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[Shekey the Green]

Xavier was tagging alongside Adrasteia when she saw the gates. Their two hours of random exploration had been all but disappointing. Xavier seemed thrilled, but there was nothing to do.

Her tail was flicking. The guards were bickering about Lotus...too busy to notice a Neko in the group.

Something in the back of her head was screaming. She couldn't quite make it out, but it was screaming. Something about...healing.

She wasn't good at finding out information. She'd need to talk to Arato or Alabast for this one. She needed to find out all she could about the Dragon Lords. Her mind was set. She'd ask when they got to an inn..

If they got to an inn.

The city was amazing. So many people in one area made her nervous yet excited. They all seemed curious about them as well, or atleast the ones who took time to notice them.

She kept looking around the city, not noticing Xavier's babble about city life. Instead, she caught a glance of someone very young, but his eyes told her he was very old.

[nameless]

"Hey barkeep! BARKEEP!!!" Nameless shouted to get the attention of the barkeeper. "What do ya want kid?" The bar keeper grunted.

"Well I would like some milk please." Nameless said with a smile. "Ok." The barkeep disappeared into the back.

"MHmmhmhmhmmhhm...." Nameless bounced on his heels and looked around the room while he waited.

"Here kid." The bar keep thrust the milk at Nameless. " Thanks!" Nameless paid the man and turned to leave.

When Nameless had extracted himself from the pub he moved to the alley to give the kitten the milk.

"Well there enjoy." He gave the kitten a smile. "Oh hey there goes the group. we had better hurry."

He scooped up the kitten and the milk and carried them both towards the group. "Hey guys, I found a place with milk, but i wouldn't recommend that we stay in it freakin crowded."

Edited by nameless, 05 November 2008 - 03:35 PM.

[Arato]

Arato was near the back of the group as they entered the city. He laughed at the guards silently, they were bickering about something or other and it was a rather nice distraction. Nameless came up to the group and said a little but Arato was not paying attention. He was awed by the city's size. He had never been in a city this big and the view from outside did not give an accurate scale of how large the city and its buildings actually were. He turned and caught Adrastiea's attention for a second, nodded to her, and then slipped off silently without anyone else noticing he had left.

He wandered the streets for a little while trying to pick up the layout of the outer city, but without any luck, he then strode toward the center of a small shop square, hoping to find someone who could point him to the library. He could not help but notice everyone staring suspiciously at him, but he ignored it, after all, he was the only one wearing a full cloak with the hood covering his eyes.

[Renegade]

"Your first teaching is this," Lotus pointed one finger into the air, "Listen to the rythm beneath your feet, and you will know the melody to sing."

Great! thought Alabast, more riddles..
-----

Walking into the city wasn't much of a problem with the bickering guards, so following Adrasteia further into the city he studied the others in his group. Most of them were in awe of the city, while Alabast was more disturbed really at the amount of people. Large quantities of human beings he didn't know..

Wonderful..

Noticing Nameless wander off, then back with milk, Alabast went forward to the head of the group, keeping a ready hand at the hilt of his katana.

"I really have no business here myself, just accompanying you, so what is it you wish to do?" Alabast asked Adrasteia.

[JRPomazon]

Gate had entered the city, walking in unnoticed like a ghost. This was the his new destination, but he had no idea why he bothered to come all the way here. He was driven here by something, that's all he could piece together. Unlike the time in the previous town, no one seemed to care about him as they ignored his very existence. They passed him as though he were nothing special. In a way, they would be correct. Gate didn't pay any heed to them at all and just kept walking.

He wound up at a small weaponry with a wooden sign in the front with a sword piercing an anvil. He needed new daggers to replace the ones he had lost in battle. He walked in and found a middle aged man practically sleeping at the counter. Gate walked up to the front where he discovered a lovely set of daggers, thin enough for him to carry in his shirt that shined like silver. Perhaps they were, it didn't really matter what they were made of, as long as they did what they were made to do. Gate slammed his hand on the counter, walking the clerk up.

"I'll take some of the daggers on display." He said.

"They are just display pal, sorry." The clerk said with a yawn.

"They why even show them if you can't buy them." Gate thought.

"We got something like 'em though."

The clerk pulled out a wooded box and opened it. It was neatly filled with iron daggers. They looked much more practical. Gate took the money he had and placed it on the counter.

"I'll take whatever this can get me." He said coldly.

[Arato]

As Arato was looking for the public Library he caught a glimpse of someone who seemed out of place and confused, while at the same time ignorant and uncaring of the people around him. Arato kept walking without any further thought on the subject, though he did feel compelled to talk to the stranger.

Arato eventually found a library and selected a few books about the Neko people. He sat down at a table and began reading, without noticing that everyone staring at him strangely.

[Shekey the Green]

(ooc: As of November 18, 2008, I will control Alabast for good. RSR is going into the Navy and has given me control of his character until he returns from bootcamp...which would probably be sometime in January. So if you have any questions or concerns about that character AFTER that date, you need to PM me, and not RSR.)

Nameless had come back to the group...he was complaining about an overly crowded room. It didn't sound like fun.

Arato noticed she was looking at him, and he nodded and left. She didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but she figured it was worthwhile. She kept looking around at the city. It was marvelous. The people were glaring at her. She began wondering about society, getting lost in her own thoughts until she realized Alabast was asking her a question.

"Er...what?" She asked blankly.

"What do you wish to do. You said you needed to do something here," he replied.

"Oh. I need to find out who the Dragon Lo--"

"Where's Arato?" Xavier asked.

"He left. We'll see him again soon." Adrasteia had just realized that they hadn't set up a rendezvous point. She was sure he'd be able to find her. "Anyway, I need to get information on the Dragon Lords...I don't know much about them, and from what Arato told me, they don't seem like the friendly type. If you guys need to restock on weapons, by all means, go forth. I might slip off alone to go get some information."

The group was silent for a minute.

The scream in the back of her head continued. Ignoring it was no longer an option.

"As a matter of fact, I will slip off for information. Could you guys go find a place to stay tonight while I go talk to some people? Someone meet me back here at sundown."

Alabast nodded and she turned and walked off. Her headache was mild, but it was growing more and more intense. Maybe it was the change of scenery.

Or something else.

She walked along the crowded streets. People out busy doing their business. Her thoughts drifted off to wondering what it would be like to live in a city. The Imperial City was gorgeous. It truly did reflect the beauty of human architecture. Up ahead, there was a rather large group of protestors of somekind marching down the street. Whatever they were angry about, it seemed significant enough to walk down the streets screaming about.

She slipped into the closest store nearby.

"I'll take whatever this can get me," a man said coldly.

[Arato]

The first book Arato was reading was biased against the Neko people. He had never been exposed to so much hatred between races, he had never even seen a Neko before meeting Adrasteia though his hometown had always been one that supported the oppressed group of people. The book talked about how the inferior race shouldn't be allowed to exist and he couldn't help but get mad at the book. The more he read the angrier he got at the intolerance of some people. He slammed the first book shut, none to quietly, and placed it back where he had found it. The other books were just as bad, although he did manage to learn a bit about the history of the Neko's.

As he put back the last of the books, someone came up to him and whispered almost inaudibly in his ear, "If you want to learn more about the Nekos, meet me at the Bloody Bore Tavern in one hour."
Arato didn't even bother looking at the stranger, he could judge by the footsteps that the person was a man of about 5 feet tall and 8 inches. Judging by the weighted left step, the man had some sort of injury on his right leg.

-----------------------------------

Arato had left the library shortly after that and had gone to buy the new supplies for Xavier. Arato had found the supplies with relative ease and now had 15 minutes to find the Bloody Bore Tavern. As he walked around looking for people who looked friendly enough to ask for help, Arato yet again caught a glimpse of the strange person he had seen before entering the library. He was closer now and Arato could detect the smell of decay about him.

After talking with several people, Arato finally managed to find the Bloody Bore with about 2 minutes to spare. A man, who matched the description Arato had come up with in his head, approached him as he sat down at a table.
"Well you sure didn't waste time looking for me," Arato said jokingly.

"You're cloak and staff are hard to spot in a crowd," said the man in reply.

"I'm Arato, and you?" Arato asked.

"Jacob to you, my real name cannot be known by strangers."

"Why so secretive?"

"When you support the Neko's in this society, your true name is your worst enemy."
Arato felt that Adrasteia would not be safe in this city for very long, and he realized he needed to get back to the group as soon as possible.

"Why do these people hate the Neko people so much? Just because they have tails doesn't mean that they should be treated like scum."

"They are different, that is all there is to it. Some people just can't stand it when others are different from them."

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow was wandering the streets of the imperial capital, trying to hold onto what little patience he had left. For him, the day was passing much too slowly. He had a fair knowledge of the city layout and had formed a plan of escape, but to implement it, he would have to wait until night fell. In most other cases, he would sleep the time away... but in the event that the Dragon Knights or a visitor unwittingly stumbled upon the decaying body of one of the knights that he'd slain and hidden in the woods outside of the city, his cover would immediately be blown and he would be hunted. For this instance, he would have to be alert, and thus sleep was not an option. Though he was fairly certain that the body of the second knight wouldn't be discovered until long after he'd fled Kinaancha, it was simply common sense and part of his nature to be prepared for the worst. This is why he wore the civilian clothing of the knight he was impersonating over his original garb.

While he waited, he thought it wise to check himself into an inn that was fairly close to the city entrance that he'd arrived at, since Cha'Firen was his next destination. Though from what he could tell, it was on the other side of the city from where he was... no matter, the exercise might do him some good anyway.

[JRPomazon]

Gate didn't end up using all of his money, the daggers he purchased were cheaper than he thought. Hopefully, they wouldn't be as flimsy as their price. The door creaked, someone was walking into the shop. Gate turned his head, just enough to see out of the corner of his eye who had walked in.

"A Neko, that's unexpected." He thought.

He turned back to the store clerk and noticed he had a very defensive look on his face. Clearly, he felt threatened by his customer.

"How pathetic." Gate thought as he handed his money over to the clerk. The shopkeeper went to grab the cases for the weapons when Gate stopped him.

"I don't need those, keep them." He ordered the clerk.

"The how are you going to hold all these? With your toes?" The man said sarcastically.

Ignoring how stupid the clerk was just then, he grabbed them one at a time and placed them under his shirt. From what anyone could see, it looked as though Gate were placing them in his shirt and the daggers just vanished. Gate's shirt was designed to hold weapons with pockets to hold the daggers in every available location. It took him five minutes to put them away and the clerk was amazed. After finishing putting his new tools away, he walked out of the store. Gate lowered his head into the collar of his shirt, his way of showing that he wasn't interested in being sociable.

As he passed through the door, a dagger fell from his sleeve without him noticing, one of a "used" variety.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

For Lotus, seeing the imperial city in all it's glory was a sight to behold. The place reminded hi somewhat of a forest, though man made. Just like any others in the group he received odd looks, though the vastness and business of the place meant few people would take too much time out of their day to look at the oddballs who rolled into town.

Indeed, most of the time Lotus was content to simply watch what was happening in this foreign place. It reminded him of stories from when he was younger, about those who walked farthest away from their homelands, beyond the scope of the vaguely defined Mogili territories. In doing so, Lotus began to fantasize about how he tell his own story when he finally saw it fit to return home.

Shaking off the fanciful thoughts, Lotus focused to realize that the group was doing a little splitting up. Deciding to move along with the idea, Lotus wandered off a bit to look at the stores. The first one to catch his eye was a small place labeled "Tennington Jewelers".

It was a fairly small place, one which seemed fairly shabby though Lotus did not notice. There were two people, an old bearded man and a woman, who were in a somewhat heated discussion together behind the counter. One other customer was in the store, looking at the jewelry on display. Lotus joined him, getting a fair look at what was on display. There were assorted rings, necklaces, ear rings, which were adorned with well cut precious stones. When he noticed one particular necklace that had a beautiful blue stone hanging from it, he went over ask what kind of stone it was.

"Well, the lawyer said he might have found a loophole in the statement for her estate."

"Ah, excuse this hu-" Lotus started hoping he was not interrupting.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" the bearded man started.

When the man turned enough to fully see who he was talking to, a weird look crossed his face, one like the look Lotus remembered getting from the man from the Flyer's Guild in Cha'Firen.

After an awkward silence, Lotus spoke.

"Ah, sorry, this humble one has intruded at an inappropriate time. This humble one apologizes."

With that, Lotus turned and left. The man leaned back, falling against the wall.

"What sort of divine prank was that?"
____________________________________

Lotus walked out and continued on his way, noticing Adrasteia just disappear into another shop. He walked over to see what sort of place it was one a man came out, one which Lotus realized he recognized as one of the people who were at the boat dock of that small village. Though the man was showing he had no wish to socialize, Lotus smiled at the man.

"Mata rar takis, tarinars?" he wondered aloud to himself.

[Arato]

Arato learned a lot from the man in the short time they had to talk. He wished he could have stayed longer but he didn't want the others to worry about him, nor did he want the unpleasant task of trying to find his companions when the lights of the city went out. He didn't want to draw unwanted attention to himself or his group. He wandered around looking for them, but to no avail. The sun was just going down when Arato spotted Adrasteia inside the inn they had first entered when they came in the city. He silently slipped in the door, unnoticed by all, and stood quietly behind Xavier, who had not yet seen him, holding the new supplies behind his back so Xavier would not see them if he turned around suddenly.

[Shekey the Green]

This man didn't seem like the one who made mistakes. He also seemed like he didn't feel like being dealt with. He did just make daggers disappear underneath his clothes. Odd, for someone so skilled, it looked like he didn't have a sense of hygene. He smelled of death, and his eyes, from what she saw of them, were full of torment and pain.

She reached for the dagger. The store clerk glared at her.

With no show of emotion, she held the dagger lightly in her hand and walked out.

He hadn't gotten far. He was very intriguing. Not many people were quiet and cold as he. She didn't know how to approach the man. The crowd was dispersing around her. She could hear their snickers and their snide comments. It hurt her heart to feel so much hatred from people.

She caught up with him and began walking beside him. Not saying anything, she held out the dagger with one hand, holding the blade. Her other hand was resting lightly on her claws, as she had begun attracting a crowd of what looked like meager bullies. It's not like the battle would be difficult.

"Take the dagger before these cowards attack."

The comments were getting louder, as a belligerent group of men came stumbling towards her. It was obvious they had hit the bottle rather early in the day.


--


Sundown. He could swing that. He didn't like the idea of the group members wandering around the city by themselves. Once they found an inn, he'd discuss this idea of sticking together.

"Come," he said to everyone. He was rather annoyed everyone had left. Xavier romped happily up to him, while everyone else followed in pursuit.

"The best way to know a city is to explore, Xavier," he said lightly.

"Adventure?" Xavier asked excitedly.

"Sure, adventure. Let me know if you see an inn."

They began to follow random streets until Xavier finally pointed one out. There was a gathering down one of the streets, he thought he'd check it out later.

They walked in. The tavern was relatively empty.

"Wha' yah need?" a toothless man asked behind the counter.

"A room. Or two. I have roughly seven people."

The transaction complete, the man led him to their rooms, gave them the keys and went downstairs.

"What're we going to do now?" Xavier asked.

[JRPomazon]

Gate took the dagger from the Neko as he noticed the small mob that had surrounded them.

"You must enjoy gathering trouble like this." He said as he held the dagger in his hand.

These men see the Neko as something unnatural, something that wasn't supposed to belong. It was the perfect object to take out aggressions on be it a sense of superiority or otherwise. What a bunch of fools. Gate looked over at the group who where inching closer. It was apparent that even in a place where the absolute justice in the land reigns, idiots would still be idiots. Gate looked closer at these men.

"Six. . . Seven . . . Eight men." Gate thought out loud to himself.

"No weapons, smooth terrain. Hostility is present, negotiation seems impossible. Exercising intimidation."

Gate moved quickly to a man in the front, gently pressing the dagger against his throat. The expression on the man's face was splattered with surprise and fear.

"Answer quickly: Are you my enemy?"

[SL the Pyro]

While the layout of Kinaancha was only vaguely familiar to him, Shadow was fairly certain that he was halfway across the city by now. He was mildly thankful that nothing had gone awry, though still ready for -- and honestly expecting -- it should that change.

And as soon as he'd thought that, it seemed to change. His eyes narrowed with annoyance. In his path, a crowd of men were closing in on another man and what appeared to be some form of female cat-human hybrid. A Neko. Knowledgeable of the discrimation of their race, the situation was easily deciphered; the men wanted the Neko, and the other man appeared intent on protecting her. The blade he now had pointed at the men was proof of that.

"Answer quickly: are you my enemy?" the man with the blade said. Shadow's face remained stoic and emotionless as his mind suddenly replayed a phrase he'd heard before:

"You reek of blood, you repulsive grunt."

The man's voice was the same. This was the man who had very briefly confronted him at the dock of that fishing village. He hadn't so much as looked at his face back then, but very rarely did he converse with others; his voice was not hard to recall.

But that aside, these men were in his way. However, given that the Neko and the man with the blade were roughly outnumbered four-to-one, this was going to end quickly in spite of whichever side gave in first. Shadow simply stood where he was, a slight distance away from the conflict and decided to let it resolve itself. Since he was in disguise anyway, it was not in his best interest to start a scene.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 26 November 2008 - 01:05 PM.

[Arato]

It took Arato longer then he would like to admit to realize he had made a mistake. The people in this inn were not the friends he had thought they were, had he only counted their number he could have seen that. There were 8 of them not including Arato and only 7 with Arato in his group. He felt foolish, he quickly left the inn and began searching again. It did not take him long to spot the angry crowd around the man who smelled like death and Adrasteia.

Arato made short work of the distance between them and withdrew his hardwood staff from it's resting place on his back. Then he forced his way through the crowd and stood ready to attack with Adrasteia and the other man, glaring with his cold, golden eyes at each of the men in tight circle around them individually, daring them to approach a step farther.

"What are you doing here men," Arato said sarcastically, knowing their responses.

"We want the Neko, give her to us and we won't bother you anymore sir."

"And what is so interesting about this Neko? Have you never seen one before? Perhaps you mistook her for an old friend? Well I assure you, you have no acquaintance with her so I strongly suggest that you all go back to your business before someone gets hurt," Arato said mockingly.

"Is tha' a threat young'un?" Asked a man who appeared to be a butcher.

"It is a word of warning and nothing more good sir, but that does not mean I won't act upon it." Arato replied. He chanced to look at Adrasteia who caught his gaze. He gave her a look in which he tried to communicate that she should leave quickly before this got out of hand.

"Well i' seems ta meh tha' ye be a bit ou'numba'd," stated the butcher confidently.

"Sirs," said Arato, visibly agitated now. "I am only going to ask you one more time, please leave. We do not want to hurt anyone."

"Why did you bring one of those filthy scum into our city then!" Shouted someone in the crowd who pointed at Adrasteia. "She might have some disease which could spread to our children, you're making our streets unsafe!"

"If she had a disease then why don't I or my other companions have it already? We've been traveling with her for some days now!" Shouted Arato in reply.

"Maybe you are half-Neko's! You could just have not inherited the visible traits of other Nekos! Said another voice in the crowd.

In an instant Arato discovered the anonymous speaker, dropped his staff and was standing behind the man with his stiletto Endulon at the throat of the man. "We do not wish to hurt you, men. Please let us continue our business in peace.

Arato had not even payed attention to the man who smelled of decay, he wondered what he had been doing during these processions.

[JRPomazon]

Gate had removed his dagger from the man's throat and noticed the other interloper. These people seemed to love getting attention. He took his dagger and placed into his clothing.

"Hey, what is the commotion over here?"

The voice belonged to a knight in intimidating armor. It must be one of of the Dragon Knights that reigned in the city. Without another word, everyone unrelated to the mob and Gate, the Neko and the other man dispersed. The knight went on his way shortly after the crowd had left. Staying with this group further would only serve as a nuisance, so Gate made a swift departure from the scene. He made a good distance from the Neko and her companion and had merged into the crowd. He stopped for a moment and looked back at the Neko.

She probably had a tough time dealing with the continuous attacks by the people who felt it necessary to isolate and ridicule her for her appearance. Gate could almost sympathize with that, but it didn't matter who or what you are.

"All life is suffering. The more you can handle, the stronger you are." He thought as he continued on his way.

Edited by JRPomazon, 26 November 2008 - 10:40 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

"Maybe you are half-Neko's! You could just have not inherited the visible traits of other Nekos!"

Some people were so stupid. Shadow had noticed that the man with the blade had fled the scene, replaced with someone else who now held his blade at the one who had just spoke the words of racism. The moment the other man left, the complaints and verbal assaults started again in spite of that. Shadow twitched; his patience was wearing thin. In the hopes of the people ignoring him, he simply began to walk around the crowd and try to avoid as much contact as possible. Though he kept a hand near one of his longswords should he need it.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 26 November 2008 - 05:50 PM.

[Steel Samurai]

Wil awoke to find himself chained to the wall. He had gone to sleep last night in the bottom of the hold, comfortably propped up against a bale of cotton, but now he was several feet away from the bale with his wrists bracketed to the side of the ship beside his head with iron cuffs, and his legs chained together. They must have slipped something into his drink last night, but why? Wil thought hard. Slavery. That was the only reason he could think of. Though illegal during the Kinaani Empire's rule, it had, in recent years, begun to return. A man of Wil's size and strength would be worth much in the underground auctions of the Imperial City. But the captain had seemed like a decent chap . . . There must be some explanation for it. Wil would just wait to see what it was.

[Shekey the Green]

Adrasteia felt anger rising up in her throat. She didn't like getting attention. Her temper was rising. She'd lose it any moment.

"I'm not your enemy," she said through clenched teeth before he left. "Nor do I like the attention. I am what I am. Nothing more. Nothing less. You judge without knowing, and that's what makes you like all the other humans in the world."

Everything was beginning to blur.

"...Half-Neko's..." "..sirs..peace...leave...alone..."

She could hear Arato's voice amongst the screaming men. She fell to her hands and knees, her hair covering her face. She didn't know where she was. Her heart began racing, her breath quickened.

She was beginning to beserk.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

(ooc: If this is overstepping my bounds, please let me know)

Lotus watched from a distance as the aggression started to escalate. He was hoping for a peaceful outcome, but watched as Adrateia?s behavior started to shift. He felt a shiver go through his body.

Her rhythm has changed, he thought.

Lotus cast a look over what was guaranteed to be a violent place.

There must not be violence. This is senseless.

Lotus felt the ground beneath his feet.

The rhythm may not be strong here, but I must do what I can. I must stop the fighting from happening.

Lotus began to focus, pounding a beat into the ground with his walking stick.

?In? Ta? tes? mo? me??

Lotus felt himself synchronizing with the rhythm around him.

?Ein? Nuk? Whir??

The air which was once still began to stir.

?Ein? Nuk? Whir??

People who were not paying heed to fight began to notice Lotus.

?Ein? Nuk? Whir??

Lotus started to tap his feet.

?Ein. Nuk. Whir.?

A breeze began to swirl around Lotus.

?Ein. Nuk. Whir.?

Dust could be seen swirling about. A whole other crowd began to group near Lotus, albeit a safe distance away.

?What that person doing?? someone asked.

Lotus took in a breath and begun to chant.

?E?hau pa ha whura,
E?hau pa karahe,?

A steady wind started to blow all around, Lotus swaying his body back and forth.

?E?hau pa maunga,
E?hau kahm a rahi,
E?hau kaha rahi,?

The people were starting to become scared as Lotus raised his voice.

?In! Ta! Tes! Mo! Me!?

With this Lotus began to break into a full dance, a heavy wind blowing all about.

"Auhtain tameihat pat,
Aha E?Hau pami,
Aha tain tautoh,
Tameihat tahe e?hau haka tameihat,
Tameihat tahe e?hau tironars tameihat."

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 26 November 2008 - 09:10 PM.

[JRPomazon]

As Gate walked away, he noticed a new sort of chaos was appearing. He stopped in his tracks once again and turned to see the Neko in a different light.

"The Neko is losing control of herself. Never seen someone respond to stupidity like this." He thought.

"I might be able to learn something from this."

Let it be known that Gate was not one for curiosity. What ever he wished to learn, he wanted to know for the sake of his own survival. Seeing how the Neko reacted to rage may help him gain a better understanding of the creature if the day came he needed to kill one. Right now, all eyes were on the cat.

[Arato]

The tension was building and Arato could see no way to avoid fighting these people, he had to stop it somehow, but there was no way for him to do so. Suddenly Arato saw Lotus chanting and dancing, the people's eyes were on him now, Arato saw his chance and seized it. Adrasteia was on the ground breathing heavily, Arato wasn't sure what was wrong with her but it would have to wait. He picked her up across his shoulders and ran quickly, he wasn't sure how he made it past the mob without anyone seeing him or getting in his way, it was like some force had opened the path for him. Seconds after he left a knight showed up and the crowd dispersed. He stopped and put his cloak around Adrasteia so people would pay less attention to her features and would not even notice the tail. Then he went into an inn, still carrying her semi-conscious form payed for a room as fast as he could and took Adrasteia there leaving the owner with orders that should anyone request them, the owner was to come and ask Arato if he knew them.
"What is wrong with her? I've never seen someone have a reaction like this," thought Arato, looking at Adrasteia

Edited by Arato, 28 November 2008 - 08:18 AM.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: Not sure what is going on 100%. I'm going to attempt and summarize as a best as I can.

Gate's memory was hazy after the incident with the Neko. All he could recall was her rage and a large blast of wind. There was quite a mess when he came to. Everyone was gone from the scene, the trouble makers, the mob, etc. Damage to the city wasn't really too bad, no destroy buildings, although some pieces came tumbling down from multiple structures and shops. There were more Knights in the area, including the one from earlier.

Gate was most likely hit with something when he blacked out, probably because was surrounded by pieces of glass and a wooden frame that may have been a window. Not to mention the blood that was trickling from his head. He got up, none of his bones were broken and all he had was a wound on his head and a couple of scratches. He could hear voices coming from the knights:

"What the blazes happened here?"

"Not sure. Eye witnesses saw a small mob here earlier and then a large blast of wind that either scared people away or blew them away."

"Any idea who did this?"

"We have comfirmed that the culprit was a Mogili who used Nature Magic from our gathered information."

"Alright, keep your eyes open for any Mogili present in the city. Make sure the guards at the entrances don't let him leave the city. Make sure we find this guy one way or another."

Seemed like trouble did follow that crowd around. It was a good thing that Gate left when he did. Without another thought, Gate decided to leave the city, there was nothing left for him here.

[Steel Samurai]

Wil tested the strength of his restraints, applying a little pressure at first, and then gradually increasing it. The wood in the ship's hull began to give at about half strength. A trickle of water began leaking out of the seam between the two planks of wood. Wil stopped his efforts instantly. Damn. If he ripped the restraints out of the wall, then the resulting hole in the hull of the ship would likely result in a quick death by drowning for the entire crew. Unthinkable.

[Nightshade]

Gwen sat at a table slowly sipping her water. A commotion went on outside and then a man in a cloak with an unconscious Neko ran in, and got a room.

Oh my! How interesting... Her imagination began to think up very colorful reasons as to why they were there. No No! Not right now... She flew to the counter. "Excuse me, but Who was that?" The bar man didn't answer, he simply held up a hand, and walked up stairs. Hmph! The nerve of some people! She sat at the bar strumming her fingers on the bar top.

Edited by Nightshade, 03 December 2008 - 10:01 AM.

[nameless]

OOC: ( Hey guys sorry its been a while)

The party decided to go their seperate ways and nameless was left standing in the middle of the street.

"I guess that I'll just go find something to do....." Nameless wandered off to find something interesting to do.
he searched through a few shops wandered around the town square.

"Nothing to dooooo........" Nameless sat down by a building and stared around.

"Hey there's some of the party." Nameless got up and stated toward them when a crowd began to form. "This looks bad." Nameless thought as he moved closer.

afew minutes later the crowd was gone and there were a few knights looking around for cluse as to what happened.

Nameless got up from where he had be thrown to the ground. "What was that" Nameless groaned as he stood up.

"Hey You Stop right there." One of the kinghts noticed him. "What happened here." The knight asked as he walked over to Nameless. "I have no idea I was looking for some friends of mine and then there was a blast of wind and i dont remember what happened after that." Nameless said with an inocent face.

"I dont believe you." The guard said with a scowl. "Your coming with me for some questioning." The guard moved forward and grabbed Nameless.

"Hey wait I didnt do anything, I didnt do anything!!!" Nameless shouted as the guard dragged him down the street towards the prison.

[JRPomazon]

Blending into a crowd was easy. It doesn't take much effort to become invisible when one is surrounded by others. Even though Gate was hidden among the masses, someone noticed him. This particular someone was a man that most would call a criminal, but he would just tell others that he was just a member of the family. He was dressed well, and had a sophisticated air around him. He had an eye for things, things that were nice or perhaps useful. He decided to approach Gate.

"Hello Vagabond, interested in getting rich quick." He said as he placed his hand of Gate shoulder.

Gate passed by, ignoring the man.

"Well now, that's no way to talk to someone." He said as he put his hand out.

"Speedwagon is the name. Might I perhaps inquire yours?"

Gate didn't walk by him the second time around. Although he didn't show it on his face, he was quite irratated by this man Speedwagon.

"If I give you my name, will you leave me alone? I'm trying to get out of here." Gate said.

"Get out? Hah! You've got a ripe sense of humor!" Speedwagon said, laughing to himself.

"Ripe?" Gate thought.

"The city has been placed under lockdown after that little mess with the wind. No one is getting out of here and outsiders are being targeted for questioning, and let me tell you something vagabond, questioning from the Dragon Knights ain't just questions n' answers." He said, moving his hand back to his side.

"Tell you what? You give me a hand with a job and I'll help you get out of the city. I've got connections after all and I'll even pay you on top of that. Talk bout generousity!"

It was quite obvious that the eccentric Mr. Speedwagon was character, an unbearable nuisance but still a character. However, he was offering a way out of the city. It seemed that Gate didn't have many choices left.

"I accept your terms." Gate said.

"My name is Gate Baal."

Edited by JRPomazon, 03 December 2008 - 10:45 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow kept walking, away from the scene that had just unfolded. He had gone before any of the knights were able to see him and question him, which was a good thing; if they had attempted to imprison him, he would have been forced to reveal his true identity and attempt to eliminate the nuisances before trying to flee. The fight would have been more difficult than when he had previously entered the imperial capital, since there were more than two knights and he more likely than not be without an element of surprise. It was fortunate that he had avoided such a confrontation.

As he continued down the streets, he approached the entrance of the city that he had entered it from. Perhaps they knights would not mind if he simply walked out? As the gate came into view, his hopes of that faded away when he saw that the gate had been shut. What was once an open path was now blockaded by a massive, steel gate. He looked up at the tall structure, which was guarded by two knights. He asked them both, "Why is the gate closed?"

"The city has been put under lockdown." The knight to the left side of the gate answered.

His eyes narrowed. "What? Why?" he inquired.

"The incident in the city with that wind explosion." the other knight answered.

He was referring to the incident with the female Neko. At this information, Shadow's brow furrowed. A lockdown in the imperial city was not good for his current position; there were no doubt knights patrolling the outside as well as the inside. The body of the dragon knight he had hidden outside of the city would be discovered before nightfall, meaning that his prior plan of exodus was ruined before it had begun. This he was not pleased about.

"I'm afraid that until we get some information about the issue and resolve it, townspeople are confined ot the city limits." the knight continued.

At this, Shadow got an idea. "I was watching the incident from a distance. If I gave you my information, would that decrease the duration of the lockdown?" he asked.

"Perhaps." the knight responded.

Shadow narrowed his eyes; that was not the answer he wanted. Perhaps meant there was only a chance that his plan would work, and he did not like taking chances. But he had nothing to lose in this case, so there was no harm in trying. "Well, basically, the mob of people were angry at a visiting Neko who was travelling with her companions."

"A Neko?" the leftmost knight repeated. "Go on..."

Shadow nodded slightly and continued, "From what I could tell, the mob seemed to have no reason to berate the Neko other than because she was one. Of course, the comments and insults were making her berserk... until what I believe was some form of wind chant was cast by one of her companions to calm her down. They fled the area after that, before the knights arrived to break up the mob."

As they processed this information, the knights did not seem surprised. "And you witnessed all of this?"

"I was passing by the crowd of racists in the hopes of leaving before I was forced to get involved." Shadow replied. "I saw everything that happened."

"I see... anything else?"

Shadow thought for a moment. "Yes, I believe the Neko and her companions were looking for a place to stay for the night, perhaps somewhere near where the scene took place. Perhaps questioning the source of the chaos directly will bring a swift end to this lockdown?"

"Interesting theory... but we will be the ones to determine that." the knight on the right side of the gate said. "Thank you for your information, but now you'll have to find a place to stay."

Shadow nodded. "Very well." He then turned, leaving the knights and the massive steel obstruction behind him for the moment. Perhaps apprehending the Neko would make the lockdown pass by much faster, but he would have to come up with a backup plan if that were not the case. What he did know for sure however, was that the corpse of the knight he had hidden earlier would be found before that. His soulless, narrow eyes flared with a rare animosity; the female Neko was going to pay for this inconvenience.

Ducking into an alleyway, he shed the civilian disguise he was wearing and stuffed it into an empty barrel, revealing his usual pitch-black garb. He flung his hat in his hand twice to bring it back to its original shape, then placed it where it belonged atop of his head. "Pray for the unlikely event that the Dragon Knights locate you before I, Neko." he muttered sinisterly before walking out of the alleyway.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 04 December 2008 - 04:07 AM.

[Arato]

Arato was busy in the inn, trying to find out what had happened to Adrasteia. He was getting nervous now, his senses told him to get out of there, someone must have told the knights by now. Surely they were out looking for them. He glanced out the window and confirmed his suspicion. Two knights in full armor and weapons were approaching from the town center. He had to make sure nothing happened to her. She was lieing on the bed in the room, groaning. Her face showed mental anguish.
"Adrasteia! Wake up! We must leave before those knights find us. Wake up!"
Nothing was working.

At that moment there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Arato grunted.

"Sir, there is a fairy in the main room asking questions about you," stated the innkeeper.

"Let her in, I guess... she shouldn't be much of a bother. But no one else, mind you. We do not exist to anyone, understand?" With that the innkeeper nodded, turned, and left.
Arato was getting anxious, he could hear the knights in the street going from building to building, he had little time before they arrived at this one. He hoped he had bribed the inkeeper enough to lie to the Dragon Knights.

I wonder what happened to Lotus and the rest, thought Arato. He was getting desperate now. If Adrasteia didn't wake up soon he would have do whatever it took to keep her safe. He glanced out a window and saw the knights approaching the inn. Unfortunately, they saw him too. If they were anything smart they would ignore the innkeeper when he told them he didn't have any rooms occupied, he would have to act fast, before the guards got to his room.

Arato grabbed Adrasteia and placed her over his shoulders again. He glanced down toward the street and saw the gaurds had entered his building. He jumped. As he landed, pain seared through legs and back, but he didn't pay attention to it. He ran through alleyways and unpopulated streets, occasionally knocking over someone who got in his way.
Where can I go? An inn is too obvious, the knights will look in all the inns first. I must find Jacob
Arato remembered where he last saw Jacob, it was his only chance. He ran towards the Bloody Bore but Jacob found him first. He had apparently heard the knews and came looking for Arato.

"Who is this?" Jacob asked.
"She is my friend, She is a Neko and we need your help!" Arato panted.
"Take her to my house, quickly!" Jacob replied, looking around for any knights, then leading the way at a hurried pace.

Once inside he said, "What happened to you?"

"I was returning from my visit with you when I found her and another man I don't know encircled by a mob. Under all the shouting she fell down and went like this. I don't know what it is. I knew I needed to get her out of there though, when a companion of mine, A Mogili, summoned a strong wind which provided my escape, but the Dragon Knights are looking for us."

"She was going beserk but you did something to stop it before the transition finished. She is stuck in the transition, it seems. She will recover eventually but I don't know how long," Jacob said.

"I don't know how long we have, our other companions must be look...."Arato fell backwards unconscious from exhaustion.

Jacob picked him up and placed him in another bed alongside Adrastiea's. He noticed blood on Arato's legs and tore his pants to find the cause. There was massive bruising on both legs and some cuts, Jacob didn't know why, but he would ask about them later.

Edited by Arato, 04 December 2008 - 11:23 AM.