Journey of the Elementals RP (Pm if Interested, Started)

[NeoAC]

"No promises," Raven answered Seth's comment as they made they way to some sort of grand hall. It was clear there was all sorts of merriment and cajoling happening on the other side of the door. I don't want any part of this...

As she looked over at Seth those, and that offered crook of his, her self-presumed ability to tolerate was renewed. Nice to see him take the lead on this for once. Figured I was going to have to do everything, and I have no clue how to do that. She linked her left arm in his right, and moved closer towards the pyro. "But I'll try to manage," she followed up her previous remark as she got ready to move with him into the party zone.

 

[SkyeNeko]

Fei thought it was funny that Gabriel, who was so secretive about his name, told a half human warlord that they were pretty much a handful of foreign neophytes that had no idea what they were doing or where they were going. And also that he was admitting, that at least one of them, sucked at fighting. She adjusted her sitting, discreetly, and sharply, kicking him in the shin. "So are you friends with the guy who owns this castle?" She knew at least, that the castle wasn't Kane's, because all of the centaurs had just started arriving. There was really only one other guy who looked human, which seemed rare in this world, he seemed important. And dressed funny. Like the kings from her storybooks. Who wore capes?

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Directions? Oh, right...This way, though it seems you already have a direction." Alice said, going forward with Drew once again into the party, this time much more fitting for the part. As the pair walked in, Drew could quickly see the mages had largely all came into the room. Alexander with the somewhat revealing Jade going towards the head table which he had been sitting at before.

However, what also could catch a bit of attention was the Lord Kane had sat down with the two younger mages at a further away table, apparently having a bit of a chat with them. Alice quickly noted the scene, and gave a small tug on Drew's arm.

"...Lord Drew, I think some of your comrades might be....in discussion with Lord Kane. Do you...think them capable?" Alice asked, obviously concerned with the situation that Drew had left, and that Lord Kane was apparently enjoying and laughing at this point.

"...I would hazard a guess as to that either he has...already drank more than usual, or he's heard something interesting. Shall we...go to our seat, or do you think your comrades will be fine?"


[hr]

"No promises. But I'll try to manage."

"Yeah, and I'll try and do the same. Seems everyone else is taking a seat, so we might as well do the same." Seth said as they walked in. They of course gathered looks, but then Seth anticipated that particular issue. Strange people in a strange world, so it was going to happen going to any kind of event at this point.

As they walked forward, one finely dressed and human looking individual seemed to be gesturing towards them. "Please! Come sit up here, and one of the maids will see to you! Apologies, newcomers, as I have yet to introduce myself, but there is so much to do!" The man began, slowly making his way over to a large centaur which apparently had been talking with Fei and Gabriel.

"Well...I'd like to sit down and have a bite, I guess. Wanna...order something, I guess? Or maybe a fine drink that they seem to provide...?" Seth started, before suddenly seeing a few off to the side starting to dance with music coming from...somewhere. He couldn't help but grin at the scene, as it was filled with some four legged dancers which he couldn't claim to have ever seen before.

"Or do you want to go dancing instead? I can only imagine how much you would love doing that." Seth teased the last line, obviously making no movements towards that particular section of the hall.

[hr]

Kane started laughing at the sudden explanation of Gabriel. He began laughing so hard that it almost seemed like he was going to spill his drink. Slowly calming himself down, he then listened to Fei as she offered a bit more of a...saner set of questions at this point.

"Easy, boy. That was a lot all at once here, and as crazy a story as they come. Seems you got quite the adventure on your plate, which is a good thing ya came here. Maybe I could be of assistance, or the lord of this castle could be. Though, other worlds, portals, and...whatever else ya said might be a bit beyond my uses." Kane began, obviously still chuckling at the sudden explanation from before.

"I am indeed friends with the lord of this castle. Call him Lord Edgar, as its kind of his thing, and his castle, so it might be best to go by his rules. He's an...interesting fellow. At least he used to be, till his tactics got a tiny bit stale...." Kane continued, obviously throwing a small intended insult towards Edgar before suddenly being cut off.

"And YOU, my good warrior, have gotten a damned big head since we last did one of these!" The well dressed man with the cape had made his way over, obviously in high spirits even while flinging light insults at the centaur. While it was apparent he didn't intend to sit there, he had come over to greet the warrior.

"Your good host, lady and gentleman." Kane said sarcastically, giving a small wave to the approaching man. "Like I was saying, he's grown stale, but there are worst things to call friend in these parts, so I guess I'm stuck with him."

 

[CounterAttack]

Gabriel felt Fei's foot collide with his shin before she spoke. Either she had a hard kick, or he had grown soft in the past few weeks, because it was highly painful. His eyes watered. Perhaps he had said too much... it wasn't the politest of actions to either say nothing at all or confer with Fei before he said anything. Some form of conversation had had to be made.

So Kane and Edgar had some sort of connection... a friendly one, thankfully. Upon their host's approach, Isa leapt to her feet and curtsied before her lord before resuming her place beside Gabriel. Now Gabe was the one to raise an eyebrow. Intending to gloss over the potentially awkward moment, he turned back to Kane - and slipped his already-damaged leg behind his unhurt one in case Fei kicked him again.

"There are worse people? Like whom, if I may ask? Are there other castles like this one?" he queried, curious.

 

[blaze96]

"Food and drink do sound like a good idea, but I think I'd like to find my companions first. If what Lord Edgar said is true, I'd like to know they are all here and doing well." As he finished he heard the loud laugh of the centaur and looked in that direction to see Fei and Gabriel standing with him. He lead the two of them over to the group, happy to see that the others at least seemed to be doing alright.

"Fei, Gabriel, it is good to see the two of you again. Hopefully everything went well where you and the others ended up." He then looked to the Centaur.

"Forgive me, it has been a while since I have seen my companions. I am Alexander and she..." Alexander motioned to Jade. "..is Jade." He said as he extended a hand to the creature, hoping a handshake was enough of a universal gesture.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew sighed with relief at the sight of the other mages. At least they're all ok. Or at least I think that's all of them... He then felt Alice point towards Kane, laughing with Fei and Gabriel.

"...Lord Drew, I think some of your comrades might be....in discussion with Lord Kane. Do you...think them capable

He took a step forward, almost shouting in frustration. Of all the mages he had to talk to, why THEM?! However, he then saw Alexander and Edgar walk up to them and start a discussion with Kane. He stepped back to Alice, shrugging. "I think they can handle it. Still, I think that we should go over and reintroduce ourselves."

He looped his arm through hers, walking over to the table. "Well, it's about time you showed yourself, Edgar. Our guest here was concerned for you!" he said, pointing to Kane. "And it's about time you showed yourself, Alexander. I was worried that you fell asleep and were gonna miss out on all the fun!" He waved at Fei and Gabriel, walking Alice over to them. "Alice, I'd like you to meet Gabriel and my sister, Fei. Fei, Gabriel, this is Alice."

 

[NeoAC]

"I don't feel like dancing," Raven answered with a disapproving tone. "No sir. No dancing today. Let's just see what they have to eat here for now, huh?" The Nightshade grabbed one of the open tables that were available near where the attentdant had indicated and sat down.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Horatio laughed along with mistress, about as haughtily as he could. It was definitely fake, but haughty. "Drinks! Ohhh, I can definitely use a drink." And with that, he quickly excused himself from the table. Looking on, he could clearly see the hall filling up with partially familiar faces. Including that one guy that told him to keep his hands to himself, and that other guy that cut himself for the Lord.

"And, oh! Seems the Red Lord himself as graced us with his presence." He headed towards the collection of recognizable individuals, twirling past a cat-eared waitress on the way there. Along with swiping the couple of drinks she was carrying, a tall, frothy mug of something resembling ale, and what was most likely a glass of wine. He took massive gulps from the mug as he stepped over to the crowd.

"Ladies, gents." Joey casually began his introductions. "Lord Edgar, Alexander, Drew, Gasto-erm, Gabriel, mistress one, mistress two, mistress three, new girl who looks too innocent to be a mistress, and Lord Kane, who in which, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Horatio Dunst, and-" He stopped for a second, displaying enough thirst to down the rest of the mug. "Wow this stuff is good. Goes down smooth." He turned away for a second, making sure not to burp in any one's face. "What is it, and may I please have another?" He asked, already beginning on the glass of wine.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Nydia had lost track of how long she stood there in the temple they had arrived in whilst the others set to exploring their surroundings. No physical wound had kept her there as she had healed those quite well and any aching was long gone by now. No, it was her confidence that was wounded more than anything else and caused her to hesitate. Even though her magic was stronger than ever, her lack of experience still made her more of a liability in combat rather than an asset and the thought of being a burden to her companions was more terrifying to her than even death. And yet her sense of duty simply would not allow her to give up and let her comrades go on without her.

The two conflicting emotions left Nydia paralyzed with doubt until nearby movement brought her attention back to her surroundings. She looked up just in time to see her shadow exiting the ruins. "So even my own shadow has grown tired of waiting for me to overcome my weakness..." Admitting she was weak was not easy for Nydia but there was no denying it anymore.

"Still... I suppose she has the right of it. I will never get anywhere just standing here. The only way now... is forward!" And with that Nydia finally exited the temple, following after her shadow who seemed to be headed towards the castle in the distance. It took some time for her to get there and once she arrived she stayed a good distance away from it to observe for a moment.

The castle grounds seemed to be quite active with a number of what appeared to be centaurs and others who possessed a variety of animal traits. But were they friend or foe? It was unlikely given the hostile reception they received earlier. But just as Nydia was pondering her next move she spotted Seth and those who had gone to the lake in the distance heading towards the castle. Much to Nydia's surprise, the creatures around the castle paid them little heed as her companions walked right past them and into the castle.

Seeing this, Nydia gathered her courage and decided to follow after them. The centaurs let Nydia pass with little more than a glance just as they had the others and she stepped into the castle. Once inside, she was greeted by a sight that was both familiar and foreign to her. Many of the inhabitants, though clearly not human, were dressed rather nicely in suits and dresses while others who looked to be servants were going about their business. From further inside, she could smell the rich aroma of food and hear the sounds of merriment. "Is this... some sort of ball?" She pondered aloud. It was not an experience she was unfamiliar with, but to find something like this here was quite unexpected.

"I suppose I'll have to head to the main hall to find out for sure." She said, following the guests deeper into the castle. Looking down at her rather worn robes as she walked, she realized that she was rather under dressed for such an event. Well... I suppose if Seth, Cale, and the others are here too than I won't be the only one at least. She thought as she kept an eye out for any familiar faces.

 

[SkyeNeko]

"Hello" Fei laughed nervously. It was cute on her though, she wasn't sweating or fumbling or anything. Or maybe it was just more attractive for a female to do. "Lord Edgar" had come around, apparently he was really kind of like a king. She saw Alexander, Drew, and a few more maids approach too. This was a good time to... quietly sneak away. She stuck her tongue out at her brother and "Alice".

There were so many things to see and sweets to eat! She took a small cupcake off the nearest tray to nibble on (this dress she was wearing didn't have any pockets) while she looked around at the decorations, the elementals like she had seen at the lake, and more centaurs and half animal maids.

It was then that she noticed her shadow, lingering around the edge of the crowd, as if it were trying to keep an eye on her from a distance. Fei walked over and waved, not sure how to greet a shadow of yourself. Could she read thoughts? "Um... hi again. So... with all these elementals... there are shadow elementals too, right? Are you a shadow elemental?" Fei experimentally tried to pass her hand through it, like she had on the ship, only for it to press lightly against the shadow. Fei pulled back in a slight surprise.
"No... I'm not a shadow... I'm like you"
Now that Fei looked at her, she looked... younger? Than Fei was. And she didn't have any wings. Fei had to actually look down a little to meet her eyes. Which was nice. "OH! So you're, real, here. Will you still be real when we go back home? Will you come back with us to the Academy?" The shadow looked like she was thinking about something for a while, before replying.
"I... would like to."
Fei squealed in joy. "Really? We'll have lots of fun! I'm going to become an Adept, and I'm going to get my own room in the Waterfall fortress, well, it can be our room, and we'll have a nice view of the lake..." she went on and on about the Academy, while the shadow had on a thoughtful face, as if Fei were describing a place it had been to a long long time ago.

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Who's worse? Now thats a contest that isn't even fair! There are so many things that I could consider worse! Like..." Kane began, only for Edgar to quickly interrupt him.

"...the Mistriss of Iron, our good dark lord, Darnell...Can't forget our good Ice Queen, Amelia...." Edgar began naming some off before Kane once again jumped back in.

"...And a pleasure to meet ya as well, Alexander and Jade." Kane said, loudly cutting off Edgar. "I imagine you are part of their party and...unless I've gone damned mad, a leader by the looks of it. Never seen that insignia before, so I'm guessing...damned no idea. But ya look official enough. Edgar, ya better be getting the man a damned fine drink..." Kane began, only for Edgar to already had turned to greet the approaching Drew and Alice.

"Ah, I see. So he was complaining to you too then! As always, Kane, it seems that your manners are as deplorable as your battle tactics will be today." Edgar said smugly, obviously intending the jab to go towards Kane who gave Edgar a look at the statement, only to turn to the now approaching Joey.

"Ahhh...in case I miss my drinks, I would say that was one of the smoother styles of the ale. Good stuff though, if it was made for who I think it was. Course, I imagine the fellow wanting it saw ya take the drink from his dish, meaning ya might have to tangle with him later. Its a combination of a few ales, with some other....ingredients, some of which Edgar says he can't tell me or I'll stop coming to these damn events."

"The hells you wouldn't. You come here to take some damn food too, ya goddamned liar." Edgar said, only to look around and notice that most everyone was starting to get settled in.

"Well, I'll be damned. We actually got here in a reasonable amount of time, Kane. Whats the occasion? Anxious for the stomping that you are going to get coming to my castle?" Edgar began, only for Kane to simply wave off the insult.

"Don't mind him, ladies and gents. He's just thinking that cause we won last time we won't win this time. Gonna look like quite the idiot when that isn't the case." Kane replied, grinning at Edgar while doing so.

"Ah hells, seems that we are getting distracted from the correct table. Damned Kane not sitting in the right spot, because obviously this is more for the audience, and not just for the guests here!" Edgar announced, and made his way to the head table, slightly elevated amongst the rest but set to a curve so as to evenly show and be heard by everyone in the halls and each other.

"Well, did you guys hear that? Seems that he wants to make sure this is more of a public lashing for him, and you are all invited? C'mon, drunkards, ladies, gents, lords and...whatever the hells the rest of ya are. This is a show worth attending." Kane said with a laugh, taking a drink of the frothy liquid that he had left in his mug before standing up to go to the front table.

As he made his way forward, he made sure to stop one of the maids and said something to her, to which she seemed to nod a few times, and then made her way off to another direction. Edgar wasted no effort in waving the mages onward to come up to the front.

[hr]

"Fair enough. I don't think I'm up for that either..." Seth replied, only for a maid to suddenly step over. She put down a small collection of different drinks. A few wine bottles? He wasn't quite sure of the event, but guessed they were kinda for the whole table.

"Well, would be rude to not partake....and the meals will likely arrive in due time." Seth said with a grin, and grabbed one of the wines and poured it into the glass he had nearby. It seemed to be more of a reddish wine, but he wasn't particularly worried. He could imagine it tasted damn fine with the kind of people here. "Do you want some too? If the clothes we gotta wear are any indicator, this stuff should be fantastic..."

"Hello there, you two! I don't believe we've been introduced! I am Lord Edgar, commander of the castle...and you two are...?" A man in armor had approached them, taking a seat a small distance down the table, but obviously helping himself to the spot while looking the pair over. "I am happy to see that you were well prepared upon your arrival, since I imagine you more often wear something a bit more...heh, I should say a different kind of adventure."

"And while he's doing introductions, I might as well do the same! Lord Kane, and I'm eventually going to rule this castle if this idiot can't put up a proper defense sometime soon." Lord Kane had made his way to the table, and sat to the opposite of Edgar. While he was sitting down, a maid had apparently prepared a quick meal for him to enjoy and placed the large plate of meats, vegetables, and other foods that didn't seem to make much sense in front of him.

"Dragon on a stick....damned delicious. Spicy as demonic fires though, I'm sure." Kane said, picking up the stick and taking a bite. Immediately afterwords grabbing a new mug that had been brought over, and practically swallowing it all.

Pausing to share a look with Raven, Seth figured he might as well take the jump here with the odd gents that had apparently some authority here too. Maybe for once he could start on the right side of things, at least as far as these people were concerned. Besides, seemed like they wouldn't be going far for a while

"Seth, is what they call me. Adventurer, wanderer, and all that other fun stuff. It looked like you were already familiar with my compatriots, so I guess I won't need to introduce you to them. Though, it is an interesting thing that they never thought to mention me." Seth said with a small explanation, looking over the odd pile of foods. Most of it looked pretty basic, but some things he just didn't know what they could have been...or why they could be good.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew saw all the others arrive and took a quick head count. Wait a minute... we're one short. He took a moment to scan the place. The others would tell me if something went wrong... He went back to the festivities, silently listening to Kane and Edgar's banter. Well, we know a few more of the local lords, if nothing else. The fact that none of them are here is a bit troubling.

He shooed Fei away after she stuck her tounge out at him. "Go on! Get yourself something sweet to snack on." he said to her, turning back to Alice. "Sorry about my sister. She's not exactly the most ladylike... then again, I'm one to talk." he said, elbowing her lightly as he saw Kane's attention turn to Seth.

"Though, it is an interesting thing that they never thought to mention me."

"Oh, I mentioned you to my companion Alice here." he said, letting her go and walking over to Seth. "And that reminds me... she told me something I feel I should tell you." Without warning, he pulled Seth a bit close to him, and muttered in his ear. "Seth... buddy. You're gonna have to do me a favor. Don't use your magic." he gave him a second to process it before elaborating. "They don't take kindly to people who control fire in these parts, and I'd rather not see what they'd try to do to you. I know you might think we can fight, and we might, but I'd really rather not test that theory. So I'm asking you, as a... I guess tolerated acquaintance; do not use your magic."

He let go, casually walking back to Alice. "I just thought you might find that useful, Seth." he then turned to Raven, smirking at the chance to poke fun. "You two make such a cute couple." he wasn't actually lying, but he was hoping she'd have a funny reaction to that.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Is Lady Fei always like this, master Gabriel?" Isa quietly asked the Hydromancer in question as they took seats at the table to which Edgar had led the company.

Gabe had to smile. "You mean how she acts a lot younger than she looks?"

"Precisely. You'd stepped out to give her some privacy while I tried to help her into the gown Janine had chosen for her, so you didn't see her reaction to it... suffice to say, I don't believe it was a response befitting her age." Isa passed Gabriel a glass of wine as she spoke, taking an elegant sip from her own before continuing. "It was a good choice, I feel, but she refused. Do you have any insight into that particular decision?"

"I don't think I'm the best person to talk to about that. You'd want to speak to Drew on that matter." Gabriel cast a glance at the glass she had set before him, but was disinclined to partake of it himself. He'd never touched wine or other drinks of a similar nature, save in class when they studied purification spells about a year ago. Sure, it was easy enough to cast the spell when the glass was right there before him... but it was also visible to pretty much anyone at the table. Especially Isa, whom Gabriel believed had no idea of his magical talents - however limited they might be. And he doubted he could apply the spell to something he'd already ingested.

So he didn't touch the glass. Instead he decided to steer the conversation out of these particular waters. "Did Kane say something about ruling Edgar's castle?"

"Why do you think there are celebrations tonight?" was the enigmatic response, followed by another genteel sip of wine and a knowing smirk. That was definitely something to consider... had Edgar invited his enemy to the party? Gabriel began to fidget with his cufflinks again, glancing over at Kane and Edgar with apprehension clear on his face.

 

[NeoAC]

Raven gave a nod when Seth asked her about the wine and was about to help herself to a generous glass when more people showed up at the table. Damn. Not far enough out of the way...

They were bigwigs, it was clear from the attire they were wearing and the way just just plonked themselves down at the table. They called themselves Lords, seemingly low on the totem pole, although Edgar did say he owned the place. Seth did the intro as ...Drew and more people came over to the table. Lovely.

As Drew talked to Seth aside, Raven addressed the two men. "I'm Raven. I'm...with Seth, I suppose. Not much of an adventurer, but I'm along for the ride. It's something to do, right?"

"You two make such a cute couple."

Raven turned and stared at Drew who had just uttered the kind of remark that would have earned him a cuff upside the head before this trip, but instead only got him a dagger-shooting look of squinted eyes and pursed lips. Feeling the need to clarify the need for that action, she turned back to the Lords. "I'm not cute," she told them.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Edgar and Kane made quite a show as they paraded towards a much more ornately dressed table. Seemed like a good enough time for Joey to return his seat as well. Firstly, however, he grabbed hold of a heavily antlered waitress. He downed what remained in his wine glass before placing it and the equally empty mug on her serving tray.

"Ooh, bitter stuff, that wine is." He remarked. "But yeah, that ale? Can I get like five more mugs of it? (or maybe six...? I'm barely registering a buzz here...) And send 'em to the table with the girl with the enticingly low neckline." He fast talked the waitress, pointing towards the table Rosa sat at. "Please? Thanks. You're a doll. Love what you've done with the horns." He concluded speedily, showing her that sly smile of his before sending her on her way with a playful pat to the behind.

With that, he returned to his mistress. "Hey, you were right! A few drinks does make you more bearable to the right people!" He did a bit of a mental high five to himself for such a masterful comeback.

"By the way, what's the history between your two lords up there? Sounds like they're gonna get rowdy, and this isn't the first time." He asked more seriously. "Can we bet on a winner?" He asked less seriously.

"I mean, one would think the centaur would have a clear advantage, y'know, with the sheer brute strength and lower horse half n' all, but then y'got Lord Edgar over here! The Red Lord! The goddamn vampire mage himself!" He rambled even less seriously. "Either way, it'd damn sure be a sight to see." Whenever the battle would commence, he would hope there would be some popcorn available.

 

[SkyeNeko]

"Underdressing!? At my event?!"
To say that she had a sixth sense for these kinds of things in the castle was an understatement. The dragon lady, who had changed since her last dealings with the mages, was more than slightly irked. Why did these foreign beings continue to irk her with their propensity for uncleanliness and faux pas.

She found yet another mage who had managed to wiggle in unnoticed. "What if no one had seen you!? What if, I hadn't seen you?" The dragon lady swept Nydia off her feet, deciding to be more gentle, but also more firm, than last time. She kicked open the door to the shower room, unceremoniously dropping Nydia down in a small bath tub filled with water as opposed to the stalls the other mages had used. "Terribly sorry, but you have no time for a proper bath." She took a bucket of water from the shower, dumping it right over Nydia, robe and all. By the smell of it, it was already mixed with some fragrance. It was also cold. The dragon lady pushed a towel into Nydia's hands, and was already halfway out of the door before yelling "Dirty clothes in the hamper, and you have as much time as it take me to find you an appropriate dress to freshen up!"

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Seth... buddy. You're gonna have to do me a favor. Don't use your magic. They don't take kindly to people who control fire in these parts, and I'd rather not see what they'd try to do to you. I know you might think we can fight, and we might, but I'd really rather not test that theory. So I'm asking you, as a... I guess tolerated acquaintance; do not use your magic."

Seth turned to look at Drew, regarding him for a moment. For them usually considering each other acquaintances, that was an oddly detailed warning. He would be willing to heed it for the moment though. While he could possibly torch everything in the room with just a bit of work, he figured that might not be the best for first impressions...even though apparently Raven was leaving some.

"I'm not cute,"

Seth couldn't help but pause to look over at Raven for a moment before realizing what he was doing and stopped. This didn't stop both Kane and Edgar from looking Raven over, both with a odd grins before Kane decided to break the small silence that was there.

"So, Raven, Companion of Seth...what is it that you have come here for? As you have probably noticed, the good Lord Edgar isn't very appealing to look at, and is quite useless outside of his castle realm!" Kane said with a chuckle, watching Seth and Raven both carefully as he did so.

Seth watched the centaur carefully, almost on the verge of saying something to just make it so he would back away, but then he felt perhaps he was being overprotective of someone who could defend themselves just fine.

Course, one false move and I will set this silly....centaur on fire. And the entire room if it comes down to it. Just cause they've been polite doesn't mean they won't mind killing us.

[hr]

Edgar in the meantime had taken to enjoying some of his fine wine, only to note that Alexander and Jade had sat relatively close by. The two still being together seemed to cause the lord to smirk, and stand to take a few steps closer.

"I see you both managed to get well dressed for the occasion, which is always good. Though, I notice that you have made either some modifications, or found a very unique suit..." Edgar began, giving a small wave to the emblems on the sleeves of Alexander's shirt.

"So, what do they stand for? Are you indeed some lord from another land? If so, I hope you plan on leaving my lands quickly. Can't have you trying to take hold of my area, especially since I have grown so fond and....improved many aspects of it." While Edgar did not exactly put a threat behind his words, it did seem that he didn't seem pleased having to announce such a thing to Alexander.

Jade gave a small laugh as she saw Nydia being grabbed by the dragon woman, who seemed to neatly carry her out of the room. However, then Lord Edgar approached she gave a small tug at Alexander's arm, obviously in some kind of discrete warning as to how he should respond to such a question.

[hr]

As Drew made his way back to Alice, she gave a sigh as it seemed that she knew the message had been passed on, though gave a worried glance at the main table once more before going to sit with Drew.

"So that is the one with fire...? I do hope that you warned him sternly. A showing of flames even here might...not go over well." Alice said quietly before a small plate of snacks were brought over to them.

"So, Lord Drew, do you think you will be staying long? It seems that you are likely not here for our company, as nice as that would seem to be. I am not sure what I could offer for likely helping us....erm...win the battle later, but I would like to show some appreciation." Alice blushed slightly at the last part, obviously not used to the interaction.

[hr]

Meanwhile, at Gabriel's table a centaur and stone knight had taken a seat, bother oddly ordering drinks. While they sat there for a moment, they didn't seem to give much mind to Gabriel for a while....until they seemed to notice that he didn't seem to be participating in the activities.

"...Don't think much of the celebration? Or are ya distracted?" The centaur asked, before the stone knight seemed to already have an answer.

"Bah, leave the boy alone. Did you not see? The girl he was with had left, obviously the boy made a terrible misstep and that has led to the man not being in the best of moods...Isn't that right boy?" The knight seemed to glance at the young mage expectantly.

[hr]

As Fei was going over many descriptions of all the plans that she would go over, and the things they would see, and the pranks they planned on pulling on every other mage since Fei now had a partner when a young maid wandered over.

"Hey....Erm....Uh...You are....one of them, right? Those other people? I'm Eliza..." The young maid with golden blonde hair said, wearing a maid outfit with just a few scales dotted around her arms.

"I heard you know....a dangerous fire guy. Is it true? Do you know creatures that are demons? Or related to demons? Wait...." Eliza stepped back a moment, seeming to jump to many conclusions at once as her eyes widened. "Are...you a demon? Is that why you are talking to....the others?"

[hr]

Rosa was smiling a lot more at Horatio's drinking, and how it seemed to make him a lot more sociable as he made his way back to the table with a lot more fire, and supposedly a lot more wit. Rosa was more than prepared for him, and took a drink of the wine that she had gotten as well.

"Now if only you could be bearable without a few drinks, I might actually be able to believe you might have been partially a gentleman at one point. But alas, there is no dream that could support that." Rosa replied, smiling as she rose her glass again to take a drink. While she did so, she paused at seeing Nydia being grabbed and taken away, though it also seemed to give her an idea as well. Turning her attentions back to Horatio, she gave him a small look over still with the devilish grin.

"And it also seems to make you slightly more perceptive...but only slightly. Surprising, I must say. Though, if you do want to start betting on the Lords, you are going to want to wait. There will be a bit of a competition later, and everyone will be placing bets. If I get to, I think I'm going to bet for Onyx to get her hands on you." She gave a laugh, obviously malicious at this point.

"But yes, the lords do get along like this quite often. Many of us do, despite our...differences. And the lords are quite well....matched? So don't let the centaur fool you, he'll likely be making his way over to drink you under the table once he gets the chance, as I've seen him...well, he will likely outdrink this room before the time is done."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew looked over, seeing Nydia's current situation, giving a relieved sigh Well at least she's ok. Everyone's accounted for.... As Kane started bothering Alexander and Fei and the other mages was busy doing their own thing, he helped himself to a little more wine. He wasn't quite drunk yet, but now he was at least starting to feel something.

"So that is the one with fire...? I do hope that you warned him sternly. A showing of flames even here might...not go over well."

"Don't worry. Seth's a bit hotheaded, but he's not stupid. As long as nothing happens to provoke him, we should be fine. Besides, he has a thing for using his sword, anyway..." He took a couple snacks, helping himself before muttering "I would think he at least respects me enough to take my advice seriously..." He was hoping that was the case, but he couldn't help having a bad feeling about things, considering the situation.

It was then he noticed Eliza talking to Fei. Drew's eyes widened for a minute, realizing she was the maid listening in on his discussion with Alice earlier. He called out to her "HEY! YOU! I NEED ANOTHER ROUND OF DRINKS FOR MY FRIENDS OVER HERE!" He shouted, gesturing to the other mages and giving her an angry glare.

He turned back to Alice, a little embarrassed about the display. Drew was always more of one to swear under his breath, not shout at the top of his lungs. "Sorry about that. I don't quite trust that girl. Seemed like she was causing problems for you earlier."

A moment passed before Alice spoke again."So, Lord Drew, do you think you will be staying long? It seems that you are likely not here for our company, as nice as that would seem to be."

Drew shook his head. "Sorry. Don't think we'll be staying that long. Honestly, depending on what Alexander of the others found, we might be leaving in the morning. But the company was very appreciated." he said, turning to her and smiling, putting an arm around her and giving her a hug.

"I am not sure what I could offer for likely helping us....erm...win the battle later, but I would like to show some appreciation."

This part surprised him. He knew he could interpret that in several ways, but he didn't want to risk being wrong. However, he shook his head. "Look, you don't owe me anything. Like I said, your company has been more than enough." He then spoke a little more casually, pulling Alice a little bit closer. "That being said, once this battle business is over... well... we have the whole night ahead of us."

 

[Pm0n3y]

Before Joey could serve up any rebuttals, the antlered server approached the table, and served him his drinks. "Wow, you're a fast one aren't you? Thanks for the service, I'd tip you if I could...but I don't think you'd take my money." He chuckled and dismissed the waitress once more, taking up the mug nearest to his grasp before addressing his mistress.

"Alright, so, some more questions. Firstly, is the passive aggressive reverse psychology goading a really bad habit of yours? Because you've been doing it like, this entire time." A lesser man would've lost his temper with the woman sometime after the third insult. But Joey's endured worse, from previous employers and hardy bar wenches alike. The thought of which almost made him spit out his ale. "Almost. Never waste good alcohol, kids."

As he took deeper gulps from his mug, it almost sounded like Joey's wish of gambling would play out in some form or another. But it also brought him to his next question. "Secondly, Onyx? Who might that be? Is she hot? Ooh, is she one of those dragon ladies that've been walking about 'round here?" He wasn't turning down the threat, by the way he sounded. He took another swig from his mug. As she mentioned the Lord Centaur one more, Joey turned back to the table.

"I don't even see that as a challenge. Honestly, I couldn't see myself out drinking a massive man-horse hybrid. Not before succumbing to alcohol poisoning, at least." He admitted with a shrug.

 

[CounterAttack]

"...Don't think much of the celebration? Or are ya distracted?"

"Bah, leave the boy alone. Did you not see? The girl he was with had left, obviously the boy made a terrible misstep and that has led to the man not being in the best of moods...Isn't that right boy?"

"Er, no, sir," Gabriel began hesitantly, unsure of how best to explain to more strangers. "I've never been particularly inclined to participate in this sort of thing. I don't drink, you see... well, it's more that I've never tried it and I'm not sure I want to. And the only people I really know at this party are the handful with whom I travelled here... so it's all a bit much. I've never seen people like yourselves before. Centaurs and stone creatures and winged ladies and such."

"Lady Fei had her wings when I first saw her, master Gabriel," Isa noted.

"Yeah, she did... she only got those recently though, they're new. I don't think she's learned to fly yet." Gabriel felt thirst begin to set in, probably from all the talking. The temptation to cast a purifying spell on the glass of wine in front of him was back, in force. Dare he cast it in front of a group of strangers? He had to get something soon, or go hungry and thirsty.

After what felt like ages - but was in reality just a few seconds - Gabriel took the glass and set it down a few inches closer. Then he reached out with one finger, remembering the notes in his textbook. Eyes focused on the liquid, breathing regulated, thought focused on water's elemental core, index finger out as if pointing. He tapped the glass and the red wine rippled as if he had dipped a finger into it; it shimmered and turned crystal clear. Gabriel tentatively took a sip; if there had been a flavour before, it was gone. Perfect.

Beside him, Isa raised one eyebrow briefly, then lowered it and took a measure from her own glass.