Sorana

Temeria - Hall of Legends

It was suddenly quiet when she entered the hall, as if someone had muffled all sounds of the city outside. She slowed her steps unconsciously once she had walked through the high doors, her eyes moving over to the statues towering inside. Only then did she allow herself a deep, careful breath, pressure falling off her shoulders. She had procrastinated, pushed this visit back until the city had decided on a vigil to remember those that had been lost. Temeria only understood half of what had happened, but she knew that someone had tinkered with her live. The rest was for scholars.

Straightening her back she walked into the hall, looked for the one statue she remembered clearly. She passed a healer, the founder of the hospital who had died in a war years ago and then she saw him. Tall, bowler hat on his head, clothes immaculate. And his face, his face was the one she could picture so easily. Her fingers found the coin in her pocket and she lifted it, ensured that she wasn't wrong. It was him, the man who had handed his place over to her, when he had to leave. He had welcomed her, had taken her here on a quest of his and then he had left. She looked over to the entrance of the crypt and frowned slightly. There had been a skeleton down there. Her frown deepened when she realized that she wasn't entirely sure anymore what it had been. She had fought it and it had lost. That was the part that mattered. Although she was still wondering why he hadn't delt with it himself. Politeness? To make her feel needed and useful? She was sure that he could have destroyed it. Differently for sure, but he had to have been able to do it.

She turned back to Mac's statue and pocketed her coin again. Try to make a difference, to help the city. His request before he had left, his final words to her. She had tried, had kept the boarding house, even added a tavern. She had made contact with some of the guilds, although she wasn't entirely sure how many were around. She had taken his belongings into the Alleys so that his companions knew that he was gone. She had tried. But looking back she realized that she hadn't tried enough. At one point she had decided that running the boarding house was enough. Not a conscious decision, it somehow had happened.

Temeria pursed her lips and looked for Ember, before lifting her gaze to Mac's face again. She could blame the forgery, the false set of memories, or she could leave all that behind and finally really keep her word. She would try to change this city. Or at least a part of it. The idea alone felt huge, so huge that she could picture herself shying away from it. But no, she had to try. Gritting her teeth against the wave of loneliness that hit her when she realized that she had no real idea how to start, no plan, no one to refer to, she whirled around, leaving the statue behind. Try. She only had to give it a try. 

Temeria - Mac's Boardinghouse

Temeria streched her back and turned around to set a tray of freshly cleaned glasses aside. Humming quietly to herself she reached for the next ones, enjoyed the calm before another busy evening. She liked it, when the tavern was full of people, the guest rooms upstairs occupied. It was nice to know, that this place was being used just the way it had been intended to.  Her eyes fell on the glass she held in her hand and she paused, wondered where this type had come from. It was a bit longer than her usual ones and that made storing a pain. With a frown she put it aside and reached for another one, grimacing slightly when she saw that it looked the same.

Sighing she placed it down next to the other one and took the next one in her hand. The same shape, although she wasn't sure anymore why it had disturbed her in the first place. It was just the same as every one she owned. Temeria started humming again, ignored the slightly uneasy feeling in her gut. It was time to help ready the boarding house for its next guests.

When she walked up the stairs to her office, the house was quiet, the few guests who were around were in their rooms. She had some time left until she would have to head down again, maybe she could read a little. She was still trying to understand the events Mac had mentioned and his library proofed a good starting point to inform herself a little, although she usually couldn't bring herself to read more than a couple of pages. She wasn't really the reading type, the task alone exhausted her easily. Termeria knew that she could simply ask her sister, but in the end she never really found the courage to do so. It was easier to run this place, ensure nobody started a fistfight late at night and make certain her guests were safe.

It was what she had done ever since she had taken over the boarding house from the kind man - her thoughts seemed to freeze for a moment. The kind man. Mac. She had taken over the place from Mac. Her fingers brushed over the coin he had given her and she hesitated again. The gesture was normal, familiar, and yet she knew that she hadn't done it in a long time.

Slowly she sat down on a comfortable chair and left the book where it was on a small table. Something was odd about the day. It was as if, she didn't even have the words for it. As if someone had lifted a dark fabric and showed a different view underneath. Groaning she leaned forward and placed her head in her hands, tried to find out what it was that felt wrong. It took her a long while, but then she finally had the feeling that she might have found the reason. It was as if she wasn't certain anymore if she really had followed someone down into an old crypt or not. It felt like a dream, like the memory of a night spent with too much alcohol and too less sleep. Disturbed she frowned and gritt her teeth. After trying for another moment to remember she gave up, left the confusion alone. It would sort itself. Or it wouldn't. No matter what, all her memories agreed on her taking over this place. And so she'd better get up and see if her guests and staff were alright or not. Everything else could wait for now. And maybe, hopefully, one of them knew what was going on.

The sky was already turning grey above her, clouds moving around quickly over the streets of Oasis City. Althea walked through the streets at a fast pace, her brown dyed hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, her thoughts still lingering at her office. Her face was calm, her annoyance and ire a tight knot in her chest, invisible to the citizens around her. It was always the same, and she doubted that it would change anytime soon. People trying to get the better of each other, questioning her plans, aiming to get more and more ressources. She spent weeks to ensure everything was allocated evenly, but no, nobody could ever get enough. Gritting her teeth slightly she composed another message to Zokora, so that the woman could take over. She didn’t have time for this. There was so much to do, so many other things waited for her. She had no time for the bickering of some department heads.

Turning around a corner she pulled her key out of her bag and walked up to the front door of the house. It was a nice place, with a garden, two stories and a beautiful blue door waiting to be opened. Placing a hand on the silver door knob Althea paused, stared at the blue door. A blue door. It didn’t fit the image in her head, their door had been - another pause, her thoughts slowing down as she finally focused on the situation. Lifting her gaze up from her communication device she really looked at the house for the first time. It felt familiar, and at the same time everything was wrong. The curtains were green, not yellow, the door blue, there was a small lake in the garden and the roof was of a dark red. Slowly she took a step back, key forgotten in her hand and looked it all over again, before she hurried towards the door and placed a shaking hand on its wood. It was there, it was real. It felt the same way that it looked. “Can I help you?” a young voice asked behind her and she whirled around, cursing herself for letting her attention slip. Max had repeated it often enough. Always keep track of what's going on around you. Always. She swallowed, hiding her surprise behind a nondescript smile and looked at the young boy who stood in the garden, eyeing her curiously. “Are you lost?” he inquired and she looked back at the house and then towards him. The boy was wrong. His hair colour, his voice, the way he held himself. And he was too young. Too young? “No, thank you.” she replied coolly and finally took a step back from the door. Too young? She pushed the thought away, straightened her back and gave him a curt nod. “I’ll be on my way.”

Without another word she walked past him, her steps quick, but not so fast that it would seem as if she was fleeing the place. Why had she even walked to that house? It wasn’t as if she had a place in Oasis City. With a sigh she touched her head, gently reached out to Max to make sure that he was still there. Then she forced herself to take a deep calm breath and continued to walk back to the office building, if only to find a calm place where she could try and gather her thoughts. It was time to consider the facts at hand.  She had walked to the home of strangers and startled their son. She had tried to open the door using a key that had no chance of fitting the lock. And the boy, the boy - her breath caught in her throat as she realized why the boy was too young. Because her own son was older, a teenager already, shooting towards the sky faster than she could buy him clothes. Relief flooded her and she felt her posture relax a little, careful to keep her expression calm and neutral. There could always be someone around who recognized her, although her darker hair made that unlikely.

She was already opening the door to her office when another realization hit her. She didn’t have a son. Nor did she have a daughter. With a gasp she threw the door open, hurried inside and closed it again, locking it firmly against the world. It was happening again. Her mind was blurring, her thoughts tumbling and she hugged herself, waited for the pain, for the next person to force themselves into her thoughts to trick her, to blind her to play games with her thoughts and feelings. It took her several shaking breaths to realize that nothing happened, that she had the memory of having children while knowing that she never had them. That she remembered meeting Max as a teenager, while she knew, knew with every inch of her heart that it had been only a few years ago. It was as if she was standing in two places at the same time and yet, when she closed her eyes, when she focused, she knew that one set of memories was all wrong. A whimper escaped her throat while she stared at the family she always wanted to have at the long years together that blurred more and more even while she was looking at them, while she tried to keep them, to save them.

The world had changed, something had changed it all. Slowly she uncurled, forced herself to loosen her grip around herself. She had had children. There was a place where she had children. Loosing them, loosing their names, the way they had laughed, their first steps - she lifted a hand for Brashen and looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief. “What happened?” she whispered and could only watch while he shook his head. “Something changed it all.” he replied in a cold voice and she used the voice to calm herself. Emotions. She had to sort all of this. But she wouldn’t be able to do so while she was shaking from emotions. “Someone soulcast the whole world.” she gave a curt nod at his words. “Although it was something else, but the principle seems to be the same in some way. They changed it.” And in the end there were only a handful of beings around who could do this. And they had taken her children. Despair rolled up in her throat and she gulped it down, sat down at her desk to write down orders. She needed to know if there had been some damage to the guild, needed to assess the new situation. Holding the pen in her hand she looked at it for a while and then placed it back down again, no words coming to her mind. She knew what to do and why to do it, but it felt stale. They had taken her children.

Althea waited for fury, waited for anger, but none came. It hadn’t been directed at her. She was nothing but a bee in this world, nothing but a tiny thing whose life wasn’t even noticed. The thought tasted bitter and she had to force herself to look down at her hand, at the ring she had been given by Laonin. He had been a master of his craft, all sixteen metals woven together. And all of that work only to show his appreciation, to congratulate her and Max. She mattered. Not to every being in this world, but who did that. Nobody could ever matter to everybody. A smile touched her lips when she remembered their wedding, how many had come to attend the short ceremony. It had been beautiful. There had been so much blood and death, but there had been this beautiful moment, there had been thousands of beautiful moments and now that she took a break she was able to remember them all. When she and Tena had gone out to eat, sitting on the grass, ignoring all obligations. When she and Max had traveled to see other places. When she had laughed at the laboratory with her fellow coworkers. The feeling of victory after Plasma Core had been defeated. The pride she felt at the courage of their underlings. The laughter of her daughter, the way she danced around in their living room when she was happy. Althea bit down on her lip and got up, leaving the orders and everything behind. She stood in front of the window and looked at herself, at her dyed hair, at the calm face. A mask, she was always wearing a mask. Max had teased her about it, had reminded her to take it off at home, to show him how she felt. He had always encouraged her, never taken a step back from the ugliness that waited behind the calm face and the polite smile.  Althea lifted a hand and touched the strands, suddenly remembering a younger version of herself standing in front of a mirror. It had been a long, hard day and she had been frightened to the bone, had wanted nothing but to hide behind normal hair and a set of contact lenses. And yet, she hadn’t done it. Because she hadn’t been alone. Max had tried to look behind all masks to see the frightened girl she had been. He had never turned away, always encouraging to show who she was, to stop pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Not that it had ever happened. Just like her children, the girl that had trained in the laboratories had never met Max. And yet his words lingered, combined themselves with another conversation with Zokora, one where they had talked about daily life, about the future. About possible journeys they could embark upon. And suddenly she was sick of it all. Sick of the masks, of the responsibility, of the way people stared at her with fear in their eyes. She never had wanted to end up in such a position. It had been an accident when one leader left and somehow she filled a vacuum. Althea knew that she had done well, that she was good in this job, but it wasn’t who she wanted to be. It was a role she fulfilled, but was an act, in the end it was nothing but an act.

Slowly she removed her glasses and inhaled a little bit of stormlight, changing her hair back to its normal white color, looking at herself. The world had changed. Maybe it was time for her to change as well. Turning around she sat down at her desk again and started to write. No orders this time. No request for information, she wrote a letter. A letter to an old friend.

My dear friend Tena, there is something I would like to ask of you, and I want you to know that I don’t do this lightly, nor without a pinch of sadness in my heart. The world changed and I know that I, no that we need to change, too. There have been too many disruptions over the course of the last years, too many changes in leadership, too often we split. It’s time that we start to focus again, that we decide which way to go and stop to embark halfheartedly on this journey and then the next. What I’m trying to write is the following. I will step down as part of the Triarchy. I need to start another journey and I can’t do that while I try to run a guild, partially led by insane people. Just remember the Epic that started to slaughter our citizens and you know what I mean. I would like to ask, if you would be willing to take over, to start the reforms we need. To provide the guild with a path to follow. I know that we will loose some members, probably whole departments depending on their leaders, maybe some possessions, too, but that is the price we have to pay. We need some stability, a road we can follow with all of our hearts and souls and not the chaos we had. If you want me to, I will stay by your side to support you, to help you gain the trust of those you don’t know yet, but then you already know more or less everybody. But nonetheless - if you need help, I’ll be there. We can meet in person, if you would like to talk about all of this, or if you have some ideas you would like to bounce back and forth. Please know, that I trust you, trust you with the lives under my command, trust you with our knowledge and ressources. I know that it’s no light burden to carry and if you don’t want to - I can understand.

Your friend Althea

She placed her pen gently on the table and stood up, carefully pushing her stool back. For the first time in what felt like years she was at peace. With herself, with her responsibility. It had been too much, it had pressed her down so much that she only now realized what it felt like to be able to breathe anymore. Brashen tilted his head to the side and looked at her curiously. “I wondered when you would finally do that.” he told her and she grimaced at him openly. As if he’d known where her journey would lead her. But then, he most likely had. Laughing quietly she looked down at her hand again, turning serious. “I was a mother.” she told him “I lead a guild.” Turning back towards the window she looked at herself standing in the barely lit office. “Now I am neither of those.” A sad smile touched her lips and she touched her white hair again. “It's a possibility. To reclaim, to find out what I really lost. And to find a place where I belong.” Lowering her gaze towards him she smiled again, this time more calmly, at peace. “I will be myself, Brashen, and it will be enough.” “It will.” he replied and she knew that this was right, that this was the right way to go. The words wrapped themselves around her and Branshen, forming a full circle. Smiling more widely she tried to recall the faces of the boy and the girl, relieved to find that she could picture them as easily as she could picture Max. “Let’s go.” she told her spren and grabbed her bag. “It’s time to start a new journey. We’ve got a changed world to explore.” And this time there would be no masks. This time there would only be her friends, her family and herself. And it would be enough.

Here's the character I'm planning to use in E6.

Temeria Shenet

And here's Althea: (not sure if she should be an op character or not)

Although I have to admit, that for now I most likely will only post once in order to finish her current character arc (because I've planned and foreshadowed that one ever since the idea of an alternate universe E5 came up back in E4) and to sort some guild stuff between Althea and Tena. But I'm hoping to have a bit more time on hand soon.

Bree raised an eyebrow when Kleisha turned to her, wondering if the woman had asked this if if she wasn't paying her, too. Wordlessly she continued to study the other one for a moment, tried to see past the act and the strange wording. Maybe some tailoring had gone wrong, or maybe she was a bit dumb, or and giving Kleisha's reaction most likely she was very, very bright and smart.

Giving Kleisha an respectful nod for having looked through the act of playing drunk she then focused completely on the other one. She was good. So good that Bree was sure, that she wouldn't have noticed something off about her act. The subtle differences between reality and act tended to elude her. It was the price she had to pay for being who she was. For being able to think without having to struggle with anger or fear or hate all the time. And Bree liked who she was.

"Why don't you tell us your name?" she asked calmly, " and if you're looking for imformation for someoneelse -" she spread her hands and smiled again, this time nearly feeling it. "I'm pretty sure we might be of assistance. You seem to be rather new around here," one hand indicated the place in contrast to the Underground in general. Given the quality of her act the other one had to be experienced. "Maybe we know someone who is able to help you."

And maybe that way that could learn something more about that Shadowcastle or Hellomorsels. They sounded stupid enought to be some sort of gang, although you never knew. Still, if they were spreading their influence it couldn't hurt to know about them. Nor did it hurt to learn more about the mysterious she, who seemed to be the real power behind the pawn in front of them.

@Mystic Syn

@Channelknight Fadran

7 hours ago, Mystic Syn said:

“Excuse me,” Haruh interrupted, letting her voice sound a bit slurred as she lumbered over to the two,

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It's my turn to be confused, sorry!! Are you to talking to Bree and Kleisha or to Therese and Thalise?

20 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

"Don't look now," Kleisha said, "but that guy behind you? Following someone. I don't suppose either happen to be one of those people you're trying to avoid, are you?"

It wasn't necessarily a question she needed answered, though it certainly couldn't hurt. More so she just wanted to gauge this person's savviness with the underground; as well as how they judged hers. It helped her maintain her level of professionality to see just how their dynamic was.

@Sorana

Bree set her glass down and offered Kleisha a hand in order to seal their deal. When Kleisha spoke again she didn't lower it, suspecting that this would be as obvious as looking over her shoulder. Instead she inclined her head slightly as if she was looking down at her hand, at the gesture that was supposed to occur any second.

"No." She mouthed, looking her hair Fall forward to make it harter to see the movement if you weren't sitting in front of her. "I don't know them." She added in a low voice, although she suspected that he would hear her if his hearing had been altered by a professional.

Making sure she added some amusement to her tone she then spoke loudly, continuing their earlier conversation. "The only ones I don't like are the houses and their police, nothing unusual to expect on that side. I'm not planning to get into a firefight soon, and if I do, I'll make sure you get an additional bonus." Winking at her she added lightly "I'm looking forward to working with you."

Rolling her eyes backwards she made a questioning face, hoping that Kleisha would take the clue and watch for a reaction to find out whether he could hear them or not. It also depended on how good he was but then, it never hurt to keep your eyes open.

1 hour ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

"I prefer weaker drinks myself." Kleisha replied, setting a bill on the table for a refill. "Better not to get yourself drunk in the Underworld." As an afterthought, she added, "But I can stomach one or two if you're offering."

Bree frowned. That wasn't exactly the reply she had expected. Nodding at the Barkeeper and making a slight gesture towards her drink she ordered the same one for Kleisha. Keeping silent until it was there she placed somewhere coins on the bar to pay and then turned to the other one.

"Are you interested or not?" She asked openly. "If yes, I'm sure we can arrange for a fair payment. If not - then we should change the topic, empty our drinks and go on, looking for other ways to conduct Business."

She lifted her glass and raised it slightly towards Kleisha. "Although I have to insist that you answer my first question." Smiling again she sat down as well, making sure her posture stayed relaxed. "Alternatively we talk for a while and postpone all decisions until later."

18 minutes ago, Mystic Syn said:

K, I seriously don’t know and this might be stupid it might be the me being sick thing, but are you talking to my character?

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No, she's not. I tagged you, because Bree noticed you (the post before the one you quoted), so that you can react if you want to. There definitely is no need to.

============

"Legit." Bree nodded and purse her lips in thought. "So how about a flexile rate?" She proposed and then shrugged. Kleisha should know how she usually made her contracts.

"How do you normally handle this?" She asked and picked her drink up again to take another sip. She loved that one. It was just - perfect. And especially tonight it seemed to fit even better. "Or is this your first contact?" She added almost as an afterthought. If it was, it would change the whole board.

And even more important, Kleisha hadn't answered her first question. Either she had forgotten, or she was trying to dodge it. Watching her calmly Bree decided to wait. There was no need to hire her if she felt off. The night was young and things would evolve one way or another.

@Channelknight Fadran

"I don't need a hitman." Bree made a dismissive handwave. "What I need is someone, who has their eyes on my back during the times that come. It's been awhile since the city has been in that much unrest."

She left all smiles away and looked the woman in earnest. "Can you be discreet? I have some customers who would prefer that their names and modifications don't end on the street." She didn't really doubt this, every good Bodyguard knew how to keep their mouth shut, but then this was New Lere. It could easily be some kind of ploy. Better to ask, better not to trust too quickly. But then, you couldn't really trust anybody.

"And if you are - then there are only two questions left." She placed her drink down on the bar and lifted two fingers in the air. "What's your name and price?"

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The split is called Bree, not Brianna. Brianna is her other half. Just to clarify why both names appear in my posts.

@Channelknight Fadran

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Thanks a lot for tagging me. Makes it a lot easier to sort which posts are related to Bree.

And because I'm not quite sure who's aware of it and who isn't - as I'm living in europe you can expect me to be sleeping during the more active times.

Hiring a hand. Bree considered the idea and found herself nodding. "Actually I think, I'm interested in hiring you." She wasn't quite sure, why, but having someone to fight on her side wouldn't hurt at all during these times. "What are your specialties?" she inquired and looked the woman up and down, trying to see if they were tailored in an obvious way. They weren't, but that didn't mean anything. Wondering whether she could ask her to give her an example of her skills she let the question stand in the room and decided to answer another one. There was no harm in doing that, she was well known to those that had interest in her skills, her network within the underground large and solid. The moment she started to listen around in earnest she would find out how exactly Bree earned her money. Illegally. But that wasn't exactly something rare around here.

"And to answer your earlier question -" she added, ticking that one of the list of questions that had been asked, "I am quite obviously not a fighter." she turned her head a little toward the smuggler. "But as you have rightly guessed, I am definitely interested in aquiring some of your goods." Although she wasn't quite sure which favors he refered to, she didn't really care either. Tailoring people paid well enough that she could easily afford to pay for her supplies. If you were good, there wasn't any issue with money. And she was good. Better than most people would ever get. A thought crossed her mind and she looked over to the pit again, as if something there had suddenly caught her attention, if only for a moment.

Another split. One that would do whatever she told it, one that would belong to her completely. It would take more than simply splitting the person, she would have to tailor the brain too. Maybe remove some parts, or maybe find some stupidly loyal person and copy that trait. The idea captured her and she mulled over it, covering her silence by taking another sip of her drink. Maybe she would need to add something else, a fail safe of some sorts. Something that would force them to return to her regularly, apart from the fact that she would hold the original body of course. Packing the idea aside she turned a little and covered the movement by lifting an arm toward the barkeep, ordering a new drink.

A newcomer had placed herself close to them, was observing covertly and expertly. She was good, very good. Bree liked people who knew what they were doing, unlike the amateur who didn't even know which drink to order. That one was either the best actress Bree had ever seen, or she was attempting to walk in shoes way to big for her. Maybe she could sell her some tailoring. Something small for the start was probably best. Marking her as a potential customer she considered to grin at the one at the bar, and then discarded the thought. That wasn't how the game was played. They would approach them or they wouldn't. And if they were considering to rob her, well good thing that she was about to hire herself a fighter.

@The Unknown Order

@Channelknight Fadran @Rushu42 @Mystic Syn

1 hour ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

Kleisha gave the newcomer a sidways glance. "You look new here."

A number of other people did, too, but this one seemed new even to the dirtier alleyways of Lere. Maybe she wasn't as good at reading people as most of the folks down here, but Kleisha could tell from their eyes that this wasn't a place they were used to.

@Rushu42

16 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

There was an open barstool near the corner, and she gingerly clambered onto it, hoping it wouldn't collapse on her. The barkeep slid a drink towards her without waiting for an order, so she dropped what she hoped was a reasonable number of bills on the table and picked it up. A quick sniff made her eyes water, and she set it back down on the table. She had no intention of getting drunk tonight, and certainly not off of that. It smelled more like rubbing alcohol than any of the drinks she'd tried before. Instead she took a deep breath and tried to adopt a cheerful expression. At least no one had tried to kill her yet; she'd count that as a success.

Interesing. Bree tilted her head a little to the side, suspecting, that the one in front of her had no real intention to really talk to her. Not that she cared, but - she smiled again more earnest this time. Everything before a but was a lie. She hated it, when people ignored her, especially after she made the effort to reach out to them. Wamrth spread in her gut as she realized that this was good, finally something interesting, something worth spending her time for.

But for now, she kept her posture relaxed and followed the other one's eyes towards the newcomer. Obviously a newcomer. "You ordered the wrong drink." she noted and shook her head, lifting a hand with her own, bright green one. "That one is much better. Slightly sour and a little bit sweet, and you can easily smell it without having to close your eyes afterwards."

Stepping towards her, she leaned herself against the bar, turning around so that she could see both of them. "But I think we're not at a point in conversation, where you talk about drinks, aren't we?" she stated and rested one ellbow on the bar. "My name's Bree." she offered her name as was custom. It was better to stick to customs and social rules. It made blending in easier. Brianna, Brianna had been incredibly good at these situations. She had been amazing with people, smiling and convincing them with a few words only. Bree still found it fascinating how much time those around her spent with nothing but politenesses, but in the end she didn't really care. As long as she got to work, so that she could finance her other Tailoring, so long she didn't care if it took some small talk to arrive at her goal.

"And don't worry," she added with a wink, "I can tell you a lot about the different drinks down here."

Bree took another sip of her drink, not leaving her spot. She had a very nice view over both, the crowd and the fights. Right now a small, thin guy was beating up a thick, strong looking younger man. The smaller one was obviously tailored. Narrowing her eyes in interest she tried to figure out how and what. His arms, most likely his legs, too.

Pensively she pursed her lips and continued to watch, curious to see how it would end and if he'd show something fascinating. Only a few heartbeats later the thin one raised his arms in victory only to be taken down by his opponent as soon as he'd turned his back. Sighing she turned away and took another sip of her drink. The best Tailoring was useless without a brain to use them. It was time to get to business.

Using her left hand to flash a signal to those looking for a tailor to sell their wares to, or to teach those that might be interested in her skills. Although especially the last group often didn't knew these. Slowly she wandered through the crowd, kept her eyes open and searched for someone to bridge some time with. Her eyes fell on a brown haired person and she nodded to herself. The posture, the cloths, her was someone who seemed to have enough in their head to warrant a conversation.

"Hello." She voiced her greeting with a carefully formed smile, but didn't extend her hand.  She disliked to touch strangers. "Having a nice evening?" The question was mostly to offer some start of a conversation, she would watch their reaction and then adapt her behaviour accordingly. Discreetly her left hand repeated her sign and she touched her drink to her lips, careful to keep her posture relaxed. With some luck this would be not only a lucrative, but also an interesting evening.

Behind her the body of the thin man was removed from the pit and the next pair was announced. Not even the names of the fighters sounded promising. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and pushed the noise to the back of her attention. Later. Maybe she would take another look later.

@Channelknight Fadran

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Thank you so much for the kind words! It feels so good to be back!

@Channelknight Fadran @AmazingGoob

Anyway, I figured I could start with some ic introduction of Bree, as I've got a spare minute right now and I'm really, really excited for this. And to rp in free form again. And to be back. And all of it

@ZincAboutIt

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We already talked about it, but I'll reuse Bree from over a year so. Here's her sheet for you to look over - an introduction post will come afterwards. Also please add me to the PM.

And thanks for restarting this. I really missed writing.

Spoiler

Name: Bree (Brianna Walters)

Age: 32

Height: 5'4"

Hair: long and curly, blonde

Eyes: light green

Skin: while, with tatoos covering most of her body

Tailored: No

Skills: Tailoring, knows how to create a split

House Affiliation: Underground

Backstory: Brianna leaned back against the wall, listened to the water slowly dripping down. It made a funny noise every now and then, when the drop hit the stones next to her at a slightly different angle than the ones before him. It was always the fith or the sixth drop and she found herself counting along, waited for that slittle splash that indicated that the drop had been swallowed by a little puddle on the ground. Moving her arms slightly she winced when the heavy manacles moved over the raw flesh on her arms, her chains clinking in the silence. Apart from the drops. The drops. They drove her crazy, never once stopped, always dripping, always splashing when they hit the stinking liquid on the ground. She screamed, but only a hoarse croak left her mouth, her voice rusty from missing use. Brianna moved again, tried to strech her back, to ease the pain that came from remaining too long in one position. One. Two. Three. Splash. One, two, she moved again, drowned out the endless dropping for a moment. Splash. One, two...

She perked up at the sound of a key, and with a groan slowly pushed herself to her feet. She wouldn't face her sitting on the ground like a discarded doll. She was barely standing, more kneeling, one hand trying to push herself farther up when the door opened and a woman stepped inside. Brianna's stomach recoiled at the sight of her, at the beautiful hair and body. She knew that she had never been a woman to turn heads whereever she went, but here, in this place she seemed to be the most beautiful being she'd ever seen.

"Brianna." The woman greeted her and twisted her nose in disgust. "You should clean up. It stinks." Brianna ignored her, continued to try to get to her feet and finally managing to place one foot on the ground. "And your cloths, I would never have thought you would neglect yourself like that. Just look at your nails." Gritting her teeth in anger Brianna finally pushed herself up completely, stared into that beautiful face. "You are always welcome to take my place and stay here for a week or two." She replied, the tiredness in her voice taking the edge away from her words.

"Or I don't." She smiled at her and set down a basket with water and food, just out of Brianna's reach. "You serve me better here, little Brianna." Smiling she opened the basket and lifted a loaf of bread, looked at it, and with a shrug threw it down at Brianna's feet. Brianna winced, hastily bent down to pick it up before it soaked up the stenchy liquid she tried very hard to convince herself was nothing but water. Stinking water, but only water. Strange how she still was disgusted by something, even after all this time.

By the time she was looking up again, she found herself looking again at that face, at the hair and body that once had been hers. Hers and hers alone. Her body, her life. Until it had been stolen. Until she had stolen it from herself.

"Let me go." she whispered, throat aching. "Bree, please." Using the name, her own name was followed by the usual twinge of digust burried, but she had long learned that lesson.

"Or maybe I don't." Bree smiled, a wonderful, bright smile that Brianna had always been proud of. And then she pushed the basket over and left her alone. Brianna screamed and this time it was a real scream, she screamed and screamed, despite the pain that it brought. It would be months till she saw her again, months until she had another chance to convince her to let her go.

 

On 6.1.2021 at 3:35 PM, Ookla the Stick said:

"... The what now? Geez, what is this? Some kind of fantasy novel?"

She sighed, and only now noticed the other people there, first turning to Shana.

"Oh, we've haven't met yet, huh? Thanks for the offer of cake, I'll probably take you up on that offer!"

Lissa said it jokingly, trying to put on a smile.

"My name's Lissa."

@Sorana

"I'm glad to meet you." Shana smiled at her and gestured towards the kitchen. "There's always some in the fridge."

"We've got an -" She stopped herself, "a friend of ours loves making cake." That had to be enough for now. Better not to mention the whole radiant topic before she knew what Lissa knew. "Do you also go to school nearby?" She asked instead mostly to say something, wondering why she was the one getting the new people. She was way better with fighting the evil ones,  than with polite conversation.

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I'm so sorry for letting you wait -.-

"That was incredible." Shana looked over at James and shook her head. If he could do that to a door - "well at least we won't have to worry about that guy breaking it again." She shrugged and started to turn around, to leave before could start her questioning when another knock sounded through the room.

"Did anybody of you leave an ad of some kind outside?" She asked and reached for her weapon before walking over. "Strays welcome - we accept any and all kinds of magic users. Cake and a bed are free." She attempted to joke, to lightenthe mood a little. Ever since Cassie had caught her snd Rob she felt weird standing around like that. As if she didn't belong anymore. Cold wrapped itself around her and she frowned, quickly turned away facing the door. How could something that was so right, feel do wrong at the same time? But she couldn't. She couldn't leave them without protecting, she had to do the hard things, to prevent them from having to them on their own.

Forcing a smile on her face she opened door, holing her weapon outof sight of whoever was standing on the other side. "Hello." She offered as some kind of greeting, hoping that this guy would be nice.

@HoidWasTaken

On 1.1.2021 at 9:15 PM, Truthwatcher Artifabrian said:

Edit: @Sorana

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If you want to, you can have some rp leading to them joining,  or you simply claim that they have joined which would be fine for me as well.

Regarding the rp part - i'm not as active as i used to be, due to having a baby now,  so you might/ will have to wait a day or two for me to reply. Sorry, but i can't promise several posts a day.

On 27.12.2020 at 2:33 AM, AmazingGoob said:

That was a slum, right? 
Calarian just shrugs. What was he expecting? This dirty, penniless kid to live in a mansion?
"Ah, I see. Would you like to sleep in the Agency for tonight then?"

Mike considered the offer, wondering what he might grab there. And as easy as that, he had a new option. Follow him, rob the office, return here and get some spikes.

"Sure. " He nodded "That is a very generous offer." Forcing a smile on his face he tried to project a calmness he didn't quite feel.

On 28.12.2020 at 9:01 PM, Somebody from Sel said:

"No, but my curiosity has gotten me in trouble before," he says, only a little shameful. 

  Reveal hidden contents

I love how your characters are reacting to this, I hope I can make it clear he doesn't do this often. 

 

He was a fighter. Shana nodded curtly, relieved that Rob had shown up, too.

"Sounds as if you know how to handle your weapon. "She stated, wondering whether he might use this amberite of his. "How about a match? Friendly, nothing serious. "

Her eyes darted over to Rob wondering if he understood what she was aiming at. A match would allow them a closer look at his skills, making it easier to fight him. And it would quite easily show him that they weren't ones to be pushed around as well.

Shana frowned at the words. Taking down a door to know what was behind it? Even Mahad didn't go to such extremes.

"And who told you where to find us?" She asked while Cassie vanished for a while.  "Why this house?" It could be pure chance, or another enclave had told him where to go, or he had his own ways - there were way too many possibilities to ensure he hadn't been sent here by the enemy, but at least she could try. "We've got some cake in the kitchen, if you'd like to eat something. " She offered as some way to soften her other question. James disliked it, when she was to hard with new people.

@Somebody from Sel

@AonEne

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Okay, thanks a lot.

So I'll probably have Shana follow Cassie down, and then I'll see. She can't do anything about the cognotive realm though.

Shana lifted her head when there was a loud noise and cursed under her breath. Well at least Cassie was rising off, saving her from an awkward reply.

"Let's leave once you're ready. I'll go and see if they need my help" She told Rob and then turned around and headed towards the stairs. Despite the situation calling for urgency shewalked slowly, wishing Cassie hat never stumbled in upon them. Breaking into Doc's office. She wasn't regretting what they had done, but still, it felt wrong now that she had seen the shock on Cassie's face. With a sigh she walked downstairs, wondering who else would know by now how many betrayed faces she would have to look into.

To her surprise the reply was none. A new guy had crushed their front door and she heard another voice she couldn't place. New people. Well that was most certainly better than a trial for her decisions.

She joined Edwin standing a little aside, with an umbrella - she raised an eyebrow but didn't ask, instead leaned her weapon,  bladed staff,  close to her against a wall.

"Hello. " She greeted the new guy. "I'm Shana. And honestly, I have no idea what amberite is supposed to be, or what it can do. " She shrugged slightly, hoping to take the edge of her words. He wasn't the first one to walk in with some strange kind of power. But he was the first one to do so while destroying their door. You never knew. Maybe the Voidbringers had found a new way to get to them without using their own hands. So for now she would be careful until she knew more about him. Trust a stranger to easily and you ended up nothing but a pile of blood and bones on the ground.

@Somebody from Sel

On 20.12.2020 at 7:31 AM, AmazingGoob said:

Sure. But if you're busy, I would be happy to wait more.

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I doubt I'll be less busy any time soon. The little man is doing his best to keep me occupied all around the clock

Where he lived. Mike lowered his eyes and then sighed. The man wouldn't relent  he knew that by now. Better to follow along, and then maybe - it couldn't hurt to have a friend like him. If only he could have someone to get him out of prison after - his head turned to the side and he looked at the spikes again. He needed them. Nothing had changed but the urge was ebbing, he could wait, see where he might get some cheap ones, or some he could steal easily. His tongue tasted the air and he nodded sharply.

"I live in the old crater." He replied, carefully watching the man's face at the mention of the slum. "Although i doubt that it would be safe for you to go there. You look-" his hand made a vague gesture. "Rich. Ripe for harvest."

On 3.11.2020 at 4:07 AM, AmazingGoob said:

He sighs in relief. "Alright, then. Where do you live? I'll escort you there."

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Are you still interested to go on with this? If yes I'll make some room on my end