Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 54/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) Find
~~~~Oormi and Lumi~~~~
"You'll have your provendor's in stitches. Won't be Hizzoner's guest for long either! Lemme get you a drink first," the gruff replied, and then turned and walked off. He came back a moment later with a mug filled with water, and in it was a small bundle wrapped in oiled leather.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Ouch. That pricetag was a painful hit to her winnings, but at least it wasn't as bad as with demons; her soul was still clean, as far as she could feel, so the price was only half what it could be. The denarii counted out for the demoness took a good few moments to reach the right amount, though whether it was from a frugal nature or unintelligence was up for debate. Still, the demonspawn got her money, the daemonspawn got her potion, and with a few gulps, downed the contents. When the empty vial left her lips bare moments later, Melissa's face had soured severely, an act she followed with a throaty noise of disgust.
"Uughhk! Should have just drunk your cum... remind me to, next time, yeah?" She asked of her companion, and wiped her mouth on her arm.
"Well, we've just fought for our lives in significant terror- well, maybe less terror for you... still. We won money and we got out with our lives; there are worse things to celebrate about." Even the crude woman wasn't so lacking in tact as to suggest going another round, though primarliy because she was already satisfied in that department, at least right this second.
"Lets find the other two and make a party of it. This city's got enough inns to find somewhere that'll serve the champions of the last arena tournement, I'm sure."
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
The blind foxgirl's expression became a grimace as she read her second letter, which she did in a corner far enough away from Lumi's deal that she could barely make out any of their words. Even if she had been interested in prying about the oddities in what she could hear, the thought of the faeries knowing what had transpired was enough to make her forget about it almost immediately. The blind foxgirl supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised that Jasmine had kept track of her, even though realizing that did little to remove the feeling. The fey priestess had a knack for seemingly knowing everything that was going on in her sphere of influence. Between that and her father's ability to read minds and her mother's overprotective nature outside of training, it would've been difficult for Oormi to be a mischievous youth. Although, that thought always made her wonder how her full sister got away with the things that she did.
But there was nothing to be done about it then, she supposed as she stashed the letter back into her robes. Jasmine had been supportive enough of her endeavor to find her own independence at least, and she apparently hadn't changed her mind yet. Oormi shuddered to think of how quickly she'd be pulled away from her quest by her mother if the faerie alerted her parents. The kitsune might be pulled from her journey and safely sealed away in a cave never to see the light of day again -- metaphorically, of course -- if that were to transpire, and maybe even worse if her defeat in the arena came to light. The thoughts were overwhelming enough that she would end up leaning against her chosen corner as she waited for Lumi to finish up, too lost in them to notice the transaction between the bartender and her teammate or the attention she herself was garnering..
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Kherem's ears flattened slightly as Melissa held onto the money without withdrawing them. And they flattered further as he was being stared down by the unflinching woman before him. He wouldn't avert his gaze from Melissa, even if he might very look like wanting to do so at any moment, and listened to her apology now that she had his full attention. He would give no objections, simply nod nervously in acknowledgement, and let out a quiet sigh of relief the moment Melissa's hand finally withdrew from his open palm. "I... thank you.", his words quiet and a little uncertain, yet appreciative, that she might have the decency to ask next time around. If such were to happen. His own mood would remain fairly down after the conversation with the part-daemoness. Seeing the exchange of Denarii in favor of the coveted potion put him at ease however. One less thing to worry over at least.
By the time Melissa had finished the transaction the Kitsune had managed to recover from their interaction, to some degree. Her comment about how to deal with his seed 'next time' made him grimace slightly. He had little desire for another romp this soon. "If there is another time, perhaps you'd let me drink my potion before such an... ocassion.", his tone wasn't very thrilled at the prospect. All the same it didn't stop him from pulling up the Infertility Potion he had bought prior to show it, briefly, before tucking it away again. Raising his ears, in an attempt to display that he was listening, Kherem would look towards the Arena's exit as Melissa spoke of their recent activities. "She was a terrifying adversary alright.", his tone was a little distant, a little uncaring, as his thoughts lied elsewhere.
As Melissa spoke of finding the other half of their party, and seeking out an inn to celebrate in, Kherem turned and gave her his full, undivided, attention. And a less-than-positive expression in regards to her proposed course of action. "Unfortunately, you'd have to find them on your own, Melissa. As much as I wish to see them, as I have matters I'd like to discuss with the three of you, I have preparations to tend to. Potentially profitable ones, I'd like to think.", Kherem would briefly motion to his midsection. Where once three blades had been holstered only one remained now. "I have better things to spend my earnings on than to drink them away, as I do not think there is reason enough for celebration just yet. A Smith works while the iron is hot, Melissa. And my forge have only just begun to warm up."
With those words of conviction said the swordsman turned to leave the Arena. His steps sure and unwavering; he felt much better now. He had reminded himself of what he needed to do, even if he hadn't been very clear to his acquaintance.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
“Seriously? You fight past enemy after enemy, and you don’t have a feast after your victory?” The human was quite clearly taken aback at the idea. “What do you do for fun? ...Well, nevermind, I’ve got business of my own anyway. Where’ll you be when you’re done? I’ll come find you.”
Once she had somewhere to meet back up, Melissa would take her leave. She wasn’t kidding about having business – she had already learned that this city had an official office for sorting out the records of the town of Artmirst, and the daemonchild had business there…
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Kherem simply shrugged at Melissa's reaction to his words. "The Arena was a means to an end, Melissa. It was only the start of my work. After the next few parts though, I might consider celebrating". Kherem couldn't help but smile amusedly as Melissa inquired about what he did for fun. "What I do for fun? I make Swords. And very well, I'll see you later on then. As for where... I do not know. I can't say how long time it will take for me to finish my business, and I do not know Acheron all too well... I suppose I could return here and wait outside the Arena once I am finished.", Kherem simply shrugged. "See you later in any case, Melissa.", and then he turned to leave. Unless something were to interrupt him he'd try to find his way to a marketplace if such were to be found, or anyplace where one could procure ore and metal, in order to gauge prices of the like.
[tl;dr Kherem faffs off to sniff around for the costs of ores and such, and is likely to ask a guard if he manages to get lost]
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
"Thankyou," Lumi says, taking the mug. After a moment of pondering how to best get the bundle out discreetly, she opts to drink deeply from the mug and manages to catch the bundle over the edge of the mug with her thumb. As the kitsune places the mug on the table, she deftly pulls the bundle out and palms it before slipping it into her pocket as she nods at the barkeeper, lingering a while longer before turning around and walking to Oormi's corner. "Allright,let'sgo."
Were Oormi to profess herself ready to continue, Lumi would then aim to lead her to Eve's Garden by the shortest route.
Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 54/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) Find
~~~~Oormi and Lumi~~~~
After acquiring her lockpicks and discreetly pocketing them, Lumi would find her blind companion seemingly lost in thought, but once Oormi was shaken from it and if the young kitsune was ready, on to the flower shop they would go. The streets of Acheron bustled as they always seemed to, but besides the usual offers of guidance from a smattering of often incredibly strange individuals and someone sneakily fondling both of their tails at once only to vanish before either kitsune could detect them, they went along unmolested. If they opted to check, they would find nothing taken from their persons by the mysterious groper, nor anything planted.
Arriving at Eve's Garden, they found the fairly large corner shop occupied only by one apparent patron, a satyr who was wandering around aimlessly, and the pretty young woman standing behind the counter, her skin slightly darker than was average among Badarians (or demons who opted to have normal skin colors) and her dusky brown hair cut into a short bob. Indeed, on initial inspection the woman's only unusual features seemed to be the spiral horns jutting from her head and the strange animal-like ears that sprung from the top of her head, but if they got closer and peered under the counter they would find that she had a bottom half similar in appearance to the goat-man striding around her shop.
"Hello!" the faun greeted them brightly, "Welcome to my garden! My name is Eve, how may I assist you today? I have plants both of the decorative and of the practical sort, and even sell a few herbal remedies to everyday problems, all made from herbs grown right here in Acheron and guaranteed fresh!"
~~~~Kherem~~~~
Heading South after parting ways with Melissa and leaving the arena, Kherem would find that Acheron was covered in marketplaces and smithies and shops, many of which sold items that might be of interest to him among their other assorted goods. The main strip itself had hundreds of junk shops, smithies, oddity stores, and marketplaces where scrap metal that could be smelted for use in sword making were to be found, but after some wandering he wound up at a main market that had numerous stalls in it. There seemed to be no place that sold raw ores to the public, meaning he would need to resmelt items for materials from which he would make a sword. If he asked a guard, he would be told that the only place from which to buy raw ore was the Acheron mining commission downtown, but the skeptical demon would say that they normally sold raw materials in bulk to vendors and caravans rather than to people off the street.
~~~~Melissa~~~~
Melissa, after parting from Kherem, would proceed further downtown in search of a records office. It was open, unsurprisingly, and upon entering past the guards stationed outside she would find herself facing an elven woman wearing glasses sitting behind a counter. "Hello," she greeted Melissa, "Welcome to the Acheron Records Depository. What can I do for you today?"
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
The blind foxgirl was easy enough to shake out of her thoughts, especially once Lumi suggested that it was time for them to go. With a wordless nod, the kitsune followed the more knowledgeable one on the road to Eve's Garden.
Oormi did end up stirring up a minor fuss after her tail was fondled. She attempted to find the perpetrator to no avail. When that failed, she briefly considered manipulating her waves in a manner intended to shock anyone who touched her, though quickly decided against that given how busy some of the streets had been and how easy it would be to brush into an innocent bystander. In the end, although it left a bad taste in her mouth, she ended up having to allow her irritation over the impropriety to drop and tried, with varying degrees of success, to focus on being glad that they hadn't gone for a different target. After a quick check to confirm that her valuables were all still in place, although she didn't think to search for anything that might have been planted on her, she was eventually ready to continue on.
Once they had arrived at Eve's Garden, the foxgirl was surprised to discover one of the goats, as Presea had referred to them, in Acheron. Now that she thought of it, the bartender had been a gruff too, wasn't he? She was even more surprised when she learned that Eve was a faun. Her surprise remained unspoken however, as it didn't seem like such an outlandish circumstance that it required comment, and instead once Eve addressed the duo, the foxgirl turned immediately toward business.
"A pleasure to meet you, Eve, my name is Oormi," she started with a courteous dip of her head. "I've actually come to purchase an arrangement of flowers that would be suitable for mourning a death. If you offer a delivery service I'd like them delivered to a woman called Lady Ash, though I fear I don't know where she's located in this city. I am not very well suited for picking them out either, so I would be leaving that to your expertise. How much would such a thing cost?"
Shopping list for the purpose of possibly getting all this stuff done more quickly!
Purchase ye 10 denarii service for nice flowers and delivery, as per OOC comments.
Head to Madame Rosmerta's, probably just to window shop as after this she only has 5 denarii left of her winnings.
Afterward she's going to exchange her current Find spell with two to determine where Kherem and Melissa are and make way to the nearest.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Parting ways with Melissa allowed Kherem to focus on his own plans once more, something that was hard when she was around, and he took to the streets with a leisurable pace to his steps. It allowed him some time for reflection of the past few days. The conclusion of his journey for one thing, him finally reaching Acheron after setting out from Lockacre, followed by taking in the sights. Sights unlike any he had seen before of course, ones that often had left him gawking and staring, and a few nights spent wherever he could find a bed for a few coins. The height of his time in Acheron so far was without a doubt his entry into the arena. Fighting came naturally to him, at least as far as he was concerned, but there was still room for improvement. A lot of it too. He frowned slightly as his less bright moments came to mind; His defeat by Draconis, how he had let his rage get the better of him and thus cost a man his life. His defeat by Fiona was another one, and perhaps he did, maybe unwittingly, share some of Oormi's interest in a rematch with the Orc swordswoman. The worst part of it had been the encounter with Blackwing though, where he had felt so powerless while forced to watch his newfound allies be defiled before him. She had paid for it in the end though. Dearly so no less, as far as he was concerned. His pace slowed to a halt as he pondered it; had that been another undue death caused by his hands, just like the Knight? He didn't know. Part of him felt the black angel had well and truely deserved it. Another part of him didn't feel that was a good way of looking at it.
He shook his head as he picked up his pace once more and then some. He had business to take care of. Whatever karma his actions might've earned him would have to be dealt with some other time, fate be willing. He recalled what the Arena shopkeep had told him; the Royal Library, and another one in the east part of the time, just might be willing to sell him some books. He had never been very scholarly or studious. Not unless it was about matters very much relevant to his limited interests anyhow. Blacksmithing, swordcraft in particular, was the big one. He had found himself quite taken by the feeling of making something when he grew up. But so far his swords had been plain. Serviceable and reliable he'd like to think, but not much more than that, and that was something he wanted to change. As the tall Kitsune made his way through Acheron, briefly stopping here and there while searching for Ore, he was thinking about it. He possessed some natural affinity to magic, of sorts at least, so perhaps he'd be able to pick up another trade to help his first. Enchanting that is. He did not know anything about it, save from stories about legendary arms and armor wrought by equally legendary smiths or wizards, but with some dedication and what natural affinity he had for magic he just might be able to work enchantments into his crafts. Distracted as he was by his ponderings he eventually realized he wasn't paying enough attention to the here and now, leaving him dead in his tracks in the middle of one of the marketplaces. The swordsman surveyed his surroundings, no doubt looking lost for a moment, and then set his course without wavering from it.
There was so many things he wanted to do and far too little time for him to do it in. Procuring ore and smelting it, not to mention getting access to the equipment to do so with, would take too much time. Ingots. That just might be a better idea for something to pursue. Smelting down finished goods and then forging something out of that might also be serviceable though. With a sigh of frustration Kherem set out to scour the stalls dealing with metal, preferably ingots if such was to find, and if not with finished if simpler products he might be able to smelt down. In particular he wanted to know what kind of metals there was for him to potentially work with that could be found in Acheron. For that he might need to find someone not particularly busy, or generous enough to satiate his curiosity. His expectations of finding either was very low, but what harm was there in asking? There might even be books about such things to find if he would be so fortunate in the unfortunate case of there being none able to answer his inquiries.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
The human made herself at home moments after entering the office, sitting sideways on the customer’s side of the counter without thinking about it, as brazen as ever. “Hello, Jane!” she replied, with obvious enthusiasm at the chance to continue her trend of naming people that failed to name themselves.
Once she had dealt with whatever reply the elf girl wanted to make, and she got down to the business of actually explaining herself, Melissa’s silliness died off somewhat. “There’s someone I need to track, and I’ve been directed here by most of the people I’ve asked about it. Me ‘n my sisters figured out that she lived here, back before the place got spell-bombed and demons started running it. Well… not lived, really, more like she was trapped here. Still, I need to figure out what happened to her. She’s, usually, about yeigh high” - the human held out an arm at the appropriate head-height of her quarry - “fair-skinned, and looks to be about the hottest thing on two legs. White wings, green see-through tentacles. Name’s Naya; she’s a goddess. Sleeps around a lot. You might have heard’ve her?”
Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) Find on Kherem and on Melissa
~~~~Oormi and Lumi~~~~
"Well, that depends on how much you're willing to spend," Eve replied, and after some explanation Oormi opted for the more expensive arrangement. The faun assured the kitsune that she knew off the top of her head where they ought to be delivered, and asked if she would like to dictate a note to go with the flowers or simply leave them unsigned. After that it was off to Madame Rosmerta's, where the fluffy tailed duo would find a mildly impatient demon as the storekeeper who happily helped them pick out a number different outfits if she let them and quite artfully tried to get them to decide on a purchase, being insistent without seeming forceful at any one point.
Whether they caved to her saleswoman's wiles or not, Oormi would eventually cast a spell to find her two companions elsewhere in Acheron. Melissa was somewhere downtown, while Kherem was closer in a market that actually wasn't a far walk, and unless Oormi would rather find the human woman they would be able to find the tall fuzzy kitsune without too much trouble with the aid of her spell. How they would approach the man and what they would say was entirely up to them.
~~~~Kherem~~~~
Ingots were another story altogether from ore. A few were to be found in the shops and stalls dealing with metals and jewelry, largely of precious metals but a few were of metals that would be more useful in swordcraft. The ingots he found followed the Badarian standard, all being exactly five pounds worth of metal, with costs depending on the material desired.
The woman made no indication that she found any problem with the nickname that Melissa picked for her, merely smiling knowingly at her boundless enthusiasm. When she actually got down to business, however, the subject of her search drew a somewhat flabbergasted look from the attendant. "Well, err.... Yes, I have heard of her. I've.... Well, you'd have to check the census office if you want to check if she's living here, but I don't think there are currently any deities officially living in Acheron. As for previously.... Well, I couldn't even begin to know where to look for something like that. A greater daemon wouldn't be held in any conventional prison, so I'm guess she was locked in some kind of magical prison that was hidden. I can take a look, but... That sort of search might take a few days, and I'd have to charge you for it with no promise of any success. The rate for a deep search is fifty denarii per day."
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
The blind foxgirl would choose to pay for the most expensive arrangement that Eve offered for more solemn affairs, having ended up deciding that it would be disrespectful to send anything less to the dead knight's mourners. Without hesitation, she removed her coin purse from her robes and counted out ten denarii for the faun shopkeeper, leaving five for herself. The faerie's question about her preference for a note would catch the kitsune off guard for a few moments, though shortly afterward she came up with something that she deemed suitably tasteful. "Ah, just 'I'm sorry for your loss' should be fine, I think. It's probably for the best if it remains anonymous." With that, she would leave the matter entirely in the faun's hands, deciding against previewing her selection since her wavesight was incapable of viewing the flowers in their intended coloration. Afterward, she would request Lumi's aid in proceeding to Madame Rosmerta's.
Oormi's mood brightened noticeably as she entered the door of the clothing shop. If her eyes had been open and unconcealed by her blindfold then they would've surely gleamed with excitement. The shop was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before, so many different sets of clothing from so many different styles all packed under one roof. Admittedly, most of the places she had visited and most of the things she had done that day were unlike anything she'd ever experienced, but the trip to Madame Rosmerta's was on a much more positive level than everything else. Most every other visit and action that day had been marred slightly by the underlying necessity to see some obligation or duty finished or by some tragedy, among other things, but the only reason behind her trip to the clothing shop was to satisfy one of Oormi's greatest addictions: obtaining pretty clothes. Even though she had to rely on others to tell her what color her clothing was and even though it was impossible for her to use mirrors and as such was a gargantuan effort just to determine anything looked on her, her appearance was something that the blind girl refused to give up.
The saleswoman didn't have to work very hard to get the blind foxgirl in the mood to shop, and Oormi in turn would even assist her in urging Lumi to look for a few new outfits and claiming "it'll be fun!" The kitsune swordsman herself would end up inspecting the store's entire displayed inventory if given half a chance, and she ended up with a large haul of outfits that she wanted to try on. The very first item she tried on was a dress in the fashion of many demonic sorceresses. "Wow. This, uh, barely covers anything..." she called out from the dressing area before deciding against it. The second item she tried on consisted of a sleeveless silken top and flowing pants made of the same material with a sash that tied the two together, which she liked but decided against it as well for personal reasons after asking the shopkeeper what color it was and being told that it was green.
The third item Oormi tried was an Anudorian style outfit consisting of a long dress and a shawl intended to be worn about the head and shoulders, which the foxgirl set aside to consider as she continued. The next several items of clothing she tried were quickly dismissed due to disliking the lack of comfort provided by them or their feel or impracticality, including a gown in the fashion of Badarian nobility. After that came a sleeveless cheongsam with a cleavage window in the shape of a diamond which was so short that it probably only would've concealed the top two inches of her thighs on a good day. Even in the privacy of the dressing room and with her boxers still on, and now poking out far beneath the bottom of the dress, the revealing nature of the dress caused her to blush. But as revealing as it was, Oormi couldn't claim that she disliked the style of clothing. "Do you have a more modest version of this one? With a port for my tail, preferably," she would note as she peeked out of the room just far enough to hand the outfit back to the demonic woman.
When the shopkeeper returned with another dress of the same general style but which was long enough to reach her ankles and lacked the cleavage window of the first, Oormi simply knew that she had to purchase it. There were slits in the skirt that ran all the way from the hem and ending just short of her waist, but she had nothing against her clothes being a little bit revealing as long as she wasn't a slight breeze away from a wardrobe malfunction. The slit did reveal her current choice of underwear to a far greater extent than she deemed acceptable, however, and so she requested that the shopkeeper bring her several sets of underwear to try on. After a small incident wherein she naively asked if the shopkeeper had accidentally brought her an eyepatch and an embarrassed muttering of 'oh my gods' later, she ended up choosing a pair of matching boy shorts and a camisole, which shared the color of the cheongsam, that being black, according to the shopkeeper.
Once she was done trying those on together, she mentally marked both as must-buy and took off the dress and set it aside. Oormi probably tried on another dozen outfits after that, none of which she liked enough to even learn their colors from the shopkeeper. It would turn out that the very last outfit she tried on was one that she loved easily as much as the cheongsam. It consisted of, with colors according to the shopkeeper, a white button-up top with a black, pleated a-line skirt and a pair of black thigh high socks which left about an inch of skin between them uncovered, but the thing that the foxgirl liked most about it was that on top of it all was a long, black open overcoat which was accented around the collar, cuffs, and bottom with white fur and easily reached her calves. It felt stylish to her, at least, and she couldn't help but imagine wearing it to her rematch with Fiona, which cemented it as something she simply had to purchase.
That would conclude her time at Madame Rosmerta's though, as it had drained the remainder of her funds. Before leaving the dressing room, she decided to put the cheongsam back on and wear it out, as the new clothes made her feel much better after everything she had been through that day, and bundled her old clothing and underwear and the other outfit she had chosen together by making her old robes into an improvised sack. Oormi also arbitrarily decided that with new clothes should come a new hair color, a habit that her sister had always teased her for, and decided after a little bit of thought to shift her her hair and the fur of her tail to something closer to her roots, specifically white with red tips. She also meticulously folded all of the other clothes she had tried on, albeit less than perfectly given that she couldn't easily tell what patterns were on each item and how they were supposed to be displayed, so that the shopkeeper would at least have an easier time of returning them to their original homes. Once that was done, she would exit the dressing room and, after one last impulse buy in the form of a black silken band to replace her old blindfold with, which she did, paid the proprietor of the store her last remaining denarii for her purchases.
She would stick around if Lumi happened to want to try on outfits and/or was from earlier, but once the other foxgirl was ready to go and assuming she didn't have anywhere else in mind then the blind kitsune would cast her spells to determine where Kherem and Melissa had gone and since the former was closer she would go to him first. If Lumi did have another place in mind, then Oormi would request that they at least go and drop off the male kitsune's letters first and if that wasn't an acceptable stop then she would request that the more stealthy foxgirl grant her the letters addressed to him so that she could at least drop them off before catching up.
Once that was handled and she made her way to the general location of the tall kitsune, she greeted him simply, calling out to him as soon as she was close enough. "Kherem!" The short foxgirl didn't give much thought to the prospect that he might not recognize her in a new dress with an entirely new hair color, although the blindfold probably would've given her away regardless as the swordsman probably didn't know too many blind kitsunes in Acheron. "I finished shopping! And there were some letters for you that I wanted to make sure you received," she would note, either offering them to Kherem herself or prompting Lumi to if the latter still had them and was with her. "Did everything go well with Melissa?" She knew she probably shouldn't have asked, but given that the two had separated to such an extent she couldn't fend off her curiosity on the matter.
Purchase 2 pairs of Clothes: AV = 1, EV = 0, TP = 25, DU = 2. (1 fluffed as a black cheongsam dress (which she's putting on immediately) and 1 fluffed as a set consisting of overcoat, white top, black skirt, and black thigh highs). Also purchase camisole, boy shorts, and blindfold for additional 1 denarii apparently.
POVERTY, HO!
Also at some point she shapeshifts her heir color to white with red tips (which her ears and tail will shift to match), because as of last ruling I asked about that's a thing.
Now I just need to update her character sheet and description.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Not really being interested in flowers or the deceased, Lumi merely follows the exchange between Oormi and the shopkeeper patiently before leading the former to the Madame Rosmerta's.
Though hesitant at first, with the urging from the shopkeeper and Oormi, Lumi eventually tries a few outfits. Though she at first tries something fancier, what she eventually settles for is a simple leather outfit consisting of moderately form-fitting pants and jacket, both with multiple pockets and made of dark blue leather. The colour didn't really suit her - or maybe it did, she had never paid much attention to such things - but then, she didn't exactly intend to make herself seen wearing it and it seemed to suit her purposes almost perfectly.
As she finishes examining the suit, she inevitably catches a sight of herself in the mirror. Stopping dead at the sight, the kitsune blinks several times. The colour indeed didn't suit her, making her natural fairness into sickly paleness, but the rest... Though not all that much different from what she was used to wearing, it seemed to emphasize her body much more, and for a moment she thought it looked almost pretty. Maybe if it was green... The thought then made her blink. Attracting attention to herself was the last thing she usually wanted to do, yet here she was thinking of trying to make herself...pretty? Looking pretty would get her attention, attention would bring danger. Yet she couldn't quite shake the yearning. It was almost...normal. Normal girls wanted to be pretty, didn't they? And she might want to pass herself for a normal girl, wouldn't she?
Not entirely certain of her decision, but rushing forward before she has time to think it over, she peeks out of the fitting room and hails the shopkeeping demon. "Doyouhavethissameoutfitinpalegreen?Andmaybeothercolours?" The shopkeeper quickly supplies her with several similar outfits in different colours, though none of them are quite identical. Almost immediately discarding the black and the bright red, she tries the others on. The green one makes her simply stare at her image. It was tighter than the blue, restricting her movements a little and with fewer pockets, but the way it made her seem... Skinny. Definitely too skinny. Yet other than that, she looked almost beautiful! Thoughtfully Lumi strips again and puts her old clothes on. Leaving the other outfits not-quite-neatly in the fitting room she walks out with the blue and the green outfit bundled. Absent mindedly she grabs a grey woollen cloak. "I'lltakethese." Counting out money for the shopkeeper, she bundles the leather clothes into the cloak, tying it with a small cord she happened to be carrying.
This time following instead of leading Oormi, Lumi greets Kherem with a small wave before tossing the bundle to the ground and pulling out the letters for Kherem and Melissa and handing them to him.
Lumi buys two sets of clothes(AV = 1, EV = 0, TP = 25, DU = 2.) and a wool cloak.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Ingots proved to be by far more readily available for Kherem, something he should've thought of initially in hindsight. His family had only ever worked with plain steel and iron so the thought of working with such comparably exotic metals sent his mind racing. Regrettably he would have to rein in his growing excitement before it got the better of him. He was here to see what options were available for later pursual, not to overburden himself on goods that would be dead weight until he secured a forge to work at, something he had to remind himself of. The material of the blade was only one thing to consider however, and next he would turn his search for other goods he could use in his crafting; wood, leather, textiles, even precious gems. The former two would be the more important however, as they would prove invaluable for making proper grips and scabbards for his creations.
Browsing for wares had distracted the tall Kitsune for longer than he'd like to admit as he heard a familiar voice call out for him. First he backed away a bit from the stall he had been browsing and then he turned around to answer the greeting. While the voice had been familiar the new looks of Oormi made him pause briefly. The swordswomans new clothes was a big change, but the new colors to her hair and vulpine features also took a moment to take in. It was when Oormi continued to speak that he snapped out of the gawking, and also noticed Lumi's pressence; inconspicious as she were compared to the all new looks of Oormi. It took a few moments before the words came to him though, in the meantime he was handed a pair of letters from Lumi. "Ah... Oormi, Lumi, I did not expect to see the two of you again so soon. And...", he hadn't even glanced at the letters yet, his eyes once more drawn to Oormi, his words somewhere between awestruck and dumbfounded. "You've changed quite a bit since I last saw you... I barely recognized you."
The mention of Melissa however was enough of a reality check to bring his senses back to him. A bit too abruptly even, one could get a whiplash from less. With a small grimace Kherem finally turned his gaze to the letters he had been handed, deciding to open and read one of them then and there while replying. "Things... worked out between me and Melissa, I suppose.", his tone of voice was dry and not entirely convinced. He continued on a slightly less traumatic note. "She had some matters of her own to tend to, so our paths parted, but I'm sure we will meet again. Though, speaking of matters...", he looked up from the letter to look at the two female Kitsunes before him, a faint smile on his lips, and his voice now carried hopeful anticipation to it. "I did promise I'd spar with you, Oormi, but do the two of you have anything else planned for the coming week or so? I... I have some plans of my own, and after our venture into the arena, I think there is... potentially lucrative endeavors to be had, if the two of you are interested.", the words didn't quite come out right in his opinion, and while he wasn't sure if he could say it outright he certainly liked the idea of spending more time with his new friends.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
The short kitsune couldn't help but speak again at Kherem's initial reaction, both his words and what she could detect of his more physical responses, to her new appearance. "I was hoping that it would suit me," she remarked with a wide smile and a few happy swishes of her tail. Although the male kitsune might not have realized it, his tone was enough to inflate the blind foxgirl's ego nearly as much as the alraune's reactions from earlier had. After that, she couldn't help but want to show off and so the short kitsune did a quick spin to showcase the front and back of her new outfit and hair color. "I got another outfit too, but I'm saving it for my rematch against Fiona."
"Speaking of outfits, Miss Lumi bought some clothes as well!" The foxgirl was still high enough on the wave of happiness caused by Kherem's words that she didn't even stop to consider that perhaps the other kitsune didn't want that tidbit known. She was also caught up enough in the lighthearted moment that she didn't give it any thought as she lightly rested her hands on Lumi's shoulders before continuing. "I wish you would've worn whatever you bought out so that Kherem could've described how pretty you look in it," she cheerfully suggested, not giving nearly enough consideration to any possible implications behind her comment.
However the rest of that little aside might go, Oormi would end up plenty sobered up after the conversation had turned to Melissa and as such was wise enough not to mention that she could easily guide the group to the humanoid's current location given Kherem's reaction regarding her. "There is somebody I wish to meet at some point this week, and I do still wish to have a few sparring matches, but beyond that my schedule is empty and I would be glad to lend a hand in whatever way I can," the foxgirl replied plainly enough, not really feeling it necessary to add anything past that.
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
“Oh,I don’t want to find her, not directly – woman scares the shit out of me. ” Melissa clarified. “But I need to find…” the daemonborn stopped short, pausing indecisively. “’Don’t tell anyone who we are, or what we’re looking for’, big sis says… butt-fuck it. You’ll need to hear what I’m after or you won’t know what to look for.”
Adopting a comfortable position, letting on that she expected the telling of her tale to take a while, Melissa began to recount the reasons for her search.
“Alright so, basically, I’ve been asleep for a while. As in, me and my sisters slept through a few of the demon invasions. It’s all thanks to that psy” - Don’t speak badly of gods, came a desperate flash from her sense of self-preservation – “…yyductive goddess… she banged us so hard that we couldn’t wake up afterwards! It’s just ridiculous… I keep trying to beat her in a fight, but I’ve never been able to hit her, no matter how hard I try to take her by surprise, or with the full help of my sisters – and she always ends up fucking my brains out each time! It can take weeks for my guts to sit in the right place again afterwards…”
A more even-minded individual might have said that the mostly-mortal woman deserved it for attacking a goddess, but Naya was attractive, and combat was essentially synonymous with foreplay in Melissa’s head, creating a fairly vicious cycle. ”Normally, our dad – a daemon called Adom – will kick me ‘n my sisters out of bed a few days after that angel gets done with us… but the last time, that didn’t happen. We woke up in a crypty-templey sorta place, a whole lot later than we’d been planning on getting up. At some point I guess people must have found us and put us there, not knowing what to do with three living, unaging girls that couldn’t be woken. ...Although, I think I had been vaguely sticky, so I suppose at someone thought of a use for us, at some point. …Poor bastards must be pissing themselves now that we’re up and walking, heh. They probably think ‘it’s a sign of the second coming of the old gods!’, or something daft like that.”
Somewhere, a recently ravaged seamstress sobbed softly.
“Anyway, Lor started trying to figure out what happened, and her being the smart cookie she is, It didn’t take too long to realise we’d slept-in a touch. Lor was all adamant about finding out what had happened to dad, why he hadn’t woken us up – and Ros and I agreed, Ros because she likes adventure and me because I didn’t have anything better to do.”
“For the last four-ish years, we’ve been traveling around, and Lor’s been putting more pieces together. We started off looking for familiar faces, which is pretty much only Naya since any other faces would have rotted off by now. It took a good long while, but we did eventually figure out some things; Naya had vanished some time after the last night we were awake, and Naya had returned about when we woke up again. The second was the harder to find out, but Lor’s good at putting pieces together. Naya might not have announced her return, but she’s goddess of fucking the brains out of people, so she doesn't always have to.”
“Hardest was learning that some cult of whackos had probably sealed her for… being so good at fucking that nobody else compared, I guess? Something like that, it sounded dumb and isn’t that important… except for the part where they sealed my dad, too."
"Ros… wanted to go looking for Naya, give her a friendly ‘hello’ and ‘might you know where daddy is?’, bloody madwoman. ” Despite her words, the handmaiden seemed fairly endeared toward Ros, grinning slightly even if she shook her head at the idea. When she got to speaking about her other sibling, though, that smile disappeared. “Lor… kept saying we didn’t have enough information, wanted to go up north to some library, stick her head in books and never come out… if she could find a way to fuck the things, her life would be complete. She’s smart, but she’s an idiot sometimes; I already know everything I need to to find Adom. I know how to follow a trail, whether forwards to the animal – or back to the den.”
"Naya didn’t make it easy on me, she leave much of a trail at all. But that’s helpful too... the only way this went as quietly as it has is with something else in the same place masking it, and the only thing big enough was the damned demons pouring out of hell and into here.”
”…Still weirds me out that this town exists. I get that all the guys back in my day were just running their mouths about how bad demons are, but even with all their sex and violence, I can’t get behind them. All that yukcky corruption…” Melissa pulled a face.
“Anyway, Naya had to be here. And if she was here, someone was here guarding her, making sure kids and thieves didn’t do something they shouldn’t. I need to figure out who that was… where they lived, find what they had. If I can track them, the trail will pass by dear ol’ dad eventually.”
…The cost of that investigation, though, would be far more than the human was prepared for. “Fifty a day?! …To read books?! My sister would do that for free…!” The human moaned, physically recoiling at the price. Still, she didn’t feel like she had solid ground to stand on for bargaining with the elf; there didn’t feel like there was much chance to lower the price.
Shit… she had thought risking her life against the best the demons could send would earn her enough, but it seemed that the handmaiden was further from finding her father – and proving her sister wrong- than she had thought. “That would have been most of the way to a house, back in my day, you know…” she tried, lamely, already sounding defeated. “I’m going to have to rob a lot of people blind to pay for you to rob me blind…”
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Lumi blushes slightly at Oormi's comment, quietly taking a step back and trying to look smaller. "IthinkI'dliketohearmore.IthinkImayhavesomethinglikethatcomingupaswell." Lumi replies, eager to get away from the topic of their new clothes and thinking nothing about involving the others in what would probably turn out to be a criminal endeavour... after all, that's what Kherem was probably getting at as well, right? As she thinks of being charge, her ears start twitching nervously. Sure, it would probably not be a difficult job and sure, being in charge didn't seem too difficult and she could probably plan better than Medium Pete had, but it would be all her fault if something went wrong. Though come to think of it, Pete had always found a reason to blame someone else...that didn't seem quite right now that she thought about it...
Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)
~~~~Oormi, Lumi, and Kherem~~~~
Despite her demonic nature, the shopkeeper would be quite understanding of their desire to avoid extremely revealing garments, and would pick up on that fact quickly enough that Lumi and Oormi would each only be shown one skimpy outfit apiece before more modest clothing was put on offer instead. She would happily see to their purchases and take their coins, offering to wrap or bag what they weren't wearing out of the store, and once they were finished would thank them for their patronage and invite them back whenever they desired to go shopping.
Meanwhile, once the duo reunited with Kherem and Oormi handed over his two letters, the kitsune would find one from someone named; "The Esteemed Lady Ansazria" and the other from the Acheron Arena Authority. The ink on the envelope from the former would be the one that had been written in enchanted ink, but whichever order he read them in they would read the same. The envelope from the AAA contained multiple items, including; a voucher of some kind, a letter, and five small tickets.
The letter would read;
To whom this may concern,
As the appointed representative of the competitive Acheron Arena combat team, we are pleased to announce that your performance has been noted by the Acheron Arena Authority, and as such you and your associates are to be offered a number of exciting perks and opportunities!
Firstly, your names and likenesses have been added to the first edition printing of the Acheron Arena Trading Card Game, as well as several signature techniques displayed in your various matches, and may be used in later printings assuming your continued participation in the Acheron Arena. Allowing such was part of the contract you and your teammates signed upon entering the Arena, and we must regretfully inform you that no proceeds may be paid to any party regarding the sale of any cards bearing your likeness, as all cards are distributed randomly. Even so, the publicity provided will undoubtedly open many doors for you and your associates, and we may offer promotions involving signed copies of your cards if they become popular! We will keep in touch on that regard, and in the interests of fairness we have provided a voucher for a free starter deck once the first print of cards are available.
On another note, you and your team mates have been officially invited to the Third Monthly Grand Tourney, an event taking place roughly one week from the delivery of this letter on Friday the 23rd of Alveira. Your team must be five members strong, necessitating the recruitment of another individual to your ranks, but we are confident that such won't prove a problem for you. This tournament is very prestigious and has a winning pot of one thousand denarii, with a smaller three hundred denarii prize for the tourney's runner up team. The very best fighters in Acheron will be participating, and we hope that you and your associates will accept this invitation.
Best Wishes, AAA
The privately addressed letter, in the meantime, would read;
Dear Kherem,
Oh ye of the Foxy Fighters~ I was present for your match, and confess myself impressed with your physical prowess! I would very much like to meet with you... Privately... To discuss a personal matter that would involve payment to you if you were willing to provide me a favor. You may find me at the return address present on the envelope this letter came to you in, and I hope to meet you in person soon! Very soon~
Don't keep me waiting, Angela Ansazria~
The story spun by Melissa was received with a look of fairly blank stoicism on behalf of the elven attendant, who then received her complaints about the price with a slight grin and replied; "I don't invent the prices, unfortunately, and it's a lot of very old and very boring material to go through. We have all of the old Imperial records, but are also without an index to help sort through them properly since that was lost when the demons came. Combine that with all the mess made by previous searches and all of the additions from private collections and you've got a big ugly mess to look through and not enough people to look through it to make sense out of any of it.
"As for what you're actually after... I don't know if it's the right person, but there are mentions of some old wizard that was here around the time of the attack. I don't remember a name off the top of my head, but if you have the coin to afford a search that might offer you a lead on... Who you're ultimately looking for, I guess."
Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)
Kherem smiled softly as he watched and listened to Oormi talk about her new clothes. And as the swordswoman did a twirl to show off her new outfit his smile broadened. Seeing someone so full of energy made him feel happy. As Oormi spoke of Lumi's new clothes, with Lumi seemingly shying away from the subject, he smiled sheepishly. There was a few words on the tip of his tongue that he was considering adding to the conversation. Perhaps it was for the better that the topic of Melissa had came up instead. It was during that topic he had looked over the letters he had recieved. Between the two letters Kherem had in his hands the one from a certain 'Esteemed Lady Ansazria' tickled his curiosity the most. But sating his curiosity wasn't the more important matter to deal with. He had a letter from the Acheron Arena Authority after all. Business was what had been on his mind for a while now and thusly he chose to go through that first, as tantalizing as the letter from Lady Ansazria was. He had opened the business letter and slowly read through it while conversing with Oormi and Lumi.
After the two had given him their answers he smiled faintly and nodded slowly. As he spoke next it was more to answer Lumi's inquiry about his plans. "I wish I had something more... uh, tangible? To offer the two of you. I don't have a solid idea of what I'll be doing yet. But the way I figure it we'll have some recognition after our fights in the arena, if nothing else something to bring up if needed, enough that we can find work elsewhere," Kherem paused briefly in his explanation. He didn't feel like he was doing a good job of presenting his plans in a positive light. And maybe the recognition he was hopefully wishing they might've gotten wouldn't be enough in the end. Minor frustrations aside he continued speaking of his plans. "Mercenary work, that is. Perhaps bounty hunting, or monster hunting. I... I ain't good at much. I can fight, and I can smith, so I had hoped doing well in the arena would let me find work along those lines." Kherem smiled weakly. "And to do the latter, what I enjoy to do, I will need the money the former can bring me."
Kherem started to get a little anxious. It felt a little bad having such crude work to offer the two women before him. But they had fought by his side in the arena and he knew they were capable. But he had no idea what they might think of taking up that kind of work that he was considering picking up. As to try and change the subject, and after having finished reading the letter from the Acheron Arena Authority, he held it out to the other two Kitsunes. As he reached the letter out to them he half-way through caught himself and veered the letter more so towards Lumi. "And uh, we've also been invited to a Grand Tourny, roughly one week from now. We need a fifth person for that though. And we also got a voucher for... cards or somesuch? Some sort of game I think. One of you can have that if you want." Smooth. Kherem was painfully terrible at conversation. If Lumi picked up the Arena letter from him to read it'd at least give him some time to pursue his other letter; he could use the distraction. And he wouldn't have to read far into it before his curiosity got the better of him in regards as to whom this 'Esteemed Lady' might be. Or why she wanted to see him.
