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Post by Vyn on Jan 21, 2011 23:21:31 GMT -5
Thank the Suits! Logic and Sanity had returned to them! Malachior gave a somewhat relieved smile, silencing a snide remark from Lucius with a dark look. The men had a good enough understanding of each other so far that nothing further was said between the two and Lucius spun sharply on his heel to continue on their way. He tapped Conall, not roughly, with his cane and motioned for him to continue.
He'd let the Black Suits follow as they will, only half-acknowledging anyone for the remainder of the night.
Malachior took a moment, ensuring that none of the sharpness of tongue he currently felt would be misdirected onto the (most likely) still sour Queen. They needed no more misunderstandings. "The company is quite welcome, I assure you both." He inclined his head to Queen and officer alike, motioning for them to come along as he spoke. "I am Malachior, retired King of Spades, and my acquaintance is Lucius, Tulgey Noble and a King of Hearts. The Heart Child is Conall." Odd thing he was, too, but he'd heard that was unusually common of the Hearts' children as of late.
They stopped for the night at a nearby Inn and Malachior examined Conall's head, but without proper equipment it was hard to say for sure if his roughing up was to blame for his amnesia. It could have been drugs or magic, but he was too far from a proper lab to say for certain.
In the morning they obtained transportation and made a swift day trip to the Court of Hearts.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 21, 2011 23:36:35 GMT -5
Conall frowned slightly at the return of the cane tapping. At least it was lighter now and he didn't have to deal with being shoved. He followed the snake with a small sigh.
His ears swiveled back to listen to what was happening. So the pretty lady and the weird Club were going to come with them then? Well... it was clear he didn't have any say in the matter and he could honestly "cling" to Malachior if things got bad. The man was sensible and didn't seem to mind him.
He didn't like the fact that no one could figure out what was wrong with him. Maybe if he saw his family he'd get better? The thought didn't make him happy. He didn't know his family, and what if they didn't want him back anyway?
Either way, he would go along quietly with all this. Carefully sticking to Malachior and doing his best to avoid the Queen of Clubs.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 23, 2011 12:55:57 GMT -5
At least it seemed that the nobleman from Corvistowne would be able to keep his Tulgey counterpart in line. Fetu thanked the world for small favors, inclining her head respectfully towards the man. A former Spades noble? Before her time, then, or she certainly would have recognized him. There was little need to bring her own parentage to light, but it might incline the snobbish Heart to at least spare treating her like a servant? Possibly?
But probably not... as he was a Tulgey, and strange, and many Kings were quite used to Jacks as their attendants. "As His Majesty has said, my name is Fetu. If we could keep an eye out for a Midori youth and a young Highland and Torquehelm biped girl, I would be grateful. Both of them have vanished within the past few moments from our group."
With little else to say, she fell into step between Queen Sabe and the rest as they made their silent way to the inn in question. Strange, strange happenings...
The following morning brought no further sense from the seemingly deserted city. With some measure of regret and trepidation, she went with the rest of them to the palace of Hearts.
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Post by /|/afamere on Jan 23, 2011 15:44:43 GMT -5
Sabe had taken the comments to himself and gave no response save a brief nod of his head. The trip to the inn was uneventful as was the night at the end. Suits... he hadn't even slept as much as he thought he may have, being plagued by strange dreams and nightmares. He awoke many times feeling the need to brandish his staff... He probably had woken up Fetu many times throughout, since he insisted to stay in the same rooms, or near each other.
When he awoke he found that it was the same happenings as the night before, wondering what the court of hearts were going to be like, he made sure to note in the back of his head that after the brief visit at the Court of Hearts he was going to make sure to stop at the Court of Clubs and submit his report into The Queen Aderless. He needed to know what was happening, even if he wasn't there... which was a rather scary thought.
He let the nobles find the carriage and followed suit by wing to keep a good look out from the skies above, he didn't want to have crazed folk to be ambushing the carriage.
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Post by Nathalia on Jan 23, 2011 19:24:41 GMT -5
((The Hearts Court seems...oddly quiet and there are no guards at their posts.
The Ace, Alex, is lying on his side near the gate, his legs at an awkward pose as though he'd been running, and then maybe hit the iron gate and been knocked out...
The back of its head is bloody and thick, black stitches line the wound...
Maybe if you kick it awake it can lead you to whoever is responsible?
The grounds seem empty in a way that brings shudders even to the most guarded soul...something is wrong.
No guards, that's unusual for any Palace, but the Hearts?
Entirely unheard of.
No one to greet them at the door, the doors were even left open...something is most certainly wrong...))
~Nathalia
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Post by Vyn on Jan 23, 2011 21:08:54 GMT -5
Pulling into the Court of Hearts was not what Malachior was expecting. Not in the least. He frowned deeply but said nothing. No guards at their posts, no servants milling about... But oh? A strange Ace lay awkwardly on the ground near the gate with blood pooled on the back of his head. The buck brought the carriage to an early halt, announcing their arrival as he slipped off the carriage.
"It seems something strange is afoot," he warned before making his way over to the Ace.
It laid at an odd position, blood coating the back of its head, but it seemed to be breathing. He poked it with a hoof. Nothing. When a second more forceful prod produced no responses, he crouched down and began to examine the wound up close. Bloody yes, but someone else had apparently found the bird first. Thick black stitches lined the wound, messy but effective for a quick fix.
Meanwhile, Lucius descended the carriage with a look of steely disbelief and a sharp tsk of displeasure. What was this? Where were the guards, the servants? This was supposed to be a noble court! Where was the noble greeting? His red eyes scanned the scenery, the emptiness, and landed on Malachior examining some filthy Ace.
He stepped over to the Buck with a look to suggest a man humoring a child. "What did you find, Malachior?" The beast looked dead, head bloodied like it was, but Malachior seemed interested in the stitching. Blasted Corvies and their medical obsessions! "Don't waste your time on a blasted Ace," he gave the creature a sharp prod with his cane to prove his point on its utter uselessness and motioned to Conall. "We have business to attend to."
And Lucius wanted to be done with it as soon as possible.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 23, 2011 21:49:38 GMT -5
Conall made his way out of the carriage. It had been a taxing ride to the palace, filled with awkward silences and him trying to prevent the knives on his back from causing too much damage to the carriage interior.
He was more than a little surprised by the fact that he lived here. It seemed terribly huge and also painfully quiet. This was a palace, and it wasn't supposed to be like this. It was a simple matter of fact that there were supposed to be guards and regulations surrounding it. He followed the snake, giving the deer a worried look. Why was the Ace on the ground bleeding?
"It's probably some noble's pet right? Why would it be out here?" And wouldn't someone want the poor thing back. He kept his distance when he noticed the suit. The thought of getting even a speck of blood on him made him take a few steps back.
He knew full well that whatever he said didn't matter. The snake was going to drag him inside regardless. And standing out here seemed like a bad idea too. This entire little adventure was filled with bad ideas.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 23, 2011 22:02:57 GMT -5
Exiting the carriage, Fetu had to stop a shiver of unease from making itself too obvious. This was not how a palace should 'feel', strange as it seemed to think. She was familiar with a palace environment. There was activity, there were people, there were guards... not this quiet, empty wrongness that seemed to have followed them from the Capital.
Maybe there was something in what the Midori boy had said. Maybe a select few of them were in touch with some alternate... place. She didn't know.
Silently, she walked up behind the pair of noblemen and gazed down at the Ace they were examining. Injured, certainly, and what a crude patch job. "A noble might have paid more to patch up a prized pet," she observed with a small frown. Whether that meant that the creature wasn't a particularly valued pet or that the injury was recent, she didn't know.
Taking an uneasy breath, she glanced towards the palace proper. "Sirs. I think that we should enter. The only other options seem to be staying exactly where we are, which will likely accomplish nothing, or returning to the Capital, which would be less than nothing. However, I will not enter alone." Before they could try to order her to investigate by herself or something equally nobbish.
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Post by /|/afamere on Jan 23, 2011 22:21:18 GMT -5
Sabe had spotted something and had started his decent back to the ground. Having two sets of wings made it a tad more easier to fly longer distances, meaning that he could ride the thermals longer than usual. Once on the ground did he catch parts of the conversation and decided that he would look upon the fallen ace as well.
He reached down with his hand to test for some sign of life, making sure that the ace would be alright. If he didn't stir then he would exam him a bit more closely checking to see if he carried a missive of some sort and to who it was to, maybe this card knew something, even if it was a ace. So he tired to wake him with a good few shakes.
He would continue though if everyone else had decided to enter and forget the ace... which he wouldn't stand for, he would at least place the ace in the carriage if he didn't stir.
"Yes... this place does feel rather odd... I have been here once before and know that this isn't right, even the Court of Clubs has more defense than this, and not a sign of trouble." he said as he stood up and approached the guard house where most of the guards stayed when it was raining or when too hot.
It was a short and squat building meant only for defensive purposes and not looks. The door was unlocked as he entered, checking first for any signs of life. He wondered what he would find in such a place... a struggle of some sorts? Some messages that they had received before the whole incident of this alternate place? Something had to be here... something that could help.
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Post by Nathalia on Jan 24, 2011 18:56:57 GMT -5
((Something about the Ace suddenly strikes Conall as uncannily familiar, though he has no clue why.
The Ace does not appear to be able to be roused, though if he wishes, Sabe can easily carry him. The grounds become more unfriendly feeling the closer they get to the Palace, something simply feels wrong.
The guard-house was entirely empty...with one small exception...
A young guard, wearing a novice uniform, is lying on his back, legs stiffly held akimbo and very, very dead.
He is a bony-looking Magpie from the Villa and blood is pooling out behind his head.
The main hall of the Palace seems almost ghostly, deserted and noiseless...nothing touched.
--------------------------------------------
The Admin will need each Dealer to choose a number between 1 and 30, Vyn needs to choose one for each character and specify whose is whose and include it in the bottom of your next post.
You are all attempting to spot something.
A number has already been chosen for each character and we're seeing how close you can get to it, so choosing all 30's or all 1's may not do you any good at all; higher does not necessarily mean better for every person.
Good luck.))
~Nathalia
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