Companions' Journey (Fantasy RP) (Closed/Dead)

[Baldrek]

After being handed Tatiana's bowl Lev moved over to the table to join the two women, and placed the bowl down on the ground next to the chair before sitting down himself. He seemed to have joined them just as the cloaked woman introduced herself and her companion to Kadence, calling herself Zestia Dakron and her companion Shade.

Lev leaned forward a little to join the conversation on the other side of the table and folded his hands on the table in front of him, thinking nothing of the fact that he was missing two fingers.

Meanwhile, Tatiana had noticed the water and was standing next to Lev, drinking the contents with great enthusiasm and occasionally looking around the room with a hostile look in her eyes as if to dare people into taking away her hard-earned water. All in all, it seemed that Tatiana was back to her old self now that she was away from the sun, and had hydrated herself.

 

[RBMidknight]

The guards in line tensed at the strange rider's laughter. The Captain frowned and was silent for a moment. Then, very carefully, he put his hand on the pommel of his sword and spoke. His stance remained relaxed but his gaze never wavered from the rider.

"You are not allowed to ride because your Companion allows you to...escape...quickly, should you cause any trouble in my town. It may seem silly to you, stranger, but so far out of your group, you are the only one who has caused trouble. The bear and tiger, and their human partners, have entered our town peacefully and caused no disturbance. They are not the ones who have not only questioned our law but broken it once already. They are not the ones I will have my eye on from this point forward."

The Captain made a swift gesture and the sides of the human barrier dispersed slightly. Then he stood still and waited for the strange rider, who still hadn't gotten off of his horse, to dismount.



Kadence looked up as the woman from the new group joined her at the table. "Hello." she replied. She glanced over as Lev sat down, her gaze hesitating at the man's hands. Kadence cleared her throat quietly before replying. "I'm Kadence...Kadence Randon." she gestured down to the floor. "My tired Companion here is Garret." as she finished speaking Kadence smiled and then looked toward the door, staying fixed on the entrance for a few moments.

 

[Bmb]

Badelin shook his head once more in disbelief

"While it is true that my Companion will allow me to "escape" quickly as you've put it, won't a tiger or a bear be able to hurt a lot of innocent people...children? You'll probably respond by stating that they were calm. But then again, haven't I and my steed been calm? Dax here could have stormed past this guardhouse without any problem at all. But in all honesty towards you and your men, you are not demanding me to dismount based on my actions but on the premise of what my actions can be in the near future, in this case escape quickly if I do cause trouble. And this is where I disagree. A tiger or a polar bear could hurt a lot of innocent people and thus shouldn't precautions be taken with them as well? Otherwise, it's pure discrimination towards horses.....

....Alas, as a sign of goodwill on my part...."

Badelin dismounted and moved towards the captain. The assassin gave the captain a pat on the shoulder

"....I will dismount nevertheless.....But make no mistake, captain. If I planned on causing trouble, I would have already done so. You and your men would not have seen me enter this town at all."

 

[Baldrek]

Seeing that Kadence suddenly became very preoccupied with keeping watch on the door, Lev thought that he might as well get some of the pleasantries out of the way. He fixed his eyes on Zestia and her companion and cleared his throat lightly before speaking.

"And I'm Lev Markov. And this not very ladylike tiger is called Tatiana." The sentence was then punctuated by a low growl from Lev's side of the table as Tatiana heard her name, but still found the water more important.

 

[Lambi]

"It's very nice to meet you, Kadence, Lev." Zestia said to the two. She took note of Kadence watching the door, but didn't think much of it. "I'm still a bit hot." she said and grabbed her hoodie on the sides with both hands, then slid it off, showing her black hair which only reached the bottom of her ears. She never liked having long hair, preferring short, more so now because of her line of work. Shade slid off of Zestia's shoulders and onto the floor, lying down under her chair. "He's not shy, just a bit tired. And he knows how tired I get from having him on my shoulders, because of how big he is." she told Kadence and Lev, rubbing her shoulders a bit.

Wonder where Sai, Avi and Badelin are. And I also wonder when the food will get here.

 

[Blasphemous Rex]

Prudence had split away from her traveling companions and had been wandering around the town for a bit. Everything there reminded her of the best week she could ever remembered. Even after Durkon and Max showed up it was great. Durkon didn't treat her rude or mean, even though he had no obligation to do as such. And Sue and Max got along well, too.

Poor Max, she thought. And poor Durkon. Max was the old blacksmith's late companion. He was a large but very quick owl, who had got Durkon on good terms with Pru's father from when they had first met. Durkon never told Prudence how Max died, but his death was the reason that Durkon quit being a bounty hunter and took up his family's dying -- and still dying -- business. It was a bitter part of that memory, but not one to ruin it.

After some time, Prudence and Sue returned to the building that the others had went to. She scanned the room real quick before going over and sitting alone, yet close enough to the others.

 

[RBMidknight]

Kadence frowned as she watched the door and saw no movement. Then Pru entered. The messenger relaxed and breathed out a quiet sight of relief. She did not want to lose any of the group just yet. Kadence turned to look back at Lev and Zestia as the two spoke. Her eyes widened as the large snake on Zestia's shoulder slithered down to the floor.

Garret raised his head and his ears twitched as he caught sight and smell of the snake. After a few seconds of careful staring the wolf exhaled slowly and resettled back down on his on floor spot. Tatiana did not bother the wolf but this...cold...creature was something different. Something new. Garret was wary of the creature. He was also hungry. Very hungry. Garret raised his head again and poked his muzzle into Kadence's leg. She glanced down at the wolf.

Avi hovered close to Sai and stared wide-eyed at the group of men surrounding Badelin. Cora circled above his partner twice before settling on the top of the guard house. Kia remained close to Sai, almost as close as Avi. The foxe's tail twitched. Sai was uncertain if she should help Badelin, or the guard, or remain out of the situation. She remained standing in place a few feet from the guardhouse.
----
The lieutenant, having finished registering the latest batch of people, turned and looked carefully at the still figures. 'Still figure.' he corrected himself. One of the visitors was settled into a stance that he recognized. The smaller girl, who looked more like a child, was shifting back and forth on her feet and looked almost frightened.

Neither one of the women was advancing into the town, and the lieutenant did not want anyone else added to the rider problem. He whistled quietly.
----
Avi jerked and turned as someone whistled. Cora shifted on top of the guardhouse and flapped his wings abruptly. Sai's reponse was to turn in a swift motion that spoke of years of training. She calmly addressed the man who had whistled.

"Yes?" she asked.
----
The lieutenant smiled and tried to appear harmless. An attempt made almost futile by the armor and sword he carried in full view. The officer gestured to the two visitors.

"Excuse me, ladies, could you come over here, please?" If he still had his report he would have called them by name. 'I need to start making an extra copy.' he thought.
----
Sai walked toward the man and Avi followed behind her. Cora squawked and shifted sideways on the top of the guardhouse, mirroring the path of his partner. Kai walked at her Sai's side, her bushy tail swaying slightly.
----
Once the two visitors were withing hearing distance the lieutenant spoke up and requested that they make their way into the town using a side street instead of the main road. He gave them directions and then put his hand out to one nearby guard who gave him a blank sheet of paper from the stack. As he waited for the sheet the lieutenant noticed the young girl was still cowering slightly behind the taller woman. He sighed quietly. 'What is a young girl like her doing traveling in a group like this?' he wondered as he scribbled furiously for a few moments.

"If you give this to the innkeeper," he explained ",at the Red Shield Inn. She will give you both a room for the next two nights, free of charge." The lieutenant smiled politely and stepped forward to hand the piece of paper to the older woman. It was not an offer made lightly, but the innkeeper was the man's aunt and he felt sorry for the young girl who was clearly uncomfortable.

The older woman nodded silently as she took the paper. 'She has to be a guard.' The lieutenant thought.'I wonder if she is looking for a job...' He made a note to talk to Owen after the Captain was finished dealing with the stubborn visitor.

The lieutenant watched the two women walk away, followed by their companions. When they disappeared down the first side street, he turned to see how things were going with the Captain and the mysterious rider.

But make no mistake, captain. If I planned on causing trouble, I would have already done so.

The Captain frowned and stepped away from the rider. "You have questioned the authority of my men, and now you imply that you can sneak around undetected. Neither of these things speak in your favor, stranger."

Since the man was now off his horse, the Captain raised his hand and made a swift gesture. The human guard-wall separated. The guardhouse men remained on the side of the street and the patrolmen backed up toward the center of the town and then stopped, looking back at their Captain. Owen nodded at the patrolmen. Three of them nodded back and saluted before turning to their designated routes. The last patrolmen remained still for an extra moment. He held up his hand to the Captain and made two swift gestures before he too turned to his route.

Owen glanced around and noted that the rest of the rider's group were now gone. He turned to look at the visitor. "Precautions are taken where precautions are needed." he replied. "Your friends, if that is who they are, have gone ahead and are probably enjoying their visit. You would do well to follow their example. Do not cause any more trouble in this town and you will not be bothered."

A waiter and a waitress walked out from the kitchen area carrying several plates and glasses. The waitress smiled brightly and gave a warm greeting as she set various plates of food down on the table. The waiter knelt down and put the food for the animals on the ground carefully. The young man rose and brushed off the knees of his pants, then helped the waitress set the drinks on the table. Neither worker commented on the Companions, though the young waitress' gaze riveted to the snake for a moment while the waiter bowed and requested that the visitors 'enjoy their meal'. The waiter left but the waitress remained behind for a moment.

"Excuse me, miss. Did you want something to eat?" she asked Prudence, whom she noticed did not have any food or drink yet.

 

[Baldrek]

"I can imagine." Lev replied to Zestia as the snake slithered down to the floor, making Tatiana looking over at it with a gaze that could be taken as both curiosity and hostility. "And I agree wholeheartedly about the heat, it's nearly been unbearable ever since I came this far south."

'Speaking of which, where did Viktorya and Ursa go?' Lev thought for a split second before dismissing it, they could take care of themselves, and it wasn't as if this town was that big.

A low purr, that could have been taken for a growl, announced the arrival of the food. Tatiana lunging at the food almost before the waiter had put it down on the ground, holding it between her large paws for a moment as she glared around the establishment for anybody who looked like they would challenge her for her food. The other patrons apparently accepting her dominance over the meat, she begun to consume it, taking her time.

Lev, on the other hand, stayed silent as the food was put on the table, thanking the waiters as they finished. He then started slowly eating and drinking what he had ordered as he waited for the others to either begin eating themselves, or continue the conversation.

 

[Bmb]

"Badelin, my name is Badelin. Unfortunately, captain, you have misunderstood me. What I said was that it would be foolish of one to let himself registered if he had the intention of causing problems, wouldn't it? Alas, I bid you good day, I shall be a pest no more"


Without any further words, Badelin and Dax began walking in silence towards the inn. When they arrived there, Badelin took Dax at the inn's stable and made sure he had enough water and food. When he was done, he stepped inside the inn. He stood for a second on the doorstep, observing the entire inn till he saw the table at which his fellow companions rested. Badelin then began slowly moving towards the table. When he got close, rather then taking a seat at it, he stood down at a table right next to it. With his back towards the wall, facing the door and the other table at which the others rested, he put his legs on the table and crossed his arms. Badelin then monotonously, almost annoyed, said:

"Remind me to thank you for waiting for me, I would have surely been held up till now if it weren't....No wait....those are not the words I'm looking for, are they?"

 

[Lambi]

Shade watched the food being brought to him and he began eating, or rather, swallowing the steak that had been brought to him. He never said no to, or turned away from, any food that was brought to him. He knew it might be a while until he ate again, and so he ate whenever he could.

Zestia chuckled quietly at Lev. She thanked the waiter and waitress when the food was brought to them and began to eat. She ate until Badelin came and sounded annoyed. "If you would have just listened to the guards and gotten off your horse when they first told you, you wouldn't have had to be held up. Now be quiet, go to the counter and order something for yourself to eat." she said to him strictly.

 

[Bmb]

"Oh my, feeling bossy, are we not? I do not take orders from you I'm afraid. Now where does that leave us at?" said Badelin without even reacting to Zestia's demand.

 

[Lambi]

"That leaves us with a meal and you not. And you trying your hardest to have everyone like you as little as you can." Zestia said and turned to her steak and ale. She for some reason hadn't really trusted him or liked him much, but she hoped he could be of some use, of only in battle.

 

[Bmb]

"Well I am in no way suffering of hunger. Besides, your acceptance of me is hard to swallow as it is........ Out of curiosity, what have I exactly done that is so damaging to my image?......Nevermind......Perhaps it is for the best that we all do not bond. Spares us the time to grieve if one of us were to die."

 

[RBMidknight]

The Captain watched as the rider, 'Badelin' walked further into the town. After a few moments Owen turned and gestured to his lieutenant. The young man quickly approached.

The Captain pointed toward the retreating figure, "Let your men know to keep an eye on that one." he said. The lieutenant nodded and gave a small salute before returning to his post. Owen walked into the guardhouse and stood next to his desk. He sighed heavily. The Captain knew that the patrolman who had signaled him, and his Companion, would be watching Badelin once he was off-duty. But right now the patrolman was continuing his route. Owen hoped that his cautionary measures would turn out to be unnecessary. There was enough to deal with in his town without the addition of a troublesome visitor.

Owen began cleaning up his desk and prepared to re-write his morning report.

Once the Captain disappeared into the guardhouse the lieutenant relaxed slightly and returned to his temporary job of recording data.



As Kadence stirred her soup with her spoon she looked back and forth between Zestia and Badelin. 'How did those two manage to travel together up until now?' she wondered. Kadence lifted a spoonful of vegetables carefully and waited for it to cool. Beneath the table, Garret was quickly devouring his first steak.

Kadence frowned as Badelin mentioned death. 'He is a rather...odd man.' she thought to herself.

The waitress also frowned, but for a different reason. Deciding that Prudence wasn't going to order any food the waitress turned toward Badelin and took a few step toward him.

"Sir." she said firmly, "please remove your feet from the table." The waitress frowned at the assassin. Her attention was then caught by a passing waiter who pointed toward the kitchen. The message was clear. She had work to do. The waitress shook her head at Badelin before turning to walk toward the kitchen area.

 

[Baldrek]

"Yes, because I usually get all teary-eyed during autopsies." Lev remarked sarcastically to Badelin before biting into a piece of duck, at least he was fairly certain that it was duck.

"... Though I must confess that I am wondering about just how thick your skull is, must be quite remarkable for you to not realize what is so 'damaging to your image'. But I suppose I will just have to wait with that particular observation until you throw yourself off a building and fail to beat gravity." He said the last part with a little shrug as if the whole affair was rather uninteresting, a mere curiosity.

 

[Bmb]

"You know, one good thing about the king's quest is how it brings people together... I already jumped off the tallest building in our kingdom as a test of my abilities. Unfortunately, as you can see, gravity did not manage to kill me so you'll just have to keep wandering"

Badelin then turned his view towards Lev's right hand

"I think you would be more appropriate to speak about occupational failures. Played doctor when you shouldn't have?"

 

[Baldrek]

"If you consider frostbite an occupational hazard then I might say yes, sadly the last time I checked it was an environmental hazard, a little side-effect from the cold weather up north." Lev told him rather calmly before turning his attention back to his meal, Badelin had now really established himself as a compulsive liar as far as he was concerned. As he was fairly certain that even jumping off the tallest building in Sokolov would do a person great damage, or outright kill him, no matter if he landed on his feet or had his fall cushioned by something.

He sipped his ale as he looked over at Zestia, "So, Zestia, I'm going to be blunt now, what kind of abilities can you offer our little group?"

 

[Lambi]

Zestia had only observed the conversation after she had gone back to eating. Shade was happily lying under her chair, coiled up and watching the other animals closely.

Zestia turned her attention to Lev when he asked her. "Well, I'm good at hiding in one place and plan a sneak attack. You could send me ahead to see if there are any traps to be found or enemies to be expected. I'm very agile with my daggers, able to handle two or three, maybe even four, at once. That's just some of the things I can do." She continued eating, her steak almost done and her ale almost finished.

 

[Baldrek]

'Hiding, ambushing, an eye for traps, and with some fighting experience. Sounds as shady as her attire, but she doesn't seem like a brigand...' Lev thought as he looked at her, trying to size her up.

Lev drank the rest of his ale and set the empty mug down on the table next to the plate that was now filled with a couple of small bones. "I'm guessing that asking about your profession would be a bad move, so we'll let that slide for now. But your abilities do add something we are currently lacking, we hardly have anybody to scout out ahead of us, which will become important once the brigands start getting bolder again. But with all the traffic from Gemmel I think we should still be relatively safe on the road, for now. And I'm not going to turn down another fighter, as long as they don't come with certain 'disadvantages'." He said, briefly looking over Zestia's shoulder at Badelin who was sitting at a different table.

 

[Bmb]

"I would have rather claimed to have had an occupational hazard if I were you. Something unexpected, sudden...still fairly respectable. But a frostbite...heh....you would have to take quite a few stupid decisions to get to the point of losing two fingers."

Badelin then turned his head down, thinking to himself, still observing Lev from under the veil his hood provided.

"And I'm not going to turn down another fighter, as long as they don't come with certain 'disadvantages"

Badelin noticed that Lev gave him a brief look when he said that. The assassin smirked and replied ironically:

"Oh come on, Three-Fingers! I feel like you didn't even tried to properly mask that insult."

Then he stood up and lifted his hood, revelling his face for the first time to the newcomers. The assassin then took a few steps towards the table at which the rest stood and put both his arms on the table. Badelin fixed his green eyes on Lev and, on a serious tone, said:

Look, instead of pointlessly going around the matter, why don't we just lay things clear on the table. You hate me with a passion due to a preconceived opinion and a total lack of faith regarding my abilities. Amazingly, it's quite the contrary with my view on you. I think something, somewhere in your past changed you completely...."

He then looked down, sad. In a grim tone:


"....I know the feeling....I know what it does....That is why I do not judge you....."


He then looked back and starring into Lev's eyes:

"Tell me....am I right?......Why don't we start all over again? It would be best for us all if we do not argue, would it not?"