Oakenwey: Thorns & Arrows

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Rose sighed and looked down to hide the faintest of smiles. She considered it a small victory to be able to get under Jahora's skin, even just a little; for being taken to his home without any say in the matter was something that annoyed her. She was more than happy to annoy him back.

[Fallapede]

10 hours ago, Shard of Thought said:

My parents left me alone. One commit suicide and the other started another life without telling us and then was pitiful enough to feel bad about it. Then she remembered that Kieran could hear her. Blasted child, you had better not say anything aloud that you hear from me. Maybe I'm stupid, but... I trust you for some reason. Perhaps that's because I don't fancy the idea of someone unsavory poking around in my head. Or because you're so young... 

"Parents are overrated," Rose mumbled between bites of her pie.

@Fallapede

"I'd tend to disagree, but I don't remember mine so I don't have much say in the matter."

[Lecky Twig she/her]

8 hours ago, Fallapede said:

"I'd tend to disagree, but I don't remember mine so I don't have much say in the matter."

"That's a shame. Do you remember much about where you came from? Kids born on the streets don't usually turn out as well as you have." Jahora relaxed in his chair as the conversation moved away from Selene. I'd be good to know these folks before he went on a bounty hunt with them. 

[Fallapede]

13 minutes ago, Lecky Twig said:

"That's a shame. Do you remember much about where you came from? Kids born on the streets don't usually turn out as well as you have." Jahora relaxed in his chair as the conversation moved away from Selene. I'd be good to know these folks before he went on a bounty hunt with them. 

"I wasn't exactly born on the streets. Have you heard of House Negaouros?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Quote

Jahora: Good, let's not talk about our target and get to know each other!  

Rose:  No, you're not going to get to know me at all, except that I don't like social interaction. 

Rose shifted uncomfortably. Kess had talked about her past, now Kieran was talking about his. She resolved not to betray anything about her own life. At least, anything more than Kieran had already gotten from invading her thoughts. She shot an annoyed look at the boy, but found that she couldn't be angry at him. He was just too innocent. And, well, it seemed he'd lost his parents at the same age she had. Only, he didn't have guardians like her aunt and uncle. He didn't deserve annoyance from her. Storms, he probably couldn't even control his powers. Just like her...

That boy had been in her vision. That had to mean he was important. The last time she'd had a vision, it had led her to Castle Celeste and if she hadn't found that place, she would have surely died. For as much as she liked to ignore it, her visions were strangely informing, especially regarding the future. If she learned to control them as her mother had offered to help her do, they might be able to help her quite a bit. She couldn't help but imagine being able to see where an opponent would strike before they did. And then, using her other power, she could destroy the enemy's weapon just like she'd destroyed the walls of her cell. Of course, that occurrence had been far from normal. Usually, her power to move things with her mind only manifest itself with objects trembling or levitating briefly. Nothing close to the way the building had burst and crumbled around her. 

All of that was, of course, assuming she wasn't just delusional. She had not yet decided whether or not she was.

[Goob he/him]

8 minutes ago, Fallapede said:

"I wasn't exactly born on the streets. Have you heard of House Negaouros?"

Kess nearly chokes on her pie when he mentions that name.
"Negaouros? Isn't that one of the riches houses of the kingdom? And you're one of them?"

[xinoehp512 he/him]

On 1/17/2021 at 6:40 AM, I think I am here. said:

That was it, then.

Nekri watched the horse run off to who-knows-where, carrying the girl and the top-hat man and whomever else they’d allowed. Leaving Nekri here, with Topien and the rest of the folks who’d for some reason arrived here too. He sighed, changing his hair colour because he felt like it, then glanced at the business card once more. There’d be no use using that: every bounty hunter here and his dog would be chasing after the obvious bait. No, he needed something else. Something else nobody would steal from him.

He perked upright suddenly, a memory coming to the forefront of his mind. Jared. Jared had bolted in, looking for some woman almost frantically. Nekri had been so absorbed with the obvious bounty with the top hat man that he’d missed the one that had been dangled right in front of his face. Sure, Jared hadn’t explicitly offered money for locating the woman, but maybe Nekri could... cut a deal.

That was it, then. The solution. Hurriedly he made his way to where he remembered Jared had waited by, looking from the window — just in time to spot a woman stabbing something towards him.

“Stop!” Nekri yelled, illusions flying from his fingertips in all sorts of abstract shapes and colours, filling the room. Of course, they could do nothing. They were just illusions, after all.

@xinoehp512

Jared jerks in surprise at the sudden explosion of color, moments before the blade slams home into his chest. He screams in agony- but not a scream of death, nor even a scream of fear. No, this is a scream of fury. 

Inverted red light bursts from his hand into a Silent Blade as he turns to face his attacker.

[Fallapede]

19 minutes ago, AmazingGoob said:

Kess nearly chokes on her pie when he mentions that name.
"Negaouros? Isn't that one of the richest houses of the kingdom? And you're one of them?"

Kieran suddenly realizes that he's in a room full of bounty hunters. "I'm related. My point is that I'm not exactly a street urchin, my parents simply died before I was old enough to remember them."

Edited January 18, 2021 by Fallapede

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Quote

Here's some concept art of Rose. I'm planning on drawing a real version of this once I'm done working on my current project of Marsh

 

[Lecky Twig she/her]

48 minutes ago, Fallapede said:

"I wasn't exactly born on the streets. Have you heard of House Negaouros?"

38 minutes ago, AmazingGoob said:

Kess nearly chokes on her pie when he mentions that name.
"Negaouros? Isn't that one of the riches houses of the kingdom? And you're one of them?"

"Yeah, I've heard of them. Although they haven't really been up to anything interesting in recent years. Either they're planning something big or slowly falling apart, it's hard to tell with all the scheming those Houses get up to."

 

19 minutes ago, Fallapede said:

Kieran suddenly realizes that he's in a room full of bounty hunters. "I'm related. My point is that I'm not exactly a street urchin, my parents simply died before I was old enough to remember them."

Jahora rubbed his chin in thought, he had only started digging himself deep into his informant business a couple years ago, so there was little chance he would be able to recall any information about who exactly Kieran's parents were. "So I'm presuming you ran away from home with enough money to not become a complete wreck and.....what have you been up to since then?"

54 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

Jahora: Good, let's not talk about our target and get to know each other!  

Rose:  No, you're not going to get to know me at all, except that I don't like social interaction. 

Quote

hehe. 

 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

53 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

Jared jerks in surprise at the sudden explosion of color, moments before the blade slams home into his chest. He screams in agony- but not a scream of death, nor even a scream of fear. No, this is a scream of fury. 

Inverted red light bursts from his hand into a Silent Blade as he turns to face his attacker.

The woman curses, stumbling backwards as she clumsily parries Jared's first strike. Where had that come from? Had Jared somehow recently acquired a new ability?

Edited January 19, 2021 by xinoehp512

[I think I am here. he/him]

7 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

The woman curses, stumbling backwards as she clumsily parries Jared's first strike. Where had that come from? Had Jared somehow recently acquired a new ability?

Nekri stepped to the side, watching the fight with wide eyes. Those weren’t ordinary swords, that was for sure. And while he didn’t exactly have any attachment to Jared, no way was he going to let some woman stroll up and kill his only option for money.

Raising his hands he tried to reign in his illusions, tried to wrap the swirling of colours and shapes around the woman’s head, mixing in some random sounds as well. Hopefully that would distract her enough for Jared to win.

Taking his knife out, Nekri also tried to go for a backstab. He wasn’t sure whether it would have any effect, but it was worth a try.

[xinoehp512 he/him]

The woman growls as the illusions swarm her, reaching out with the winds instead. In moments, she identifies the attacker. Somewhat foolishly, he is trying to stab her. She debates whether or not to end his life - but then the decision is taken from her as Jared charges. All she can do is concentrate the winds and hurl Nekri away as she parries Jared's strike once more.

Who are you? snaps Jared, stabbing forwards towards her heart. Or where it would be, if she had one. He was pretty sure demons from the Void didn't have hearts, although unfortunately he'd never been able to check.. Who sent you?

The woman sneers, deflecting his blade to the side. "What, you don't recognize me?"

Jared's eyes narrow in thought, then widen in realization. The blonde-haired assassin tries to take advantage of his surprise, but he deflects it instinctively. The two blades lock together in a angry hum.

Cynthia, he spat, as though the name itself is a cursed word. I should have known. So, has my grandfather finally given up? It's been long enough.

Cynthia laughs. "Oh, no," she replies. "He's still convinced you'll come around eventually. He has no idea I'm here."

I suppose you think differently? grunts Jared, inching his blade forwards.

"No," replied Cynthia, shadows glinting in her emerald eyes. "I agree. I'm here to stop you."

Really? replied Jared, gritting his teeth even harder. Then just leave me alone. I will never join my grandfather. Ever!

On the last word, he made a final push. Silent lightning arced around Cynthia, burning her skin with the call of the void. She gasped in pain, pupils widening, stumbling forwards- then, as Jared moved to finish her, she exploded with wind, sending him flying across the room.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Rose regarded the boy, eagerly awaiting his answer. She thought it rather unfair that he could read the thoughts of others, yet his own thoughts and intentions were hidden. Honestly, it was probably a good thing he was a child, for his sake. If he wasn't, she would likely be planning on how to slit his throat. 

How to kill someone who could read thoughts? An interesting conundrum. One she was glad she didn't have to deal with. 

Instead, she focused on keeping herself as quiet and still as possible. When she was younger, she'd had the uncanny ability to seemingly... fade into the background. Become utterly unnoticeable. She wasn't sure how well that would work with these people, but it was worth a try. 

[Fallapede]

On 1/18/2021 at 7:04 PM, Lecky Twig said:

"Yeah, I've heard of them. Although they haven't really been up to anything interesting in recent years. Either they're planning something big or slowly falling apart, it's hard to tell with all the scheming those Houses get up to." Jahora rubbed his chin in thought. He had only started digging himself deep into his informant business a couple years ago, so there was little chance he would be able to recall any information about who exactly Kieran's parents were. "So I'm presuming you ran away from home with enough money to not become a complete wreck and.....what have you been up to since then?"

 

"I don't have much money, actually. I've been living off what I can find in the forest up to this point. It hasn't been exactly appealing, but I'm still alive and relatively healthy, so I can't complain too much."

 

9 hours ago, Shard of Thought said:

Rose regarded the boy, eagerly awaiting his answer. She thought it rather unfair that he could read the thoughts of others, yet his own thoughts and intentions were hidden. Honestly, it was probably a good thing he was a child, for his sake. If he wasn't, she would likely be planning on how to slit his throat. 

How to kill someone who could read thoughts? An interesting conundrum. One she was glad she didn't have to deal with. 

Instead, she focused on keeping herself as quiet and still as possible. When she was younger, she'd had the uncanny ability to seemingly... fade into the background. Become utterly unnoticeable. She wasn't sure how well that would work with these people, but it was worth a try. 

Kieran glanced at Rose warily.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Rose scowled back, though that was really her base facial expression.

Edited January 20, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[Goob he/him]

7 hours ago, Fallapede said:

"I don't have much money, actually. I've been living off what I can find in the forest up to this point. It hasn't been exactly appealing, but I'm still alive and relatively healthy, so I can't complain too much."

 

Kieran glanced at Rose warily.

"The forest?" says Kess. "Yesh. That sounds terrible."

[Fallapede]

1 minute ago, AmazingGoob said:

"The forest?" says Kess. "Yesh. That sounds terrible."

"Oh, it isn't so bad. There's plenty of food and clean water, if you know where to find them."

[Lecky Twig she/her]

2 hours ago, Fallapede said:

"Oh, it isn't so bad. There's plenty of food and clean water, if you know where to find them."

"And where did you learn to find them?"

[Goob he/him]

3 hours ago, Fallapede said:

"Oh, it isn't so bad. There's plenty of food and clean water, if you know where to find them."

"I guess. I just can't imagine not having the luxuries of civilization."

[Fallapede]

31 minutes ago, Lecky Twig said:

"And where did you learn to find them?"

"Running water is usually easy to find by sound, and berries and nuts aren't hard to find if you're looking carefully. It's not an absolute rule, of course, but the more a plant tries to defend itself, such as with thorns or a hard outer shell, the more likely it is to be safe to eat."

Quote

Kieran is knowledgeable on this subject, but I am not, so just pretend that makes sense if it doesn't.

 

[Lecky Twig she/her]

1 minute ago, Fallapede said:

"Running water is usually easy to find by sound, and berries and nuts aren't hard to find if you're looking carefully. It's not an absolute rule, of course, but the more a plant tries to defend itself, such as with thorns or a hard outer shell, the more likely it is to be safe to eat."

 

"Makes sense. You seem brighter than most kids your age." 

11 minutes ago, AmazingGoob said:

"I guess. I just can't imagine not having the luxuries of civilization."

"And do you count these slums as civilisation? Sometimes I'd rather live in the forest than in this hell hole." 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"A home is only as good as the love its inhabitants have for each other," Rose blurted.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Cynthia holds her stance as Jared stands back up. As she does, she takes in every detail of his movement, searching for weaknesses.

He's hurt, she suddenly realized as she watched him struggle to his feet. My blade did strike him. That was good news. At full power, Jared was almost certainly her match and more. If he was weakened, the likelihood of her defeating him was that more much likely. In fact, if she'd gotten really lucky-

A piece of paper, disturbed by the wind, fluttered across her vision. She glanced at it, curious- then snapped her eyes back, snatching it out of the air. A photograph of a familiar face.

Selene? she thought in shock. A quick glance at the floor revealed the source of the photograph- a folder of various sheets of paper now strewn on the floor. She made a gesture with her hand, and the papers lifted into the air on the wind. Scanning the document, she sighs.

Stupid girl, she thinks. What has she gotten herself into this time?

She glances up at Jared, who - despite his heavy breathing and clear wound in his chest - looks far from being defeated. Another sigh escapes her lips. I suppose I don't have enough time to finish him off, do I? Jared could always be tracked down and killed later; if Selene were to suffer such a fate, Cynthia's plan would become vastly more difficult.

With a final sneer, Cynthia jumps, using the winds to break the window and lift her away.

[Lecky Twig she/her]

9 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

"A home is only as good as the love its inhabitants have for each other," Rose blurted.

Jahora stared at Rose "Not necessarily, I left home because my family loved me. They expressed their love in the oddest of manners, it was unbearable, it drove me half mad. So I left."