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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 Leigh Haskell on Jan 13, 2017 1:40:15 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] "No. You won't," She insisted, following after Talindra as she forced her way into the arena. The noise was offensive - especially since she couldn't freely shoot anyone for yelling in her ear. This was apparently the kind of thing Kali liked. Leigh preferred the quiet, upscale taverns that pretty nobles went to for drinks with friends. The crowd stopped her for a moment, and if it weren't for The Phoenix's outrageous style of dress she might have struggled finding where Kali had gone.
"This isn't your job, Phoenix. Either sit back and watch, or--"
Kali interrupted her, coming up to the two of them and instructing Leigh what to do. She nodded, a little embarrassed to be taking orders in front of The Phoenix. She was the Captain of this operation. Not Kali. "Yep, just like I told you," She strained, her mouth a scowl, but Kali was already walking off. "Yeah, sure," She frowned, pushing past Talindra to find a better vantage point. When she did however, she turned a bit to The Phoenix and pressed the curve of her hook to her chest: "Don't fuck with this."
Kali made her way through the throng of people jeering and cheering and betting on the current match. This was her element, these crowds. These people. This energy. This was home.
Finding the area where the fighters were waiting was easy. Some of them looked like they’d already been in a fight or two and were sporting black eyes, bruises, scrapes and in one particular case a pretty nasty gouge to the left thigh which Kali’s eyes lingered on for longer than was strictly necessary. She licked her lips, feeling the electric energy she always got before a fight.
The crowd let out a mixed bag of boos and cheers as one of the fighters in the ring knocked out the other, and the announcer’s voice could be heard loudly calling out the victor. As the unconscious loser was dragged offstage the announcer dramatically called out that a newcomer had arrived to the fights today and immediately challenged the reigning champion. The crowd let out crows of laughter and bloodthirsty cheers, eager to watch the newcomer get ripped to shreds no doubt.
The announcer riled up the crowd, asking them if they wanted to see their champion take this newcomer down a peg, if they wanted to see him ‘unleash the beast’, if they were ready to see why he was the champion. At each question the crowd roared, until he was finally satisfied with the level of excitement and introduced the one, the only, reigning undefeated champion of the rings - ”The Viper!” Always such clever names, these fighters had.
When the champion stepped on stage the crowd, who Kali didn’t think could get more excited, managed to amp it up again. Kali, meanwhile, was watching the champion with interest. It was a creature she had never seen before - a tall reptilian humanoid. His scales were black but for a red line down his back, and they looked tough. Like a dragon. He moved smoothly, almost seeming to glide rather than walk across the ring. He looked out at the crowd without interest, looking like he barely even noticed they were there. Kali wondered if that was part of is act, the poised, cold, aloof thing. It seemed to be working, so good for him.
Then the announcer spoke again, talking about the mysterious newcomer who had come to challenge The Viper, how she didn’t know what she was in for, and were they really going to let some newcomer show up and take down their beloved champion? No! The crowd jeered and booed, and Kali could tell the betting would be good for this one. The announcer must not have thought much about her, just some uppity satyr here to cause trouble and stir things up a bit, without a chance of actually winning. She supposed it would work in her favour at least, and her contact would know she was not to be underestimated.
The announcer called her name and the spotlight went her way as she made her way through the crowd which parted before her, still jeering. She smirked back before easily vaulting over the stage’s ropes, agile as a cat, and landed cleanly across from The Viper. Her opponent’s eyes narrowed as he took her in, though she couldn’t tell if he thought she would be no match at all and this was a waste of his time, or if he was worried that perhaps a newcomer arrogant enough to challenge him immediately might be stronger than she looked. He didn’t look worried though, mostly just annoyed. Maybe he didn’t like being called out for fights with unknown nobodies.
The sound of a bell indicated the start of the match, and the crowd went wild.
Kali flexed her hands before clenching them into fists, smirking at her opponent. She went in for the first punch, The Viper seeming like more of a ‘wait to strike’ kind of fighter, and he easily deflected it with a raised forearm. His scales were as hard as she thought they would be.
Suddenly the image of her opponent wavered, as though seen through a heat wave, and then he was gone. No, not gone - camouflaged. It was.. a really good job. And it wasn’t magic, she could tell. This was physical. The only thing that indicated where he was was the heatwave look he gave off. But he was quick, and she lost sight of him for a moment, long enough for him to swipe her hooves out from under her. She landed hard on her back and it sent a jolt of pleasure through her, like lightning. She was getting into this, remembering how much she liked these fights, and she easily rolled out of the way as The Viper made to bodyslam her while she was on the ground.
Flipping to her feet she shook herself off and kicked behind her with one of her hooves, catching the camouflaged reptilian in the gut as he attempted to sneak up behind her. She whipped around and brought her elbow up from her side and straight into his chin, sending him flying back into the ropes. His scales were pulsing different colours now as he tried to get his bearings, and she waited for him to get back into a fighting stance before rushing him.
He brought his tail around and caught her as she ran, pulling one of her legs out and leaving her to fall into one of his kicks which caught her across the jaw and dropped her to her hands and knees. Blood dripped from where his claws had caught her lip, and as she got to her feet she licked the blood off slowly, almost sensually, and her gaze darkened with something like need. Bloodlust. This was not the Kali she was when on the ship, no, this was Kali, in all her glory.
The Viper came in to strike at her this time and she took a hit to the stomach, and though she doubled over she came back up with another elbow strike, and while he dodged to the side she followed it up with a kick to his side, her knee catching one of his hard scales and barely making a scratch. It hurt to hit him, like kicking a rock, but the pain was beautiful.
He barely seemed to notice the kick though and caught her leg against his side, holding it there with the intention of breaking her knee. She didn’t want to deal with that kind of healing, so she flung herself backward as though to do a backflip and used the momentum to flip him over, freeing her leg from his grasp and jumping to her feet. She took a kick to the back of her legs though as The Viper righted himself, and it sent her to her knees. He had camouflaged again, but she saw the heatwave look as his tail swung and wrapped itself tightly around her neck.
He stood before her then and his scaled shimmered back into existence while his tail tightened until she couldn’t breathe. She relished in the feeling, of kneeling before him and being at his mercy, of her body slowly starving for air, of the small pains that littered her body. Blood dripped from a wound she hadn’t realized he had inflicted on her side, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. To the crowd she looked perhaps like she had given up, but her opponent saw the look in her eyes. She was enjoying this and he knew it. It scared him a little.
It scared him just enough to throw him off, and her eyes narrowed hungrily as he opened himself for manipulation.
Stars were dancing in her vision now and darkness was beginning to creep in from the sides, but she knew how much she could take. This wasn’t her first time playing with suffocation. She grabbed the tail around her neck to make sure he couldn’t pull it away and then flung herself backward again, sending him off-balance as his tail was pulled with her. She swung a leg out in a sweeping kick and sent him sprawling to the floor, his tail loosening from around her neck and allowing her to take in gasping breaths while she stumbled to her feet.
Before The Viper could get to his own feet she pounced on him and brought her knee down harshly on his own neck, a wild look in her eyes. She didn’t want to strangle him though - she wanted to break his neck. She wanted to watch the life fall out of his eyes. It wasn’t because he had tried to strangle her, not some sort of revenge or even malice, she just wanted the beautiful thrill of taking his life.
But that wasn’t what she was here for, a part of her mind reminded her. She blinked a few times and seemed to pull herself back from whatever edge she was on, and she grabbed his head in her hands and slammed it against the ground harshly once, twice, three times until he stopped struggling. His scales were hard, he would be fine. Probably.
She got to her feet a little shakily, feeling her spirit invigorated in a way she hadn’t been for weeks but being betrayed by her simple mortal body. She brought her hand distractedly to her side and felt the warmth of her blood as it freely pulsed from the wound while she heard the announcer call her out as the winner. The crowd was a mixture of boos and cheers, some people disappointed at losing their bets while others simply satisfied with the show. Kali’s eyes searched the crowd for Leigh though - Leigh or her contact. If he had bet on her like she suspected he would have, he just made a lot of money.
Post by Leigh Haskell on Jan 21, 2017 12:06:15 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] It didn't take Leigh long to find Kali's contact. Even with Talindra following her around like an annoying puppy, she managed to spot someone who fit the description perfectly... And beyond that, someone who looked like the type who could own an airship. Haughty. Sitting on a platform raised above the other riff-raff with some other pretentious fucks. Guards between each seat. Just the kind of person she'd usually like to cut the throat of, just the kind of person she'd usually like to pickpocket... But that wasn't today's plan. No pillaging today.
She looked back at Talindra, rolling her eyes over the fact the sorceress was still following her, and slunk into the shadows. Sneaking she could do. It was the guards that worried her. Perhaps they'd be distracted by Talindra's flagrant appearance, and Leigh wouldn't have troubles... Perfect, she thought, now having a plan in place. She kept to the shadows, Talindra sticking by (sucks being left out, doesn't it Phoenix?) as the two of them ascended the ramp towards the rich. The last fight was still going on, Kali wasn't up yet. They had time.
As they reached the top, she eyed the guards and their weapons. Mostly steel. Didn't look like there would be many spellslingers. She looked to Phoenix, then back. "You wanna help?" Leigh whispered to her, not waiting another moment before shoving Phoenix roughly out of the shadows and into open view of the guards, "Help."
With the guards giving eyes to Phoenix (who admittedly, looked like she could very well be a fighter of some kind), Leigh rounded them, stepping behind the chair of the contact, just as the announcer spoke Kali's name. She put her left hand on the man's shoulder, and her hook onto his right, leaning in to whisper to him: "It's gonna go down like Fa'nelth."
OOC. Obviously Talindra Pherithil if anything there is not okay by you for your character, let me know and I'll be happy to work on an edit with you! I thought fighting with some guards might give Tali a chance to show off!! Again, just let me know if this doesn't work for you. (:
Post by Leigh Haskell on Mar 7, 2017 12:27:52 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] Her mere presence was enough for the single guard standing on the opposite side of the chair to reach for his weapon, but the statement had the contact raising a hand to stop him. The guard slowly returned his weapon, but his hand remained on it's hilt. There would be no room for mistakes. The raised hand twisted and gestured for her to come closer, and she hesitated before removing her hands from his shoulders and circling around to face him.
This contact of Kali's was a dwarf, his height disguised when she was behind the chair by a high seat. He was broad, heavily bearded, and wore an impressive selection of jewels in the form of rings on his finger, and bands in his hair. If she wasn't here to make nice with the guy, she'd be slipping those things off his fingers. Though... She looked down at them for a moment, giving a general assessment to the worth. The captain would be disappointed in her if she didn't take at least one - wouldn't he?
She put the thought in the back of her mind as the dwarf 'hmphed' disapprovingly at her, her grimace cutting deeper into her face when it did. He motioned to a man on a platform below him as Kali was announced, and the man was quick to run - likely to go make a bet, though Leigh wouldn't be unprepared for a fight if he was getting enforcers. "And what is Kali doing in Tarifa of all places?" The man finally grumbled, his voice hardly a whisper, Leigh had to stoop a bit to hear him over the cheers for Kali's opponent.
"She's paying you for a service," Leigh returned, not quite matching his volume, but keeping a conspirator's tone, "You win big--"
"If I win big," He corrected, holding up one of those gold-adorned fingers. Temptations. Leigh refocused herself with a sneer, "When you win big, we get what we want, and everyone's happy." The man looked at her, his face imploring her to go on - the fight would begin soon, and he was here to watch and bet, not just throw money around. "Your air ship. We've got a crew ready to pilot it for a quick round up through Celestia. We provide our own lightning, you provide the ship, we bring it back to you top shape. What you get outta these odds should be enough."
The man stroked his thick fingers through his rough beard, and after a moment - as the bell rang - he motioned to her and then patted his lap. "Sit."
This wasn't what Leigh signed up for.
She considered slicing his throat for the look in his eye, and for the way that his beard looked matted and greasy, and for the way his fingers were like pork sausages that had gone to rot in a pile of old treasure. But. But. She knew this was for a damn good reason, and she knew that she wanted to succeed in this mission and prove to the Captain she could lead a fucking crew. Then she thought - maybe, just maybe - if she was that close, she'd slip a few of his valuables off of him without him noticing.
And so she swallowed her pride, and her disgust, and sat. The man was a couple feet shorter than her, and about a hundred pound heavier. His breath stank of smoke, booze, and something else she couldn't quite place - rot, most likely - and he didn't hesitate to steady her with one hand where her lower back met her waist. The only benefit was that now she was facing the ring, she could see Kali - and could see that she was getting destroyed. The champ was a beast - literally and figuratively - and suddenly Leigh was less sure of the satyr. If she fucked up-- Leigh would need to beat it, and quick. Which was likely one of the reasons the dwarf had wanted her here. She was way more vulnerable. She looked down and noticed that the man carried a dagger on his other side, and he'd put her with her hook against his chest. Less mobility for her easiest weapon.
Fuck.
As the Viper wrapped his tail around Kali's neck, the crowd cheered, the dwarf's grip on her tightened while his other hand loosened his dagger, and another guard had appeared at her side. They were going to lose a lot of money if Kali died. Leigh was going to lose a lot more. Come on, Kal, She thought with desperation, her heartbeat loud in her ears and the room seeming silent even as the crowd roared. Everything seemed to slow down - Leigh's perception fighting the inevitability of what was to come.
But just like that: Kali flipped her opponent, turning the tables. The crowd gasped in surprise, and she could feel the dwarf loosen beneath her, and when Kali's knee crushed into Viper's neck, she even heard a grumbling laugh from him. Leigh didn't care about the disgusting position she was in anymore, her eyes were fire as she watched Kali slam the Viper's head into the ground again and again. It was an act of vengeance in her eyes. A punishment for every mark he had given Kali. It was fucking hot.
As the announcer shouted Kali's win, Leigh pushed herself off of the dwarf only to find him grip her wrist and pull her back in. "We've got a lot to talk about," He breathed, his odour stinking into her face, "Put our friend back together and find me in my suite." He pushed her off this time, her quick reflexes the only thing saving her from stumbling pathetically. He got up, adjusting his thick belly and giving her one last look before turning around the chair. A guard stooped to the dwarf's height, nodding at his orders before the rock wall behind them opened up to reveal a hidden passageway. She should have known he didn't walk the ramp.
"Here," The guard said roughly, pushing a piece of parchment into Leigh's hands, "You have one hour." With that, the guards filed into the passageway as well, the wall closing back up to leave Leigh and Talindra alone on the ramp. "Let's go," Leigh said, shoving the parchment into her pocket without even reading it. She'd have a chance to look at it once they got Kali. There were likely to be a few vengeful souls in the audience who had lost big on that one.
[attr="class","waveunbnotes"]KaliTalindra Pherithil Cinder let me know it was okay to keep this going!!
Post by Maldrem "Wight" on Mar 13, 2017 20:43:19 GMT -7
He looks like he's sweatin' bullets...
C olossus felt like he could cut the tension with a knife.
What kind of tension, though, he really wasn't sure. Was it hostile? Was it sexual? Was it awkward? It was probably all three. He and Wight were sitting at Reina's table now, Colossus comfortably seated in a larger chair that Reina had had brought out ("She's always gracious to her guests!" Wight had chimed), and his Tiefling companion and Reina had been quiet as they stared at each other for the last three minutes.
The orc considered breaking the tension by speaking (something he rarely felt compelled to do but this was actually unbearable), but it seemed Wight had had enough of heatedly locking eyes with Reina and finally spoke up himself.
"So. Mi Amor. We are here-"
"Because you need something from me," Reina cut him off, her expression unimpressed (but her eyes possibly aroused). "When is there any other reason you come to see me?"
Wight clutched at his chest. "Perhaps I simply wanted to see your gorgeous face again!"
"And you bring muscle to protect you for such a task?"
"Okay, fair, but you might have tried to kill me."
"And I'd be right to do so, after all you've done. The debt you owe."
Colossus was actually too curious now. "What debt?" he asked, looking at Wight. Wight had said earlier that he'd used Reina for a number of jobs before, some on Merlyn's request. Did he owe her for that? What about all the other things he'd apparently done to her? What on earth was the history here that made this woman supposedly despise Wight and want him dead, and yet simultaneously made her look like she wanted to jump across the table and ravish him?
"Ah, well..."
"He stole my ship," Reina said, her voice angry. The flames in her eyes flickered to a hot red, and Colossus decided that at the moment her anger was probably winning out over her love. "For his disgusting crew, eight years ago."
"We needed a new vessel! Didn't have the Grail backing us yet!"
Her eyes narrowed. "He cost me my career."
"Oh you hated the limitations of that job anyway..."
She reached across the table in a flash and snatched up his wrist in her grasp, and Colossus could see the smoke rising from his burning flesh. He considered intervening, but given what happened earlier, decided to let this one play out for a moment.
"He has used me for recurring jobs over the years and never made good on the payment I am owed."
Wight was wincing, and looked vaguely panicked at the murderous look in Reina's eyes. "But we give you resources and information!"
She pulled him closer, her lips fixed in a snarl. "He makes promises and declarations of love, and then flits away. Mentiroso."
"I... I know..." he replied, this time sounding defeated, no excuse in his words. But he met her eyes with a softness that Colossus never really saw in Wight's usual cunning or beguiling expressions. "I'm honestly not worth your time, and you probably should have killed me ten times over for everything I've done. And you, well, you deserve a lot better than a scumbag like me. Buuut..." He smiled. "I won't let you call me a liar when it comes to love. My feelings for you are sincere."
She snorted derisively. "As sincere as your 'love' for anything with legs."
"Hey now, come on, you're more special than just anyone with two legs. You terrify me! And I love that."
At this, she smirked, and her grip loosened a fraction. "Oh?"
"You're one of the most powerful people I know," Wight continued, and though it was clear he was sweet-talking her, it also sounded like he did mean it. "And I know a sorceress who can sink a ship by herself. She doesn't have a candle on you."
Reina leaned forward on her free elbow, resting her chin against her fist. Her other hand loosened on Wight further.
"And no one knows just how many strings you can pull, how much dirt you've got. You don't need that old career of yours, not with what you've carved out for yourself down here. Who in the Underground doesn't fear Reina De Castillo? Who in the Underground doesn't respect that it's you who keeps things running, bribing guards, organizing new entry routes, keeping things coming back even after the police try to clear it out..."
"Now you're just telling me what I already know,"
"I'm telling you I did you a favor!"
"Ah yes," she mused, a twisted smirk on her face. "Who doesn't love living in the shadows and mastering the trade of lies? Much nicer than prestige."
"But you have power here, and money!"
"I have power anywhere," she corrected, tightening her grip again and renewing her efforts at boiling Wight's flesh. "And I don't have nearly enough money for all I've done for you."
Despite the fact that he was probably in an incredible amount of pain right now, Wight's smile almost looked like it was about to melt off his face. His tail was uncoiled from his waist and flicking excitedly. "You intimidate me so much."
Her smile softened at this, and the flames in her eyes finally softened back to blue embers. "Good." She released him, and Colossus stopped holding his breath. "What do you want?"
Wight pulled his hand back, which did indeed look quite burned, but nothing that was irreparable. He cradled it as he spoke. "Me and a few mates are here trying to get ahold of an Airship. We intend to take it to Artavia. But we need entry papers, and need to know what policies we'll need to abide by. Gotta be up to code."
She drummed her fingers against the table. "Is that all?"
Wight thought it over. Colossus wondered why; that was literally all they'd come here for. What else could he need to ask for?
"Actually," Wight replied. "...Dirt. I don't even know the guy's name, but he's apparently a big wig in the cage fights. Does a lot of big betting. He's the one we're getting the Airship from. And he's probably gonna have a big ask, if I know anything about guys who tend to gamble for a living. Do you know who he is?"
A look of disgust crossed Reina's beautiful face, but it was mixed with something like... superiority? "Leif," she said. "He's about the only person who could qualify as a big wig when it comes to the arena. He's also something of an economic rival... I'm assuming you want leverage to circumvent this ask of his?"
"Or just to make sure he doesn't go turncoat on us," he added. "Greedy guys tend to see pirates as a potential bounty."
Reina grew contemplative at this. "I knew him back when he and I both lived in Muerte. You already know I left a while back, but Leif only fully vacated the place when the Anti-Beastfolk movement robbed him of his best fighters, about four years ago. He moved his operations here at that point, and I became convinced I'd never be rid of him. But I control a larger territory than he does. I could escalate it to a war if I wished, but I prefer to keep these streets relatively clean."
Colossus didn't miss the sarcastic tone or the joking smirk she wore as she said that. Wight chuckled, seeming to also find the notion funny.
"Does that mean you have something I could use against him?"
"If I had anything that could shut him down without implicating myself, I'd have used it already, and certainly not for you. But I can offer you a threat to hand to him, from my lips to his ears. Something to keep him wary of crossing you. He doesn't want war here any more than I do, after all, and you're not the only one who fears me. But," she said, raising a finger. The flames in her eyes remained blue, but now there was something strangely cold about them. They wavered only slightly, no longer flickering about. Solid. Dangerous. She was frowning. "Paperwork into Artavia. A threat on Leif Jorgenson. These things have a great cost."
Colossus spoke up. "An' it sounds like you already owe her a lot."
Wight seemed to be just remembering that Colossus was there, and smiled at him sheepishly. "A ship, a life, thousands of gold..."
"You have a sizable debt to be paid, Wight," Reina said, her tone cool and measured. "I keep Salza here to look after me. But you know I could send her after you if I wanted. And she would find you wherever you went."
Wight swallowed. "She's nothing compared to what you'd do to me if you caught me while I was running."
"Oh but you never run from me," she purred, leaning closer. "And sadly that tends to alleviate my urge to kill you. I can't rely on myself to do it."
"Love me too much?"
"I suppose I do," she replied softly. "You owe me much. But you've also done much for me. So here is what I will do for you, mi maldito. I will give you your threat. I will give you your papers. And I will let you walk away from here with your life for one more day. And while you are away from me, you will find a way to pay me everything you personally owe me. And not from your captain. If you do not have it when I see you next, no matter when that may be, I will have Salza blindfold me that I may massacre you myself. And there will be no more chances."
The way she spoke was... unnerving. Her voice sank into the crevices of one's mind, ice-cold despite the heat of her being, and set one's heart on edge. Colossus was not an orc known to fear very much, but in the moment that he listened to her hushed terms, he could feel nerves creeping up on him, and he wasn't even the focus of her attention.
Wight nodded slowly. "Then it will be done."
"Also," she stated, her small smile returning. "You will stay here for a spell longer. Your friend will step outside. And you will offer me... let's call it an advance payment."
Wight's tail was back to flicking around excitedly, and he nodded at this immediately. "Of course, of course!" He then turned to Colossus and smiled roguishly. "Colossus, would you...?"
The orc didn't need a second telling. He got up from the table, confident that at least Wight probably wasn't going to die, and he excused himself. He headed all the way out, making for the exit to this place, as he didn't really need to hear the sounds of... whatever was about to happen in there.
And if Wight did get killed while he was gone, well. He probably deserved it, apparently. Colossus couldn't help but feel intensely curious, though, about their history. He'd gotten pieces of it in that conversation. But there was a lot he clearly didn't know still.
Kali brought her fingers to her lips and licked the blood off of them almost sensually as she scanned the crowd. The way they were moving around now that the match was over wasn't doing her any favours trying to find Leigh or her contact, until she spotted a wall at the back open up in a very familiar way. From there she caught sight of her piratey companion, and she hopped out of the ring to head her way.
She hadn't really thought about it until the first punch connected to the back of her head, but a lot of people had probably just lost a lot of money on that fight. Not her contact of course, but there wouldn't have been many here who didn't bet against her. The pain bloomed like the most beautiful of flowers and it was easy as pie to jab a hard kick backwards, catching the perpetrator in the leg and easily breaking the bone. To everyone else around her, mostly sneering faces now and a few who looked distinctly like they had wanted to join the fight until she had broken the one guy's leg, she shouted "You really want to fight me? After watching what I just did to The Viper? Let's do it! Next one to swing is going to die real slow. It's been too long since I've had a good brawl."
She didn't even need to use enchantment with this one -the fight went out of the nearby crowd as they realized she was not only completely serious but probably also clinically insane. If this had been any other day she'd have loved an all-out brawl, but today she had a mission and she didn't want to fuck it up. Not even if it meant not getting to beat the shit out of some uppity snobs. She cracked her neck and continued to push through the crowd, sometimes doing a little less pushing as people parted quickly when they saw the bloodied woman coming.
"Leigh!" she called as she caught sight of the woman nearby.
Post by Leigh Haskell on Oct 23, 2017 18:39:52 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] "Kal," Leigh responded to the sound of her name and quickly found Kali in the crowd by following frustrated glares. Using a rough shoulder and her brandished hook to force her way past the disgruntled crowd, she was quick to approach. Leigh grasped her crewmate's forearm, pulling her in so the two were standing near shoulder to shoulder and could hear one another above the chatter. "It worked. We've got an hour to get the others," She explained, giving Kali the parchment that showed the location they would be going to, and then she turned to exit out of the pit.
But she stopped.
"One more thing," She added. Her hook met Kali's collar, and tugged her in forcefully as her hand tangled into the satyr's hair, "That was fucking hot." She crashed her lips into Kali's without any further ado, kissing with rough abandon. As she pulled away her teeth travelled over Kali's lower lip, taking the flesh with her for a moment before breaking away completely.
[attr="class","waveunbnotes"]Kali for your response Maldrem "Wight" time to wrap up your side before we meet
The sight of the other woman threatening her way through the crowd was the icing on the cake of what had turned out to be a pretty great mission so far, and when she was grabbed roughly on the arm and pulled close she smirked. She was even more glad to hear the good news - the plan had worked and the contact would give them what they needed. They had an hour, which meant they needed to find Mal and Colossus from wherever they had disappeared to. She took the offered parchment and glanced over it to confirm for herself and as she went to follow Leigh the other woman stopped and turned back to her.
The hook, Kali's second favourite part about Leigh, caught her collar and pulled her close and then they were kissing, rough and a little painful and perfect in every way. When they finally parted, after Leigh's teeth freed her lip, she laughed and licked at the blood - Leigh hadn't bitten hard enough to drawn blood (this time), but her lip had already been injured in the fight and it stung beautifully from the action. "I'm glad you liked it, we should do this more often."
She missed the fights. She liked being a pirate, but she still missed the fights. There was just something so freeing about the give and take and breathless brawling of a cage match. The hits she took and those she landed were like splashes of colour in a grey world. "Now let's go find the other hooligans and get this show on the road." Did she have any idea where Mal might be? No, not really. What she knew about Mal was enough to make her guess somewhere with gambling or beautiful women. Maybe both.
Post by Maldrem "Wight" on Nov 7, 2017 16:23:24 GMT -7
An Unspoken History...
I t didn't take quite as long for Wight to emerge from Reina's office as Colossus had thought it might; he wasn't certain if that meant good or bad things for the time Wight spent in there, but seeing as how the Tiefling had a satisfied look on his face, Colossus could hazard a guess at 'pretty good'. Besides, it was better that whatever he'd gotten up to hadn't taken too long. Leigh and Kali would probably want to be meeting up again soon, considering how long they'd already been apart.
Colossus grunted questioningly in Maldrem's direction as Mal took a few deep breaths, as though fully processing everything that had just happened to him. The sound caught his notice, though, so he turned his attention to Colossus and nodded chipperly. "It went well!"
Salza laughed from nearby as she shut the door behind Mal and returned to her post standing next to it, her partner trying his best to remain at stoic attention. She shook her head at him. "Did it really? Because your friend here told me you're a dead man the next time she sees you. Unless you can pay up, of course."
Maldrem stiffened and then rounded on Colossus, looking dramatically hurt. "You told her? I thought you were supposed to be the strong and silent type! That's what I like about you," he whined, leaning against Colossus in the process and emphasizing his point with a swirl of his fingertip on the orc's chest.
Colossus lightly shoved him off. "Wanted some answers," he replied.
"And yet I didn't tell him much," Salza added, smirking. "Not my story to tell. But anyway, you know I'd have found out every word that was exchanged in there sooner or later, Mally. I'd suggest you get on with whatever it is you came here to do so that you can get started on paying back the Lady. I'd really hate to have to hunt you down and skin you."
"I'd also hate that," Maldrem agreed, nodding. Colossus, however, just screwed up his face lightly, muttering "Mally?" beneath his breath.
Maldrem chose not to expound on the nickname; most of the crew didn't know him by his given name, after all. Instead he clapped and gave Colossus a more serious look. "I've got what we need. The papers, as well as a personal little threat to deliver to our man Leif Jorgenson. Reina even made sure to phrase it in such a way that she says he'll know it's from her, even if it comes from my lips. We should go and find the others."
To his own credit, Maldrem was perhaps just as eager to get a move on with the plan as Colossus must have been. His time with Reina certainly hadn't been unpleasant; it never was, really. But it had also left him terrified and with a dire and very real threat to his life, which was not quite so usual. The sooner they handled this job, the sooner he could worry about amending that problem.
He and Colossus set off down the alley, back the way they came, as Mal tossed a wave over his shoulder. "Take care of the lady for me, Salza! Catch you later~"
Salza offered a knowing smile and a finger-wave in reply. "Catch you later, Wight."
He'd be lying if he tried to claim that that didn't make his blood run a little cold. Reina was the most terrifying woman he knew, sure, but the fact that she loved him always gave him a little more assurance about the prospect of her eventually being fed up with him and attacking him. Salza, though, was also quite terrifying, and unlike Reina, had no real hangups about having to kill him if it ever came to it. Maldrem was aware that there were many hired assassins who had come after Reina in the past, and still more who would kill to have Salza's job of protecting her.
He also knew that Salza was the hired assassin who turned them all away. Often times in body bags.
Once they had exited the alley and were back into the busied streets of the underground, Maldrem spoke to his companion again. "Please tell me you didn't give her your name."
Colossus blinked. "Nope."
"Good. If, Deities Forbid, something ever happened to me... well, Reina can be... grudgey. And would really want her money. The fewer people she can hunt down by name, the better."
"Why'zit seem like everythin' you get yourself involved in is trouble?"
"Because I'm a troubled guy, Big C."
"Ain't she know the Captain's name?"
"She does, she does... but I find myself hoping that his magic shield and skill with a blade might be enough to save him if Reina or Salza ever came knocking."
Colossus arched a thick brow ridge. "And if they both did?"
Wight grinned back up at him brightly. "Well he's got a whole crew to help him, right? Surely that's enough to beat two women?"
"...Is it?" The Orc asked, after a pause.
Wight also paused, looking thoughtful. "Maybe," he said, eventually.
Part of Colossus felt pretty sure that Wight had to be overselling this a little; likely his own personal terror was coloring his opinion a bit. But another, smaller part, sincerely hoped that Wight's deadly associates never "came knocking", as he'd put it.
The two returned to a spot on the street near where they'd all started before splitting up, and were loitering about inconspicuously as they kept their eyes peeled for Leigh and Kali. As they stood in silence, Colossus realized he could easily fill the time by asking his companion more about Reina and what exactly made her so scary. But, perhaps nervously, he was finding himself wanting to know less and less. Of course, there was no reason for Wight to know that. So he'd just do what he did best; keep silent and wait for face-smashing time.
Post by Leigh Haskell on Nov 8, 2017 14:16:54 GMT -7
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We should do this more often.
Leigh was happy to think about the prospect as they walked. It was a reasonable thought, whether or not Kali really meant it seriously. Pretty much anywhere the Grail was safe to make shore was the kind of place they could find illegal fights. Leigh could bet big on the hoofed underdog, Kali could get bloody, and they could both walk away a little richer, and a lot more turned on. She could get used to that. If nothing else, it'd be a nice change from her usual shore leave habits, which were getting riskier and riskier.
When the two of them returned to their spot, Wight and Colossus were already there. Leigh tried to read them, as they approached to figure where they were at, but she couldn't get much. Colossus seemed a little out of sorts, which didn't bode well... But Wight didn't look too concerned. Sure, he had a flippant personality, but if he had failed he wouldn't just be standing there. He took this shit seriously, and it was the only reason she could trust him.
"We've got our meeting, and a down payment," Leigh told them without a greeting, knowing the time they had to get to said meeting was short, "Walk and talk on what you've got." She nodded a direction, and then began stalking off, briskly leading the way to their next destination.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
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