T - Harps, Callypso, Satra, Dark

[Nathalia]

Emery had been fetching a small amount of supplies on Mr. Todd's orders downtown. The barber had taken to the overly helpful Ace since he'd become something of a fixture in his shoppe. Having given the man a shirt and vest made for Animal forms, it's quite hard to tell he's an Ace at all, unless you force the clothes off of him.
Linden had been purchasing some medicine ingredients nearby for his injured sister, when they'd fallen into conversation.
Joel had been making an attempt to covertly buy some soothing creams for his emerging chitinous bits, seeing as their rubbing the wrong way was causing a bit of a rash.
All had noticed, along with the stall managers, the thick mist creeping in, and had ignored it until it was far too late.

The medicine stall dealer, a thin Deer woman from the Sorgaire was the first to go.
A thick barrage of plant matter shot out of the mist and seemed to consume her! Dragging her quickly back into the mist, screaming all the while!
The other 5 people with them bolted in a mass panic, and were soon swallowed into the mist.
The screams stopped.
Everything fell still.
The three are surrounded by two large, locked warehouses, and a tiny tea shoppe...and the mist is creeping in.

[Nathalia]

Alaster was in the tea shoppe, waiting for the owner to come back from a quick jaunt across the street when the panic broke out.
He can see the other three clearly in the square still.
Good luck.

[Callypso]

Considering the world had gone to hell in a hand basket, Emery was doing well for himself. For an Ace, anyway. He had alternating moments of pride and extreme grief over his lot in life. Sure, as long as he hid behind tailored clothing (which Mr. Todd had deigned to give him one afternoon, free of charge, no less!) and didn’t draw any negative attention to himself, no one was the wiser about the sorry society sack he actually was. It was hard to be ungrateful when he was actually earning his keep as a Card instead of hamming it up as a pet or slumming it in the back-alleys for scraps.

Still, he couldn’t quite quash the resentment he felt over having to give up his leadership role after the War ended. He wasn’t power hungry or anything – it had just felt so good protecting others, being part of a team, leading the team.

Honestly, he probably had the best he could hope for at the shoppe: with the exception of a few, most Cards weren’t any the wiser over his pathetic ranking. As far as they knew, he was Mr. Todd’s assistant, cheerful, always ready to lend a hand, and most Cards weren’t stupid enough to mess with anything deigned tolerable by the fearsome barber.

Emery was smart enough to know when to involve himself in Mr. Todd’s business, when the hell to stay away, and just the right things to calm the biped down when he became violent with an insolent customer. The arrangement was mutually beneficial: Emery had a place to stay and honest work to do; the barber suddenly found himself with a regular clientele rotation and all the annoying little tasks around the shoppe magically taken care of.

So it was that Emery found himself staying at the shoppe much longer than he or Mr. Todd had anticipated, and so it was that little Ace was in the Outer Bazaar to fetch a package for the wolf.

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



It had been a dream come true when Linden had finally found his sisters – well, more like the alleviation of a relentless nightmare that had insisted on invading his subconscious every night since he had been born.

It had taken liberal use of his Diamond ability to convince his sisters’ temporary keepers that he was their older brother and rightful guardian. He hadn’t the necessary paperwork or any legal papers, but ultimately he brought them around. After all, he was of age, and it didn’t take a genius to notice the donkey in all of them, though the discrepancy of years and variety of markings had a few scratching their heads.

Eventually they relented – two less children were two less burdens, especially when there were so many other unclaimed children after the War. Alls well that ends well, or in his particular case, fake-it-‘til-you-make-it. He did ever so appreciate being born a Diamond.

An unfortunate side effect of being a Legal Guardian was tending to every and all needs of his younger siblings. Rowan, in particular, seemed privy to illness, injury and general maladies. He had long since discovered that her frailness had everything to do with her diseased Selkie heritage. Unfortunately, he had not the skills nor connections to really be able to do anything about; all he could do was pick up the pieces when she inevitably suffered some misfortunate.

Rowan had indeed managed to hurt herself again, so he had left their simple abode in search of a reasonably priced apothecary. After unsuccessfully navigating the neighborhood, he found himself in the Outer Bazaar and seeking navigational assistance from an interesting vermin/bird mix. The fellow, Emery, was running some errands and would guide him to a useful stall along the way. Besides, a heavy fog seemed to be rolling in and the stranger didn’t want Linden to end up lost in that sort of weather – he’d never find his way out again!

The two managed to strike up quite the conversation, both being working boys with less-than-stellar backgrounds, when they finally arrived at the medicinal stall. Just as Linden was deciding which salve would be of better use, a tangle of leave and vines erupted from behind the woman, engulfed her completely and ripped her, screaming and flailing, away from her stall and into the mist.

Linden found himself staring, struck still as stone, as the other passersby were slammed with a sudden panic and bolted into the ominous clouds. Silence fell and after a while his brain finally registered the insistent tug on his arm.

Wh-wh-wha--

We need to get somewhere safe, urged his companion, There’s a tea shoppe on the next block…

[Harpsdesire]

Joel blinked, trying to peer through the mist, but it was hopelessly thick. All in all, that hardly mattered, he decided, what mattered was getting away from whatever those plant things were, and it would be best to do so as soon as possible. A glance around revealed only two others. Whatever was in the mist had made quick work of the small crowd, and Joel was not keen to be next. He was getting out of here, and he hoped the others would have the wisdom to do likewise.

This was not to say that Joel avoided trouble-- if anything he seemed to thrive on it, if his progress and growth since his ordeal at Spades was any indication. Still, inside sounded like a good start, and if more decisive action was needed after that, well, he would be ready.

For lack of a better idea, he turned towards the tea shoppe: at least a light glowed cozily in the window, seeming to keep the mist somewhat at bay. "I think it would be a good idea to get in there." He told Emery and Linden, a little awkward at advising two men older than his own mid-teen years. He pointed towards the door of the teahouse with a large front paw. "This fog is weird."

With only a glance behind him to see if the others followed, Joel set out at once for the percieved safety of the indoors.

[Nathalia]

Alaster seems to have passed out...wonder what's gotten to him?
The crack of his head on the stairs as he collapsed in a heap on his way outside of the tea shoppe rang out across the square, leaving his pitifully unconscious form out for all to see.
Not good in a situation like this...

Myfanwy found herself waking slowly, her body tucked up tightly behind a counter in said tea shoppe. She recalls shopping with her Mother and running into the tea shoppe to see if they had some of her sister's favorite teas.
While inside she'd suddenly smelled something odd and fallen...asleep?
Really? Her?
Better look around outside and see what's going on.

[Callypso]

Linden was in shock. Emery couldn’t blame the guy. The merchant woman had been hijacked by… a Something… right before their eyes. Luckily, (or not) for the intrepid Ace, he’d seen weirder stuff than this before. The biped loped clumsily after him as he raced down the street toward the tea shoppe and nearly collided with a brightly colored Corvie youth.

I think you’re right, the Villa-Highlander hastily added as he hauled ass toward the building, Ah, shit –

He stumbled to a halt as a spectacularly feathered, reptilian hybrid of some sort tripped and fell down the tea shoppe’s stairs. Emery winced as a loud “crack” echoed about the strangely empty streets. This couldn’t be good.

Emery ran a nervous claw through his beak and hurried forward to the fallen man. Crap crap crap. He knew plenty of biology and general science, but still, he was no doctor. He was afraid of moving the fellow – what if his neck was broken?

Hey, uh – the Ace faltered, looking toward the Corvie, Do you… are you medically inclined at all? It was a gamble, he knew – the chances this Corvie was actually versed in medicine could be slim, considering the Realm’s wide range in interests. Still, he’d rather ask before causing further damage to the stranger. I’m afraid to move him, you know?

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Just as suddenly as the screeching woman had disappeared, Linden found himself clopping awkwardly down the street. His mind was reeling. What the hell was that? And thank goodness it hadn’t been him! But that was a horrible thing to think and oh geez, there were more people!

The biped gave the Corvie boy a bewildered smile (that was really more of a grimace) as he ran after Emery. He wasn’t sure exactly where they were going, but the bird-chipmunk seemed to have most of his wits about him. He was probably going to be embarrassed later about having been shocked into numbness, but, having only witnessed something so strange as the aftermath of his own bloody birth, this was completely beyond his experience. What the hell was happening?!

He watched, perplexed as Emery stopped abruptly, swore, then jogged purposefully toward… oh. That was… unfortunate.

Linden clopped slowly towards the two and looked back as his recent companion addressed the boy they’d passed earlier. He finally stopped a few feet from the stairwell, and began to clench and unclench his fuzzy hands in distress. He didn’t know much about medicine either, but knew enough that the Highlander had probably really hurt himself. Instinct kicked in, which was ought to happen when caring for younger siblings, but lead to naught but fretting.

Is… there something I can do?

[Dark]

When Myfanwy woke, it was always between one breath and the next, all at once and always an hour before sunrise. She worked hard during the day, and went to bed long after dark. It was the schedule that she had followed while training in the Veldt, and it was the schedule she kept now that she had returned home.

This time, however, she woke sluggishly and curled up tight on a surface that was most definably not her bed. She forced her eyes open.

In the Veldt, especially among the working class, it was common practice to take a long lunch during the hottest part of the day, allowing workers to go home to eat and rest a spell before returning to finish off the day. Myfanwy herself was in the habit of taking the time to recenter herself and sup a light meal.

But that she would have fallen asleep in the middle of the day in public was horrifying, unprecedented, unacceptable. And, once her sluggish mind caught up and remembered the strange smell, facilitated by an other's foul intent.

Myfanwy forced her body up despite its protests, and viewed her surroundings. She was behind the counter in the tea shoppe; how peculiar, and not nearly as ominous as expected. She peered around curiously--no one, how odd; where had they all gotten off to?--and started slowly towards the front of the shoppe.

On the street, an oppressive mist had rolled in while she had been sleeping--her wings fluttered in irritation--and now quite nearly choked the street; she had never seen it this thick. At least there were people.

"Oy," she called, Veldt accent the result of a youth spent there. "What geckery is this? And ye are, sers? Speak."

[Satra]

[I sincerely apologies for the delay in posting. >< I'll be good now, I promise.
In other news, keep on the pain. XD I hope that this is okay, Nat: the unsuccessful snagging of Alaster from freaky plant things causing him to fall.]

It was just a normal day as Alaster spent his day off in the Capitol. Oh, it was a lovely day. The afternoon was about to get better with some excellent tea.

Then, suddenly a fog rolled in a there were screams. Through the fog (what little he could make out) he could see people getting snatched up left and right. Dammit, why couldn't he have been a wierdo and went around walking with his spear today? Welp, no time to lament it. Just gotta get out and f--

Something snagged his foot on the way out. Something else snagged at his wing, preventing him from stopping his fall. The grip failed, but it gave Alaster no time to react and he fell in a crumpled heap onto the stairs.

[Harpsdesire]

Joel looked at the prone form of Alaster with some measure of dismay. The situation was unhappily familiar. Why was it always head injuries? "I have some medical training." Thank the suits a hundred times over for Iaso's lessons! Sometimes he felt, even with the exoskeleton even now beginning to form over his body, that his rudimentary medical training was the only knowledge he held that was actually useful. "I'll take a look."

Joel's examination was quick and somewhat clumsily performed, but it was clear after a look at his eyes, a check of his pulse and reflexes that the man was merely unconscious, rather than comatose or paralyzed. There was a visible bump where his head had hit the stone stairs.

"It's safe to move him. I think." At any rate, Joel suspected that if they didn't, that would be worse for the man than any secondary injury caused by dragging him inside. "Yeah," He told Linden, "Help me get him inside." Joel might have been able to sling Alaster over his bulky frame and haul him inside alone, but it would be easier with the biped's help.

He'd gotten one of the unconscious man's arms over his shoulder and was about to direct Linden and Emery in helping him when a girl came out of the shop. She was pink and dainty, with a voice that was anything but. Her tone was accusing and rough, making Joel's ears swivel back for a second as he blinked at the demanding young lady. As he wasn't sure what 'geckery' even meant, he defaulted to answering the second question, ignoring the unpleasant way it was presented.

"I'm Joel." He said, making sure to keep his own voice friendly even as he hauled at Alaster, who was surprising heavy with muscle for an avian-mix. He sounded distracted as he added, "Trying to get inside, something out here is snatching people."

[Callypso]

Emery brightened considerably when the boy confirmed his knowledge. He hadn’t meant to stereotype, but the Corvie was much more likely than the rest of them to have any sort of medical knowledge. The last thing they needed was to render this guy into a parapalegic because they didn’t know what the hell they were doing.

Emery slid a little ways from the pair as the feline looked the Highlander over, and kept a way eye on the streets. They were pretty vulnerable out here like this, especially considering they weren’t sure exactly what had attacked the woman and how likely it was to reappear.

Perhaps it was some strange pet on the loose, or someone had unknowingly transplanted some wicked Yarrow greenery without really realizing its potential? Knowing the Outer Bazaar, anything was possible. The Ace shook his head – forget theoretical – they had to help this man and get their asses to safety. Right.

Finally, the Corvie announced the man fit for relocation. Okay, good. That was one less thing to worry about. Emery let out a little sigh of relief and helped the boy ease the man’s front end over his bulky feline body.

Thank goodness! Let me get the door for you two... He had just hopped up a couple stairs when a brightly-colored little girl stepped out from the tea shoppe and demanded to know their business.

I'm Emery. We need to get this injured man inside - it's not safe out here.

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Linden watched as the others seemingly solved everything without him. While he was still nervous, his fur standing up a bit at the back of his neck, he couldn’t help but be slightly amused at how things had progressed. Emery was strangely adept at dealing with bizarre scenarios as they happened, and the young Corvie they’d come across just happened to be medically inclined. Seeing as how he didn’t really believe in Divine Providence, Linden metaphorically patted himself on the back for his good luck.

Once the man was declared safe to move, Linden took his cue and went to collect the man’s lower half. He was once again grateful he was born a biped – hands and height made certain things ever so much easier to handle!

He couldn’t help but smile wryly as they attempted to navigate the stairs before being halted by yet another obstacle - this time in the form of a bossy, butterfly-bewinged girl.

He thought it strange everyone was bothering to make introductions, but better now, he supposed, than after a potential second plant monster attack. If misfortune later befell them, at least they’d know what name to put on his headstone. There was a morbid thought.

Lin-den, he said awkwardly as he shifted the man's weight in his arms. Charmed? We'll - hff!- be happy to answer your questions once we’re inside. Plant monsters, you know. Could you move please? This man is rather heavy and I don’t think he’d appreciate being dropped, thanks.