ranger Test Thread

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Revalli got up and made to follow Vala, pausing to give the woman assigned to her time to prepare, though when the su-ku-ta woman returned Revalli would awkwardly say; "Errrr.... I'm not very used to someone following me... You don't have to if you don't want to, I can take care of my own needs. If you'd rather come with... I suppose that's fine too."

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Shala visible slumped as Revalli told her she didn't need her help. "I would very much like to help you if I can Mistress!" Nodding in agreement Vala moved out of the house. "Ive already summoned a carriage we just need to decided on a destination." Heading out Revalli saw a simple black carriage waiting for them a pair of horses stamping the ground their shoe's occasionally sparking off the stone. As they approached a young man in simple leather coat stepped off the carriage and opened the door for them. The interior of the carriage was well appointed with comfortable leather seating and enough room for the three of them to sit as they would like. As they moved out the gentle swaying of the carriage and the echoing clack of hooves on stone echo around them drifted into the background as the various sights of the city began to present themselves. Unlike the city gate with its ruined buildings this area of time was lively and colorful. Several crowds gathered around various erected stalls and tents as street performers plied their trade. Most seemed legitimate, while a few seemed to draw a few shadier company.

Her observations of this district where broken however by Vala speaking. "This is where I grew up. Running the streets learning things decent and noble ladies should have no knowledge of." The last part Vala took on rather good impression of one of the head maids which made Shala giggle. Her look did sour though as the memories continued in her head. "Still it was not a safe place even though its much better now." After a brief trip the trio left their carriage and stepped into the noise of the theater district. It was almost deafening but Vala quickly pulled her from the main street to the side ones so they could talk with ease. "Okay so their are plenty of free shows we can see or we could head the small carnival if you like.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

"N-no! It's not like that! You... You've been a very good servant... Assistant... Just in general... I just... You should only come with me if you want to when I leave the mansion!" Revalli entered something of a panic at the sight of Shala's slumped shoulders, "a-and just... Can you just... Call me Revalli, please? Mistress sounds.... Odd to me." The word "mistress" reminded her of a time she had spied by accident upon her parents during an uncomfortably intimate moment, and it made her blush uncontrollably.

She was still blushing by the time she got outside, but still managed to nod to the man who opened the carriage door for them. This she did take some interest in, as she'd never ridden in one before, and she took a moment examining the horse-drawn vehicle before stepping inside and taking a seat. "S-so... This is nice," she said uncertainly, glancing between Shala and Vala. It didn't take long for the sights around the carriage to distract her, however, and Revalli ended up peering out the window and trying to stare at everything at once as the carriage rolled through a much more populous section of the city that was either undamaged or had been repaired quickly.

She glanced at Vala during her reminiscence, but then glanced back out the window without replying immediately. "You grew up.... Out there? But... There are so many people..."

Revalli climbed out of the carriage with some trepidation, unsure of herself, but simply opted to follow Vala. It was incredibly noisy, and the barrage of sound and color and people so overwhelming that the country-raised elf was entirely taken aback. Luckily Vala led them to a quieter section, and in response to her offer she glanced back they way they had come and thought a moment. "I don't think I can handle so much noise right away... Why don't we go see a show? When I'm more acclimated maybe we can check out the carnival."

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Vala smiled "Sounds good. Now if I recall correctly there should be a little theater this way." Heading out the trio quickly passed threw the back ways, heading threw small plaza's and even gardens. " Each block has one of these center area's Usually they are used for a community garden but sometimes its a communal well. Stopping a moment Vala pointed to a small worn building with a sign posted. Evenlake theater. It its hay day Revalli could tell it was once a very colorful building, its primary paint seeming to be a deep red with yellow trim. Wooden Piller held up a small roof and where covered with old tattered announcements. One new one however took Revalli's notice. "It was titled The Hero of the Black War a tale of her deeds.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Revalli followed Vala without further comment, somewhat nervous about how happy she seemed with her choice given what she now remembered being told about the nature of the shows often seen here. They walked through another section of the city, strolling through gardens and plazas, and the rural-raised elf tried to look in every direction at once again so that she could take in all of the sights. When they stopped, Revalli looked up at the aged theater with a curious expression for a moment before glancing back at Vala. "What's playing there?"

She glanced back towards the theater, and saw a poster suggesting an answer to her question. "The Hero of the Black War? That sounds.... Dramatic. Is that what we're doing to see?"

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Vala eyed the poster curiously. "Humm I don't know lets go find out." Moving forward to the entrance she found the doors closed. Opening them up revealed a small lobby and a counter that was not currently manned. In the distance however threw an open door they could hear a few people talking. "Oh they must be rehearsing lets check it out." Smiling Vala quickly moved to the open door. Meanwhile Revalli took in the interior of the place. It had a similar decor as the outside though noticeably cleaner. Not a speck of dust lay on the counter or the stairs that lead up further to a balcony. The other exception was the exceptional molding on the door frames and along the walls. They depicted scenes from classic tales Revalli had read about at her home.

Soon enough though her inspection done Revalli caught a glimpse of Vala disappearing threw one of the open doors into the darkened auditorium.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Revalli paused to glance around, the interior of the theater similar to the outside in terms of decor but far cleaner. She took in the artistic frescoes displaying legends, some of which were actually familiar to her, but Vala hasted ahead and she ended up breaking from her examination in order to hastily follow the woman through the open doorway leading into the auditorium.

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Sadly the elven noble did not get to view the fresco's for long before her companion disappeared into the dark auditorium. Following quickly she nearly bumpped into Vala who simply put a finger to her lips and pointed to the stage. The backdrop which was abroad view of the city was lighted by several magic lights bright enough to cast threw the darkness above the audience. At center stage stood too actors. One was perhaps 18 or 19 it was hard to say but she was youthful. Her armor if what it could be called was a rather tight scandalous affair made of leather. Her apparent foe if the shining blade in her hand was a clue was a massive mountain of a man nearly 7 feet in height. His armor was jet black and seemed made to scare children. Etched all over seemed skulls or twisted visages. His own weapon was a huge axe and it stood at the ready.

As she took in the scene she heard the actor's voices drift up. "I Rikke hero of the Wargs and Slayer of the Demon Lord will never bow to you Reginald. Your Dark Knight powers have no effect over me."

The massive night shifted his weight before charging at the girl shouting. "Then die!"

In a carefully choreographed move the young woman playing Rikke dodged out of the way before her own sword struck at the neck of the Dark Knight. It was over in a flash and the man stumbled forward falling to his knees. "I am undone..."

A moment later the two magic lights moved to a small girl dressed in simple robes began to speak. "And so our Heroine defeated the Dark Knight Reginald and ended the demon invasion. The champion of the Black War would not stay. She saw the new Lord Mayor crowned and left us for parts unknown. So ends our tail..."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Revalli stopped short, hushing the sound of her rapid movement so as to avoid interrupting the rehearsal going on. She watched the strange scene play out awkwardly, trying not to be noticed in the meantime, but luckily the actors all seemed fairly involved in their performance. It was... All a little bit hammy, to her mind, but she supposed that that was to be expected in a performance art. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to clap... And then realized that she hadn't actually seen Vala since coming out into the theater, and looked about for the one-eyed half-elf.

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Rolls

Spoiler

Revalli perception vs Environment 39 vs 35 success
Revalli perception vs Stealth 28 vs 40 fail

Any hesitation Revalli had about clapping was immediately interrupted by Vala and Shala clapping nearby. Indeed as her eyes adjusted from the light of the stage she could see her two companions nearby. The trio of actors on stage looked up sharply the young woman reading the epilogue blushed brightly before hiding her face with her script. The young woman playing Rikke hopped off the stage in a huff and came up to Vala. She was shorter than the half elf, barely taller than Shala, but she had a fierce look about her. "No freebies! That will be 10 denari for the lot of you!"

In the dim light of the auditorium Revalli struggled to make out Vala's features but she seemed to have a slight smile on her lips. "I always thought you over acted and over charged Alex."

The woman's face contorted a moment has faint recognition crossed her features before full blown realization hit her. In a loud voice she shouted out. "VALA YOU SCANK!"

Next to her Shala stopped Clapping and got a serious look on her face. Vala however just smiled bigger and wrapped the girl up in a mutual hug. From her keen eyes Revealli could see tears on the younger woman's face as Vala hugged her. "I've missed you so much!"

At this Shala seemed to relax and Vala finally spoke up while maintaining the hug. "Lady Revalli this is my good friend Alex she runs this theater group. As you can see its been awhile." Looking at the reunion of friends a moment Revalli soon caught sight of the other cast and crew slowly making their way on stage to look at the interloping trio. About 20 other stood about their places hidden either back stage or manning the lights and curtains. All of them looked on with a hint of shock and amusement.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

A sweeping sense of relief came over Revalli as she spotted her two companions as they began to applaud, glad that they hadn't for some reason vanished deeper into the theater. The following exchange between Vala and the lead actress caused Revalli some nervousness, but they seemed to know one another and after the hug and ensuing introductions the fidgeting elf smiled back nervously.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Revalli said, giving a light curtsy. "I was a little worried for a moment there... Though, I suppose being convincing is your business, isn't it? I've never met an actor before!" She glanced around at the increasingly apparent crew of actors and stage workers, who were apparently just as confused by the initial exchange.

"How are the rehearsal's going?" She asked quietly, trying to be conversational.

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

As Revalli spoke up the girls stopped their hug with the actress blushing slightly. The cast and crew behind them looked on for another moment before returning to their tasks.

The younger woman bowed at Revalli. " The pleasure is all mine rarely are we graced with nobility." Rising back up she addressed the other question. "Its going very well actually Lady Revalli. Though we are far from opening soon. Still have some extra's to cast and advertising to get done."

Vala looked at Alex a moment before smirking but saying nothing. "How many acts, and what made you decide to do such a recent topic?

Alex just rolled her eyes. "Come on Vala you know the game. If I get my tale out it will be the base of all the others to follow. It will be famous even if its surpassed! Anyway its four acts and is the longest one we've attempted in awhile."

As Vala and Alex spoke Shala looked around at the various seats and wrinkled her nose. Even Revalli could see the layer of dust covering the seats. It seemed that indeed this place had far to go to be ready for opening night.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Still somewhat unused to such deference from strangers, Revalli lapsed into an awkward silence for a moment, allowing Vala to unleash her flippant remark and Alex to respond to it. The actress certainly seemed optimistic about how successful her play would be, but Revalli couldn't fault her on that. Glancing around, however, revealed that there was likely quite a bit of work to be done to the venue itself before any real shows would go on.

"It looks like there's still a bit of tidying up to do," she said softly, before looking towards Alex. "I can't imagine these sorts of places saw much use during the attacks.... But it's good that people are able to start practicing culture again."

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Alex looked about the dusty seats and frowned. "Yeah.. but there will be plenty of time for that." The frown quickly ended however "I will be glad to stop street performances though... they pay very poorly." Vala raised an eyebrow at Alex. "You didn't waste all the money I loaned you?" Alex scoffed "Of course not I was just making sure I kept my acting edge." Turning her eyes to Vala the woman chewed her lip. "Vala... I do have a favor to ask..." "No... I don't do that anymore. I serve my brother I do not act any longer." Revalli's sharp eyes could not miss the air quotes Vala made on the word act. Alex however was quick to protest. "Oh Vala its nothing like that.. I promise I just need you to take a minor role in my play. I need an elf warrior. Please... please please... with andor berries on top!"

Vala held steadfast the knight seemingly getting annoyed quickly at the actress. Leaving Revalli and Shala in a very awkward position as the two friends came to an impasse.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

Revalli observed the exchange between Vala and Alex with confused amusement, but when it devolved into an impasse Revalli gave the half-elf warrior a nudge in the side with her elbow. "I didn't know that you were an actress! You should do it, I'd love to see you perform! Besides, it'll only be for one performance, right?" Revalli said, glancing at Alex, "we won't be around forever, we're supposed to be trying to get aid for a village... But I've never seen a play, even a faerie one. My parents would never let me."

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

At the nudge Vala blushed, her face turning an absolute crimson. "I-its... th-they were not p-performances a maiden or noble should see." Alex jumped on the opening Revalli had given her. "Please Vala just one or two, I'm sure I can find someone by then. Pressured by both sides Vala relented much to the joy of Alex who jumped with joy. Taking Vala by the hand she pulled her away from Revalli and Shala with talk of her role and what she needed to wear. As the duo got father and father away Revalli's sharp ear picked out a quick but quite protests from Vala. "I am not wearing slave rags!"


At her side Shala spoke up. "Well Mistress.. shall I call the coach or do you wish to explore some more?" The Su-ka maid smiled up at her.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

"What do you mean?" Revalli asked, naively, only for their dual efforts to convince Vala to relent. The half-elf was taken away by the hand, and Revalli heard only a few more of her protests before turning to Shala.

"Oh... I don't know," she replied, "I would like to look around some more... I've never seen a city like this before! But I'd feel bad about leaving Vala behind... Why don't we go and tell her what we'll be doing, and then take another look around? I want to see if there are any performances going on at least."

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

"Very well Mistress Ill take care of it." In a moment Shala moved forward easily crossing the distance to talk with Alex and Vala. Soon enough returning back to her. "Lady Vala said we can check out the area. She has the utmost confidence in me to keep you safe!" Smiling the girl waited for Revalli to lead them. Once outside Revalli had plenty of places she could check out the small courtyard lead back to the busy street where the noise of the crowd could be heard slightly. Of course if she wanted she could explore some of the other theaters nearby. None seemed to have any posters out. Still she could see a few people milling about each one.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: ranger Test Thread

"O-ookay... well, lets go see if any shows are going on," Revalli said once Shala had returned, though once outside finding an active performance would prove difficult. None of the other theaters looked like they were showing anything, but Revalli was undaunted; shy though she might be, she would go around the other theaters curiously, trying to find out if any performances were going on.

 

[ranger]

Re: ranger Test Thread

The first few she went to were either closed or ruined the few people had been around looked like homeless or just loitering. The last one she found was in the middle of letting out a small group of people. Taking a moment to let the crowd clear. A few moments later Revalli found a older gentleman in a worn suit. He greeted Revalli with a bow. "Next performance is a half hour, is there anything else I can do for you ladies?"