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Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Dec 29, 2016 18:20:29 GMT -7
She was about to get up, to go and check a different file - the one that told her which streets she was assigned to patrol. But just as she had begun trying to push herself up, she felt the warmth of his thigh near her's, and then his hands on her arm, and then his eyes looking into her eyes. She felt everything inside of her tighten, and her eyes go wide... Not with fear, or discomfort, but with excitement - perhaps a bit of anxiety. She wanted to melt and explode all at once.
He was just a stowaway, she reminded herself. A... A criminal. He broke into her cabin without a peep. He obviously had the skills of a thief (he'd stolen her breath away after all) -- but she couldn't buy into those thoughts when she looked into his eyes. She bit her lip as she stared back, managing to get out a whisper of: "I'm so happy I could help." She finally smiled, the anxiety giving way to pride.
She knew she needed to break away from this closeness - to go and get her assignment, to show some restraint but-- her eyes ran over his face and enjoyed the way the candlelight played with its lines, and how it lit up with his perfect smile. But she needed to focus. He was thankful for her help, she reminded herself... That was what he was feeling. She looked down to her lap - ignoring the way his thigh was so close to touching her's - and managed words once more: "I-I might be able to do something else to help--"
There was a knock at the door. Her eyes went wide and she only had one word left, "Hide."
Last Edit: Dec 29, 2016 18:22:53 GMT -7 by Tehodis Kitai
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 3, 2017 3:17:46 GMT -7
Apparently Miss Kitai had been rather active. As soon as Vincent had finally managed to excuse himself from Tom's excruciating company, he had resumed his course towards his original destination; namely, visiting the woman who had become his best pupil during the time of Lord Woodrow's absence from Submiere. He had adopted a deeper frown at that thought. He was visited by the unwelcome notion that the month Lord Woodrow had spent abroad had notably been rather peaceful, pleasant, and overall productive days for the Organization. Meanwhile, ever since he had returned, well... things had been hectic, and plagued with the presence of that accursed ass Thomas Dunn.
And of course, his return had heralded the unfortunate change in Miss Kitai's physical condition, updating her status to that of a one-armed individual (and, as Vincent understood it, her very life had been put into dire peril thanks to Lord Woodrow's ignorant actions). While Vincent would always be the first to notice and chide his Lord over his indiscretions or lapses in judgment (in a respectful manner, of course), he did always hate to admit when such lapses in judgment came about. And unfortunately, as far as Vincent was concerned, a great many of them had come about since his trip to Acheron, not the least of which was the rather enormous blunder concerning his actions with Tehodis Kitai.
The woman had been reclusive ever since the incident. It was Vincent's understanding that Lord Woodrow had sent her off with a criminal that she herself had arrested, and apparently called for by name, to receive treatment. Disregarding the extremely questionable nature of that judgment call, Vincent had been shocked and concerned to receive this news. That Tehodis had been in danger? That she had suffered an amputation? That she apparently had a friend who was also a criminal, and that this criminal had been trusted enough to see her to safe treatment?
Allegedly that last bit had proved to be true, considering she indeed returned to Submiere in (relatively) good health, albeit missing an arm and adopting a rather soured disposition. Vincent had a great deal of questions about the whole ordeal, but his most prominent concern had been in ensuring she was alright. Unfortunately, he had yet to be presented with the opportunity to pay her a visit and check on her condition, due to various duties, and most recently due to his Lord's insistence that he suffer a conversation with Dunn.
And what did Vincent find when he finally arrived at Tehodis's room? It was vacant. Apparently, she was out and about on the ship at last. He asked around and, almost comically, followed a number of leads that people aboard had offered him regarding where they'd last seen Tehodis, and after spending maybe half an hour running around the large vessel, he was finally pointed (by the chef) back in the direction of her room. He sighed then and returned to where he had started.
On the way, he pondered over why she had taken such a large amount of food with her (according to the chef, at least), given her lack of a requirement for food. Perhaps she was seeking comfort? Food could offer such things to a depressed soul. Whatever the case, he could simply ask once he spoke with her. He arrived at her door again after the short walk from the kitchens, and this time he could hear her voice inside. Talking to herself? Not uncommon. Vincent did occasionally find even himself mumbling things when no one was around and his mind was occupied on some task. But that did at least mean she was present now. He knocked.
"Miss Kitai?" he called. "I apologize, I realize you might not be in the mood for visitors at the moment. But would you perhaps spare me a word?"
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 3, 2017 18:39:49 GMT -7
Kikuriku was shocked at the sound of a knock at the door; he had not been expecting anyone to interrupt his meal, much less his investigation with Tehodis. There had definitely been a moment brewing between the two of them, and he was remiss to have to put it on hold. Hopefully whoever was at the door would leave. It was the voice of a man, and for the first time Kiku wondered if maybe Tehodis had a boyfriend. It was certainly possible – she was very beautiful – and it wouldn’t be the first time that a woman wanted more than one man in her life. His gut told him that this wasn’t the case, but he wasn’t going to be stupid; he’d watch her very carefully.
Tehodis had ordered Kiku to hide, as if he needed to be told. He was impressed with her ability to think quickly despite the tender moment; another nod to how magnificent she was.
He stood up off the bed and surveyed the room. Hiding in the shadows was the obvious bet, but he still did not want to reveal to Tehodis that he had this ability. He considered hiding under the bed, though the space seemed too tight. He could hide in Tehodis’ shadow again, but he didn’t think he could convince her to close her eyes in this moment. It wasn’t the time for romance.
But there’s always time for romance!
It was really not the time for romance. Kiku quickly touched his hand to her cheek and gave her a smile, before turning his attention the door nearest the bed.
The closet would almost be too obvious. It’s perfect!
He made his way over to the closet door, and opened it. It wasn’t very large, barely big enough for Kiku to fit inside. He’d wondered if Tehodis wasn’t very girly, and if she didn’t need a lot of clothes. He wondered if she’d need a bigger closet if her clothes had two sleeves instead of one.
He shimmied his way into the closet and gave Tehodis a large, reassuring grin and a ‘thumbs up’. This would be a good place to hide.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 3, 2017 19:08:08 GMT -7
"Vincent! Oh, uh, coming!" Of course it was Vincent. The smartest person in the damned SSPB, the person who'd be most likely to figure out she wasn't alone. She eyes widened in panic, and her focus had been so caught up on the knocking of the door, on Vincent's voice coming from it, that she was surprised by the warmth on her cheek as Kiku touched her. Her skin tingled at his touch, and she turned quickly, returning the smile. She mouthed hide again, putting her hand to her cheek as he broke away from her.
She watched him survey the room, backing away instead of walking right to the door. She wanted to see what he did, how he did it. She was curious about the magician's tricks. Of course, walking backwards, panicking, and not paying attention were a horrible combination, and she found herself tripping over one of the boxes of files. She fell to the ground, her pride hurt more than any of her. "Sorry, one second Vincent!" She called out again as she figured out a way to stand using only one arm. She managed to stand and got herself to the door before turning around.
Kiku had picked the closet. The closet. She gave him a flabbergasted look, and he just offered her a cheery thumbs up. Wasn't he going to... Climb onto the ceiling? Or flatten himself under the bed? Or fold himself up into her suitcase? Her hand struck her head as she turned back to the door, certain that if he had any suspicions, Vincent would certainly look in the closet. She supposed now it was her job to keep him as unsuspicious as possible.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Kiku," She whispered to herself as she put her hand on the knob, forced a smile on her face, and then opened the door. "Vincent!" She greeted, happy to see him (she was!), but wishing he'd come by earlier. Not now. Before she'd met Kiku. And especially not when Kiku was in her room. She was pretty certain Vincent would be disappointed, if not angry that she hadn't arrested Kiku. She didn't want to disappoint him. And she especially didn't want Kiku to be found... And then there was the other small part of her that worried about Vincent's loyalty to Woodrow. What he might say to him.
She had to focus.
She positioned herself as much in the gap of the door as she could to block Vincent's view, but he was a head taller than her. The food was sitting out, the boxes, too. But she didn't think there was anything that said 'there's someone else here'. Not that she could remember, anyways. "I... Right, I mean..." She gathered herself and cleared her throat, "Sorry, it's been a rough trip. I haven't spoken to anyone for a while and-- I guess I haven't talked to you since... It happened... What, uh, what did you want to talk about?"
Last Edit: Jan 3, 2017 19:08:30 GMT -7 by Tehodis Kitai
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 3, 2017 20:35:27 GMT -7
There were a number of oddities with this.
Aside from the fact that it took Tehodis a good length of time to answer the door, there was the odd crashing sound that indicated she was struggling with something, the oddly forced casual demeanor once she had answered the door (and attempted to block the inside of her room with her body), and of course, the previously known (and now visually affirmed) fact that she had a large amount of mortal food in her room with her.
It really didn't take a genius to figure out that Tehodis was hiding someone in her room, and Vincent most certainly was a genius.
He gave her a small smile, his eyes lightly sympathetic. There were... honestly, any number of reasons why Tehodis would feel the need to hide a guest in her situation. Particularly if they were of the male persuasion and she didn't want Woodrow to know about it. Which was, of course, the first and most immediate hypothesis Vincent's mind jumped to. Normally, maybe he'd feel the need to press the matter, to figure out exactly who was in here, but given all her current circumstances? Vincent decided he could leave this alone.
Besides, there was always the off chance that he was completely mistaken. Of course, there was one way to maybe... figure out if he wasn't... call it nagging curiosity, and besides, he did want to come inside anyway. He could step inside, have a conversation with Tehodis, and simply listen and observe for any telltale signs of someone hiding. Curiosity sated, no harm done, and the individual didn't even need to know Vincent knew.
"May I perhaps sit with you a moment? I was actually hoping to discuss... it," he explained, echoing her description of the event with a slightly humorous lilt. "And no, I am not here on Lord Woodrow's request, nor his knowledge."
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 3, 2017 20:47:09 GMT -7
He wanted to come in. Of course he wanted to come in. His eyes had flashed inside of her room and he certainly saw the food, and what if he saw Kiku, too? What if Kiku hadn't shut the door all the way, and he was just barely visible? Vincent was more than capable of seeing something that was barely visible.
Tehodis had never experienced mortal nausea before, and hadn't thought it possible for a Kina to feel such a thing... But perhaps this pit in her stomach was something of that sort. She thought of how embarrassing that would be, and swallowed the imaginary bile back down because no - she certainly didn't have the biology for such an act. "Of course," She nodded, clearing her throat once more and opening the door so that he could come inside. She stepped in (nudging the box she had tripped on earlier aside with her foot), and gestured for Vincent to come in as well. At least he wasn't here for Woodrow. If there was one thing she knew about Vincent, he wouldn't lie to her about that.
But that didn't mean he wouldn't leave here thinking about meeting with him.
She haphazardly tidied as Vincent closed the door, putting the lid back the butter-soaked food, which was now cold, butter-soaked food; nudging the boxes into some semblance of order. "Sorry for the mess. Uh, sit, please," She nodded to the couch, happy that its back would be towards the closet, which she was fighting the urge to glance at. No, Tehodis. Just focus. Be normal. Be cool. "It's strange that it's been a month since... It," She offered, sitting down cautiously.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 4, 2017 16:27:02 GMT -7
There were a few reasons that Kikuriku picked the closet to hide in – none of which were what the average person would assume. Kiku was very straight. However, hiding in the closet had multiple advantages. He couldn’t see who had entered the room, but with the door closed the room was full of shadows for him to slip into should the intruder come looking. Also, because he wasn’t in his shadow-walking form, he could clearly hear the exchange going on between Tehodis and this man, Vincent.
Vincent was not here on ‘Lord Woodrows request’, he had offered. God, Kiku thought, rolling his eyes. What kind of pansy mansy is this Woodrow that he has minions that he’s able to send around? Can’t even walk around to do his own apologizing. What an idiot. If it wasn’t for his good taste in buttery dishes I’d pro-
Kiku’s face immediately drooped as he realized his mistake.
Fuck me. There’s no way this guy is going to believe that she eats that much food!
Every impulse inside him screamed for Kiku to shadow-walk to a different hiding spot so that he could get a better look at this Vincent character, but he wasn’t sure where this man was and his vision was unreliable while hidden in the shadows. Kiku needed to know whether he could quickly dispatch of Vincent in the even that he was found out.
He overheard Vincent asking to talk, and Tehodis’ shaky response. Despite her earlier quick thinking, it seemed as though she was more nervous than Kiku had thought. She mentioned that it had been a month since ‘it’, and Kiku could only assume that she meant the losing of her arm.
So this man is clearly a friend, probably a lover and he’s here to steal her away from Woodrow? The scoundrel! That’s my job! Kiku pressed his ear against the closet room door…
…and pushed a little too hard. He must not have closed the door tight enough for the knob to latch, or maybe the door had no knob, he couldn’t remember. Either way, the door slowly creaked open about a fraction of an inch – loudly. The sound of the boat rocking against the waves wouldn’t be enough to mask it.
Through the crack in the door, Kiku very quickly took a glance at the man. His attention was on Tehodis, but he seemed the observant type. He was tall, but not lanky, and had an almost uncaring look on his face. This man was difficult to read, at least partly due to the fact that Kiku only saw him for a millisecond.
Kiku was in the shadows before the door stopped creaking.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 4, 2017 16:37:11 GMT -7
It was as if she heard the creak before it happened. Something inside of her told to her to speak, to make enough noise to cover a loud sound. And so, she followed it. Her instinct had been working well today, why stop now. "I don't think I can ever forgive him!" She blurted in a voice far too loud for the room they were in. As she finished she heard the end of the creak. Well, maybe that did work after all.
"And I don't think I should, either," She continued, now locked into this avenue of conversation, "Just... Look at me. I'm ruined. Broken. Useless, and ugly, too. All because of him."
Last Edit: Jan 4, 2017 16:43:23 GMT -7 by Tehodis Kitai
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 4, 2017 17:47:38 GMT -7
Vincent accepted Tehodis' invitation inside with a quiet nod, and took the seat she offered him. She sat across from him, looking like a bundle of nerves, and Vincent was attempting to place whether or not it was because she was trying to hide her mystery guest, or if perhaps she was just nervous to be having this conversation. Vincent pondered for a moment how he might start this little chat, but then two things happened.
The first, was Tehodis loudly blurting out that she couldn't forgive Woodrow, as though a floodgate had been opened, and she went on to offer explanation as to why. The second was the slight sound of creaking that Vincent noticed from behind him, and no amount of subtlety on his part would have been able to cover up the way he glanced back over his shoulder at the closet door, now slightly more ajar than it had been a moment ago.
So that's where, hm?
He deliberately turned his attention away from it. He was dying to know who was here, honestly, but that was not why he was here, and if Tehodis wished to hide something for the moment he wasn't interested in making her uncomfortable by prodding. She could have this... for the moment. If her guest kept making their presence obvious, however, Vincent might have to reconsider his stance. There was only so much he could pretend not to notice.
"...I can't say that I blame you," he started. This was not going to be an easy conversation. Vincent could lay on all the charm he needed when he was undercover, but Tehodis actually knew him. And emotional subjects such as this were.... difficult, for Vincent Laeretti to relate to. Or perhaps the more accurate statement would be that Vincent's penchant for bluntness tended to make him ill-suited for comforting others.
"As I understand the situation, it would seem Lord Woodrow made quite an extremely poor decision. I have had more than one experience where his rash judgments have resulted in a mess to clean to up." He sighed as he leaned back in his seat, quite sure it was unprofessional to be telling Tehodis this but also sure she had deserved it by now. "I dare say I am right in the middle of another such mess right now. And I am not referring to your arm."
That mess's name was Thomas Dunn.
"At any rate, he's told me his end of things, which conflict in some details with the reports I've gathered from other witnesses. I was hoping, Miss Kitai, that you might be able to tell me your side of the story. I won't make it a secret that I would like to aid in mending this matter in whatever way I can, but first and foremost I am more concerned for your well-being."
He wanted to add that he thought her assessment was grossly mistaken - lacking an arm did not make her broken, useless, and certainly not ugly (not like the latter should even matter for an officer). But, perhaps right now was not the best moment to get into it. She clearly needed her moment to vent.
"So if you would please, Miss Kitai. Enlighten me on everything that transpired from your perspective, from the incident up through getting yourself healed. Spare no detail." Perhaps the request would feel like an interrogation, but it was what Vincent knew best.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 4, 2017 18:10:21 GMT -7
He looked over his shoulder, he looked. He looked and didn't say anything. But it was Vincent, and he was always suspicious of something, she'd grown to learn that in the times tey'd spent together. He was certainly suspicious - and yet was staying on subject. The subject of... "Oh, right" She nodded. She had perhaps thought a bit too highly of her relationship with Vincent. She needed to remind herself that they had only known one another for a month. Sure, they had gotten along quite famously, and he was the only person she could honestly say she liked at the SSPB... But... He was Woodrow's friend. Not her's. He was more like her boss.
"Okay, well," She had tried to forget the details of it as best she could over the last month, but she supposed this wasn't supposed to be a comforting talk. It was an interrogation. "On the day that Woodrow-- Lord Woodrow, sorry, came back from Acheron he made a stop on his way home to deliver me a summons. To his home. At night. I... Wasn't feeling well that day, but in my experience Lord Woodrow does not receive refusals. So I went. My... My exhaustion was apparent, because he was..." She remembered the look on his face when he saw her. Not the same look he usually gave her. Not the glint in his eyes that made her stomach turn uncomfortably, it was something that made her feel small, and pitiful. Disgust. "He did not act as usual around me, not until it became clear that I growing extremely faint. At that point he... He was nice, I guess. For him. Sorry, I know he's your friend... But..."
She needed to stand. Needed to not look at Vincent's face. She got up and wandered over to the small circular window, looking out on the ocean. It was calming. She took a deep breath, pulled her tears back, and began again: "He said he was going to get me something to help. I didn't know what to expect... And he brought this-- This bracelet. Silver. Obsidian. Ruby." She couldn't forget it now, not after Simon and the Seer. It was burned into her memory forever, "He told me it was magic and I thought for a second that it was really wonderful, and I thought maybe I could get used to the way he treats me if it meant I got to keep my job -- but when he put it on I--" Her arm ached. Not the arm she had, but the one she didn't. She cried out with a bit of pain and went to grasp her wrist, but it wasn't there. It wasn't there.
"It was cursed, and I passed out. Next thing I knew, I woke up to an even worse pain, and my arm was gone and-- and-- If it weren't for Artemis, and Simon and the Seer... I would have died." Her eyes were downcast, her hand was resting on her stump, and her head was against the cold window. Her hair was like a veil that hid her tears. It was embarrassing, crying in front of someone she respected like Vincent, crying in front of her boss. Kiku had made her feel safe to talk about all of this, but now... She didn't feel safe. She felt like Vincent was just playing the right cards, and that after this he would ensure that Woodrow was cleared of any guilt. Massage what little worry he held away. And then Woodrow would be brave enough to approach her again. He'd dare to get in her face. And in that moment, she hated Vincent, too. She regretted not just refusing his entry. She didn't want him here. She just wanted... She wanted to feel like she did a few minutes ago. She wanted... Kiku.
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