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Post by Faro/Blade on Nov 11, 2018 16:53:01 GMT -6
"It's come to my attention that you gentlemen have misinterpreted the terms of our arrangement."
The young, black-haired woman placed the parchment that the men had given her back on the table and slid it halfway across to return it to them. Their leader, a rather large man with a big nose, split his lips in an amused grin.
"And how do you figure that, girlie?" He pulled his cigar from his mouth and blowing the smoke through his cavernous nostrils. The woman tensed slightly. She was rather young, yes, but she was a full 16 years old now! Certainly no "girlie" like this man seemed to think. Still, she was willing to give him a bit more leeway.
"As I've told you, the deal was for you to find me the assassin hideout." Her fingers laced over themselves and rested against the rough wooden table. The room was small, lit by a few candles, and reeked of the tobacco the man across from her enjoyed so luxuriously. "Why then..." Her voice trailed for effect. "WOULD YOU BOTHER GIVING ME A MAP TO A HIDEOUT THAT NO LONGER EXISTS?" She stood in a flash, knocking her chair against the wooden floor. The man followed her up, slamming his meaty hands on the table.
"DAMMIT KID YOUR BROTHER'S DEAD! TORAK'S DEAD, THEY'RE ALL DEAD!" He sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest, closing his eyes like a father scolding a child. "It's time to move on, let em stay in the graveyard, it's where they be-" He was cut off by the table itself as it flipped up to meet his face. The girl was already standing at her full height. She was dressed in grey clothes reminiscent of an Eastern monk, along with a hood to keep her identity safe. Sensaki refused to the believe what they'd told her, about her brother and the other assassins taking a shot at the king and being killed for the trouble. The man shoved the table aside and stood to his full height, the two men behind him ready for a fight as well.
When they stepped forward, they found themselves tripping over newly-formed rocks. With a wave of her hand, Sensaki sent clay pots crashing down on each of their heads. The boss aimed a punch in her direction, but she ducked under him and revealed her weapon, a segmented stone staff that assembled itself at her command. A quick jab in the stomach countered his blow and he doubled over. With an earth-powered kick, Sensaki sent the man flying through the weak door to her right. He tumbled into a moon-soaked alley in the seedy part of town and found himself hitting his back on the wall of an adjacent building. He groaned and rubbed his head, only to find the stones of the building and the dirt beneath his feet binding him in place. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the vengeful girl.
"Come on, Sensaki." He pleaded. "You know I didn't mean it like that, but keeping this up, it ain't healthy, you're gon-" A crack echoed through the alley as she made a swift but weak strike at the man's jaw. He fell silent and Sensaki cursed to herself. This was the last one. The last person on Blade's list of people to contact in case things went to hell, and he'd told her the same thing that the all the others had. Even so, she refused to give up. She would just need some help. Squatting in front of the man, she put her staff to his throat and fished a book of matches out of his pocket. She struck one on his nose and used the tiny flame to illuminate a small wanted poster for one Iona Solas.
"If you haven't heard from my brother, then have you seen this woman?" He gave it a good look, and out of either pity for the girl, or anger at having been beaten so easily, once again rebuked her.
"I ain't never seen that whore in my life." He choked and thrashed about as she pressed her staff against his windpipe. His face was nearly purple when she finally let him breathe again. He gulped down air through his pained throat, his speech undercut by ragged gasps. "Okay! Okay!" He found and voice and relented. "Last time I saw her, she was hangin' around..."
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Post by Iona on Nov 13, 2018 11:37:54 GMT -6
The knock came so abruptly that he nearly fell over; in his fright he accidentally kicked the leg of the tiny wooden desk, the inkwell tipping over on the parchment. Momentarily stunned by his misfortune, the young man then hastily lifted the ink-soaked contraption and looked on in despair at his ruined letter. Another impatient knock sounded, this time the wooden door practically shook in its frame. Cursing, he shoved a leg into his pants, the armor plates belted on for his outer thighs clinking as he lamely hopped over to the door. Half a breath later, he opened the door barely a quarter's width of his own torso, a compact crossbow readied and cradled against his arm and shoulder just behind door.
"Roan?!" He exclaimed as the man pushed past him and strode in. Only in his early thirties, the tall Hylian appeared older with the permanent world-weary expression on his long face and perpetually bright tired eyes accentuated by dark bags. A rank above the younger man, the Guardsman wore a fine cloak with the Royal Family's crest and his armor was finer, elaborately decorated at the margins of all the plates. The equally finely-crafted sword to complete the official lieutenant's uniform was unsheathed and bloodied though, the shield missing as well. "Water," Roan rasped as he practically fell on the bed cot, crossing the short distance from door to cot in one tired stagger.
The younger man complied, pouring water from a basin into an earthen clay mug, refilling it thrice as he studied the Guardsman who drank between gasps. Suddenly, the letter didn't seem of much importance and he unloaded the crossbow. "They're looking for her," Roan managed as he finally put down the mug in his lap, leaning against the wall and the cot, his breathing slowing. "Not anyone too terrible, but it was worth riding out for. I'm to relay this to Klaus." Noting the concerned gaze, he seemed to finally notice his own haggard appearance. "Night-wanderers, kid. Not as many as in the Hero's time, but no less vicious. I was outnumbered nonetheless, but I thought they would make good practice. Nearly killed my horse trying to outrun them, though." The younger man scrunched his face up in disgust.
"And here you are, covered in monster shit, dressed as some uppity lieutenant in the King's Guard--on my cot?! The fuck out of here!" Attikus, the younger man, threw the Hylian a clean rag and with a laugh and rough but good-natured shove, pushed his superior to the desk where the basin lay. Once sure the inn cot wasn't in fact covered in goo, guts or the strangely colored liquid the once mystical and un-dead creatures bled, sat down on the cot and stared off in deep thought. "It is strange that these creatures would be out more than just the one or two on the edges of the Field. I think it somehow coincides with what's happened with the Assasssins and the disappearance of those we must keep tabs on." Roan grunted in agreement as he rubbed his face and hands clean.
"Aye. They are, but aren't priority--only the Solas girl really is, that doesn't change. However, a contact of one of those from the Assassins have asked about her, I'm told from ground reports of a scuffle in Kakariko. We can usually trust the Assasssins but with all that's gone down, the Spider is worried. That contact was looking for one called Blade, and if we can find out about him, we can learn about the state of the King's formerly beloved Assasssins." Attikus frowned and looked up at his supervisor. "He's dead, Roan. I thought somebody confirmed that."
The older guardsman gave a harsh bark of laughter. "Dead? Ha, is anyone really dead in this business, even if they see their corpse rot? They like their secrecy, as we do we, but either way I have orders, Attikus." Roan polished clean the ring on his small finger and raised this hand to the candlelight. One of the Queen's dainty but unmistakable seal rings shone in the shaky glow, a carte blanche approval from Their Majesties. "We ride out in a few hours; it'll be light before long anyways. We'll take fresh horses. For now, we observe anything and everything; we have no reason to believe the allegations, the Assassins have been our most lucrative allies--perhaps we've failed them in believing they didn't need us snooping in on them in this dire time. But for the time being, we're the King's men. But for those who matter and need to know--" He took out a pouch from underneath his breastplate and threw it at Attikus. "Put it on. They'll know who we are."
...
The wanted poster flapped from its place on the post outside Kakariko Village by the early northern wind, the first strong one of the season. Amidst the others a big-eyed girl, with jewels encrusted on her head and a slight smile tugging at the side of her lips coyly seemed to both challenge the viewer and curiously study them. The curt description read that she had black hair, brown and golden eyes and is said to be covered in all the treasure she's hunted, and seems to harness the power of the storm. Under race, the poster read--"Gerudo(?)" Because of her height, black hair and bright brown/gold eyes, many doubted Iona Solas on being a Gerudo, although those amazons in the desert assert she is in fact theirs. But they stopped sending scouts to retrieve her and take her back long ago. Iona Solas had a gift of disappearing even if she wanted to be found and has an affinity for hiding in plain sight. A small, dark hand reached out from under the thick cloak and suddenly snatched off the poster, its nail still attached to the post. The delicate music of jewelry clinking together could barely be heard over the wind as the cloaked figure hurriedly took quick, small steps into town, cold.
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Post by Faro/Blade on Nov 14, 2018 0:18:50 GMT -6
Sensaki slumped over her table as she waited in the bar. It had a name, to be sure, but the name didn’t matter at the moment. The important thing was that this was the first bar one would come across upon entering town. It was a cold night, and according to Blade’s old contact Iona had been performing a type of job for someone. Success or failure, there was one constant about the woman, and it was her abysmal planning. She lucked out often enough to stay alive, but right now she was likely tired and hungry, craving a bite of something and a sip of something else. All Sensaki had to do was wait and watch the door from this rickety table shoved into the far corner.
That said, if the earlier incident was anything to go by, her constant was impatience. As her finger toyed with the empty pewter cup she had recently been drinking from, she grew ever more anxious. Back and forth she tipped it, using her fingertip to keep hold of the rim and keep it from falling, her eyes watching intently. They fluttered closed for a brief moment and the cup clattered against the table, jolting her awake. A glance around the bar confirmed that no one seemed to care, and she went back to her slumping. Her finger found rest on the foot of the cup and gently pushed it, causing the tiny goblet to roll a few inches across the table. A sigh fell from the young woman, and her posture somehow slackened even further.
“Hurry up, will ya? I know you’re gonna come in here…” Another flick of her finger set the goblet upright again.
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Post by Iona on Nov 22, 2018 2:18:55 GMT -6
Unlike most of the bars in Kakariko, this bar was large, and busy. It was the kind of place that attracted a diverse many, mostly strangers coming from both near and far but never for long. In spite of its size and traffic, it was a clean place and thus a favorite among travelers; the food was hot, good and rarely got anyone sick, even if the kitchens of bars can rarely guarantee either of the above. Rustic almost to a fault, during the day time, this place could almost--almost--get away with being a family place. A pewter mug flew across the room of the seated area and clanged off a support beam, coffee briefly cascading on the floor in the warm lamp light. But the loud murmur of many voices quietly talking hardly dipped and the mug was quickly picked up by a young busboy who just as efficiently began his work on some of the booths against the wall.
"Blast! I am tired of waiting! I have never known of such an infuriating woman!" Angrily exclaimed a large mustachioed Hylian, who wiped off some of the coffee that fell on him whilst throwing his mug in his rage. His partner was a younger, nervous and less rotund Hylian who clearly dealt in less savory business ventures; his large paranoid eyes practically bounced around in his head. These two were not uncommon in this bar, nor were off-duty guardsmen who could not be bothered with overtime work without overtime pay. In fact, cloaked individuals were almost the standard of the place, whether it was angst-y youths crying into their beers, or hardened and known criminals tired of running or looking for work.
Moments later, the duo were gone with one less commission for the boss and a mind to go after Iona Solas for her hefty bounty when the time was right. "You HAVE to stop doing this," the bartender sighed, looking down as if he was telling his toes. Two bright brown/gold eyes lined with kohl and an equally bright smile greeted him.
"What do you mean? How does your boss know I wasn't really here for something like this?" Still looking up, the black-haired Gerudo reached up and tightly grabbed his thighs, drawing the youth even closer. Blushing, the bartender stepped back and pulled hastily Iona to her feet. The hood of her cloak fell back and revealed her raven black hair and the brilliant diadem keeping her hair away from her face. Unlike most Hylians, most Gerudo do not shy around topic of promiscuity, especially if it was just some harmless fun while getting out of a petty job.
The owner of the bar was a giant of a Hylian, bald, blue eyed and covered in tattoos, easily blending in with both his bouncers and clientele. Leading some official men from a table to a secluded back room, he frowned at Iona but signaled to the bartender with a dismissive gesture and a stern glare before disappearing from view. A 40 proof bottle of whiskey, a glass and a bread roll appeared on the bar as the bartender seemed to immediately oblige his boss. Pouring out the amber liquid into the short glass and pushing the items closer to her, the youth was quickly went to refill a tankard.
Scurrying out from behind the bar, Iona practically pounced on the roll and finished her glass in a single gulp. Everyone looked away upon seeing the boss's favor on her, and left her in peace. She had never intended to be gone for so long, and thus didn't even plan in the palest of definitions to have any sort of money or means to get back. She already had quite the tab here, too. Gone were her extravagant dark green Gerudo uniform, sacred relic jeweled belt, large statement neck piece and other priceless gems. Save for some ever present metal gauntlets, her chain blade and some gold bracelets, the treasure hunter was almost conservative in dress. Simple form-fitting black pants tucked into equally plain boots and a modest three-quarter sleeved dark red shirt completed her look. Her tattered traveler's winter cloak was to be expected, given the weather. Sea salt was still encrusted on her boots.
Pouring herself another drink, she turned around and studied the room languidly while sipping the drink. Gone as well was *some* of the craziness like when she first left the Fortress. There was too much on her mind these days, never mind all of the political upheaval, strange occurrences and sightings. An unsettling dream and the whereabouts of a once-close friend was what brought her back to Hyrule and not back to the desert waste.
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Post by Faro/Blade on Dec 19, 2018 14:53:48 GMT -6
Sensaki watched the exchange between the bar staff and her distinctive Gerudo. She wasn’t able to read the woman, but that was likely her intention. She’d seen the act before. Everything she did was intended to keep others off balance, from her sneaking out from behind the bar to the way she pounced at the small meal she’d been offered. Sensaki considered waiting around for Iona to finish her deal, but she had a habit of evaporating the moment she was out of sight. No, she’d waited long enough and besides, she was planning to drag Iona along on her little adventure, it was only fair that Sensaki would agree to tag along on hers. She waited only long enough to order another loaf of bread and have it sent to the bar, timing her arrival with the placing of the earthen plate on the bartop.
“You’re welcome.” She made herself known immediately, flashing a glance to the bartender before returning her attention to Iona. “Now that I’ve got your attention, there’s something I need you to help me with. You remember my brother. Went by the name of Blade?” She paused, knowing the name would perk her interest if nothing else did. Contacting her was a long shot but as far as she knew she had no friends left to find.
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Post by Iona on Dec 21, 2018 20:54:52 GMT -6
The bartender dropped a small wicker basket with another bread roll on the bar, meeting the black haired girl's eyes, and then looked back at Iona. He took a step away from this corner of the bar, shaking his head to himself andknowing better than to listen in or ask questions. His boss and his boss's place was never short of strange dealings and stranger friends. He's heard plots as serious as to overthrow the King to stealing a neighbor's chickens, whether they came to fruition or not wasn't his business. He was but a humble soldier and part-time bartender with a minor writing career and two dogs to support.
Lowering her shot glass, Iona glanced at the bread roll and at the girl. Her kohl-lined eyes glittered grimly, full of suspicion. Even having been gone for so long, she knew that Hyrule was no longer safe for the drifters and outsiders, of which she was both. She wasn't sure why--she came here to speak to the Sandman to find out--but ever since she stepped into the kingdom, every righteous citizen went home or to work with their heads and eyes down; with nary a squeak of gossip to spare. And if the good and upstanding cannot operate as status quo, it often made the situation even more bleak for those preying or relying on their naivete.
She raised an eyebrow at the girl instead, because that's clearly what she was. Full of all the confidence and pride she lacked at that age, Iona decided to keep her silence and gave a curt nod as a response instead. As one of the few principles Iona held dear, not taking advantage of kids, especially adventure-seeking ones were one of them. But the name stood out to her immediately as the dream that's been escaping her as she awoke in the night briefly breached the surface of her conscience. A mixture of panicked feelings, flashes of foggy images--now the name of a dear friend rang in a worrying confirmation. There was simply not enough for this side mission for her to honestly commit to; she was tired from her own familial issues and roaming the seas, she wasn't even sure this girl was a sibling of Blade's. But her gut told her that all else could wait--Iona had few true friends.
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Post by Faro/Blade on Jan 11, 2019 22:55:10 GMT -6
Sensaki shifted in her seat as a response to Iona's silence. She pulled away from the woman she'd been leaning towards and shifted herself to face more towards the bar than her reluctant Gerudo ally. She cast her eyes toward the rack of bottles behind the bartop and laid her hands flat across the surface as she straightened herself. “I thought you were a talker.” She paused for a short moment.
“Alright, I'll talk. But first.” She reached into the folds of her clothing and produced a small silver object. It was similar in size and shape to a pocketwatch, but functioned very differently. “Perhaps you'll recognize this. Granted, my brother's was gold, but I think the function is what you'll find most interesting.” She pressed a button on top of the watch and it sprung open to reveal a face of pearly white that grinned with a black smile that split across the right edge of the small device. “Nearly a full moon.” She mused. “He would get so energized around these times.” The bartender approached to tend to a customer's order and Sensaki snapped the cover closed. As the young man worked she fell silent, waiting until he had gone to speak again.
“Look. I don't know what kind of relationship you had with my brother, and I don't need to either.” She left the device on the bartop and folded her arms close, looking to the woman past her hood. “But I do need your help. You're the only acquaintance of his I could find, and you all always seemed to run into other in the strangest places...” Her voice trailed as she felt her throat trying to catch.
“If it's payment you're after, I can provide some of that, and I can try to help you in whatever it is you're caught up in with the owner here.” She reached over and picked up the device, tucking it back into her clothing. “That's it.” She turned her sight back toward the bottles. “That's the pitch.”
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