated on motorcycles, placing their hands somewhere bellow the driver's armpits, but what position exactly would be appropriate? Some people, as she remembers, wrap their arms around the driver's midsection, although this was typically among opposite-sex partners, and might be awkward to do so with another woman, but would holding onto the woman's hips also be inappropriate as well? It's all so confusing to her, and worse yet, she's no time to deduce the proper etiquette of motorcycle passenger riding. To make matters worse, she hears the sound of footsteps, hastily approaching them likely as a result of hearing the sound of their motorbike roaring throughout the streets. They would have to take off quick if they didn't want to get in trouble.

"I... I-I think I hear footsteps! We should hurry!" urges Xoxaa loudly, her hands still pressing against the seat, unprepared for a sudden take-off.
 
897
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11
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  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
From the corner of her eyes, Oda watched Xoxaa's reaction to her words with an uneasy breath; there were those in Sword who would attempt to chastise her for supposedly playing loose with the rules, but her methods had worked over the years regardless of somebody attempting to moralize her. Although she had her doubts that this Apprentice would dare to confront her over something so fundamental, which made her unsure of just how firm she should be in future interactions. Perhaps a conversation at the Ball, like she's originally planned, would shed some light.

And, despite herself, Oda smiles when she sees Xoxaa's face take a sudden turn to determination that had been lacking over the last few minutes of being in each others' presence; though she couldn't put her finger on it, she felt like she'd gotten through to the Apprentice in some small way. Thanks to the mistakes, or rather unfortunate events, that happened to the forebears of her family, she wouldn't have easily been afforded a position in command, even had she wanted one, but there was some satisfaction to be had in working with another person on these matters.

The bike shifted slightly upon Xoxaa's mounting, while Oda occupied herself with making sure everything about the bike's balance was as in-check as it could be. The previous embarking through the wild paths of Regalo Island had been solely herself, so she'd need to keep a careful eye out for any dangers that could harm her passenger who still hadn't found herself a handheld, after Oda was certain that each gear was in check and ready to speed off along the road in pursuit of the foul thieves.

Then, the Apprentice yelled about somebody approaching, and Oda was reminded that being yelled at by a civilian was not in her immediate plans. Yet, Xoxaa's hands supposedly remained floating somewhere in the air around them. "Grab on to my hips, and don't let go." She instructed swiftly, waiting for the young woman to do so before she let the engine roar in triumph at its freedom, as rubber ground against asphalt and they sped down the street, just as somebody's comments slipped from the Adept's earshot.

It was fairly good planning on her part, Oda complimented herself, to have all of the civilians retreat into their homes until the crisis was over, for their escape from the motorcycle's owner would have been far more dangerous, or perhaps even impossible, otherwise. The fact that Xoxaa hadn't known where to place her hands made doubt grow in her mind about the passenger's safety, but societal implications of where one's hands must be placed weren't something particularly on her mind. Those thoughts had been locked in the dark corners of her mind long ago.

As the wind brushed against her cheeks and they came up to the first corner of their pursuit, Oda following the guard's information about the thief's direction to plan the best route for interception, she began to instruct her passenger on how to remain safe on the vehicle. "I need to lean the bike to go around a corner; please don't be afraid of grinding against the road." She informed Xoxaa as quietly as she could without yelling over the growl of the engines.

Though she uttered the occasional apology about her braid potentially hitting Xoxaa across their ride, and further instructions, Oda's mind was focused on the ride. It was one of the most peaceful sensations there was, for her, to be able to move across the beautiful landscape on a vehicle she could feel connected to, where each turn was under the direction of her will, like the keys of a steadfast piano that sung its beautiful tune only for her unblemished fingers.

The thought of a piano motorcycle made the grown woman laugh shortly, before she corrected herself for fear of making Xoxaa think she was thinking mocking thoughts and instead turned it to a comment on the thin path they were just about to cross onto, as a mountain road loomed overheard. "Bumpy ride; make sure not to let go." She told Xoxaa firmly, but there was no time to brake and check if she understood, as the wheels of the motorcycle bounced across the dead shrubbery and worn ground, skidding slightly before their control was regained.

With each rock of the vehicle against the slightest hill in the ground, and the thousands of greens that rocketed past the Adept as she sped through the tropical forest, Oda was reminded that this bike was definitely not for traveling across any terrain but roads. The hydraulics leaped and slammed her form back onto the motorcycle every few meters, making it quite an unpleasant ride for her as an experienced rider, and no doubt more so for the passenger.

The jittery mechanics of the borrowed motorcycle did nothing to dampen her spirits, however, as there was a certain thrill to rocketing through unclaimed grounds with the possibility of a fall or crash soon to come, but prevented by skill alone. Even as she spotted the outcropping of stone that would take them up to the overhead road, with a jump of about ten feet diagonally to make it safely, her fingers tightened around the handle and pulled back sharply in anticipation of freefall.

Moments passed slowly, as the front wheel slid up the base of the slick rock and dug its claws into nature's bones and tore up the ground beneath it with each ounce of power within its engine, followed by the rest of the bike and its two passengers as they hurtled through the air and landed with a particularly troublesome thud against the asphalt that was nonetheless softened by the spinning of the wheels, making sure that neither of the occupants fell off.

It had been a risky maneuver, but Oda's expectations had proven correct, as the airfield was just beside them. With another roar of the engines, Oda spotted a stolen RV coming towards them suddenly turn towards the chainlink fence that surrounded Regalo's airfield, sending the clattering fence to the side with sheer bulk and speed. The bike shot forward with unwarranted speed, with fear evident in the Adept's eyes for what the thief could do if that vehicle collided with one of the stored airplanes.

"Can you do anything to halt it?" Oda asked her passenger, with the memory that Xoxaa was also a member of the Famiglia, and that she possessed an arcana card too. The ride would be smooth across the wide-open strip of asphalt, and the motorcycle would almost certainly catch up with the RV before either were forced to come to a sudden stop.
 
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