Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

"A grand tournament? Really? I wonder if Fiona and the others will be there..." the foxgirl trailed off as she considered it. She couldn't pass up another chance to test herself against the orc warrior, even if she did already have a one-on-one rematch scheduled. "Count me in," she decided after only a brief few seconds of consideration. Sure, her last (and first) tournament in the arena had ended traumatically, but the thought of facing Fiona again was far more motivating than the fear of a repeat of the match against the fallen angel.

"Until then, we could always check with the guards to see if the city itself offers work. They might have some sanctioned bounties or jobs that we could take care of, and handling work for them seems like a good way to get attention from others who might want to hire us. They might even have an official registry of mercenaries which we could join," the blind foxgirl idly suggested. None of it was guaranteed, but it seemed both possible and like a good start to her, at least.

"Barring that," she continued. "I received a letter offering me work. I don't know if the letters you two received were of a similar nature, but if they were then it might be worthwhile to seek our respective letter writers and hear their offers out. Any job we might accomplish will likely help in both gaining more offers and being offered more lucrative work. I'm personally willing to pursue either option currently," the short kitsune finished plainly.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Lumi takes the offered letter from Kherem, quickly scanning it before handing it and the voucher back to Kherem. "I did get an offer as well, which we might want to look into," Lumi says slowly, her ears twitching as she quickly looks around to see if anyone is paying undue attention to them. The white kitsune restrains herself from mentioning other ways of gathering wealth, as much to avoid any attention directed at her as from her uncertainty regarding her companions. "We should probably find some place to stay unless you already have something in mind. I'd like a bath after all the fighting."

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Kherem nodded in confirmation about the grand tournament as Oormi spoke. And as the blind swordswoman readily accepted to be take part in it he smiled. "It will be interesting to see how we fare in it." And as Oormi next spoke of how to go about finding work he nodded in agreement. He had had similiar plans on how to go about finding work, and with a bit of luck they might be able to find something worthwhile. And as Oormi and Lumi both mentioned having possibly recieved work in the letters they had recieved he smiled sheepishly.

"Any work that brings in denarii is good work I'd say. And I believe I've recieved a letter similiar to yours... But I am not sure if it is specificly about work," his tone of voice was a little uncertain; he honestly didn't know what to make out of this 'Esteemed Lady' that wanted to meet him in person. "I think I might be in need of some finer clothes before I meet my host though... Perhaps the two of you could help me with that?" Kherem had never been much for fine clothing. He was raised a blacksmith; he was used to rough garb. It had only been just recently that he had found a fondness for the robe-like clothes he was wearing currently wearing. He'd put the voucher and letter aside once Lumi returned them.

At the mention by Lumi to find somewhere to sleep, and possibly a bath, Kherem smiled up. "I think I might know a place, Lumi. The Wet Witch. I've been staying there since I arrived in Acheron. They have both beds and baths available, and the prices were fair enough I'd say." Kherem raised a hand to scratch under his chin while making a ponderous 'hrm'. "I still need to find some things however... I was going to head to a library I heard about," with that said Kherem raised his chin to look skywards; it was late in the afternoon, with some luck he just might get a book or two before the aforementioned library closed for the night. "I was hoping to get myself some study material before retiring for the night... Do the two of you have any other errands, or would you mind joining me?"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

"I suppose I could try," Oormi replied to Kherem's request with a wry smile, "but I'm not sure I'm very well equipped for it." Despite the nature of her response, however, she really did give it some consideration. When choosing her own clothes she usually relied on a combination of her waves and feeling herself to figure out how things fit and looked, and she didn't feel it particularly appropriate to grope the tall male in order to do the same for him. Though... maybe if she got creative enough with her waves she might be able to properly visualize how the other kitsune would look in his clothing? At least she might be able to gain an idea beyond the tie-dyed blotches that currently made up his form in her vision. It was probably worth an attempt if only as a mental exercise and an effort to gain better control over her powers, even if she wasn't sure how helpful she'd be to Kherem.

"That sounds fine to me," she would reply later at the male kitsune's comment about the library. "A bath and a bed afterward sounds good, too," she added while inwardly hoping that the baths of the inn Kherem was speaking about had the same sort of luxuries that the pools of her birthplace held. There had never been anything quite so satisfying as settling into the water and against one of the magically warmed stone benches after a long day of training, just thinking about it was almost enough to make her melt on the spot. That had Oormi more than ready to see Kherem's last errand out of the way so that she could discover the quality of The Wet Witch's baths for herself, and unless one of the other two had some protest or change of plans, she would be ready to accompany them to the library.

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

"I suppose having you find more information on this spellslinger is at the same price as looking for Naya herself? I doubt the guides would know where to go if I tell them 'that old wizard's house'..." Melissa asked. She wasn't precisely thrilled at the new information, given that it wasn't wholly useful to her right that moment, but she wasn't entirely ungrateful. "Still... thanks. That's a better lead than I've had for a while. I'll be back when I've got the cash on hand."

Leaving the building, Melissa already had a reasonable idea for securing additional funds - shorn hunting. Back in the day, shorn fluids were worth their weight in gold, but now-days the plants were everywhere, driving the prices down considerably. Still, the potions made from their cum were never going to stop being in demand, and the prevalence of their species just meant that finding them wasn't as hard as it had been, so many thousands of years ago; and she already had the perfect weapon for the job, though she would need to get a few smaller bolts. Wasn't much good shooting one full of magical paralysis if you killed it in the process... oh, and she'd need to find those foxes she'd met. She wasn't letting someone with as dangerous and exciting an air as Kherem slip through her fingers because they lost track of each other's locations.

With that in mind, the humanoid set sights on the market. Lowering her funds further wasn't going to put her in high spirits, but need was need. If she was lucky, there might even be someone she could hawk her stolen potion to...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

“Yeah, it’d be the same price… And no, I don’t think that would get you very far,” the elven woman replied with a light chuckle, “you’re welcome, though I don’t think I’ve been of terribly much use just yet. Good luck.” With that Melissa would be free to be on her way, going first to the nearest market…. Where she would find a familiar set of fluffy-tailed figures standing out in the center, Kherem speaking to Oormi and Lumi and seemingly preparing to head off.

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

(Am leaving it here in case Host opts to do something. If he lets me know that Melissa will be letting them go their own way, I’ll put in Kherem’s trip to ye library here. Otherwise, get that introduction out of the way, everyone put in the rest of your errands so I can fill out how they go, and then we can move on.)

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Well, that was a surprise. It seemed that heading to the market had killed two birds with one stone... although having the two goody-two-shoes around was going to put a damper on ideas of selling stolen goods.

"Huh, you changed quick." Was the second sign that Mel was near the rest of her arena partners, the first being a wave if they happened to be looking in her direction. "Without the animal bits I don't think I'd have been able to pick you." Melissa continued about Oormi's current state, the most notable and therefore first mentioned point of conversation. "Well, I guess I won't need to wait at the arena for you, now, at least." She continued to Kherem. "You get all of your stuff done?"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

"It's a benefit of my parentage," the blind foxgirl would casually explain to Melissa once she had realized that the informal greeting had, in fact, come from the group's returning fourth teammate. To demonstrate that ability, she held up several strands of her hair and changed them between violet, a sandy blonde, and red, before allowing it to return to white. "I change it whenever I get bored of it, although this is much closer to my original color. I wish I could explain how it worked, but it's always come naturally to me. Like raising an arm." Although for the rest of the group it was probably best that she had no idea how to explain it, especially given how long-winded her explanations tended to be.

"We were about to accompany Kherem to a library," she continued by deciding to answer Melissa's question, even though it was directed toward the bigger kitsune, if only because aiding in filling the other woman in seemed like it might lead to enjoying a warm bath and some relaxation even sooner. "And then I believe that an inn with a bath was on the agenda," she trailed off in order to fantasize for a moment about how wonderful a hot bath would be before continuing. "Oh, and you received a letter. Well, we all received letters. We also received an invitation to a grand tournament next week. It sounds really fun!"

Spoiler

Unless anybody has anything to add that requires Oormi's direct response, she will still be ready to head to the library and then inn when everybody else is.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

"The library sounds good, I might pick something up myself." Lumi says quietly just as Melissa makes her appearance. Glancing at Melissa, she picks up her bundle of clothes again with one hand and hands the letter to Melissa with the other.

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Kherem smiled sheepishly at Oormi's reply to his clothes-related concerns. "I'd appreciate any help I can get." If there was one thing Kherem questioned it was his ability to pick out fine clothes fit for meeting finer people. Any help, even that of a blind person, would be a step up from doing it on his own. The thought of having a tailor help him in such regards failed to enter his mind. And his suggestion for a place to stay the night at seemed well recieved aswell. Things were being just dandy right now for him. Then he heard Melissa's voice. The fur on his tail rose as a shiver ran down his spine while he tried not to let out a resigned sigh. He slouched his shoulders a bit as he turned and watched Melissa and Oormi speak between eachother.

A bit before Melissa spoke to him he had once more brought up the letter regarding the Acheron Arena, and once she spoke to him he would offer it to her, but before he had a chance to answer her Oormi cut in. Kherem gave Oormi a perplexed look but didn't make a fuss about it; it did spare him from some conversation with the odd human. "As Oormi said, we're about to head to a library and then to an inn I know of, you may join us if you wish. Else you might have to find lodging on your own." Kherem's words to Melissa were polite but little more. Once Melissa had made her decision on whether to join the Kitsunes or not he'd next head off to his next destination, presumably with at least Oormi and Lumi in tow, to find himself some educational material.

Along the way Kherem mused to himself. "I wonder if the library here is bigger than the one in Lockacre... And if they got books on smithing and enchantment for sale." He briefly looked over, and down, his shoulder to his companions, and spoke to none of them in particular. "Any particular books you might be looking for? I could look at the upper shelves for you." His words a bit mirthful as he finished his sentence. If there was one thing Kherem was worse at than finding decent clothes it had to be humor.

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

“Ohh, mage stuff.” Melissa observed acutely when Oormi set about changing her hair. “Didya Magic the clothes, too?” she asked, though the answer wasn’t of much importance to her.
“A letter?” The human changed from mild disinterest to worried caution. This was a surprise, and in the general sense, surprises – ones she wasn’t initiating – were bad. She took the offered envelope, and was informed of the tourney before she could open it. “Oi, really? We barely scraped out of there last time thanks to the big guy here. Probly better not to risk our lives for some change twice in a row, I don’t have that much spare luck…” It wasn’t hard to tell that both Kherem and Oormi had a different opinion, not least because the blind fox had already said as much. “You’re really intending on going to this grand tournament?” the human had to ask, downcast. “You know the foes are only going to be worse than the ones we already fought, right? More ruthless. Thicker tentacles.”

Just when Kherem may have thought that he could be rid of the madwoman, she relented, for reasons he would probably be less than happy with. “Wellll, if you’re set on it, Kherem, then I guess I’ll have to join you. Can’t fight alongside you if I’m in the stands, after all.”

Buying bolts had lost it's value now that this new tournament was over the horizon, so Melissa no longer had any reason to remain in the markets - and she certainly didn't want to waste her time standing around in a library. "If I get any closer to books today I'll come out in a rash..." the woman complained, "I'll meet you at this inn. Which one is it?"

With her new destination set, the ancient woman moved to a quieter place than the middle of a market and looked over her letter. Getting up to date with Badaria's modern written language had proved a harder process than re-learning the spoken one, making it a slow process...

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

"Just something to read in my spare time," Lumi replies casually as she trails after Kherem. "Maybe I should pick up some alchemy, might help you with different alloys if we stay together." the white kitsune continues with a faint smile, though her ears start twitching again as the group moves, trying to pay attention to everyone around her.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Melissa's reminder at what had transpired in the arena made Oormi grimace, but even that reminder of the humiliation she had suffered not long prior wasn't enough to drain her interest for the upcoming tournament. She found that she simply couldn't leave the comment lie without a reply either, though, even if the humanoid woman had already agreed to join them in the arena again. "What happened in the arena was terrifying, painful, and humiliating," she calmly stated. "But losing my sight was no less... unpleasant. If I allow these things to defeat me by making me curl up into a ball and give up, then I've let them take away my goals and dreams." The short foxgirl paused to take a deep breath, before finishing simply with; "I'd rather die than let that happen."

She would let it drop at that if the other woman would, and would silently nod her farewell to Melissa when she chose not to accompany them to the library before moving to follow Kherem. At the bigger fox's quip along the way, she would cheerfully reply after Lumi put in her own comment; "And keep an eye out for anything in braille!" Beyond that and anything else that required her attention though, she would make the trip in silence.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

After being given the name and address of the Wet Witch, where Kherem had allegedly been staying before and where he had invited them to stay as well, Melissa would pause in her journey to the inn in order to read her letter. She would find it addressed from her sister, Laurana, and had been written in large text and using simple words for her benefit.

Mel,
I have sent a letter like this one to Ros, but don't know who would have got their version first and don't know how either of you will react. If this letter finds you in or near Acheron, go there and stay there. I have almost found a way to contact Naya, and once I do I will be going there for the next thing that we need to find and free father. Acheron is where we need to be to make that happen. I don't know for sure how long I'll be, but eventually you and Ros will meet up, and until then you had better try to stay out of trouble. And don't you even think about coming to look for me! I'm not telling you where I am just to make sure of that!
-Laurana

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

After they had parted ways once again with Melissa, the three kitsune were free to travel to the Royal Library, a massive structure made from a re-purposed mansion that had a slew of armed non-Acheron guards around it. The three of them would be permitted inside, however, and upon entering the place would be greeted by a smiling pale woman with two different colored eyes, one vibrant crimson and the other bright blue. "Good afternoon!" she said happily, the slight tilt of her head drawing the eye to the elegant bun into which her shockingly pink hair was drawn, the two golden rods holding it in place gleaming in the light cast by the lightstones hanging from the wall.

"Welcome to the Royal Library! Do you three happen to have memberships with us? You need at least a bronze membership in order to access the main library, and silver if you want to peruse the rarer materials we have and borrow any of the more common books. A gold membership gets you your own personal assistant for as long as you're here, and allows you to borrow from the rarer collection too! A silver pass or higher also allows a single guest to be brought in with you!" The prices for the three memberships were plainly visible, with bronze being 2 denarii, silver 5, and gold a slightly staggering 50.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Upon arriving at the royal library, the blind foxgirl once again found herself awed by the size of the buildings in Acheron. Her waves didn't even reach enough of the building to reveal more than the entrance and small blotches of the walls off to the sides of it. It was something that she was still getting used to after spending so much time surrounded mainly by trees and the various other plants of the forests. The unnatural appearance of the secretary once they had entered the building, on the other hand, was lost to the blind girl. There was certainly the presence of blue and crimson and pink but not where it was supposed to be and in no smaller quantity than was present on Kherem or Lumi or even the walls around them, and a smattering of yellow and orange and green and various other colors joined them in forming what Oormi's sight could make out of the woman's figure.

She was a little disappointed when it was revealed that the memberships cost more coin than she actually possessed, but she didn't let it wear at her. She was blind, after all, and hadn't exactly expected to get very much out of the trip anyway. "I've no membership and can't really justify budgeting for one, all things considered," she wryly quipped, deciding against mentioning that she was actually too poor to even afford the membership in the first place since she didn't really want the other two to know that. "Would it be okay for me to wait here for my friends until they've got what they're after?"

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Kherem had frowned a little in disappointment at Melissa's reluctance to join them in the arena. Sure enough it was her choice whether she wanted to join them or not, but she made it sound like she had already lost. He did hold his tongue in check rather than arguing with the small woman. It was a bit hard not to when the comment about 'thicker tentacles' was made. Oormi answering Melissa was good enough for him. In fact, he found the swordswomans little speech quite inspiring. A small smile formed on his lips as he simply nodded in agreement with Oormi. And as Melissa commented about having to join him he gave her a slightly skeptical look. "While that is true, it is up to you whether or not to join us. Regardless, I don't think I would mind fighting side by side with you again... And there is still time to hone our skills before the next tournament." He would briefly answer her inquiry about what inn they would be staying at, giving her both the name and the direction it was in compared to the market.

The walk to the library was pleasant and peaceful for Kherem, a bit of chatter with Lumi and Oormi put him in a good mood too. At the formers mention of alchemy he nodded a bit. "Ah, I've always been curious about alchemy, alas it is not for me. As for aiding me in my craft... I appreciate the thought, but I'd be fine with a potion or two from time to time." And to the latters input he nodded again. "Will do, Oormi." The library they arrived at was unlike anything he had seen before. It was so huge! Fortunately he caught himself before gawking and staring too much. "Good afternoon" he would say politely, followed by listening to the reception they recieved. As he mulled over the shown prices for the various memberships, and the information he had been given about each, Oormi was the first to answer the pale woman. Her answer made Kherem pout ever so slightly though.

"Or you could join me, Oormi, as I think I will be purchasing a Silver Membership." He added in after Oormi had finished speaking, giving the blind woman a brief glance to see if that might be a suitable solution for her. Whether she answered or not he next turned his attention back to the receptionist while plucking up his coinpurse to count up five denarii and then put them on the counter, offering a polite smile as he spoke. "A Silver Membership for me, thank you... And if you don't mind me asking; does the library sell any books, or only lend them out?"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

The blind foxgirl offered a happy smile in response to Kherem's kind gesture, but decided to decline. "Thank you for the offer, but in truth I'm not sure I'd gain very much from a trip inside the library. And I don't mind waiting for you anyway, it will give me some time to reflect on the day." Oormi wasn't just saying that, either, she really didn't mind having a bit of time to simply think and rest her feet. "Why not take Miss Lumi with you? You both have far more productive interests here than myself." She paused for a few moments as if to end her suggestion there before deciding that something more might be needed to sway her charitable comrade into proceeding without her and adding; "And if you'd like, you could always borrow one of the braille books at random. I'd consider reading it an adventure," the short kitsune concluded cheerfully.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Lumi quietly follows Kherem to the library, frowning a bit as she sees the prices. "I was going to buy my own membership, but if Oormi isn't coming, it might be better to save the money. I can alwaysget the membership later." Lumi points out.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

]

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

(Herp derp)

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

"Of course!" the attending demoness would reply to Oormi's question about remaining out here to wait. Turning to Kherem, she would take his money and reply; "Of course! Just fill out this short form and I'll give you your card... We don't generally sell books, but any volume that we have more than ten copies of, or twenty copies for high interest texts, we do put on display for sale. For books that we have less than three copies of, we generally don't even lend them out except to gold members."

After Kherem filled in a card with his name and birthday, the woman would put it through a small device that would make a few quick whirring noises before spitting out a laminated gray card, which she would the hand back to him. It had his name and birthday on it, as well as a small field labeled "books currently borrowed" and another right next to it labeled "due back by" with a blank spot. The card had a total of three rows on it, thus making it likely that he could only borrow three books at a time, which the receptionist would confirm if he bothered to ask.

"You can get help looking for things from any of our staff inside, or look it up in our filing system!" she would continue, ignoring Lumi's comment as she seemingly had nothing of interest to reply to it with. "We do have a wing devoted to books in braille, and one with magical ink too if you can read that!" she would supply helpfully after Oormi's comment about picking out a book for her.

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Melissa read her letter three times through. The second two times were trickier, since the letter shook more while she spent time biting into the side of one of her hands. The warrior's pride burned at the realization that she wasn't going to win her sisterly little contest of egos, not unless she had some breakthrough soon. ...Of course, the news was also happy; getting pops free would be great. Adom always made sure Melissa and her sisters were safe, and other than strictness, there wasn't too much the half daemon could complain about in her unnatural progenitor. Still, using Naya to do so...? The warrior's fear of the goddess never had been appreciated by her sisters, so she didn't doubt Laurana's intentions... but she'd rather the angel didn't realize her old playmates were still around and kicking. Anger, excitement, fear... surely a brief spat of text shouldn't be able to inflict such a confusing array of feelings.

The letter may have all but announced her failure to free their father... but Melissa was used to losing fights through unconsciousness, not through the written word. She moved with greater purpose to the Wet Witch. Laurana had all but confirmed that something of use to freeing their father was still in the city, and boy would it ever show her if littlest-sister Melissa out smarted the smarty mage middle-sister. Shorn harvesting wasn't going to cut it for the kind of quick and heavy funds she'd need to beat her sister to the chase. Nothing she could make or sell - body included - could get that money with the haste she would need; this would take a grand heist, or a very dangerous bounty... one way or another, it was the kind of denarii that couldn't be made without a fight, and a fight of a size that Melissa would need a friend to help with. ...Actually, that tourney might work. Kherem never had said what the winnings were, and he'd taken the letter with him.

Well, getting to the inn was the first step, though her body now bristled with energy to do so much more. A demon city had to have people it wanted dead, right? The humanoid had to at least look at the options available - she was too excited - or nervous - or possibly peeved - to not spend some energy looking at options. She talked to the inn-keeper exactly long enough to pay for a night's lodging, and then immediately scoured the inn for anything of promising value to her current cause.