Jaxon the Bandit's Story

Plenty of time to get a thing going. :)

Jaxon liked to keep his features under wrap. It was an important part of his job. Skin carefully tucked away under navy blue gloves and clothes to match, eyes hidden within the shadow of the Dutchman Hat he currently wore. Even his expression had a veil behind it, a navy blue mask covering his mouth. He'd long since gotten used to the taste of cloth that covered his orifice.

Another part of his job was blending in with the people around him and not doing anything too sporadic. So when he did open that door into Gambit's Bar, it wasn't bashed open to make way for a grand entrance. It wasn't quietly squeaked open so he could peek inside. It was like a traveler had entered the bar for a drink or two.

Except this Highwayman wasn't going to be drinking anything...

"A scotch, please," he spoke in a husky voice as he sat down at the bar and kept his eyes lowered. His hands immediately laced with each other as he exhaled a bit heavier, like he was taking a load off for a bit. Meanwhile, he kept his attention in his peripherals. The strange looking Octopus-like creature was gurgling it's order for a drink of it's own while a feminine figure hidden underneath a cloak brushed past it. Nothing else was particularly enthralling about the place, though Jaxon did keep in mind the pile of dust collecting on the shelves.

This place didn't get as much business as it used to...

The drink arrived and Jaxon kept swirling the liquid in the glass. He appeared to be studying it, examining the liquid within. Finally, he pushed it back.

"Not mixed very well," he muttered to the bartender when he passed, who gave him an indignant look. He glared back. The bartender almost shuddered as he took the drink and went back to his business, not wanting to make eye contact with Jaxon again.

He knew he must've looked like an asshole. Alochol was alcohol, regardless of how it was crafted. And he had ordered and pushed away one of the more meticulous brews in the list of alcoholic beverages. People didn't do that...not with Scotch.

But Jaxon did. And it had set the bartender in a bad mood...one that was visible when he slammed the woman's bourbon on the table with clear disregard to her personal property sprawled out in front of her. That was cause enough for him to walk up to the bartender again.

"That's not the way to treat a lady," he spoke in an eerily calm voice, but one that held deliberation to it. "Pour it again."

Mystik's green eyes looked to the masked man in surprise at his statement. Every other person she had come in contact with had treated her just as insignificant as the keep had.

The woman held the glass to her mouth, and again, emptied the contents rather fast. One would think she was intent on getting drunk; but, being magickal decent, the effects of the liquor wore off rather quickly, making it near impossible for the woman to actually get drunk. "Yes, again please." She said, holding the glass out to the bartender. This time, the man took the glass with ease, glaring at the hatted stranger the entire time. Gently, he sat the glass to the right of her map.

"And thank you." She turned to the stranger, "Very much so."

"Don't worry about it," Jaxon replied, lifting a brow as if he was challenging the bartender every time he shot a furious stare in his direction, "His hatred of me carried over to you. My apologies."

While he still kept the gruffness in his voice, there was almost something contrasting between his words and appearance. The look of the man in front of her seemed to deal with nothing fancy, like a standard traveler would. But something in his voice, something in his speech...it gave away a gentleman's side of himself...almost like that of nobility.

"So where do your travels take you?" the Highwayman rested a casual hand on the table, pointing towards the map she treasured so dearly.

"Hmph." Her lips blew with the noise, and her eyes darkened, "I wouldn't think someone of your position," She regarded his attire, "Could be responsible for the bad attitudes of all the Wing City inhabitants."

Mystik sighed, "Well, apparently, no where." She held her glass with her right hand, and held her head with her left. The smell of cedar would fill her company's nose, as her hair fell from inside the cloak, and draped down her shoulder. "I came to this plane telepathically, in search of a rare flower that is recorded to grow in the Southern Grazing lands." She pointed to her map, and waved for a small circle of purple light to trace the area, "But... upon searching, no such luck." She looked up to meet her companions eye, "No sight of my flower. So now, I sit to drink, and rethink. How about yourself?" She reached out a hand, "I'm Mystik, by the way."

Ignoring the snide comment, Jaxon took to studying the map Mystik owned. Despite being his first top-down perspective on the place as a whole, he gathered the layout of the place he occupied quite quickly. The Southern Grazing Lands were just South of Wing City, he postulated in his head.

"Rare flowers are prone to growing in rare areas," he was quick to point out, "The Sothern Grazing Lands are a rather common place to be finding a rare flower. Either the resource had long been depleted or it's somewhere close by...someplace very few people have discovered."

His career as a "locator" for these precious items had long since developed the skills in that craft. He wasn't speaking from logic so much as he was speaking from experience.

"Jaxon," he replied, shaking her hand with a firmness that felt just right. "I'm on the search for a rare item myself. Perhaps we could help each other."

Mystik gripped his hand, then released. She tilted her head in response, and looked back down to her map.

"Well, I've never traveled here before, and my information is likely to have been outdated. I don't think my source took me seriously, anyhow. Apparently, I have that problem, being taken seriously, that is."

Having been raised as a healer, she had needed to go out scouting the land for herbs and different plants. At home, however, the land was not so inhabited, making it easy to find the needed growth.

"I can barely navigate this map, I'm not sure what kind of help I could possible be to anyone else." She sat, with an air of defeat. Her coven was depending on her to come back with that antidote. What had she been thinking, embarking on a journey to a foreign land, with no experience, and no clue. Oh how she missed the safety of her home. There, she knew her way around, exactly where to find everything, and exactly how to provide. Apparently, the universe was a bigger place than she had prepared for.

Jaxon scratched his chin at Mystik while she sat there and contemplated her actions. He could see immediately why few people were willing to accept her legitimately.

"Well, I'd say you should look around the Southern Grazing Lands," Jaxon reasoned sliding over to his side of the bar, "Only this time look for the things less noticeable to the eye." He lifted a hand, "A scotch, please. A different scotch."

Mystik couldn't believe it, again with the rude, obvious attitude. What was it with folks around these parts?

"Clearly." Was all she spoke, before she folded her map, and stood. Replacing the map back into her cloak, she lifted her hood, "And again, thank you for your, kind interference with this one," She motioned to the bartender, as he was handing the Jaxon his scotch.

At the same moment, Mystik found the urge irresistible. The man had indeed inspired her; no longer did she feel defeated, but now, at the insult of her intelligence, insinuating that she didn't even know what the item she was searching for actually looked like, she was now furious.

With a wave of her hand, the scotch flew from the cup which the bartender was carrying towards Jaxon, and splashed him right in his face, dripping down his suit. "How's that for different?" She asked.

Having been sitting further down the bar from the two discussing things over a map, the young but tall man sat talking with a young pink haired girl. Kyrian was just marking her as his apprentice, when he felt a magic disturbance about to occur. Likely several others in the bar would as well. He looks over at the two with the map, seeing alcohol fly.

His eyes flashed blue and before anyone could react the alcohol froze in place. Not ice, but stuck in place halfway to its destination. Kyrian turns to Anna Von Belle and makes a jesture for her to follow. "Now that you are in my service, I only have one rule. Follow my directions for your own safety. First direction, follow me."

He stands and makes sure his black long sleeve was well kept before making his way over to the two he had interfered in, sidling up next to the woman to whisper. "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt your business but I can't let magic be misused in such a way. And... we wouldn't want to make a scene now would we?" Kyrian points to a few people on the other side of the bar who were staring at the magic party tricks being performed.

Jaxon didn't even flinch. Not when Mystik spoke her venom at him. Not when she used her powers to try and fling scotch on his face. Not when the scotch seemed to stop in time directly in front of his face. Not even when the owner of such a power stepped forward and intervened. He kept his fingers pointed in front of him, laced together as if nothing had happened at all.

"Hm," Jaxon kept his eyes forward, though it was clear to everyone witnessing that he was talking to Mystik, "You hide your temper behind a veil of justice, I see. You seek mannerism in a bar of all places, as if you're trying to play yourself to be a helpless woman in need of a strong man's help. I even offered my advice to you. I didn't have to do that and I typically don't. And you reject it by literally sending it back in my face. All for the sake of mannerism."

He turned to stare at Mystik, ignoring the young-looking boy with the dark hair and his pink haired subordinate. His eyes flashed, "There are more important things to seek in this world than a 'thank you' in a kind tone. To act as you did shows how naive and careless you really are. Did you ever thoroughly check the meadow, or did your hot head make you give up?"

There were no inflections in his tone. He wasn't angry, nor did he speak harshly or out of spite. His head was level, his expression was stoic, and his stance was relaxed. Every word he spoke sounded factual. And that could be contemplated as either disarming or fueling, dependent on how the woman interpreted it.

Mystik did not appreciate the interference of her offense, nor the close proximity of the tall man.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt your business but I can't let magic be misused in such a way. And... we wouldn't want to make a scene now would we?" he whispered. Her eyes darted to the few eyes that now stared at her, and back to Jaxon. Had her offense really caused such a commotion? She had seen much worse within the streets, and by the looks of the audience, none of them appeared to be very cautious.

"...All for the sake of mannerism." Jaxon spoke. His controlled reaction seemed to calm Mystik, and allow her to realize the rudeness of her own actions. "Perhaps you're right." She sighed, "And perhaps you could back up." She turned to the new fellow and said. Looking back to Jaxon, and regaining her spot back at the bar, she continued, "But yes, I did look thoroughly check, and yes, I know exactly what it is I'm looking for." Again, she was being prideful.

She closed her eyes, "Honestly? I ran." She met Jaxon's gaze directly this time. "The creatures of this land are so intimidating, what with all of that..." she motioned to the robotic octopus, "kind of stuff. I saw a few within the meadow passing, and couldn't bear it anymore. I was fearful of being attacked, or of being eaten, honestly. I mean yeah, sure, I can defend myself, but against what is more alarming than the fighting itself. I've seen such new stuff, I don't know how to react. Obviously."

This time, she reached out to touch the liquor that still sat frozen in the air, "Simple reaction to my own power, like this, could cause for a delay in my return to home. Yet, here I am, delaying myself. It was just overwhelming, I suppose." She waved her fingers, and returned the liquid to its' glass, "My apologies, Jaxon, sincerely." and then, "Thank you for your interference, I suppose." She muttered to the tall man, and his pink haired friend.

Anna stood a few feet behind Kyrian, observing silently, though not stepping in or interfering. She gazed around the bar once again, narrowing her eyes as her gaze fell on the face of one man in particular. Could that be- her thoughts were interrupted when the others spoke and she returned her gaze to Kyrian and the other two people, a look of frustration on her face. She nodded, not really having heard what they said, for she had been distracted.

Kyrian kindly took a step back and stood next to Anna, listening to what they were saying. Leaning down to whisper in Anna's ear, he cups a hand around his mouth to contain the sound. "This seems to be an unfulfilled quest. Do you wish to help them, and make it part of your training? We can always start some other way."

When he heard the woman 'thanking' him Kyrian quickly stood and nods in her direction. "Oh, yeah sure... whatever." His attitude and tone changed slightly for the worse, a rythme starting in the tapping of his foot. He raised a hand towards the barkeep and ordered another coffee, black and as strong as possible.

Anna shrugged. She didn't really want to, but she wasn't going to object. She seemed distracted as she spoke, still gazing at a crowd of people in the bar, "Sure, I don't mind"

She leaned against the counter of the bar, looking away from the crowd of people as he ordered his coffee. "What exactly are we supposed to do?"

Hmm...isn't this a treat...

A coy smile crossed the face of the the male who entered the room with a golden mask of plain design that shimmered in the lights of the establishment. His hair was blonde and neatly groomed back. A white vest he donned to wear over a black tuxedo and white slacks to accompany it. His shoes, belt, rings, and other accents were golden and shimmered just as brightly as his mask did. In many ways, he looked like an angel or a god of some kind.

"Merci," he said to one of the waitresses with a wink as he picked up a glass of finely crafted champagne and sniffed it, his eyes lighting up at the pleasant aroma it gave off. Finely crafted, indeed...

Taking a sip as he traversed the maze of aristocrats and businessmen alike, he kept his eyes peeled for a target. No one in particular, but there were many a dame to transfix, he was finding out. So many beautiful women in high-end dresses and carrying an air of elegance to their meaningful look. And he was a man well-groomed and haughty in posture. To the other guests, he was like a tiger hunting for a gazelle in this wilderness of love and he'd chosen this party as it's hunting ground. But this man was hunting for much, much more.

His eyes finally found his first victim to his angelic charm...a woman dressed in a quite fancied red dress with a blue mask that did more than contribute to the attire of this event. Most of the females here wore a mask that did anything but cover up features. He could see cheekbones, lipstick shade, eyelashes, and plenty of skin, but he could not see any on this woman. A singular word popped into the man's head...reserved.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle!" his accent was French, as obtained from his birthright. "The name is Malian Solix. Would you care for a dance this fine evening?" His smile was warm and inviting and his blue eyes seemed to dance in front of her with the promise of fun. It was a party, after all.

Another guest had finally arrived, though the time it took to get here caused them to be a little late.

In the main hall, after being checked against the guest list, the latest arrival was slowly making their presence known to all those who were attending this extravagant event.

She was wearing an extravagant kimono, golden geometric designs overlaying a dazzling series of reds and purples, her hair was done up in the traditional Taiyou manner, tightly styled over the crown that adorned her head, this crown was of also a rather ornate design, appearing to be made from wood, with elements of gold lead, and small red gems along the center, this, along with her stark black hair contrasted with the white and red makeup, similar to that of a Geisha.

Porcelain white face, and plump red lips to give contrasting color. This was almost a mask in of itself, as the sheer amount of makeup left the woman almost totally unrecognizable.

It was her security that could likely tip off her identity. Though they kept a small perimeter around the woman, to keep the other patrons from getting too close.

Eight men, all with dark glasses and simple business suits surrounded the woman, their weapons were well concealed, but limited to simple handguns worn under their vests. Each one of them identified themselves as operatives of the Emperor's personal security contingent.

To deny them entry was considered an affront to the Taiyou Empire.

With or without them, Yukiko chose to attend, and once among the crowd she surveyed everyone, keeping quiet but watching the others with a razor sharp attention.

Meldraenei was simply sipping her drink while her eyes worked their way across the crowd. Across her vision, dossiers on each were being drawn as the absentmindedly tapped into the local net connections on the planet. Her mind was going at several million computations per second as she worked her way through the local information within not only the local planetary grid, but also several low to mid level Aschen servers, Taiyou and even other more discreet server connections. All presences of her mind going to these terminals were sufficiently scrubbed as her highly advanced countermeasures were put into place and her trace was only registered as a momentary glitch in the systems. Barely a flicker on their screens if anyone were to view them for any length of time.

Her concentration once this was done was now drawn to a man whom was approaching her and asking for a dance. Her eyes went over his features and didn't even registered the glow coming from all of his golden accessories. She nodded once and gave him a polite curtsy and took the man's arm to be escorted to the dancing area.

However there was motion towards the doorway and her eyes went to none other then the crown princess of the Taiyou herself, Yukiko Takayama. Data began to work again but utilizing a much more covert program to dig into the public sector grid information about the princess. The same processes took less then five seconds before her attention now turned to the man and she went with him to the floor to engage in dance.

"A dance does sound splendid this evening good sir. I honestly was not expecting anyone to ask me for such an honor. I am Alecia Summers by the way"

She placed her hand on his side and took his hand, letting him lead in the dance.