(OOC:
All right people, here's how it's going to go. I want five people in this, but it's free to change for more. If you're inactive for...let's say a week and a bit, I'll message you. If you do not respond, or your excuse is not WORTHY enough, I get to kill your character at my leisure.
No bio requirement (Biographies suck, really), but I do request that you PM me (with character name) if you're interested (I'll give you a yes or a no, but more than often, it'll be yes). Because there are no bios, you must adequately describe your character in your first post. Pretty much like a bio, but more incorporated into writing and not at all like a resumé. More focus on physical aspect, less on personality and history. The latter should be incorporated into the actual role-playing. However, I may ask you to edit your first post to explain more clearly about your character.
I'm not introducing anything out-of-character. Everything will be explained in the actual post, because I like it so much better that way. This is going to make the initial post longer than a regular post, so please don’t think I’m going to barrage the RP with a bunch of walls of text. Besides, my writing isn’t that bad, is it? For those who want a quick run-down of the plot...
It follows an entertainer and his friends (that’s you) and his little rescue quest.

Participant List
Soulless as Road Moraine, and every NPC
Lithitemir as Eaon
aeleon as Madison Turnlily
souloe as Mark Crimson
Celestial Pancakes as Sophie Stevenson

Without further ado, let the game begin!)

~*~

A joke-playing trickster, that's what everyone called him.

He had a reputation of being a joker. Certainly, he had the sly eyes, the unnerving smirk and the rearrangeable voice, but he never enjoyed it when people referred to him as a low-class jester. As if he would allow dying ingredients into his hair, wear that ridiculous hat and let those crazed alterists rampage over him. He quite liked the murky brown of his hair and the offset maroon eyes. The choice in clothing could have been more fashionable, but the man couldn't afford any luxuries. His attire was completely of leather, from the sleeveless shirt to loosely worn pants. Buckle straps entangled his torso, holding small daggers at each intersection. Combined with his youthful adolescent face, it was just enough to create the look of a bored thief.

But a thief he was not. He was a small time street performer, though none so low as a disgraceful jester or a puny criminal. His sleight-of-hand made its mark upon the quaint village of Tylin. So dexterous were his movements, so graceful was his touch, illusionist mages could not match his tricks. His name was Road Moraine.

A simple name for a complex man. Or so he liked to think.

There he sat, in the corner of the Footsteps Inn and Tavern, the only place in Tylin for loiterers to go. A knife deftly balanced on Road’s finger, his small habit to occupy time.

What an age they lived in. Wars ravaged the land continuously, starting over the simplest things and had no end. Civil feuds erupted constantly, seeking to sack tyrannical kings. The smart ones had wizards at their side for magical protection…and punishment. In order to keep their edge, magic was strictly prohibited to those of royal blood and wealthy folk.

As far as technology went, only the gnomish dedicated their time to its progress. Their latest project was a more efficient use of explosive powder. Some say they’re on the breakthrough of a lifetime, next to completion on the cannon that fits in a hand.

Yeah, like Road will ever live to see that day. Even if they do finish it within the next decade, it’ll be the most expensive item on the market.

It was odd for the entertainer to be thinking about battles and the future. None of those concerned him. Road was in Tylin, after all. Though just south of the capital in Rescade, no one cared about the tiny towns around, especially the one on the road-less-travelled-by. Everyone always uses the ‘main’ road, the one that connects this big city to that big city.

Perhaps he was tired of Tylin. Sure, the kids still love his antics, but pulling pranks on the same people becomes less and less enjoyable. Maybe it was time to pack his things and –

The tavern door crashed open. Road, leaning precariously on his chair, nearly fell over in shock. After he up-righted himself, he saw three looming figures, all big, ugly and without a doubt, stupid.

The tavern population had been steadily decreasing, as the afternoon rush had passed. There were only twenty or so people remaining. They all turned and looked at the new arrivals, but quickly went upon their own duties.

All except Road. An opportunity on travellers didn’t come too often.

“’ey there,” he started warmly. “How would you like to play a game with me? Only ten copper pieces.”

They were dressed in black, incredibly muscular, and probably thought highly of themselves. The tallest one stood in the middle, acting as leader. One of his sub-ordinates chuckled at Road’s invitation. The assumed leader responded, “Sorry, shrimp, but I got better things to do.”

“Oh, that’s a terrible shame,” Road said with a hidden-mock. “If you played with me, you coulda gotten triple your money back.” He stressed ‘triple’ as a merchant would on prices.

The big grunt turned his head at this remark. “Triple, eh?” he stroked his chin as if he was pondering. Likely, he wasn’t. “How’s about I throw in 50 coins and throw me 5 silver back?” A cue to his companions for a shared guffaw.

“I don’t see why not. Hey, I’ve got a better idea, you can try for 10 silver, and if I lose, I’ll cough up a gold.”

At this, the oaf walked up to Road’s table. “You don’t know who you’re trying with, do you?” He gruffly stated. “Get that gold piece ready.” He took a seat.

“Good to see the change of heart. Now, it’s quite simple.” Road drew three cards. The children hand-made a sizeable deck for Road, and told him a game liked to play with them. Road eventually created games of his own, and a repertoire of unseen tricks were born from his imagination. He never loved another gift more than that deck. The cards he drew were two regal men, schemed in black, and a jester, vibrant with colour. “I’m going to put these cards face down and shuffle them ‘round a bit. To win, all you need to do is choose the jester.” Road began to rearrange them, at a seemingly medium pace. When finished, he waved his hand along them, signalling to his contestant.

The man scoffed. His hand removed the middle card. “You thought you could make some silver like this? It’s obvious the jester’s this…” he stared in amazement. Where it seemed the jester should have been, it was not. A royal man greeted his face. He slammed it down in anger.

“Oh, unlucky draw,” Road commented. “I believe we agreed on 10 silver…”

The man thrashed aside the table, breaking its legs and toppling it over. He lunged at Road, a clean punch into his gut. Just as he prepared for another hit, Road had a knife to his throat.

“All right, all right,” Road gasped, gritting his teeth against his pain. “If you don’t want to pay so bad, you don’t hafta. But please leave quietly.”

The man was stunned, as were his friends. But, after a moment, he returned his fist, and retreated outside the inn.

The entire inn was silent after the outburst. Then, Road snickered to himself. “What a catch, what a catch…” he muttered. There, in his hand, were ten silver coins.

~=*=~

Knowing the arrival of those men meant trouble, Road made his way to the mayor’s home. After a formal greeting from his wife, the entertainer found the old man sitting at his desk, shaking his head sombrely.

“Old man Ross, what’s the problem?” Road asked, slightly more serious than his usual cheery tone.

“Road? What brings you here?”

“I met some people at Footsteps. They looked like criminals, and they caused a commotion there. I just thought you should know.”

“Oh, Road, you didn’t challenge those men, did you?”

“Uh…” he looked away.

“Oh, Road…” he repeated, as if in shame. “It’s terrible. Those people are probably members of the Black Talon.”

“Black Talon?”

“A crime gang the knights haven’t rounded up yet. They plan on storming capital city, and they need equipment and supplies. So, they came up with the plan…t-to extort money from the surrounding villages.”

“That’s…That’s awful,” Road said, at a loss of words.

“Their leader, Shadow Hawk, he calls himself. He approached me earlier, and threatened the town. If…If I don’t meet his demands by the end of each week, he’ll kill a family.”

“He can’t do that!” Road cried, enraged. “There’s so many children in Tylin!”

“That’s precisely the problem. Tylin consists mostly of children and young adults; we can’t create a resistance force to oppose him. I can’t call on the capital for aid, either…Hawk has already taken someone hostage, and I have reason to believe he’s placed magic bombs in the village.”

“God damn that man,” Road cursed. “I’ve got to stop him.”

“Road, you can’t. You’ll get yourself killed. You can do nothing alone.”

“Then, I’ll scour the town. I’ll find people to help me.” His voice was low, but shaking in his harsh anger and anxiety. “Not only are we going to rescue that captive, we’re going to kick them out of Tylin forever.” He breathed calmly, and spoke slightly softer. “Besides, those men were stupid enough to fall for a card trick. The kids have seen through that one the first time I showed them.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Never mind, old man Ross. I’ll be lurking around Footsteps. With any luck, I’ll recruit a travelling warrior or something.”

Twisting and turning, under and over, there wasn’t a particular direction she was going. She never thought it when she was submerged in this liquid of the lake. This lake had been teasing her day in and day out of the week’s smoldering heat outdoors and today was when she decided to give in. Temptation brought forth so much pleasure when she made that decision. Her whole body immediately cooled as tension sank down and dissolved into the water. What a great feeling to be released from the high temperature of passed days.
Her lithe body, toned and darkened by the sun, could be seen clearly defined through the wet-drapery effect the collision of liquid and fabric brought forth. Curves were bluntly displayed and maybe even accentuated by the effect. The almond-shaped eyes she inherited from her mother and father were further slit-like against the sun’s rays above. She glided through the water until she found it fit to stay afloat on the surface, face up to greet the sky.

She was born to oriental parents which she derived the given name of Jang Hon Sing. It was one of the small things she took pride in since a visit to the people that gave birth to her wasn’t an easy task. They lived across the continent where the land meets ocean and paper dragons, cranes, and koi dance in the streets. There was nothing special about the village she was born in but it did house souls that were both astute and scholarly. Jang learned her best techniques from these kinds of people. Techniques in simple but evasive fighting; taking a side note, these procedures were seldom used and only acted on when need be. More important things followed this way of defense, like herbal brewing, calligraphy, traditional dance and song, flower arrangement, and to use not only her voice as an instruments but also, the koto and shamisen.
Now, that she lived in a quaint room at an old house in another village named Tylin, she made her life function financially by way of a busker. Performing with her voice, koto, and shamisen every night the day she decided to permanently stay in Tylin. She was only mildly successful in a manner that the monetary flow allowed her to comfortably live—comfortable for almost a beggar, though.

Jang had eventually floated back towards the shore where she pulled herself up onto the low, wooden deck that protruded out into the lake. An immediate rain of water rushed off her soaked body, mostly from the material of her clothing which stuck to her skin. She kept herself still in a position on all fours as the water dripped off her before turning to lie on the warm deck’s surface.

"Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit." Road couldn't stop cursing. The sun was falling toward the horizon. Wasn't there a courageous person in this village? Or an intelligent person in sight? Or anybody that could do something in this blasted situation?

The performer already knew before he even began hunting. It was a fruitless search. Why would anyone with power walk through this path? Why would any one skilled even consider resting here? It was a small, insignificant town. God knows how uncomfortable their beds are or how wretched their ail tastes. No body came through here before. Why would they come now?

It made him all the more upset. Every question he asked himself, he knew the harsh answers. Road could try and take Shadow Hawk (stupid, pompous name) and his Black Talon (typical, uncreative name) gang on his own. But Ross was right; if he tried, he would fail. When he fails, Tylin is doomed. Was waiting and cursing the only thing he could do?

He gave up his search. After asking the barkeeper to keep an eye out (as if he would have better luck), Road went outside for an evening stroll.

The entertainer fumbled with his cards. As if tricks did any good now. He flipped cards left and right, shuffling them in ways he could see through completely. Card pictures changed with each flick, colours rotated wildly. Before he knew it, Road was standing by the lake side.

With the sun descending, the area was lit in a glorious orange. The water shimmered and sparkled in their natural beauty. It was heart-warming, and momentarily soothed the trickster. Then, he caught sight of the gorgeous female on the deck.

His mouth froze open. "H-hey, there," Road said, hoping he hadn't stumbled into a private moment. His graceful hand movements suddenly halted, and before he knew it, cards were scattering wildly. "Ah, blast it!" Road bent down, nervously gathering up his deck. "I'll be out of here in a second. Sorry for intruding."

Jang smirked at his outburst of both his words and the cards he had been fiddling with. Who hadn’t seen Road Moraine around with those cards? There wasn’t a day that the dirt he walked, hordes of little children would follow, begging him for another trick. All the while she was going over these facts and observations, she rose to her feet though still wet from the lake. Standing before him, she got a better look at his exterior considering she’d never been this close to the town jokester. For a moment she took a fancy to his attire but directed her attention to his eyes.
“You don’t foul up in public much,” she began, “good thing I’m the only one watching.” She almost hoped he didn’t take offense to assuming his position in the community but, as said, almost hoped. Jang could actually care less. So, with one hand poised on her hip, she waited for a response.


OOC: Yeah, it's short! But quality over quantity, right? ;]

"Heh," Road smirked at the woman. He paused. "You don't foul up in public much" meant she follows his shows, didn't it? The entertainer figured he might as well perform. If anything, it'll help relieve stress over the gang issue.

"Don't think the show's over yet." Almost the entire deck was in his hand, save three cards. All lay face-down, each relatively in front of him. "Mezballa," he chanted while waving his hand across. Road grinned sharply. "One of the cards is alive. Think of any card you want; one to ten, coloured or colourless, any person of royalty...and I guarantee that card will walk to you." He waited for his partaker's choice.

((OOC: Even shorter. Meh.))

Jang spoke to him, though disregarding proper eye contact to take care of other things that required attention, “One, colored, and a queen.” Eventually she had taken both her hands to pull off the wet top off of her body, leaving only thinner but fitted top underneath. Returning her hand to her hip as she scanned the cards before then Road, examining him once again.

((OOC: Obviously we're having a contest here. ;P))

Road still had his game face on, although there was a momentary gape when the audience member removed her shirt. It was obvious; she was searching for the secret. They always did, and it's always easy to tell where they're looking. "Let's see then, shall we? Rise, o card of life!" He snapped his fingers as a beckon. The card at the left rose to face the woman. It used it's corners as feet and took a clumsy step forward. After a couple of paces, it fell as an infant would, face-up. The picture displayed a single, elegant queen, in lovely blue and green robes. "Whoa, easy there," Road said, as if he didn't notice the card picture. "Take your time, no one's rushing you." He snapped his fingers once more, and again, the card rose and walked. It fell directly onto the woman's foot. He waved his hands around each other. "No strings attached, and nothing up my sleeves," Road stated with a smile. Sleeveless shirts make the best impressions. He returned to the ground and picked up the other two cards. "Would you be so kind as to return the queen?" he asked.

Jang was impressed with this man. Not outstandingly. Just moderately. She couldn't help but grin at the fallen queen at her feet, the whole act amusingly cute in itself. Retrieving the card, she straightened up to hold it out to him, "Your queen," she presented.

The woman...was admirably beautiful. Could have been the lovely sunset world, could have been the wet clothes, but up-close and slightly more personal, she was stunning. Road took full opportunity when receiving his card. He stole her hand and shook. "My name's Road," he greeted. A part of him opted to go for the gentleman's kiss, but his controlled self didn't allow such a thing. "And you?"

Jang gave his hand a light shake back before withdrawing her hand to wring out her top once again. Her shoulders tensed as she tried with all her might to extract as much water as possible. For some reason, she didn't make eye contact in long spans of time with Road. But she did answer him, “Jang.” She finally held out her buttoned top in front of her, examining its drier exterior, “Finally,” she said breathlessly and quiet.

The long wait before the response made the performer had overstayed his visit. "Well then, Jang, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again during one of my shows." With that, Road took his leave and almost immediately descended to his dark thoughts. The performance for Jang could very well be his last if he played foolishly against Hawk.

He had only just made it onto the dirt path when he heard two uninvited voices.
"Damn that rotten thief. 10 silvers, gone! I know that bastard took it."
"Shouldn't have even played him."
"Shut up, Leonard."

Oh no. He immediately dashed off the side of the path, scrunched down and hoped they wouldn't see him. But as his luck would go, the three grunts stood almost beside him, standing there and swearing with their gruff voices.
"Agh, if I could get my hands on that bug, I would --!!"
"Relaaaax. He'll be our first pick when that Ross jerk refuses to pay up."
Maybe if he could sneak behind them...He could just walk past and they wouldn't know--
Crunch.
God forbid there be sticks at the side of the road.

"What the hell was...Hey, shrimp." All the men turned to face Road, who was in a cowering position. "What do you think you're doing, sneaking around like that?"
"Ahahaha," Road faked a laugh. Too late to run now. "'ey, fellers." He stood and revealed his face.
"Well, well, well," the lead said. "If it ain't the puny thief. Time I paid you back, isn't it?"
"I could've taken your life back at the inn. Don't force me to do it now."
The man snorted. "Three on one. You're as good as dead. You'll serve as a little example."

Though Road could defend himself when the need arises, actual combat is far from his speciality. Oh, god, someone help me... he pleaded.

Jang was so preoccupied with drying the material in her hands that she disregarded any further spoken word. She gave a small sway in her hips as a satisfied response to her work. To her dismay she found that Road had left already without her knowledge. But before she could even wonder of his whereabouts, there was angered noise a little ways down the path from the lake. It was odd how she took her time to slip the material in her hands back on, tying the sash behind her to hug the fabric close.
Jang patted the belt low on his hips, a jingling sound coming from small pockets. The sound gave her instant security so, she descended down the path towards the ruckus.

Road quickly drew a knife. It was a thin, short blade, meant for juggling performances rather than self-defence. He slowly edged backward, fear constantly in his mind. Was he to do die like this?

One of the grunts was more than eager. He set upon the entertainer immediately in a wild lunge. Road jumped back, and threw his blade straight into the man's arm. He howled in pain and clutched at his wound.

Already, the other two men encircled Road's sides. One attempted a swinging punch, but Road quickly ducked. The other did a low kick, slamming into Road's stomach. He flew backward and landed harshly. His hand reached to draw another knife, but a boot slammed into his wrist, grinding it to the floor. Before his other hand had its chance, it was crushed as well.

The one with the knife wound was glaring at him. "Even a pathetic weapon like this can kill, can't it?" he had pulled it out, blood dripping down the metal. "But I'm not going to use it yet. I oughta hear you beg."

Road's voice was raspy, the pain reaching his voice. "I don't beg from those less fortunate than I am."

Suddenly, a foot crashed into his body with heavy force. Road cried out. "Then I'll just have to settle for a runt's squealing, won't I?" The foot came down again, and again, completely relentless.

Jang always found it calming whenever she had something physical to do, even it had potential for danger. She loved the thrill which masked any fear she might have at that moment. She'd been taught to be ready and how to defend herself when the situation called for it. So, as she began to jog down the path towards the commotion, all of this came into play. A list unfolded in her mind as she took in the scene – one wounded, one not so much, then oddly enough, there's Road. Wasn't it the man's job to save the damsel? She hoped it wouldn't be always.
Count it off. One stride, second, third, fourth... and fifth. She caught her footing just right to gain at least a foot in the air. The objects jingling in her belts' pockets were simultaneously pulled out between the crevasses of her fingers; small, thin blades of steel. A quick swipe and blades seemed to graze but, in actuality, slashed the back of the already wounded grunt. The pained roar emanated from him almost made her lose footing on the ground once she landed. At least, all the blades were indefinitely lodged into his neck.
Jang took many steps back from the angered man, counting loosely, again, to herself. The atropine that heavily coated the little slithers of steel would not only be a catalyst to further death but the mass damage to the neck assisted. She watched him fall, repeating the symptoms of the poison out loud for the fallen, “Hot as a hare, blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, and mad as a hatter.”
One more was left but he continued to stand there, maybe from shock? Jang wasn't quite sure but, she kept her stance as her brow began to show sweat. She didn't plan on running to Road's side just yet, not with one of them standing around in some unknown state.

She watched from the shadows. Her dirty-blonde hair hung just past her shoulders, bangs swept off to the side of her face. Her blue eyes sparkled as she watched. Seeing them fighting, and thinking it was a waste of time, she walked foreward intimidatingly. In all her sixteen years, never had she seen so many people gang up on so few, and it disgusted her. Her eyes seemed to crackle with electricity as she approached them at a fast pace.
Then something unexpected happened. She blinked once.
Every man standing, excluding those they were attacking, flew backwards several metres, apparently with no outside interference. She continued walking towards them, and, as she did, strange things happened to the men - they were thrown from one place to another, against walls, against each other, not of their own will. Her eyes followed every move they made. A small, sly smile spread across her face.
(OOC: Thank you soooooo much for letting me join! Sorry if I'm a bit enthusiastic, this is my first roleplay on this site n_n'''. I hope I'm not a problem for you. If I am, tell me, and I'll stop.)

((OOC: I'm not sure if your post referred to the fight already taking place but if it is, it seems like you should go back to thoroughly read the posts above. Then make a new post.))

(OOC: I did...I read all of them...Is anything wrong?)

((OOC: The situation right now is that there's two guys crushing Road's wrists. The guy pounding his stomach has been disposed of by Jang, so there's only two left. We're also on an open pathway, so there aren't any walls.

Also, keep the power level of your character low. A single blink should not fell as many people as you described.))

(OOC: Soulless...I noticed you listed me as a boy...I'm a girl, acctually. Just thought I'd let youknow ^^)

(OOC: Okay, sorry about the walls...She can atleast pick up the people...But without that power, she's not her...It's just telekenesis)