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La Storia della Arcana Famiglia [T]

CourageHound

Trust & Courage. Nothing More
823
Posts
11
Years
Tobi Lomborte
The Sun

Tobi contemplated whether or not he should assist the others in subduing the remaining thieves since he was a sword. However, he decided against is figuring the others would probably be done by now considering the time it took him to beat just one thief and turn him in. Thus he headed home with Anna's dog in a sour mood because of it. Once at the doors of the mansion he was offered samples and different tidbits of what was to come at the ball from the maids and chefs and accepted them heartily. It was enough to cheer him up a little.

He brought Anna's dog inside the mansion much to the maid's surprise but they didn't see anything as they saw no ruddy paw prints plastering the hall floors. Nonetheless, Tobi took his time to wash the dog up in his bathroom thoroughly before venturing around the manor to find Annabelle. She resided within her rarely used room. Her door was slightly cracked so there was nothing stopping her dog from jumping into the room for an excited greeting. Annabelle was delighted to see Tobi as well with a hearty" thank you" for bringing back her dog.

"Yea it was no problem. But hey I noticed he doesn't have his name on the collar. Whats up with that?", before Anna could answer Simon scampers by the room door. Tobi clenched his teeth at the thought of Anna's dog excitedly jumping down to greet Simon only to get a swat to the snout from the startled cat. However, Simon just flicked his tailed and continued to prowl about the mansion. "I'm gunna go and see what members of the sword have returned so I can have an update on the mission."

Tobi sighed and closed Annabelle's door with a wave. After meandering through the halls he saw Areous' door closed however he was taking a shower as it seemed, so he continued the the corridors without taking a second glance. Venturing into the intelligence sector of the house he spots Ari just turning a corner to another hall. Although she wasn't a member of the sword, he wanted to as her 'How did the mission go?' or "Do you know if any of the swords got back?'. Not necessarily for the answers of those questions as he already knew the answer, but rather to hopefully strike up a conversation.
 
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Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years

Camellia de Telarius - #20 Judgement

"And you owe me a dance at the ball," Camellia smirked at the figure hovering over her. She was thankful that he had come to help her, but couldn't help feeling a little dejected that it wasn't Marcus. She always enjoyed the feeling of Marcus saving her; something akin to a handsome knight rescuing his damsel in distress. Except Marcus was her brother. If only she had her own shining knight akin to Marcus yet not family…

"Also, smoking is bad for you," she turned her head to the side, coughing up a bit more water before returning to Flint, "You should probably help Marcus wrestle these thieves to the Swords' jail, I'm going to follow Beck up to the Mansion." She pushed herself up off the ground, feeling the loose sand slide down the inside of her shirt, and even some lodge in her underwear. She turned to leave, "Thanks, Flint," she said before making her way up the beach to the track that would take her around to the side of the mansion.

Camellia's clothes had all but dried by the time she snuck into the Mansion grounds. It was now well into dusk yet the atmosphere remained fairly temperate making the walk that much bearable. It didn't take her long to get from the eastern garden to the set of rooms the de Telarius siblings had been given. The main room still had the remnants of the days' lunches spread out on the table; Becks book lying on the table. She quickly moved the dishes into the Kitchen, making a note to clean up the house once she had cleaned up herself. Her room rested opposite Beck's at the back off the hallway. Each room had an en suite attached so the siblings did not have to fight over bathroom time.

Once inside, she quickly dropped all her clothes to the floor before making her way into the shower. The warm water washed over her body, wiping away the sand and grit that had ingrained itself into her clothes and hair. It felt good to be able to wash it all away; all except the dull, throbbing pain in her ankle from the tumble earlier. A commotion outside caught her attention as she caught a glimpse of a skinny, naked man running across the lawn. His Arcana Mark shone brightly in the waning sun.

"He isn't the sharpest tool in the shed," She commented, stepping out of the shower and towelling herself down, "but he isn't half bad looking."

Wrapping the towel around her midsection, she made her way back into her room, screaming a little as she saw Ari standing in the doorway. "Geez, you scared me, Ari, thought you wanted to kill me…" She scratched her head and smiled wide, hoping the kindness would have an effect on Ari. Considering Camellia had decided to not go to work this morning, she wondered if Ari had come to enact some sort of sadistic punishment on her.

"You don't mind if I get dressed while we talk, do you? I would assume you have the same body as myself." She pulled the towel off and began ruffling through the mess of clothes on her floor, looking for something to put on.​
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

The woman responds promptly to Xoxaa's warning, the engine revving to maximum power right as the door of the bike's owner begins to open.

"Grab on to my hips, and don't let go," instructs the older woman, informing Xoxaa on how to ride safely as she begins accelerating the vehicle, rapidly picking up speed.

In no time, the motorcycle takes off, nearly sending Xoxaa flying off the vehicle, leaning back as her legs begin falling off and she begins to become airborne. With a loud yelp, the girl extends her arms, clinching her ankles against the frame of the motorbike in a desperate effort to remain seated. Digging her ankles in, she concentrates energy to her ankles, mustering enough strength to dent the sides of the vehicle, nearly stopping all motion of her body taking off into the air. Halting the backwards momentum, Xoxaa lunges forward as best she can while facing off against the resistance of rushing wind and the initial momentum from the take off, thrusting her hips back to push her body forward, heels still clinching the bike's sides as her right arm leans as far forward as possible, her hand finding clothing on the driver's right side, scrambling to secure a tight grip, potentially clinching the woman's flesh and squeezing her skin as she recovers from nearly being tossed off by sheer momentum. Securing her grip, the young woman thrusts her hips again, forward this time, before throwing her feet forward again, swinging her left up and around the driver's midsection, clinching it tightly before her right hand releases its grip slightly, flying over her left arm to tightly hug her driver's chest, possibly squeezing too tightly and awkwardly, inching up to the woman's backside as her rear returns to the bike's surface, her bosom planted firmly into the older woman's backside as her passenger clings to her body, a reactionary movement made in the heat of the moment.

The bike owner's door burst open, his bike speeding along the roads as the pair race off to stop the thief the guards reported to them. He yelled at them, Xoxaa looking back, her body still tightly wrapped around the woman as her head tilted to their rear, catching view of the man's fuming expression, his voice barely audible but she could tell the man is yelling given his wide open mouth movements. Her stare is blank, looking at him for a few seconds before turning back around, watching the man bolt towards the direction of the guards before returning her glance to the woman's backside. Xoxaa decides not to alert her driver to the vehicle's owner later, as the woman most likely suspects the owner will go after them somehow, and she wouldn't hear what the girl would have to say anyway. Their motorcycle voyage would come up to a few sharp turns before making its way to a mountain path. The woman driver makes what appears to be a laughing sound, following shortly after with what seems to be a few words, perhaps pertaining to their route, but such noise is shut out by the overpowering clamor of the motorbike. By then, Xoxaa's grip has lessened so that her arms are mostly vertical while her hands still cling firmly to the woman's clothing on both sides. Her breasts still hugged the woman due to her bust size, but she has more breathing room now, or at least she did until their course became a lot wilder, making a sharp turn that forces Xoxaa's grip to loosen and nearly sending her flying once again, maintaining a firm grip on the woman's side opposite of the turn until she can reaffirm her hold on the driver with both hands.

Riding through bumpy, mountainous terrain, their course veers away from urban terrain, mystifying Xoxaa regarding the route her driver has chosen. "Why are we going this way? I'm fairly certain the criminals weren't heading into the hills. Unless... did she say they were heading towards the airfield? In that case..."

Her thoughts abruptly cut out as they ride through the rough surface of the island jungle, whipping by the flora of the island while riding over a serious of bumps, some greater than others. Xoxaa, having accustomed herself to the wild voyage upon this two wheeled ride, manages her grip onto her driver far better than at first, now predicting the twists and turns, leaning appropriately for each alteration in their route. The surprises didn't end though, as Xoxaa spots ahead the summit of some sort of hill, her eyes widening exponentially as she comes to realize what her crazy driver is about to do.

"She's about to drive us off a cliff!" realizes Xoxaa, at the last few moments before their driver launches their ride into the open air, now overlooking the airfield. "I'm not sure if I can heal from the extensive damage of a fall like this if we don't land well..."

Spotting a suspicious looking vehicle midair, the driver of said vehicle appears to have noticed them, veering away in reaction into the roadside fence and breaching the airfield grounds. The ever evolving situation trapped Xoxaa in another daydream-like trance, watching events unfold until mere moments later where the two of them blast open the ground beneath them, wheels spinning at untraceable speeds as they complete their landing, rough enough to cause Xoxaa to be lifted off her seat, if but for a brief moment while she clings tighter to her driver. It certainly shocks the young woman, if only briefly, before returning her composure to normal as their ride picks up speed once again and zooms off and over the downed fence and into the airfield, in hot pursuit of the thief.

"This woman certainly picked the right vehicle. She must have one of her own. I wonder how much experience she has with these machines," admires Xoxaa to herself, acknowledging her driver's exceptional skill with the motorcycle, or perhaps it was dumb luck, as odd fortunes do occur.

"Can you do anything to halt it?" spoke her daring driver, severing Xoxaa from her internal realm once again, causing her to reflect on the impending circumstances, their ride in furious pursuit of the escaping criminal, closing the gap between the two vehicles before taking up the larger vehicle's left side, running parallel with the thief.

"Uhm..." ponders Xoxaa aloud, clueless as to how she might put a stop to the villain's stolen vessel. "We need to find a way to get the driver to pull over."

Fortune has it that Xoxaa happens to have her bag with her, and in it, the object of the girl's eureka moment. "The pistol!"

Reaching into her bag after unzipping it, she pulls out an unloaded, for safety, semi-automatic pistol, quickly preparing it for firing, then trying to keep it steady as she aims for the object of her assault.

"Give us some room from the RV and trail it slightly. I have an idea," alerts Xoxaa to her driver, about ready to fire.

It might be a reckless endeavor, and she deliberately kept the details of her operation out of processing range of her driver, who might otherwise object to her wild efforts, hence giving the woman instructions only on what she wanted her to do, rather than what she will be doing as well. After given the safe distance, Xoxaa eyes her target, aiming her pistol while keeping it as steady as can be while riding, granted the ride now is far more stable, racing across flat ground versus wild terrain like earlier. Smooth enough, at least for Xoxaa, since her target's big enough and close enough and a slightly uneven surface shouldn't be much of an obstacle. Aiming for the tires of the large vehicle ahead and to the right of them, Xoxaa fires her pistol, a loud bang sending projectiles right into the wheel's rubber membrane, firing at the closest tire and popping open the wheel to release the pressurized air held within the tires, then shifting her aim to the other tire on the left side, ripping open a few holes in that tire as well. The burglar's vehicle begins skidding, losing the tires on its left side, forcing the RV's driver to decelerate to a stop, turning to the left slightly, blocking the path of the motorbike, it too coming to a stop pending the events that're unfolding.

"I hope I don't get scolded for this later," contemplates Xoxaa, recognizing that her actions might be too risky for the older woman's taste, but something needed to be done before the thief got too close to the airplanes and caused further damage.

With the bike ceasing motion, Xoxaa got off first, since she's the passenger, before looking ahead at the downed vehicle. Her pistol remains armed and in her right hand as she approaches in a hasty run towards the thief's vehicle, taking initiative seeing as her driver is preoccupied with watching over their "borrowed" motorcycle. Keeping her eyes on the driver's door like a hawk, the look of a cold-blooded hungry predator on her face, almost terrifying to any onlookers if her otherwise small, feminine appearance didn't water down her otherwise fierce appearance, as if she was on the hunt and ready to kill. Shocked by the incident that had occurred, the burglar was ready for opposition, bursting open the door on his side with a semi-automatic rifle mounted on his left shoulder. By that time, Xoxaa's close enough for a clear shot at the villain, slowing to a power walk to prepare a properly aimed shot, but is nonetheless taken back by the man's superior firepower. Still, Xoxaa anticipated the actions of the thief, ready to fire as the vehicle's door swung open. Already discharging her weapon, she catches sight of the man and pierces his left leg before adjusting her aim upwards towards the man's hands and arms. He manages to pull the trigger, focused dead on its target, launching a few bullets that pierce Xoxaa in her arms and legs, and one in her chest, her speed accelerating towards the door upon recognition of the man's weapon.

The penetration dealt to her causes her to collapse to her knees, just before reaching the driver's door. However, the damage she dealt was enough, getting off a few clean shots in the man's arms, causing him too to collapse, falling to the hard airfield bellow and landing on top of his weapon, struggling to hold back the pain so he could finalize his kill. Unfortunately for him, the power of his opponent, to say the least, is nothing natural. Flustered from the penetration of several bullets, she pushed herself upward, portions of her body already expelling the bullets from inside her body as her arcana powers jumped into action to heal her otherwise potentially fatal injuries. Kicking away the barrel of the man's rifle, she stands over him, appearing fatigued, a look of both slight exhaustion and also a guise of coldness, an almost terror-inducing stare plastered upon her face. The man, disarmed, vulnerable, and bleeding profusely, looked up upon the object of his absolute terror, his face contorting to a shaken state, his lower lip trembling as his face flooded with the presence of anxious sweat. Horror was the only presence he could feel within himself, glancing upon a small but terrifying predator, one who not only appeared barely phased by several gunshot wounds, but had appeared to almost completely stop any bleeding, rendering any damage he might have done to nothingness.

Panicking, he scrambles on the ground like a flailing fish, desperate to recover its breath. Xoxaa reacts, promptly stomping a charged foot onto the man's grappling hand toward his rifle. The cracking of bones can almost be heard as Xoxaa's hyper-powered presses down on the man's defenseless hand, breaking it. Screaming in pain, the man flinches and struggles in pain, flexing his spine in pure agony. The girl continues, grabbing his now gnarled hand, inciting another pain-induced reaction from the man, before she pulls him up and slugs him square in the chest, causing him to slam his head into the bottom of his downed vehicle. She then approaches him, charging a stomp before landing it on the man's left foot, breaking it too. In desperation, he swings his right arm over in an attempt to harm the ferocious young woman, only for her to catch his fist, sliding her hand over to his wrist and squeezing it, charging energy into her hand to crush the bones in the man's wrist. Overwhelmed by pain all over his body, the man collapses onto the ground, unconscious. With the ordeal over, Xoxaa also collapses onto her knees, breathing heavily due to having to expend a tremendous amount of energy to rebuild her pierced organs and to stop the bleeding.

Mustering up whatever energy she can, she crawls over to her knocked out victim, covering his gun wounds with her hands, preparing her medical treatment on his body, or to be precise, the parts that are bleeding, as the bone fractures were more to keep the man from moving. Sweat pours from her brow, having severely exhausted herself due to earlier ordeals. She sighs, following up with a few coughs before pulling her up onto her feet once more, looking over to her superior, slightly curious as to what the older woman might think of her apprehension of the burglar. Giving the woman her face, Xoxaa did her best to smile in the state she's in, only to recoil in residual pain coursing through her chest, placing her right palm over the still open gunshot wound lodged in her midsection. Clenching her right hand as if she was pulling something out, she draws out the final bullet implanted in her body, throwing it off to the side. Coughing a few more times, she returns her gaze to the woman, working up a small but confident smile.

"I got him," affirms Xoxaa, her voice more raspy than before, but still soft and high pitched as it usually is, coughing a few times after speaking.

A sound off in the distance then reaches earshot, hearing the approach of guards who were also pursuing the criminal in order to prevent his getaway. Surely this situation will appear awkward to the rapid responding guards, with a woman sitting atop a stolen motorcycle, an RV with two left tires torn away, and a large man planted on the ground unconscious with a rifle a few feet away and a small, seemingly feeble young woman with a bit of sweat on her brow overlooking the ordeal, as if she had just ran a marathon.

"I bet they know about the stolen bike too," assumes Xoxaa, looking back at her superior, the same smile on her face but notably slanted, reflecting on an awkward situation.

"Oh," she realizes, clenching her teeth awkwardly as she recognizes the dent she made on both sides of the motorbike. "They'll probably be curious about that too..."
 
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Khawill

<3
1,567
Posts
11
Years
After Tobi showed up, I had no further interruptions with my sleep. I actually had dreams during the nap, which isn't exactly odd, though my dreams are never truly my own I suppose. When I sleep near people, sometimes I experience their memories through my dreams. Oftentimes I just watch the dream, spectating a past experience, though sometimes bad memories get through and I have nightmares. To be honest, people always seem to have more bad memories than good ones, as if they want to hold on to terrible events.

On this particular day though, one of my dreams were delightful. I watched the memory of one of the maids who was married, specificly the wedding day. I don't know exactly who this maid was, but the feeling of joy she had that day spread to me as I slept. This joy, this feeling I got whenever a good memory came along, made up for all of the nightmares I had, it gave me a sense of hope that everyone would feel happiness. Unfortunately the dream was short because my powers were not developed enough to allow me to focus the dream, I only caught the priest saying his stuff and the big kiss. After that, I was bombarded with bad memories. A child's parents abandoning him, a deceased pet that a kid had to bury, and a life of extreme poverty as a kid were all typical bad memories I'd be tortured with. It always seemed like the worst memories people had, the most dreadful to them, happened during their childhood. But every dream I would cry next to the person, mourn the dead pet, or attempt in vain to get food for this starving child, I felt useless, with only that wedding to look back at.

When I awoke, I immediately forced these sad feelings away, I needed to be happy after all! It wasn't hard because it was something I had to do every morning, though I always needed a few minutes to dry my tears and wipe my face. After all that was done, I slipped on the red dress, which covered my cuts from earlier nicely. I figured maybe seeing the healer or an alchemist would be best, but I wasn't dying so I didn't bother. I looked at the clock, by the time I had awoken it was close to the start of the ball!

A knocking on the door and Steven's voice yelling, "Hello?" confirmed by worries, I had overslept!

"One second, I need to get dressed and stuff!" I slipped on my shoes, then decided to but on some heels instead. I walked quickly to the door. "Okay I'm ready to go!" He was dressed pretty nicely, definitely not a guard's pay of an attire. I can't say I wasn't appalled to see him look so stunning.

"I thought you would bail." He laughed, "Well lets get down to the ball area." He held out his arm, "May I escort you?"

Couldn't help but have my mind leap to the wedding memory, and it made me feel a bit embarrassed. Even if he couldn't read my thoughts. I took his arm though and said, "Try anything and I am in a perfect position to break you arm!"

"Well okay! Then I won't try anything until you let go." We both began walking toward the ballroom. When we arrived, nobody else seemed to be there except some servants and maids. So we waited around for people to show up.
 
897
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
Rolling wheels against smooth ground was far less deafening than the tropical flora Oda had been forced to drive through before, though had perhaps been more traumatizing for her passenger. Just another apology to add to her list that day, including apologizing to the bike's owner and the family of that guardsman who had taken a bullet designated for her. It was strange, to feel a day shift from regular serenity to such chaos with only a few yells and greed of thieves for a frankly ridiculous plan. But, the jump both of them had just taken would have been considered reckless by anybody without the ability to resist injury; instinctual fear was one thing that was slipping away from The Hanged Woman's human grasp.

The clarity of sound allowed her to hear Xoxaa's suggestion clearly, and despite most of her work time being spent alone, she remembered following the commands of a drill instructor. In a fluid segue, the Adept and her vehicle strafed across the open airfield to allow the Apprentice her line of sight, that was necessary for whichever plan she came up with. There was brief surprise in Oda's eyes, as she spotted a pistol being withdrawn from Xoxaa's bag and its sights lined up with the thick rubbery wheels of their target, whose concentration swayed upon sight of the metal stallion that followed.

Although she preferred the steady weight of a sword hefted in her hands, for reasons of parrying and to avoid the spraying death that ranged combat could inflict upon her allies, Oda had plenty of experience handling firearms. The action that inspired incredulity was the confidence that Xoxaa gained, enough to release her clutch around Oda's body and take aim with only her legs to stay attached to the machine. It seemed that, like herself, the Apprentice found comfort in having a focus; a way to express herself through solid actions, when all that mattered was the target.

They'd have to spar, sometime. Nevertheless, with an ear-shattering bang the pistol crippled their criminal's vehicle, though it simply passed through Oda's ears like the bullet themselves would have. But the swerve of the hulking RV was enough provocation to twist the handlebars in a tight turn and spin back the brakes. As the grinding of rubber lit up the air with stenches of smoke, there was a sudden shift in weight as the passenger leaped off to deal with the thief that necessitated such actions in the first place.

When the motorcycle finally stopped with a lurch forward, Oda heard the sounds of rapid gunfire followed by the squeals of a man who believed himself dying. She hopped off of the motorcycle with a frown, though she had heard only a few feminine cries of exhaustion; there was also the fact of damage caused to the motorcycle's chassis, for she trusted Xoxaa to handle a single thief by herself. That would be dealt with sooner than the Adept had hoped for, but for now the concern was on the Apprentice's health, as she strode towards the unconscious thief and smiling Sword.

Most concerning was the splatter of crimson across Xoxaa's clothes, along with the blood-soaked bullets that littered the ground around her feet. Oda watched the girl with a tilted head, as she attempted to remember just what Arcana card could afford such feats; the intense nights of studying paid off, as she recalled the High Priestess being one such card, whose energies could weave together any wound. That certainly explained the apparent exhaustion from just a few moments of combat, but the apparent fear throughout their ride was evidence that Xoxaa's mind was still young. She had yet to be numbed, perhaps because of the pain she must still feel from whatever injuries.

"Indeed, you did, and quite cleanly too. My compliments." Oda congratulated the girl with nothing short of a proud smile, as she approached the downed man with a set of steel manacles withdrawn from one of her longcoat's many pockets. It truly was a well done job, despite the brutality of the submission, but there were a few members of the Famiglia whose methods were far more lethal; very few people could afford to subdue dangerous criminals like Oda had learned to. "It seems the guards have come with judgement for my actions, but..." She briefly checked her watch. "Time until the Ball is passing all too quickly. I shall have to make this brief."

Though the criminal was not going anywhere quickly and it was within both of their rights to take down him as they saw fit, Oda felt the need to take responsibility for the entire thing, as a trio of black vehicles pulled up alongside the site of the crash and out came the hatted guards of Regalo Island, the leader marked clearly with a silver badge upon his chest and the stern look of a man more concerned with the people, and, from Oda's experience, didn't trust the military nature of the Sword Sector.

"Captain Jonah," Oda greeted the Captain with a hearty handshake, as they met on the line between his cars and the crash. Her gaze did not leave his for a single moment, while a couple of the guards walked to the handcuffed thief to lead his unconscious, heavy form to one of their cars. "I'm afraid this meeting must be short, and there is much to be explained. The damage to the gates and reckless driving through the docks, as well as the death of one of your men included. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you've heard, myself and this Apprentice have to attend a formal Famiglia event. I will gladly meet you in the morning for tea, to discuss these events and meet with the owner of this unfortunate vehicle."

Oda was by no means a woman of silver tongue, but there was something to be said for formality in the face of old souls such as Captain Jonah; it was something they could appreciate, and which she'd been learned in for many years. The mustached man appraised her words for a few moments before giving a brief nod. "Alright; I'll keep you to your words, Mistress Baldotter." He said firmly, before issuing orders to some of his gathered subordinates. "Get your gawking over with quickly; we don't need everyone on this site!"

"I would never dream of doing anything less." Oda bowed respectfully to the Captain, and left a brief moment of silence for Xoxaa to speak to Captain Jonah, before gesturing for the Apprentice to follow her on the long walk back to the mansion that necessitated their early departure from the scene of just one evening's crimes. "Unless you're willing to steal another vehicle," She jested in an attempt to keep that smile on Xoxxaa's face. "I doubt we'll be able to make it back in time. You can go ahead, if you want to." She said, with an honest smile, for she could not know the full extent of Xoxaa's abilities. "If not, I can lend you my longcoat for some form of reasonable dress."
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

"Indeed, you did, and quite cleanly too. My compliments," the woman spoke, a proud smile on her face as she approaches the scene of the engagement to chain up the defeated thief.

Xoxaa isn't used to such strong positive regard, given her life of abusive or neglecting family figures. Naturally, the girl was forced to tilt her head slightly in the other direction, dropping her smile somewhat, but instead donning a red hue to her cheeks. She blushes easily with any compliment, but the young woman began to warm up to this older woman, almost as if she was a mother to her or an older sister, only exacerbating her inner appreciation of the woman's kind words. Looking away from the current scene, the woman arrests and turns over the burglar to the arriving authorities, discussing matters with the captain of their unit. Xoxaa listens in on the conversation, gleaning the excuses her superior gives to the guard captain. Apparently, the woman takes the responsibility of the events that occurred here, but the woman doesn't seem to be one to boast of her exploits or lie about events to further her position, however short lived in might be. She seems to be covering for Xoxaa, as the girl presumes, since the woman had seemed interested in her well-being throughout the whole ordeal. Hearing the conclusion of their discussion, Xoxaa alters her gaze, looking up at the darkening sky, spotting a few stars coming into view. Her eyes widen in interest, marveling the colors of the twilight sky, her favorite time of day. After gazing upward for a few moments, she hears the sounds from the conversation cease, lowering her head tilt and turns her attention back to the pair, the two separating ways at the exact moment she lays eyes on them.

"Unless you're willing to steal another vehicle," states the older woman, a touch of humor in her tone and a warm smile on her face, grabbing Xoxaa's attention by pulling her glance towards her superior. "I doubt we'll be able to make it back in time. You can go ahead, if you want to. If not, I can lend you my longcoat for some form of reasonable dress."

She's fairly sure the woman was merely cracking a joke, but nonetheless it made little sense since it was the woman, not Xoxaa who was the vehicle stealer. The smile returns to her face, but this one is somewhat slanted, almost sarcastic in expression.

"You were the one who stole a vehicle, ma'am," responds the younger woman, returning the favor of a comical remark while highlighting the details of the referenced event.

Hastily, another aspect of the woman's words dawns on her. "What did she mean by- Oh ****! I forgot about the ball, and I forgot to obtain the necessary attire for the event! I'm so screwed!"

"Oh, I-uh, uhm... I won't need the longcoat, but thanks! I'd only trip over it and probably rip it or something like that, uh...," stammers Xoxaa, suddenly made uncomfortable by the realization of her circumstances pertaining to the ball, her voice only making her anxiety more evident. "Uhm, but would you by, uh, chance be able to do me a huge favor? Like, uhm... I-I don't think I have attire that will be acceptable at the ball. I uh... I don't really own formal wear. It's not my thing, you know? I don't think I have time to pick up anything, so... uh..."

The girls words trail off, shifting her gaze down again, embarrassed by her admitted lack of responsibility and her request to ask for assistance, and from someone she just met no less. A frown hangs over her face, truly ashamed by what she had to ask the woman, probably proving to have been mostly a burden to the woman, having to manage Xoxaa's awkward or complete lack thereof of social skills and slowing them down during a situation of crisis. Her gaze remains permanently fixating towards the ground, frowning, too perturbed to make an effort at proper social interaction.
 
897
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
Oda smiled at Xoxaa's response to her joking misplace of blame, having realized that the young woman was nervous enough without being teased by somebody of a higher rank. As she speaks of the Ball, she pushes aside some blocking plants that would reveal a shortcut to the mansion; while she couldn't care less for any damage sustained by her longcoat, given its inability to sustain such regardless, she preferred that the Apprentice would not suffer a rash on top of the supposed shame of not possessing formal-wear, but it was merely another thing she didn't know of the stuttering young woman. The extent of her powers could easily reach past disease or poison, as the contents of those bullets didn't seem to be adverely affecting her yet. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, as she used her sheathed sword to push aside any offending plants.

The fact of Regalo's tropical region was that many strange species of wildlife lurked in its depths, and Oda had never took it upon herself to learn about them specifically. It was a duty for alchemists, and another way of affecting the world that she'd be unable to master quickly enough for it to help. There simply wasn't enough time for peace of mind and studying together, so she simply kept an eye out for any colorful creature that looked like it could possess a nasty bite and shooed them away with a tap of her sword. The forests offered a reprieve from the man-made structure she was used to perusing all day, at least, and the beams of moonlight than shone down through emerald leaves were quite beautiful. The world seemed to possess far too many splendors to see in a single day.

At Xoxaa's response, Oda flashes the younger woman a kind smile. She could understand the absence of solely formal clothes, for which she had no fondness. Dresses and heeled shoes were well enough for whoever could afford the time to fiddle around with proper necklines and having to balance with every step, but her duties were almost never at an end. Thus, her wardrobe was filled only with variations of her current outfit that drove the mads mad with attempting to organize her wardrobe, despite protests to their presence in the first place. But, no, they had their job to do, and apparently it involved sorting through her knicknacks to gossip with each other about. The most scandalous thing they'd found was her nightwear, which was apparently not close enough to translucent silk for their tastes. The cliques the house-servants formed were quite amusing at times, even, despite their apparent fascination with her piano-playing and paperwork. If the woman didn't know better, she'd think they were spying on her.

"Don't worry," Oda told the nervous Apprentice with another smile across her lips. She was quite enjoying escorting the younger member of Sword around. She even reminded Oda of herself when she was much younger, depending on how somebody would choose to define her age. There was certainly trouble getting alcoholic drinks, considering her youthful looks, but she'd lost the ability to enjoy such beverages in the last few years as well. "I have dress shirts, pants, and shoes you'll be able to borrow." She was perhaps being too generous, but there were plenty of outfits to spare and she'd loathe to see the night take any more turns for the dramatic. "But I'll have to get you a properly tailored longcoat at some point; perhaps made with material that's easy to clean..." She added, with a small gesture to the splatter of blood over Xoxaa's torso.
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

The two begin their journey back to the mansion in preparation for the ball, with the older woman clearing the way for a shorter route back home. They had left everything at the airfield up to the guards' discretion, including the stolen motorcycle. Hopefully the dents Xoxaa made in the motorbike wont come back to bite her later, but she decides to shelve those concerns, having no purpose other than to generate needless worry, as right now, it's of no concern to her. The ball, however, reveals a crisis in the making, and Xoxaa knows this, being completely unprepared for what will likely be her greatest event upon admittance to the Famiglia. She needs a complete set of formal attire and a bath or shower, although while the later could be done quickly enough, it's the attire that will be troublesome to procure. Worst case, Xoxaa might have a dress somewhere, but it will at best be only casual wear such as a summer dress. MAYBE it'll be passable, after all, it's more about looking presentable, although various societies and social classes do hold to irrationally strict dress codes and mannerisms, a structure that the girl finds no sense in.

Her biggest concern will certainly be the men, since a ball naturally would draw young men to want to dance with her, something she's awful at, not to mention she seems to draw the attention of men in general, likely due to her curvaceous figure, which due to her modesty, often made interactions with the opposite sex very uncomfortable, and the only method she has to get men away from her is to be socially dismissive, an often accidental skill due to her poor social skills, but reliable nonetheless, or for the persistent bunch, a few broken bones and a foot to the crotch usually did the trick. Then there's the matter of the "invisible man" Xoxaa heard about who'll likely also attend the ball. A male with that kind of power is sure to have perverted intentions, and to make things worse, she hasn't met that particular card holder, and for all she knows, he may be a peeping tom and has perhaps spied on her several times, granted she rarely stays barely or completely undressed in a place where others can see unless they were to sneak in to wherever she was undressed. The matter of the invisible man doesn't bother her too much though, as if she ever learns his face and uncovers any evidence he may have engaged in perverted behavior towards anyone, especially her, she would make sure to clobber him and force him to find someone else to heal his injuries rather than assist him with her recuperative powers, even if her sector head or higher-ups went after her.

"Don't worry," replies the young woman's superior, smiling in support and likely to comfort her younger companion. "I have dress shirts, pants, and shoes you'll be able to borrow, but I'll have to get you a properly tailored longcoat at some point; perhaps made with material that's easy to clean..."

Her considerate gesture causes the girl to briefly reflect on the woman's kind offering, turning her head towards the woman with an appreciative smile on her face.

"Oh thanks! Uhm..." she pauses briefly in thought before continuing, "Are you sure you don't have anything other than just pants or shirts? I, uh... I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but... uhm..." tilting her head around and dipping her gaze downward as they walked. "I like that sort of formal wear the least... Uhm..."

She continues to struggle with her words, wrestling with her discomfort over the woman's potential negative reaction to what might seem as rejecting the older woman's generous response to her concerns. However, the moment is short lived, as Xoxaa experiences an epiphany of sorts.

"Oh, hey! Do you think I can get by with a simple dress or a nice shirt and maybe a skirt to go with it, or might that be too casual?" sharing her plot with the older woman, her tone notably more enthusiastic. "By the way, I'm not too in to those longcoat things, if that's ok, but thanks for making the offer."

Their discussion continues as they traverse the wilder landscape of the island, but the untamed terrain soon ends, the two reunited with the cityscape, not too far from the mansion. Still anxious about the time they have left, Xoxaa hopes there might be time to properly prepare for an event she's dreading anyway.
 
897
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
"I will be able to ask one of the maids to lend you something more in your tastes." Oda offered the young woman, at her refusal of those clothes. In her experience, most women in Sword Sector preferred to wear outfits that were practical instead of the more feminine attire that would have been considered normal, but it seemed that Xoxaa was a fair bit more girly than she'd seemed before. Perhaps it was because of her focus on social norms and a desire to fall in line with them, or just a preference for such things, but Oda was no psychologist, and just offered the next best thing.

As they walked through the cityscape and further towards the mansion, she took note of the citizens who were returning to their daily lives, albeit slowly. A panic was never good for the elderly, young or sick, but the island had great Doctors that would be able to calm them down once the situation was handled. Perhaps there should have been some form of announcement for the populace, to assure them that all of the thieves had been apprehended, but this was not Oda's role either, so she continued to the courtyard in front of the mansion.

The doors of the Famiglia mansion opened by the hand of the maids to allow its two members entry. Sure enough, their eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of Oda, before looking over her for any potential changes. There never were any, and they should have known it by now, and the two frilly-dressed teens shared a look. While one approached Oda with a smile and bouncing pgitails, the other swiftly fetched a wet rag and presented it to Xoxaa.

"Hello, Mistress Baldotter." The pigtailed maid greeted with a curtsey before Oda, leaning around slightly to check for any markings across the sides of her coat before once again smiling. "Would you care for an ear to listen to, today? It must have been stressful with the thieves and...and..." She stammered off at the sight of Xoxaa's bloodstained torso, before regaining her composure wit another smile. "A massage? You must have been in a lot of fights; perhaps a back massage?"

"No." Oda stated firmly, meeting the maid's eyes although she knew it would do no good, even if she had the heart to intimidate the young woman. The fact that her Arcana Mark was sprawled across her back was, unfortunately, common knowledge amongst the tricky little servants. "Though thank you for the offer, Gem." She gave a brief glance to Xoxaa and arched in eyebrow, waiting for denial or acceptance of her offer of acquiring clothing from the maid.
 

CarefulWetPaint

Doctor Lobotomy
1,193
Posts
12
Years
Aerous Oxus

The warm water rolled down Aerous face, meeting the foamy soap bubbles that were forming along his chest and arms as he scrubbed himself trying to get clean for the nights upcoming activities. I must be clean for the ball! He thought to himself as he he grabbed the shampoo and squeezed an unneeded amount onto the top of his head. Closing his eyes he began vigorously rubbing and massaging the shampoo into his scalp. It quickly expanded as he rubbed, covering his entire face with in seconds. Did I just hear something? Nah, no one would be in my room. He thought sticking his head under the water to wash away the shampoo. Without opening his eyes he fumbled around, finding the conditioner and poured it into his hair, finishing off his hair care for the week. After washing off all the foam and soap from his efforts to make himself presentable Aerous just hung his head under the shower head, enjoying the warm water for a few moments. Ahhh, I really should get out now. After a few more seconds of procrastination he made the decision to step out of the shower. After drying himself with his towel he threw it over his shoulders looked at the spot he left his clothes.

Where are my clothes? He thought looking at the table where his clothes had been slightly confused."Didn't I leave my clothes there?" He said to himself walking up to the table and patting down the spot where he had last seen his clothes. After scanning his room for any sign of them he left his room to look for them, still naked with only his towel over his shoulders, forgetting completely about his wardrobe which had 5 clean suits, these were also the reason he had a shower as they weren't dirty like the set he was now looking for. Without running into anyone he managed to make his way outside into the garden in his search, to no avail. He stopped near a tree and surveyed his surroundings, wondering what happened to his clothes, still oblivious to the fact that he should be wearing a clean suit from the wardrobe.

As he made his way back inside he walked past a few confused looking guards and a maid whom seemed to stare at him for a little bit. Turning a corner he realised where he was, to his shock. I entered the wrong building while looking around, this is where the siblings live... Look Cammy is back. He though as he saw Camellia step out of her room, followed by Ari. They had their backs to him as he approached, both turning as they heard his footsteps. "Hello Cammy! How are you? Hi to you as well Ari." He greeted happily as he grew closer to the pair. They both turned around and looked at him, Cammy began blushing and Ari began snickering, though also turning slightly red.
"Ah, Did you forget that you had a wardrobe of clean clothes Aerous?" Camellia asked, looking at Ari after she finished.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that, thanks! I couldn't find my clothes when I got out of the shower so I went looking for them. I best go get dressed for the ball now!" He answered, walking past the two to the exit to get back to his room.

After a few more minutes he ended back up in his room to, throwing open his wardrobe to see 5 sets of clean suits, much to his pleasure. Fantastic! Now I can get dressed and finish getting ready for the ball. Dressing himself carefully he took a seat on the edge of his bed and stretched his arms, waiting for the guards to come get him for his bodyguard duty. Still unaware that he had just roamed around a large portion of the estate naked, with only a towel wrapped around his shoulders.
 
1,176
Posts
15
Years
  • Seen Jul 18, 2016

Ari - The Empress

"Why are you trailing me?" Her voice filled the hallway; it was a strong and powerful tool for Ari.

Her head whipped around to met the curious eyes of Tobi Lomborte, cardholder of number nineteen called The Sun, age eighteen, Apprentice of Swords, and lacked the ability to really harness his power. If Ari recalled correctly he was a friend of that Annabelle brat, the one she picked a bone with earlier. A quick decision was made in the seconds that followed and Ari immediately turned on her feminine charms toward the newcomer. She slowly walked behind him and placed a single hand on one of his broad shoulders and squeezed it. Lucky for her she had decided to wear her favorite golden dress that revealed all her best… assests. Determined to succeed Ari leaned in closer to Tobi's ear so that her breath tickled the back of his neck. In an absent-minded state she giggled because even for her this plan was a little too nice.

"Tobi," She whispered, still in his ear. "I need you," At this point she walked around to look him in the eyes and poked his chest and left her left, index finger there. With a special nod to her heels she was taller than him so she looked down into his eyes with passion. "To do me a favor. Really, it's nothing!" Ari slid her finger down from his upper body to his torso where she hooked her fingers into the loops of his jeans to pull him closer to her. A move, which Ari daringly decided to do, that had worked many times for her in the past. She let him soak in all the words that she laid upon him before she opened her mouth again.

"Look your friend, Annabeth, is it?" Ari's right hand twirled in air as if she were trying to recall a thought she lost. "I need you to ask her to dance and then accidentally drop her in front of everybody!" Despite what she just requested her voice sounded way too cheery especially at the 'drop her' part. "I'll even put in a good word with Marcus, get you up to that Adept status I know you're eager to get to…" She had now officially baited him. She didn't want to be rejected so instead gave him a chance to put thought into what he was going to do. Ari turned her back towards the Apprentice and was on her way before he chose to follow her around like a lost puppy. Hopefully Tobi knew what was best for him because if he didn't go along with her plan, well, she had a plan for him, which didn't end well for him. She trotted towards Camellia's room where she came to a stop outside her doorway.

"He isn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he isn't half bad looking."

A confused, yet all too curious Ari stood in the doorway with a raised eyebrow in Camellia's direction. Camellia de Telarius, one of the four de Telarius siblings and the only girl. She resided as her sole Adept in the Intelligence Sector, well, the only one she liked. She was the cardholder of number twenty, Judgment, and 3+ years Ari's senior in terms of years in the Famiglia and age. Lost in thought Ari found it weird that so far she had encountered numbers seventeen through twenty today. Camellia's beauty was quite clearly radiant and Ari in particular had held a dislike for Camellia in that sense. While trapped in her mindset she had totally forgot to knock outside of Camellia's doorway.

"Geez, you scared me, Ari, thought you wanted to kill me…" The kindness in her voice made Ari sick to her stomach, she never got why she was always happy. The world was a horrid place and to have survived one must be cruel.

An urge to reach out and touch Camellia's seemingly soft, strawberry-blonde hair came over Ari. Instead she stared at the Arcana Mark that claimed territory on Camellia's shoulder blade, which Ari grunted at because even it was perfect! Her eyes lowered a bit before Ari took in that fact that Camellia was nude, she tugged on her own clothing to make sure it was still there. A moment before she thought the power of beauty and seductiveness had washed over her body but now Camellia sucked it all away. Her arms fell to her stomach where she hoped she concealed any self-consciousness she had down there.

"Camellia, hurry up, we a mission," Her sour mood was naturally represented in the harsh tone she took with her subordinate. It soon multiplied while she took in more and more of the sight that stood before her. This was not a formal mission such as earlier when they did the Swords work for them but more like to make Annabelle's life hell. She eased her jealousy as she turned her back towards Camellia with a frown planted on her face. Ari pretended to fiddle with something nearby as she waited on her right hand to get dressed. "Remember, pick something cute, it's the ball and maybe you'll get a guy to look at you twice."

As soon as Camellia finished Ari shoved her out the door she hoped by doing this she wouldn't be able to add anything to her already stunning outfit. A familiar voice greeted them from behind and Ari hated the sound of this voice in particular. She turned around with a fake smile, which turned into a roaring laugh.

"Are you not able to afford clothes? Dear God, Camellia let's take this as an example of what not to look for in a man," Ari clasped her hand over her mouth after her statement to stifle her laughter. "You need someone with more… Just more everything." Something strange happened when these two got together especially the way they looked at each other. Ari was firm with Camellia that she was not to spend more time than needed with men who rather have their swords shined than shine her shoes. Annoyed with his sudden appearance Ari spun around and yanked Camellia's clothing to signal their departure. When she noticed that Camellia wasn't right beside her as she expected her to be her heels stomped into the floor.

"Camellia, are you coming or not? And, no, Aerous you're not invited to walk with us."​
 

CourageHound

Trust & Courage. Nothing More
823
Posts
11
Years
Tobi Lomborte
The Sun

After running back through his mind what Just happend Tobi shook his head with a deep sigh. 'The things I get myself into...', he thought. But what could he have expected? He knew Ari was sneaky and mischivous. Trying to strike some conversation with the woman at this time especially since he could sense she wasnt in the sunniest of moods, wasnt a very good idea on his part. It was proboblly the anxiety of the Ball, he thought. Tobi was never particularly at his prime when it came to mass social gatherings, especially one so formal. Tobi sort of craved any type of social activity at this time in fear that he might feel excluded from activty by most of the senior members. Nonetheless he pushed those thoughts as well as Ari's "plot" to the very back of his head.​

Then, as if from nowhere, Simon his cat, padded up to Tobi's feet giving him an inquisitive look as if he were watching, and an almost silent meow.​

"Thats right", petting the handsome Maine Coon. "We need to get ready for the ball." Over the next hour, Tobi prepared himself for the event. Showevering, dressing, and things of that sort. Onced finished, Tobi strutted the finest of the formal attire of the famiglia. Sporting a black suite and a megenta spotted black tie to match his eyes. Finally, he even fitted a neat little bow tie on Simon's collar. After such strenuous and delicate preperation he decided to have a small snack to hold him over till the ball. Heading downstairs, with Simon in toe, Tobi heads torwards the dinning hall, he sees the other members of the swords, Oda and Xoxaa conversing with a few maids. He figured it was a great opprotunity to introduce his presence. "Hello! Am I interrupting something?"​

"Oh! Master Tobi, of course not! We were just preparing for the ball with Mistresses Xoxaa and Oda.", replied one of the maids with strange enthusiasm. "We're just trying to find the best outfit possible for them. You look splended as well." Although the maids were naturally kind and helpful, Tobi figured it was his power of the sun that was making the woman so jovial and enthusiasticaly helpful. Tobi mentally smacked himself for unintentionally influencing someone.

After this realization Tobi nods to the woman and continues onto his destination towards the dining hall, in search for possibly a croissant or two.
 
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Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

"I will be able to ask one of the maids to lend you something more in your tastes," reassures the woman as they arrive in town only a few blocks away from the Famiglia mansion.

"Oh, thank you! I hope they don't try to dress me like a sl-t though," thanks the younger woman, a concerning, contemplative tone in her voice as she prepares herself for the worst case scenario.

In no time they reach the mansion, their missions complete and hopefully with enough time to spare to adequately ready themselves for the ball. They are greeted in the courtyard by some maids, rushing over to the two and striking up a conversation with the older woman. One of the maids races up to Xoxaa with a wet towel in the maid's hands, surprising her which forces her back a few steps in order to reclaim her spatial comfort.

"Uh... no thanks!" blurts Xoxaa, backing away while waving her hands in front of her to keep the maid at bay.

Her superior effectively dismisses the maids present so that they can proceed into the mansion, which they do so. Finally arriving home, they can prepare for the event, hopefully with few obstacles left once Xoxaa can find suitable attire for the event later that night. If she possesses enough fortune, maybe she can get by with proper, plain attire and avoid attracting too much attention. Her plan is set for the rest of the day: find an outfit, wash up, dress up, and find a quiet corner at the ball where she can blend in and go unnoticed by the others. It's sure to be an ideal plan, but she'll have to account for unforeseen circumstances, which tend to be a given in any scenario according to her life experiences.
 

SV

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

Marcus de Telarius- #8 Strength


In the process of watching his siblings fight, he saw Flint toss one of the thieves into the ocean. Marcus's face instantly was fashioned with a mixture of expected anger, disbelief, and annoyance, as he ran after the broken thief in the water, removing his gauntlets, shoes and business coat, and dived in after him. Flint was well aware that they were to take in the prisoners, not kill them. With the injuries Flint had inflicted upon the last thief, it was doubtful if he would survive. And if he did, he may very well have gotten away. Marcus knew Flint wasn't in Sword, but he should have been well aware of protocol by now to have known what to do.

The cool saltwater engulfed his face as he entered into the ocean. The thief's body had already begun to descend quite a distance, so Marcus had to pick up speed to be able to catch up to him. He covered much ground with a few strokes, diving deeper into the water, ever aware of the time he would need before he would have to take a breath. Luckily, he reached out and grabbed the thief, then proceeded back to the surface for air. As he reached up, in inhaling deeply as the wave of air reached his lungs, he was fulfilled that the thief was also breathing steadily, though now unconscious. Marcus resided there floating in the water for a few more moments, catching his breath, before yelling back to the ship.

"Flint!" He bellowed, though no one answered. As he climbed back onto the ship, the knocked out thief over his shoulder, he reached to find an abandoned ship, with only the bodies of the other thieves there. His siblings must have already gone ahead to prepare for the ball, leaving Marcus to deal with the thieves' bodies. Marcus didn't mind. It technically wasn't apart of their division to handle anyways, but he was upset with the conduct they had exhibited. Beck allowed himself to be pushed around by a much weaker (in Marcus's opinion) individual. Flint had violated codes of conduct and mission protocol. Camellia, though he respected her stance, continued to approach these situations with the intent on violence-aversion, though he had constantly lectured her on the sometimes unavoidability of situations. When he sees them tonight at the ball, and he will see them, he will lecture them individually on what they had done wrong. Though most likely he will have to save his lecture for Flint at home, as the minor scolding could inevitably turn into a full on scream-match, and that was something Marcus definitely didn't want to have in public.

A few Famiglia guards approached onto the the ship, seeing the knocked out thieves and Marcus, wet from the ocean and placing back on his shoes, though, carrying his coat and gauntlets in his arms. One of the guards approached Marcus. "Sir!" He said, snapping to attention.

"Report," Marcus said, cleaning out some salt and sand that had wandered into his ear.

"Thieves have been accounted for. Most have been captured or are in the process of being captured." He responded. The other guards were rounding up the unconscious thieves on the boat, as Marcus watched, his eyes going between the guard in front of him and the ones picking up the criminals. Marcus nodded in acknowledgement, then responded.

"I want the details made into two copies, one sent to my quarters and another to my office files."

"Yes sir!" The Guard responded with a salute, helping his comrades round up the remaining criminals. Marcus, meanwhile, exited the ship and proceeded to go get ready for the ball. He had already decided he would act as head of security at the ball, so he prompted himself to hurry to get ready quickly.

Marcus had learned a long time ago to perform at a quick, but proficient manner. Packing and preparing had fit into this as well. He expected similarly from his subordinates, though some of their more...colorful personalities often didn't allow for the same level of punctuality. As he concluded his shower, he began dressing in his most appropriate clothing he could find. Being of the de Telarius family, among the richest on Regalo, finding expensive clothing wasn't very difficult. Besides, he had already picked out the clothing he would be wearing tonight ahead of time.

A white plain stiff-fronted silk shirt, made from the finest the de Telarius could get there hands on, is where his outfit began. This was fitted with white stiff wing color, which was detachable. A white bow tie, an unconventional color and piece Marcus decided upon (Marcus customarily doesn't trail far from traditional black, blue or red, unless a special occasion would arise), would go with it. Over this would be a white, silk waistcoat. A black dress coat would be worn over it, with matching dress trousers of the same high-quality fabric on the bottom. Shiny, dark dress shoes would complete the outfit. Marcus immediately but carefully began to assemble the suit onto himself, usually preferring to do so by himself, never quite trusting others with his clothing, as he always believed only with himself can he assure the utmost care has been given, at least in the dressing.

He already had on most of his outfit, minus the dress coat, as a knock came on the door. "Come in." Marcus announcing, observing himself in the mirror of his room. A guard entered the room, walking a few paces and stopping about three meters away, standing at attention.

"Sir, I have the report for you on the thieves' capturing." He said, as Marcus continued to adjust cufflinks made of gold onto his shirt. He stopped, extending his arm for the document, and grabbed hold of the folder as it was placed into his arm. The guard moved back a few paces, but knew better by now than to leave, as Marcus was known to typically issue out additional orders or commands after reviewing reports. Marcus scanned the document, tilting his head a bit as he reviewed the actions by some of his subordinates...but more particularly interesting the involvement of members from other sectors. It was strange for so many to have gotten involved, especially those that weren't apart of Swords. Marcus didn't particularly like it. He appreciated their help, of course, but the divisions of sectors were, in his opinion, there for a reason. Each sector had their own duty, and they were to be performed by that sector's members, to the best of their ability. When a member of another sector interfered in the business of another, Marcus never particularly liked it, even if it had nothing to do with his sector. He reserved his personal opinions on those situations, but this one involved his sector. When others got involved in Swords, it gave the appearance that Swords were incapable of handling their own affairs of defense, which obviously wasn't true. Marcus made a note to show an appearance of strength by them at a later time, or at a time when he deems the timing of such would be appropriate.

Regardless, he was quite impressed with some of the capturing of the other thieves by other branch members, but decided to focus more on his own branch. Xoxxa and Oda had apparently performed their mission together. Marcus noted the mark of stolen property filed against them, particularly Oda, figuring he would speak to her about it later. Aerous's actions were more or less acceptable, though the manner by which he accomplished his mission was a bit worrisome. Marcus noted the way Aerous almost seemed to toy with the thief, as written in the report. This didn't bother Marcus too much, but it may be worth talking about to the adept. Tobi Lomborte, who was also involved, seemed to perform his duties without any problems, to the best of the reports knowledge. The four of them seemed to be the only immediate involvements in this particular report. Besides that report, there were the usual complaints that he typically received from other departments about their members, and some about other defense matters. He looked them over, some of them older and familiar to him already. There was the usual complaint against Coins' Annabelle Belizaire in there, to which Marcus promptly crumpled the note, sighing as he did so. It was rather annoying to him that his sector was constantly expanded upon its original meaning. He was in charge of defense and security, not necessarily the disciplinary actions of members of La Famiglia not in his sector. That was for the leaders of that particular sector to decide what should be done. He did not want to disrespect the authority of any particular leader by getting involved. However, if it was found that Annabelle proved to be too much of a handful, Marcus might step in at the ball and see if he can talk some sense into her. He found that people usually stopped whatever nonsense they did after a...small discussion with him. He turned his attention back to Swords. Though a few had some hiccups, he didn't necessarily see anything too unpleasant that occurred. The stolen motorcycle would have to be addressed, but otherwise, a job successfully done. Nevertheless, Marcus decided upon something.

"Inform Miss Baldotter, Miss Illiphia, Mr. Oxus and Mr. Lomborte to arrive to the ball early. Notify them that I have chosen to assign them to security for the event."

"Yes, sir!" The guard exclaimed, snapping to attention once more and leaving. Marcus hurriedly but steadily completed his outfit a few minutes later, taking a look at himself in the mirror once more before heading out the door, and to the ball.

It wasn't long before Marcus was present at the area which the ball would soon be held. He arrived early and promptly, before anyone else in fact, to ensure that the party area was secure for everyone. He made a few last minute security checks, before awaiting the arrival of other Swords members. Also in the back of his mind, he thought of his family, remembering that he would reprimand them as well. He earnestly hoped they would arrived promptly as well, and that none of them, particularly Flint, wouldn't do anything to ruin the de Telarius name, or attempt to drag their potential dynasty into the ground, which is something Marcus wonders if Flint is actually trying to do...in the back of his mind, of course.
 
897
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 36
  • Seen Jun 19, 2016
Oda Baldotter
~
The following events move by fairly quickly for Oda, as she acquires the best outfit she could find that seemed to fit Xoxaa's preferences, and left it with the young woman to prepare for the Ball, after offering a smile and once again congratulating her on the work done for Sword that night. After that meeting, she retreated to her personal quarters with the intent to sharpen her piano skills until the Ball actually began, for she only needed to clean when covered by foreign substances, of which there had been none that night. And her day-to-day outfit would serve well enough for this event, as it had all the others before.

Oda closed the blinds to her quarters, leaving the room mostly in darkness, save for the few candles she lit that would help her concentrate on the flow of feelings through her fingers and to the strings of her piano. It was quite grand, having been bought with personal savings and crafted by the finest artisan she could get into contact with. Its surface was sleek and black, propped up by polished hardwood that revealed the golden strings beneath, more fitting for a performance artist than her personal effects, but she appreciated the gesture regardless.

The scent of the candles provided a placebo effect for the woman, as she took a seat at her stool and began to play tunes from memory. Her fingers didn't need her to think of the tunes, for they moved on muscle memory to characterize the day so far, the night before, and each significant event she'd seen that day. Many long nights were spent reading songbooks, most of them borrowed from the library, that gave her plenty of a backlog to choose from. But, there was no perfect tune for her to play, and that was the goal of her practice; to find musical perfection personified.

Echoes of music rang out across Oda's quarters, as a sharp knock at her door draw the Swede from her reverie and drew her to answer whoever was calling. Nobody seemed to like having their personal space invaded, and she was no exception, but she was prepared to chastise a maid with comments that her room was plenty tidy already. Only to find, standing on the other side, one of the regular members of Sword that served as protection for the mansion itself. "Commander Telarius has ordered that you be on guard duty today, Adept Baldotter." He greeted the woman of higher rank with a salute.

Oda saluted the man in turn, but the recent expression of emotions left her somewhat less tactful than she otherwise would have been. "Unfortunately, that's not in my job description. Goodbye." She answered, firmly closing her door before the Apprentice could stumble over what he should say to the Commander. With that over with, she checked the time and spotted that the Ball was soon to begin, and there was perhaps one final preparation she needed to finish first.

Within a few minutes, Oda had replaced her regular sword-sheath with a fine ceremonial one, lined with golden sink that would serve only to make her look ostentatious in regular duty. With one brief look on the mirror, she felt the urge to check her Arcana Mark just once before attending. But resisted; she didn't want to deal with it just yet. There was a minor hitch in her plan to attend the Ball unaccompanied, as Gem the maid was by her side asking questions once again.

The Adept of Swords was finally on her way to the Annual Famiglia Ball.
 

Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years

Camellia de Telarius - #20 Judgement


"Camellia, hurry up, we a mission," Camellia smirked, making a note to take longer to get ready seeing as Ari wanted her to rush. "Remember, pick something cute, it's the ball and maybe you'll get a guy to look at you twice."

"Perfection cannot be rushed," She replied as she slipped into a comfy fitting bra and matching black underwear. "The guys already look at me more than twice, it's the fact that none of them can even touch this without me knowing," she signalled up and down making sure Ari took in her curves and definitions; emphasising the fact further.

Camellia picked herself through the mess that lay scattered on the floor towards her wardrobe that held her more exquisite dresses. The oaken doors groaned as they opened to reveal the wide array of dresses arranged within. Almost every colour in the spectrum was represented by at least one dress, making Camellia's wardrobe look like the inside of a rainbow. The left door held a full length mirror displaying Camellia's entire body as well as Ari scowling in the background, while the right door had boxes and hooks filled with jewellery of differing stones and shapes. Most, if not all the items in the wardrobe had been brought for her from suitors or family members, even some of Flint's more exotic presents lay in the deeper recesses of the wardrobe.

She started with a Scarlett Red dress, cut fairly low and ending just below her knees. Bringing it to cover the front of her body, she critiqued the dress, going through the possibilities of what she would wear it with. "I think this dress is a little too revealing, don't you agree?" She directed the comment at Ari, but did not turn around to look at her, continuing to compare the dress against her figure.

"You're right, it is too revealing," Camellia replied before Ari even had a change to open her mouth. She simply tossed it to the side so it lay slumped over the arm of the chair in her room, running her fingers through the array of dresses at her disposal. Her eyes caught a Midnight Blue dress, her fingers following soon after to pluck the dress from its place in the light spectrum of her closet. This one only lasted two seconds before she threw it over her shoulder; the dress hitting the side of the bed and falling to the ground. Ari could only watch as Camellia threw these expensive dresses around like they were some sort of durable toy; obviously she had little view of money and the cost of things.

This lasted for several more dresses, each one being pulled from its place on the rack before being tossed to one side or the other and ending up cast around the room as if a tornado had decided to rip through the room at that point. Ari could do nothing but curse and hurry Camellia along, to which Camellia replied with aggravatingly happy replies and decided to take even longer. Soon Camellia had piled through at least a quarter of her available wardrobe making her room look like the aftermath of a paint ball fight before she finally decided on what dress she would wear.

"Let's go do our make up before the ball starts, Ari!" She responded energetically to her bored superior that had resorted to burying her face in Camellia's sheets. Happy to finally be over with the arguably torturous event that was Camellia's choosing of clothing, she grabbed her by the shoulder and practically pushed her out of her room and out the front door, passing Marcus briefly with a "hello".

Once outside, the bumped into yet another stark naked Aerous, "Hello Cammy! How are you? Hi to you as well Ari." Camellia blushed before replying, "Ah, Did you forget that you had a wardrobe of clean clothes Aerous?" Camellia asked, looking at Ari after she finished.

"Are you not able to afford clothes? Dear God, Camellia let's take this as an example of what not to look for in a man," Ari clasped her hand over her mouth after her statement to stifle her laughter. "You need someone with more… Just more everything."

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that, thanks! I couldn't find my clothes when I got out of the shower so I went looking for them. I best go get dressed for the ball now!"

While Ari decided to have her judgemental overview of the lack of Aerous' clothes and everything else he lacked, which apparently was a lot according to Ari, Camellia had the sudden realisation that during her rifling through her wardrobe, she had completely forgotten to add some jewellery. Returning to her room, she picked out the Blue Agate crystal earrings that Beck had gotten her for her 21st Birthday as well as the Rose Quartz Camellia pendant Marcus had gifted to her on her induction into the Family and assimilation wither her Arcana card. To top it off, she slipped on a couple of rings on her right hand; one Flint had brought back for her from his travel eastwards, featuring two anti-parallel lines running around the entire circumference of the ring; according to him, a symbol of Longevity. Blinged out, she returned to the corridor just as Ari dismissed Aerous and tugged the shoulder of Camellia's dress, beckoning her forward and in the opposite direction to Aerous.

"Camellia, are you coming or not? And, no, Aerous you're not invited to walk with us."

"Sure thing, Boss!" She replied energetically, skipping ahead of Ari with make-up in hand, heading towards Ari's room where Camellia would torture Ari slowly as she applied make up to the both of them.

Once in Ari's quarters, Camellia moved a chair in front of the door, effectively locking it from any intruders. Pulling up another chair, she sat Ari down, thinking of possibly adding bonds to keep her in place while Camellia coloured in her face. "Darken the outside of those eyes to bring out those beautiful lavender eyes of yours… contour the nose to make it seem not as big… pluck those stray eyebrow hairs…" Camellia muttered to herself like a maniac as she set to work on Ari's face and within moments, took a step back and brushed off imaginary sweat from her brow. She handed Ari a mirror to assess the damaged before leaving to do her own. "You look so pretty! Marcus is sure to fall for you tonight," she said offhandedly as she helped herself to Ari's bathroom mirror, "Ari and Marcus sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" she trailed off in a sing song voice while she painted her own face.

Half an hour later and Camellia approached to hall where the Annual Famiglia Ball was to take place, her arm linked with Ari as she got use to the high heeled shoes she had quickly put on around the corner. Two guards opened up the door for them and Camellia walked in amazed; bespectacled by the amount of effort the Family had gone to for the ball. The streamers and decorations, the band playing near the central podium, the bowl of punch and the massive ice sculpture that towered over the food.

"Ari, can we please go lick that sculpture?" She giggled.​
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
Xoxaa Illiphia
The High Priestess

Lending her final assistance towards Xoxaa, her superior returns with some of the maids and some garments from who knows where. While the maids remain, the older woman makes her departure, speaking kindly to the young woman before leaving to prepare herself for the coming event. She then takes her time looking over the items, not entirely happy with any of them as they're either the wrong side, are too cumbersome and large, or just plain obnoxious, and then there's the few likely to be worn by women looking for attention from the opposite sex. Her selection becomes a grueling process, but she finally comes to a decision, grabbing a simple, short golden-yellow dress and high heeled white boots. Unfortunately, the outfit would likely make her look like a hooker, but her choices are minimal so she went with what would fit her best and that wouldn't make her look like a clown. Better to look like a tramp rather than a clown at a formal event with people she'll have to interact with in the future. If any man tries to hit on her, she'll flatten him anyway.

The girl takes her borrowed items and finds her way throughout the mansion, a place she has yet to entirely map out, but knew the layout well enough to find her way to her room, entering her haven and throwing the clothes on the bed. She knows that she's probably late, wasting no time in stripping down to her voluptuous figure and throwing herself into the shower to clean.

"Miss Illiphia!" bellows one of the Famiglia guards as he bangs his fist on the door, knocking loudly, but not loud enough to drown out the pitter-pattering barrage of water drops in the shower that Xoxaa occupies during the moment.

Unable to deliver his report from high command, he leans against the hallway wall opposite of Xoxaa's room door, waiting for her to be available once he deduced that she was busy in the shower due to the noise of running water he heard. Once the sounds of water dissipate, he proceeds to knock further, calling out for Xoxaa to come to the door. Naturally, Xoxaa hates nothing more than when people come knocking on her door, harassing her when all she wants is privacy, especially right now when she has important places to go. In the name of self preservation, she tries to keep as quiet as possible while drying herself off. Having enough of the man's angry bellowing, she wraps herself in a towel to conceal herself from her aggravating visitor, leaving her bathroom and cracks open the door to her room to see a large, somewhat overweight man, a guard too. Pissed off by this interruption, a stern scowl expressing her irritation towards the man. The guard looks shocked as he steps away slightly to allow for the girl to have her space to herself, perplexed by what he thought was the shy, quiet new addition to the Famiglia, instead giving him the stare-down despite him standing almost an entire foot taller than her.

"What?" she enunciates harshly, her tone, an angry one.

"Er...," he mutters, mystified by the events that unfolded, continues. "Miss Illiphia! Commander Telarius has designated all card holders of the Sword to be assigned to guard duty at the ball. He expects you to arrive early so be prompt, ma'am!"

The young woman's menacing glare continues to bear down on him, retaliating to the man's words with a hostile, "Is that all? Then get the hell out of here."

Her words are followed immediately after with the slamming of her room door. Sighing as she leans against her door with her eyes closed briefly, she moves over to her bed, throws her towel on top of her covers and throws her body onto the bed, looking up towards the ceiling as she pauses to reflect on the rest of the night's events.

"So the Sector commander wants all Swords to be on guard duty? Well... I've never been on such an assignment. Am I supposed to bring a weapon then? That would be odd, a small girl in a dress and heels standing by on guard duty with guns in her hands," giggles the young girl to herself over the imagery of a young damsel armed to the teeth with military style weaponry. "I don't think I'll be able to attend the ball early, much less on time at this rate. Hopefully I can get by then."

By then, Xoxaa's gaze fixates on the clock in her room, showing that at best she may have 20-25 minutes before the events begin. No point in getting worked up about something out of her control, the girl sitting up before lifting herself off the bed and initiating the dressing process. After a few minutes of slipping on her clothes for the ball, she finds a body sized mirror in her bathroom to examine her figure in the borrowed golden-yellow dress. With no straps, the girl's bust pushes against the top of her dress, revealing a decent amount of cleavage and accentuating her already curvy figure, causing Xoxaa to blush with embarrassment as she realizes it became worse than she thought. The dress softly hugs her athletic thighs, stopping a few inches short of her knees. Her boots however, clink and clonk against the ground, an obnoxious noise that one can hear for who knows how far away, but she likes the look of them nonetheless, even though one might call them stripper heels. The next step turns out to be a perplexing one, as she's never really attended formal events until now. Make-up wasn't something she's used to applying to herself, but she knew it would be incredibly awkward if she attends the ball without any. Sighing in frustration after staring at herself in her bathroom mirror, she instead decides to put up with her ineptitude in cosmetics and heads to grab her back, making sure she brings along ample ammunition and assuring that her guns are unloaded just to be safe before packing it all up and heading out the door.

To her horror, she walks right into a trio of maids who were about to knock on the girl's door and assure she's properly prepared for tonight's ball. Their interaction was quick, Xoxaa receiving scorn for not properly styling her hair or applying any make-up whatsoever. Naturally, the maids drag her away to another room to beautify her for the ball like a "proper" young woman. Oh, the societal norms that cause the girl so much grief, striking again in the most inopportune of times.
 
9,535
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 29
  • Seen May 11, 2023
Current Mission
The clock struck ten as the ballroom began to fill up with every Famiglia member still on the island, at least the ones who weren't late as certain alchemists were famous for, with a house band playing softly in the corner. The spacious ballroom lit up by a grand chandelier was decorated beautifully for the occasion boasting luscious red velvet drapes covering each towering window and a luxuriously regal red carpet to match. There was a faint aroma of champaign in the air eluding from the pre-poured glasses laid out on the buffet table coated with all the best food that one could hope to find on Regalo. A large wooden podium draped in elegant red and white silk had been set up near the center of the room with a microphone and some small white cards ready for Nova's speech. All available members of Sword manned the room's entrances and exits with an adept, Aerous, standing at the bottom of the staircase awaiting Nova's arrival as the party got under-way.

B2IXB.jpg

Within an hour of the ball's commencing, Liberta appeared alongside Felitcita from the top of the staircase and approached the podium. He tapped lightly at the microphone requesting everyone's attention as the hall fell silent before he began speaking in a loud but cheerful voice. "Hello and welcome to the annual Arcana Famiglia ball. I know everyone's been busy today of all days but thank you all for attending to celebrate the anniversary of the contracting of The World, the very reason that we are all here together and living the lives that we do. Nova will be here shortly to deliver his annual speech, but first the Famiglia's Mama has an importance announcement to make." He stepped away from the podium inviting an uncharacteristically nervous looking Felicita to take his place. She gingerly welcomed the applause accompanying her appearance before stammering over her initial words whilst lighting grasping the microphone.

"I, uh..." She let out a cough before breathing deeply and continuing. "As we all know, earlier today Regalo was attacked by a group of thieves. As you may not have known, these thieves were in fact hired mercenaries famous throughout all of Italy for their relentless methods of getting the 'job' done. This is the reason that every available Famiglia member was called to arms. As for exactly who hired them we are not certain, but as the more aware of you may have noticed each member of the group had a glazed look in their eyes, a look which we've only seen before in very specific circumstances..." She paused for a second with a worried expression on her face before noticing a similar expression on the face of each Famiglia member and remembering to set an example. She faked a smile before confidently continuing her speech. "Without straying from the point, we suspect that Moreno most likely had a hand in this. We can't tell for sure, but that glazed over appearance has only ever been seen before from the, let's say, 'troops', that he has gathered. The mercenaries that you all confronted today were trained killers, so for them to be stealing something as petty as cash had lead us to think that this was simply a warning for what's to come." She looked around nervously at the faces of the crowd before taking on a reassuring tone. "However, the fact that you were able to stop such a large group of trained assailants is a very impressive feat indeed and as such we would like to graciously thank you all for the services that you have provided, especially those of you in the less combat-based sectors of the Famiglia as I understand this must have been a challenge for some of you. Now without further adieu please welcome our beloved Papa, Nova." Felicita stepped back from the stand before nervously looking down at her feet with an expression hinting that she had obviously been holding back some information.

With a cautious looking Luca at his side, a pale-faced Nova appeared from the top of the staircase before taking a bow to the oncoming applause and making his way down the staircase, his Arcana mark glowing faintly through the fabric of his suit. He approached the stand and firmly held the microphone to his mouth as his arms shivered noticeably and began to cough violently. "Ahem, sorry about that." He regained his composure before addressing the expectant audience. "I can tell by the look on your faces that Felicita has already delivered the bad news but we shall not dwell on that as tonight is a night for celebration, and that is what I'd like to talk to you all about now." He wiped the feverish sweat from his forehead before continuing. "As you can probably tell, my health isn't what it used to be, in fact it is unlikely that I'll still be around this time next year. However, this calls for celebration as that means it's time for me to select the Famiglia's next Papa and therefore the next holder of The World's contract. To determine the appropriate Famiglia member to take my place as head of the family, a tournament shall be held in two months time called the Arcana Duello in which everyone who has a contract with an arcana power will take part to see who has the greatest control over their emotions and therefore find out who should be next in line for the role of Papa. The winner of the tournament shall receive the title of 'Papa' and be contracted to card number 21, The World, as well as having one wish granted by me first." He looked over to Luca the family's advisor who gave him an approving nod to continue. "And, one more thing..." Nova placed his hand on Felicita's shoulder before turning her around, revealing a large glowing circle shining through her dress. "The Wheel of Fortune has started turning meaning that soon it will stop on one arcana which has been contracted. When this happens..." Nova let out a sigh before continuing. "When this happens it will lead to the death of the member of the family that it lands on. Ordinarily the consequences would not be so bad or could even be beneficial, but this is due to the strain being caused to The World at present affecting all other Arcana." He hesitated for a few seconds contemplating how to deliver his final piece of news. "The alternative..." He turned Felicita back round whilst still hesitating before continuing. "... Is for one of you to give up your Arcana contract and donate your life force to stopping the Wheel's turning. It will be up to the tournament's winner as to who this fate should fall upon. That is all."

The ballroom began to stir as Nova turned his back and started making his way to the door, though he knew he was about to be stopped by at least one angry Famiglia member and so made sure it was a slow walk back to give them time. Felicita walked by his side, supporting his ever weakening stature as his face continued to grow paler and walking became harder. Liberta and Luca remained still at the base of the stairway talking quietly to each other, obviously contemplating what their next course of action should be for the island's safety.

Feel free to make a few posts about socialising at the ball before the speeches start, but once one character has acknowledged them then every other character will have heard them too. If anyone wishes to interact with Nova, Liberta, Luca or Felicita (feel free to ask them questions or for more information though they may not be willing to disclose any), contact me first and I'll provide their speech for your post to avoid bunnying them.

Objectives
  1. Socialise at the start of the ball
  2. Acknowledge the information given in the speeches
  3. React either privately or publicly to Nova's announcement
 
Last edited:
1,176
Posts
15
Years
  • Seen Jul 18, 2016
Ari, The Empress.
As the blur that was Camellia strolled passed her Ari was quick to roll her eyes before her Adept could catch on. Her steps were slow yet deliberate because she didn't want be around Camellia's happiness for too long. She had this way of irritating Ari with her choice of words and how she phrased them. Ari's biggest fault was letting Camellia in for long enough that she was able to read her true emotions even through her harsh words. Her mind told her to run in the opposite direction away from Camellia and away from this ball. She wanted in that moment to be by her father's side but she had a duty she must fulfill for La Famiglia. Ari took a second to herself outside her room before she entered and took her seat. She loved her room it was the ultimate playhouse for all of Ari's desires but they were safely hidden in the walls. The seat she took was behind a wooden desk that was craved with different designs and each looked similar to one another. She ran her hands over twists and turns that the wood made. All she wanted to do with her make-up was thicken her eyeliner and reapply her lipstick but Camellia insisted on playing stylist.

"You look so pretty! Marcus is sure to fall for you tonight," she said offhandedly as she helped herself to Ari's bathroom mirror, "Ari and Marcus sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"Marcus? Gross," Ari's voiced strained as she talked, she felt like lying but somehow she couldn't do it with conviction. "I don't know where you got that idea from but you should keep it to yourself." Those words brought the confidence back to Ari's voice while she shifted the mirror to look at her reflection. It worked but it wasn't her style but perhaps if it caught Marcus's attention…

"I need in here so you can do your clown make-up elsewhere," She smirked; she still had it, that drive to make other people miserable. It didn't show in Camellia's face that she was the slight bit offended by her remark, which drove Ari crazy. Ari wanted to wipe the look off her face so she slammed the door as Camellia turned to say something. On a slim metal hanger held her most risqué dress, which was saved especially for this night. The annual ball was most impressionable night of La Famiglia. This was her scene and her scene alone despite the competition that rose up every once and awhile. When she saw Camellia in the nude she had begun to doubt the attractiveness of her self-image.

Ari slipped out of her old dress and replaced it with less material but more oomph. White in color, two thin straps covered with opaque jewels held up the dress. The jewels trailed down the straps onto the chest were they bordered the edge. A strip of white fabric appeared in an upward facing arrow underneath the jewel decorations. In several layers was the rest of the dress, which didn't go passed Ari's knees but none of her dresses did. The first layer shimmered and appeared silver unless viewed at the right angle then it became apparent that it was apparent. Beneath the first layer were many layers of just plain white dress material that kept the dress from showing off too much. Ari took the time to raid her jewelry box for earrings that befit this outfit. There were shiny studs, glittery hoops, and even a pair of diamonds in the small, round box. In the end she decided on a pair of teardrop shaped earrings, there was an opening shaped in the same teardrop form. They had the same opaque jewelry on its edges as the dress. Her own teardrop inched down her face as she recalled the day her father had gifted them to her the day of her 17th birthday… She slammed shut the jewelry box in hopes that it shut the memories that leaked forward from the back of her mind. She slipped her hands through three bangles all black in color that were dotted with tiny jewels and located on her left arm. To compliment her black accessories she removed her cherry red lipstick and reapplied a much darker shade. Ari failed to realize her entire wardrobe and glamorized change took a half an hour. Before she went off with Camellia arm in arm she securely strapped on a pair of black heels.

"Ari, can we please go lick that sculpture?" She giggled.

"Yes Camellia, let's act like idiots in front of the whole Famiglia!" She huffed, she felt insulted that suggestion would even be brought up but admitted that it did sound fun. "I'm the Head of Intelligence but someone lower in the ranks such as you can feel free to do that!"

Ari pulled her "elegant" gown upwards and took off from her Adept a little too eagerly. All she wanted was a moment to cool down. She truly cared for Camellia who brought out the best in her but not without the bad. Ari spotted all the current members of the La Famiglia who had contracted with the Arcana Tarocco Cards. There were more than she remembered, last year's ball held a smaller group. Another sight that she wished she never came upon was the filthy Coin Apprentice from earlier. Ari laughed as she thought about how Annabelle's upmost respect must be given to her by night's end.

"Annabeth," Ari flashed a smile as she walked up to the Apprentice. Her body language seemed receptive yet her eyes told a more sinister tale. "You know what you should do? Dance. Maybe with a boy that can stand the sight of you… Dear god, what are you wearing? Clearly you would've been better off in that maid's outfit."

Her eyes fell to her next victim who stood just stood in the background of Annabelle. She had to walk clear across the room with her heels that clicked and clacked the entire way on the ballroom floor. The young Apprentice, who looked quite dapper for a newcomer was her mark and she intended on getting him to do what she wanted. She'd feed him a couple worms and then baited him in now it was time to set him free.

"Tobi, dance?" Ari snatched Tobi's hands not willing to take rejection and placed them on her now prominent hips. She giggled as if his touched made her feel something special but in reality it revolted her that this kid had his rough hands on her even if she put them there. His need for attention was obvious when Ari watched him lap up her every word earlier without objection. "Remember our deal? You drop that sack of bile name Annabella and I'll get you in with Marcus!" Ari took one of Tobi's hand held it up and spun underneath. She leaned in closely and ran her hand through his hair and genuinely smiled at him. Not because she felt an attraction toward him but because she knew her plan had to work, it just had to. With the smirk returned to her face she promptly excused herself from Tobi's presence and headed towards Aerous who stood at the bottom of the staircase.

"Why on earth aren't we trusting Marcus to oversee Nova?" Ari wondered outloud her voice purposely loud enough to reach Aerous's ears. "Or even Oda! At least we know they won't go overboard." She blew a kiss toward Aerous and the image of a pair of lips floated through the air towards Aerous. The lips crumbled right as they were to touch Aerous's skin clearly the work of Ari's illusions skills. She tossed her hair back as she strutted with poise toward the beautiful Miss Camellia, something Aerous would say.

"Well, your brother looks... "Ari's eyes were peeled to Marcus when she noticed how nicely he cleaned up. Her own dress matched his outfit almost as if she had planned it that way... She hurried to finish before Camellia caught on to why she stopped mid sentence. "Too serious! He needs to lighten up and have some fun!"​
 

Legend

Kingslayer
1,308
Posts
15
Years

Flint de Telarius: The Chariot


So Flint was supposed to review the thief incident with Marcus as Beck ran away like a little b**** and Camellia nearly died and had to get ready for the ball (girls always took forever). This left the real men of the de Telarius with the mess. Yeah, well that didn't happen. This is mostly because Flint knew precisely what was going to occur. Marcus would say something like this: "Because of your decisions in engaging the thief, it resulted in difficulties in apprehending the suspects, acquiring information regarding their intentions and a general disregard of Famigilia's policies when dealing out justice." In other words, Flint was once again a hinderance rather than assistance. Flint would return the scolding with his own brand of "well, I am a member of Cave for a reason." The scolding was to be inevitable, and Flint would deal with it when he had. For now, he did not particularly care for it. When he heard his name echo in the wind, Flint made sure to retreat as fast as possible back to the mansion to prepare for the ball.

Flint had considered (greatly) to skip the ball completely and hit a local bar or something to kill time. Waking up far too late, he already felt groggy. The fight at least was nice change of pace from the usual monotony of working in Cave. Responsible for supplies, working in Cave became largely an office job unless you were taking inventory that day of the week. It became a tedious affair of compiling lists of imports and exports, juggling supply and demand, and striking the best deals in order to maximize profit (when possible). All this to make sure Coin didn't ride your ass that quarter because profits were down 3 points compared to last quarter. When Flint joined, there was a gradual increase in profit the first few quarters (while also some increased efficiency when dealing with supplies in general), mostly because he knew a number of organizations and worked a number of deals with said organizations. However, he would also tell you that profits have been down the past few quarters for reasons that Flint couldn't really explain. His theory: that struggling economy. Regardless, Flint's contribution have been surprising, enough to consider him for the Head of Cave's position. Flint rejected the position for the time being, not wanting the increased responsibility. Though, it would get the those Coin workers off his case. Then he would only have to report to the Head of Coin. Also Marcus would shut up. Maybe he should take the position after all…

Flint realized at the moment of self inspection, he would likely have to take account of what the thieves attempted to steal and make sure all the supplies were accounted for. Hopefully, other members of Cave would take over that position if Flint conveniently didn't show up for work quite yet and attributed to needing to get a new suit for the Ball. That would be a good excuse. Yeah, a new suit. Flint patted himself on the back for that one.

Flint wandered throughout the town, looking for a new wardrobe. Regalo, by nature, was a perfect ground for trading and acquiring goods, something Flint was proud to be part of considering his sector's responsibilities. Flint spent a far share of time journeying through the island, and knew many of the shop keepers. It wasn't hard for Flint to make friends and chat as he was a natural with words and could be business-like if he needed to be. It helped he had his usual shops to go to, picking his favorites quite carefully. He picked up some new casual clothes before going to his favorite "business apparel" store that he found when Marcus insisted he dress more appropriate for work.

Flint entered the store to the sound a gentle bell ringing along the door, swinging the bags of other clothes over his shoulder. A fairly short plump balding man by the name of Luigi popped up from behind his counter and his blue eyes glistened in the light.

"Hello there, Flint. What brings you to my shop today?"

"I need a suit for some ball thing tonight," Flint said avoiding eye contact and sounding throughly excited.

"You never came for a full suit before....who is she?~" Luigi said with a particularly frightening inflection to his voice.

"Luigi. I wouldn't tell you even if you paid me."

"Oh fine! Stay mysterious. I am sure the ladies love that," Luigi made a disapproving wave with his arms before returning back to under the counter. "You should have plenty of suits already anyway. Didn't Marcus buy you a bunch a couple months back?"

"Do I really look I'd wear any of the crap that man buys?" Flint said with an exaggerated sigh.

Luigi perked up and let out a hearty laugh and wiped away the single tear that left his eye. "Right, right. Come on back. I think I got something simple for you to wear tonight."

Moments later, Flint walked out with a suit that he could stand. It wasn't anything fancy. Red dress shirt, black dress coat and matching black trousers were the core part of the suit. He purchased an additional black tie and new black dress shoes, and a nice new black leather belt with a gold buckle. He wasn't sure why he suddenly wanted to keep it classy. He kept telling himself it was to make Marcus and the other members less angry at him. That and he supposed he needed to upgrade the wardrobe with something that was halfway decent. Marcus' taste was abhorrent really. Though he would probably say Flint was wearing too much black or something.

Flint had decided to make his way to the mansion with some degree of haste, if only to give himself enough time to prep himself up to look halfway decent. Flint never looked particularly good naturally, having a "rustic" charm about him if any shred of charm was given to him at all. Flint snuck around the hallways of the mansion before finally finding his room. He avoided any form of interaction successfully, making explaining the new wardrobe a non factor. If anyone but Beck found him with them, he would have a series of questions to answer. That would of been a drag. At least Beck would be relatively reasonable.

Flint cleaned himself up first, taking a quick shower, cleaned up his facial hair and removed all his piercings, knowing that they did not match his suit particularly well. He also dumped the necklace, sunglasses and headphones from his usual look, placing them nicely on a his desk in his room. Following a mournful sigh from his comfortable outfit, Flint proceeded to put on his new suit. The red shirt, pants and shoes were easy, but he genuinely struggled with the tie. "This is what I get for not having a girlfriend to take care of this for me," Flint complained. Eventually he got it right, even if it was slightly askew. Whatever. Most people will be surprised he cleaned up. He brushed his hair for the first time in weeks, taming it successfully so that it did not fly everywhere at the mercy of the elements. Finally the dress coat was put on over the rest of his outfit completing the look. "I don't look half bad. I am almost guaranteed to get at least one double take."

Flint left his room and silently closed the door, slowly making his way to the grand hall. Shortly before entering the door to the ball, Flint lit up a cigarette and approached the main door with the two guards, who did not open the door for Flint. Was Marcus tightening security to such an extent to prevent Flint from doing anything that would tarnish the family name? He wouldn't put it past him. It was in his nature after all.

"Is there some sort of problem?"

"The cigarette."

"So suddenly the facility is non smoking?" Flint said, with frustration stretching across his face. "Fine." Flint disposed of the cigarette with much regret. "Now life owes me two cigarettes." The guards opened the door and Flint entered the ball, immediately going for the refreshments. He needed a drink. And food. Then maybe, just maybe, he will look for company.
 
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