Remeil Fado's Story

Not giving Remeil a chance to respond, Cardista, nodded to Tollun as a way of giving him the go ahead to and take him. She trudged over to where Sariya and Revik had been having their own discussion about moving along. "Do you want to go to Brainde, with us?" She pointed over to the east where she knew the town laid some distance beyond the woods.

"If you don't mind...."Remeil was reluctant to have someone carry him but he could hold himself up. He felt it would be a good idea to go with these people in hopes to outrun his master. And with the Dragonkin at least fighting them off would be easier if they got cornered.

Hearing Remeil give him permission, Tollun walked over to the warrior. With a quick movement, his arms went behind Remeil's knees and back, respectively, with Remeil's stomach behind Tollun's head. This added weight did not seem to bother Tollun as he looked about quick before saying "Shall we go then?"

((We are getting this moving guys, please read the OOC threads for more details.))

Cardista rolled her eyes quite exaggeratedly at the two who seemed to be preoccupied with themselves, or unbeknownst to her and the others their back memories may have been getting added to, causing them to seem frozen in discuss. After giving them one last moment to reply, the petite Neko turned on heels and slinked back over to her other comrades. The longer they waited out there the more sunlight they were going to lose and this realization caused her full cherry lips to fall to a hard line as she looked up with those two-toned almond eyes looked up at the towering two men. Her fluffed reddish tail curled up at her hip as she took a moment to prepare her accent laden words carefully... "Those two are staying for now. We go now. I have some coin, we rest in Brainde tonight." There was an authorize tone to her voice that was completely foreign to hear from this jovial creature, honestly it caught her off guard as well.

She laid a pleading small hand on each of the men before motioning them to follow as she turned to lead the trek toward the bustling port town, filled with many dark secrets of its own. It was a good hour of mostly silent travel, those cat ears almost flatten completely as she kept ahead of the two scouting for any possible dangers that may present themselves. Luckily for the first time that day fate smiled upon them and they reach the towering city walls without being intercepted.

Brande was a gloomy place on normal occasions, but the dark heavy rain clouds that seems to blow in off the eastern sea only added to the depressed state. The only main road for large travel was mess of thick mud that if you dared to stand too long one would probably swallow the shoe right off your foot. The people looked dazed and zombie like at they went about their mundane lives. Most had just awakened from the same sleep as the Neko leader had feeling quite blank as memories they didn't even know they had forgotten seemed to push back into their minds. It seemed only characters long created and abandoned by their players were the only ones who seemed immune to this state (have been there and done that earlier). Oh the odd looks that were shot at the three as they entered. Nekos were never well liked because of their curious nature and tendency to just "barrow" anything that caught their fancy. But to see one parading a half dragonic and injured human behind her too was more than enough to turn a few concerned heads and furrow a few brows.

((The rest of this post will be completed under Brande))

Brande was a gloomy place on normal occasions, but the dark heavy rain clouds that seems to blow in off the eastern sea only added to the depressed state. The only main road for large travel was mess of thick mud that if you dared to stand too long one would probably swallow the shoe right off your foot. The people looked dazed and zombie like at they went about their mundane lives. Most had just awakened from the same sleep as the Neko leader had feeling quite blank as memories they didn't even know they had forgotten seemed to push back into their minds. It seemed only characters long created and abandoned by their players were the only ones who seemed immune to this state (have been there and done that earlier). Oh the odd looks that were shot at the three as they entered. Nekos were never well liked because of their curious nature and tendency to just "barrow" anything that caught their fancy. But to see one parading a half dragonic and injured human behind her too was more than enough to turn a few concerned heads and furrow a few brows.


Cardista left out a huge sigh of relief as they made way through the city's main gates, letting her bow sling carefully about her arm as her ears perked in a playful manner. A skipping hop returned to her step as she navigated the muck of a road. She was remembering more and more about this place the farther they moved into the depressing town. She had been in a guild of thieves hidden in the cellar of one of the warehouses along the port side of the city. Though they didn't receive her well, she was too carefree and accident prone to really pair up with on larger jobs. They tolerated her more for their amusement than anything else.

She turned walking backwards on her toes, her tights hugging the curves of her leg muscles, as she looked back at the two for the first time in a long time since starting off to to Brande. A grin curled up in a quite cat like manner to the two men. Her soft features seemed to pop more from her thick auburn hair falling wildly around the frame of her youthful face. "I remember an Inn here. We get food and drink and sleep there!? Oh and get Tallon pants!!" It was hard to hide the excitement in her tone. For being a creature that should thrive on nature, she loved cities there was so many pretty things to play with.

Remeil was feeling a bit of his strength coming back as they made there way to Brande. Unfortunately his limbs still felt numb and wasn't sure if he could walk yet. As much as he hated being carried he knew it would be a bad idea to push himself again before he fully recovered. A part of him couldn't help but watch Cardista as she walked in front of him with only the occasion glance towards Tollun who was carrying him. He hated how weak he was right now but if this was the price he had to pay for his freedom then he would gladly pay it several times over. "If it isn't to much trouble....food first. Then pants...." his words came out a little mumbled, fatigue clung to every word that feel from his lips. "I have ....some....money ...in pocket..." Slowly he tried to motion one arm to his pocket but had little control over said arm and failed. "30 ....gold.....feel free...to use...it."

As Tollun approached Brainde, his mind flooded with memories. Little ones. Hideouts and houses, the poor and the rich. He remembered just how many times this dreary city kept him safe, and those here that he helped in exchange. It was a place where the guards seemed to only get involved when something was stolen or bandits attacked. A chaotic and dangerous place, yet safe for those who hid best in the chaos.

"I still have a favor, or two, from Edvisg. She's the barkeep at the Minstrel's Mug." Tollun spoke up as the neared the gates. After another moment, he stated "Cardista, you may not want to stray too far from us. Some of the people who walk these streets are a little aggressive and extremely dangerous. They don't tend to mess with people who have scales, but they may want take advantage of someone who walks alone."

Card couldn't help but but give a soft chuckle at Tollun's. From what little she could remember this was where she had spent most of her time in this place. But it was kind of him to show some concern. "I know the inn you speak of well, Tollun~." She gave him a small playful wink before turning back around, and watching her step not wanting to slip in the mud. Her tail flicking happily as is she was skipping more than trotting carefully across the road, leading the two to an dark alley that cut in between two run down looking homes.

It almost seemed to have a cloudy mist raising up from the narrow stone roadway, most likely from all the rain that had poured down not along. Cardista hopped from one large cobble stone to another in a rather carefree manner, glancing from now and then at the two to make sure she did not stray to far ahead.

Finally feeling his limbs once again Remeil felt like he could walk on his own. "I think I can walk again." Not giving the dragonkin much of a chance to respond before rolling out of his arms landing on all fours. His joints popped as he stretched for the first time in hours. "Ouch.." After a few more stretches he began following Cardista again "So is there any sort of plan? I've decided to follow you for now." Remeil felt weird not following someone. He had been a slave for so long but yet he wanted freedom not really knowing how to do anything else but kill and follow orders he decided following the Neko would be the best way to find out what to do with his future. It felt odd to trust these strangers in the way he did but he deeply wanted to hope they wouldn't betray him in the end. Maybe he could create a sense of belong with these two, if not hopefully Cardista she seemed warm and kind if not a little hyper but he assumed that was a norm for her kind. "Oh and please pick how best to use this" He pulled from a pocket on his pants a coin pouch. "30 gold I took from my master, it's yours to use how you see fit."

"Keep your gold. It is yours to spend when you see it fit, not ours." Tollun stated the moment that Remeil mentioned letting the group handle his gold. One might have guessed that some of the dragon's natural hording instinct brought forth Tollun's response, masked over by morals that were never spoken.

Tollun kept moving with the group, trying to stay close to Cardista, not out of fear for himself, but out of fear for her. Some of the thugs that he has run into here were more than likely to jump any female walking alone in the alleys, no matter how well armed. Cardista didn't look like too much in the way of fending off sex-driven muggers with swords. Still, even they knew better than to mess with someone with scales, or someone who looks like they could punch down a house.

Cardista stopped her joyous hopping and scurried up to Remeil with her eyes wide as she watched him pull the coin purse out. There was something about that glorious sound of coins clanking together that always made her heart melt and caused the corners of her cherry tinted lips to pull up into a high goofy smile. Without giving him a moment to change his mind, she grabbed the pouch from his hands with what could be described as a squeal of joy. Hugging the pouch to her face as if it was a fuzzy little creature in dire need of attention. "Thanks! This will help!" She was really liking this guy. Once the little bag was deposited with the other treasures of her pack, she began to circled around Remeil, her fluffy tail encircling him as she made her primal feline like round. Followed by her pouncing the poor injured man quite unexpectedly in a a massive hug that would probably knocked anyone off their feet in prefect health.

She let her mighty hold to him go and was back to skipping off a head giving an impatient jester for the two to catch up as she rounded the corner into another alleyway. She was only out of her two companion's sight for what seemed a moment when a rather loud thud followed by a small cry, "Owies!"

What had happened in that brief moment was this, she was not paying attention looking over her shoulder to see if Tollun and Remeil were following her when she had ran into another traveler, who seemed quite lost. Being more than a foot shorter and far less built, the impact was enough to knock her on the ground landing quite hard on her bum. She made the small cry more out of reflex, but still looked up at the probably equally startled Esclava with large pout. She knew deep down it was her own fault for not looking but she wasn't about to admit that. She furiously pushed her disheveled thick red hair back from her olive face as she took a moment to compose herself before trying to get off the mucky ground.

At the sound of the thud, Tollun went from a decent gate to a flat out run. One of the many instincts hidden deep within his scales shot out like a spike into his mind, his body becoming little more than an extension. The mud squished an extremely audible sound as Tollun's feet beet against it like a blacksmith's hammer.

Stopping partway into the turn, to give just enough time to observe. Before him stood a man of decent stature, with a look like that of lost puppy that saw a rat for the first time. Deeming him to be not angered, Tollun approached the strange man in hopes of dealing with the situation quickly.

"I apologize for the lack of attention of my associate." Tollun spoke, moving between Cardista and the stranger. He had no clue as to how aggressive the man was, but Tollun has never taken chances like that.

Kazuyama blinked his eyes twice before looking down to the heavy weight in his hands. Much to his surprise, he found that he was holding a black longsword in each. For a fraction of a second, he had no idea where he was or what he was even doing there. He glanced around just in time to see a man and a woman leaping at him, battle axes in hand. Instinctively, Kazuyama rolled to the side, feeling a heavy ax slam into his shoulder pauldron as he blocked the other with his off hand sword, the other striking at the man's calf leaving a deep gouge. The woman, seemingly in a rage, at what Kazu could not discern, continued with her assault as the man attempted to stand and rejoin her. As The weapons master gathered his senses, he began to panic slightly, but managed to steady his attacks and keep his guard. He would guide his right sword into the notch of the woman's ax and handle, effectively immobilizing it before striking at her. She let go of the ax, just before Kazu's sword reached her, backing away and pulling two daggers from her belt. the man on the other hand, stood to strike at Kazu's back just as the woman went in to strike at Kazu's front. Briskly, the swordsman, dressed in black ducked to his left just as the two bandits came to strike. The man couldn't stop the fall of his ax as it cleaved into the woman's neck and shoulder just as Kazu flipped his off hand sword in his hand and spun around making contact with the man's back. Kazu's sword dove deep into the man's flesh and burst through his chest. The two bandits fell as one to the ground as kazu withdrew his sword. He stared in awe for a moment before stepping back with a look of disbelief on his face and began to run.

After a few minutes, Kazu had found himself lost within the woods.. He looked around seeing nothing familiar, but he could hear voices coming from the north. He kept traveling onward, a name coming to his mind. He pondered for a moment at it before realizing it to be the large city of Marrowvale, he found that he also knew the general direction. Continuing onward, he heard the sound of someone running along a mudded path. Kazu moved silently through the forest, thankful for his small feminine figure, until his eyes spotted a group of people. One looked to have traits of a dragon, and another, cat ears and a tail. the others looked to be human... for the most part. He stepped out into the path, keeping on guard as he spoke to the group, his voice clear and bright, combined with his looks would make almost anyone assume that he were a girl at first and he would almost always try to play this card. "Um, Hello there. I seem to be lost. I'm trying to find an inn in the city of Marrowvale..." Though it was meant for the whole group to hear, he looked directly at the Neko as he spoke.

Esclava

Esk blinked and stared at the two of them, pulling the hood of his sleeveless green jacket back up to avoid the rain. Although the cat girl with red hair was the one who fell down, the impact had been enough to cause it to fall, exposing his head to the rain. She had taken him by surprise, appearing around the corner as suddenly as a ghost. Still, she was real enough for him to still feel the after effects of the bump, so she must be real.

Ah. He should help her up. She must have fallen to the ground quite hard to cry out like that, and if Esk gave his assistance in getting the mud out of her yellow dress she might stop pouting at him. Before he could do so, however, a half-draconian man dressed in clothes made out of burlap appeared, apologising for his companion's lack of attention while standing in front of the cat-girl in what could be considered a protective gesture. Esk remembered fighting a couple of them in the arena under his Master's orders. They were pretty vicious and he had almost lost an arm to one of them. Still, he seemed to not want a fight, which was quite alright by Esk's opinion. He didn't want to fight either. All he wanted was directions.

Just as he was about to answer the man, a clear voice rang out. "Um, hello there. I seem to be lost. I'm trying to find an inn in the city of Marrowvale..."

Esk tensed up and swung his head to the source of the noise, wary. Even if she was a girl and seemingly non-aggressive, something seemed off about her, although He couldn't quite figure out what. She was dressed for battle, so maybe she was looking for a fight? she was focusing her attentions on the red-headed neko, who seemed to be under the half-draconian man's protection. He would definitely try to fight her if she tried anything. If there was a battle, Esk was pretty certain that it was going to get ugly. Best to answer the question before anything else happened.

"Sorry. I'm lost too." He answered, making sure to be heard over the rain. He turned to the duo, giving the answer he had intended to say before he was interrupted. "It's ok. Do you know the way to the Minstrels Mug? I'm planning to stay there for a while." He ducked his chin behind his white shirt's oversized collar, waiting for an answer.

At Esclava's first words, Kazu's head dropped slightly, feeling as if it would be quite a while until he would find out exactly what had been driving him to go to Marrowvale. He approached the others cautiously examining them. Though they weren't human, or at least not entirely, Kazu wasn't really alarmed by them, moreso, he admired them. The structure of the dragon-like man, and the feline woman who's eyes captivated him with their offset colour and the narrow slits of the pupils.

As he moved to join the group, Esk's question rang in his ear causing him to smile and speak in a silver bell-like tone. "Oh, I know that name! That place is in Marrowvale Brainde, isn't it?" His smile was of the brightest of innocence as he looked into Esk's eyes.

Esclava

Esk stared back right into her purple eyes, refusing to blink. Something still seemed off about her, but she wasn't attacking them and actually seemed to be quite as lost as he was. She wasn't an enemy. He relaxed, but made sure to keep his guard up. He wasn't entirely sure whether it was a ploy to lull them into a false sense of security, and he hadn't spoken to girls for quite some time. Fought girls, yes. Actually talk to them? The last time Esk did was when he was 18, and when Robin saw how flustered he was he promised to never force Esk to do so again.

He nodded in answer to her question, breaking his gaze away from hers as he did so. "I have a map," He muttered uncertainly, pushing his hands into his pockets, "which lead me here to Brainde." He decided to ask her a question himself. "What's your name?" He added, almost as an afterthought, "I'm Esclava."

Upon hearing Esk admit to having a map, Kazu's delight could barely be contained. He wouldn't be stuck in this forest much longer, and even if he were, he at least managed to find people that weren't attempting to kill him at this particular moment in time. He moved closer to Esclava, stopping only a few steps away.

In his silver bell voice, he spoke to the group and gave a half bow, half curtsy, crossing on leg behind the other, and tilting his body forward as he lightly lifted the base of his coat. It was well rehearsed, feminine enough to make people assume, but with just a hint of masculinity that could be used in the defense of not 'lying' about his gender. It worked well with Kazu not being a gender specific name as well. " It's a pleasure to meet you Esclava. My name is Kazu Sakurai, The Twin Blade." As soon as he said the title, he wondered where it came from and why he felt it was part of his name. "May my swords be of service to you." He liked the sound of his short and simple introduction, but he couldn't remember coming up with it, he just knew it.

Esclava

Esk blinked, but otherwise showed no sign of his surprise. Kazu Sakurai was a guy, huh? That explained it. Or he could just be a really flat-chested girl who didn't mind flashing her chest to others, in which case the sense of wrongness couldn't be explained. But it went away when he did that half-bow/curtsy, so yup, she was a male.

The Twin Blade... Nope. Never heard of he-him. Esk wasn't surprised by that fact. He wasn't really interested in the current news; preferring to train instead, and had probably out of the loop with the rest of the world for years. It didn't help that he had spent most of his life confined in a castle.

Esk hunched his shoulders warily, unsure how to respond to Kazu's reply. For as long as he could remember, no one had actually treated him this way before, and he was at a loss what to do. He frantically went through the social responses that Robin had drummed into his head, and after what seemed like eternity (but was only a few seconds), he chose what seemed like the best answer. "Um. Nice to meet you too." Awkwardly, he held out a hand. I hope I'm doing the right thing. "May my daggers be of service to you too."

Still sitting in the muddy alley Card took a moment to divert her attention form mild ache that had shivered up along the length of her auburn colored tail. It was much like the pain one gets when they hit their elbow off something. She leaned over, her fingers, digging into the mud as she leaned over peeking around Tollun's thick muscular legs at the feminine boy...This was enough to cause her ears to perk back up, wanting to touch him like all new things she found fascinating. She scrambled up to her feet once more, balancing herself with a light hold on to Tollun's back side. Forgetting that personal space thing that she had been told about on so many prior occasions, or at she vaguely remembered it but it surely didn't apply to friends...

Wiping the sludge off her hand on to what used to but the unsullied front of her tight leather slacks, she was quick to indulge in her interests of the this new comer. Slinking closer as if he might reach out and bop her on the head, she kept her hands low and balled in to slight fists as she leaned in looking up with curiosity gleaming in those almond shaped two tone eyes. He was taller than her and there was some slight masculine lines along his jaw but he had such a smooth baby like face. His voice was also like a silvery bell to her feline ears.

"Inn is close to here." Her accent hanging heavily on each word she spoke. She must of looked like a refugee, muddy and hair all astray. The sooner they got to the inn, sooner she could see if they had a bath house within. It might of been her cat like nature but feeling filthy wasn't something she took much joy in. She straightened and began walking in more of a proud strut trying hard to not let it show how uncomfortable she was feeling at the moment, determined to get to The Minstrel's Mug which was only two or less shady blocks away close to the docks. Though at this pace it would be easier for the others to follow her with more ease. She would stand there outside the doors waiting for them to catch up, impatiently tapping her foot.

---

(With perpetual lateness. Hospitals aren't fun)

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After the fight with the slavers, Sariya couldn't recall what had happened. It was strange since she isn't one to pass out often, but this time she lost consciousness. She awoke with the rest of those she knew in a town, most likely the town she was talking about before she collapsed, which was okay since she was in safe hands with Cardista, Revik, Tollun, and Remiel, all four she had protected and helped. Shakily she rose with a sharp pain, most likely from the fall she took when she passed out since she was standing in a little grotto and probably hit her head on a root. None the less, Sariya looked around with a quick gaze that the dancers like her use.

She noticed Revik and approached, she wanted to know what happened, until the little half-elf noticed something... Different. There was another woman standing with Revik, which wasn't why she was spooked, it was something else with the woman, she was a Drow. Something she was taught was that drow elves were enemies to her kind. Though she put on a false gentle smile and spoke to Revik, in a manner that makes her quite the actress.

"Hey, Revik, what happened while I was out? And I apologize if I was a burden" she said with her tone not really confident, which Sariya wasn't. Sariya was not a confident person in public, though her eyes gazed at the Drow, she wasn't much different from Sariya, they were practically the same, other than one was half-elf and the other was a Dark Elf, or Drow. Though Sariya did speak to the Drow, masking any minor hatred her race had with them, she wasn't that type of person,

"Hello Miss, I guess you've met Revik, I'm Sariya Yotamaru, dancer and wielder of the snake blade, may I ask your name?"