RP between Emroidz and Rook
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Rook — 11/21/2020
The ship could be seen easily enough upon passing and that definitely meant new people (or new things to snoop), so the Chupakri was happy to wander away from her first destination (which was likely wherever food was). She carried Larkspur around as usual, though he was nestled in the middle of her long tail, clinging to the fluff.
Neeva paused by crates already left there by another ship, awaiting pickup and she flapped her malformed wings, resting her head ontop of one of them infront of her. Her large ears sat up straight, and she waited (impatiently), resisting the urge to flop her tail. Larkspur had to be considered! So...to announce her quiet displeasure at waiting, she'd flick the end of her bushy tail repeatedly.
Emroidz — 11/21/2020
Avast! What-ho, there, upon distant horizon? Like a butcher’s knife through pork fat, so too would the Fortune’s Favor cleave every wave against its world worn hull and drive home to Hy-Brazirian shore.
As Thornmouth Bay came into view for Captain Monroe, so too would his imposing silhouette stood upon the bow of the vessel to any dock worker or clandestine observer. That misty outline was too large and too lively to be a mere figurehead!
With mast-line balled in fist, and booming voice only amplified by its carriage over water, Alastor hollered at his crew upon approach to drop anchor. “Bring a spring upon’er, Pascoe!” The Vesper Ursidae cried with bubbling mirth, footfall thundering as he ran from forward to aft, ascending the stairs two at a time to reclaim the gilded wheel from his Boatswain. The otter was a capable fellow, make no mistake, but Mad Eye here might as well have Tokyo Drift-ed that flashy Siamese Frigate into port.
Crimson sails were beautifully fan folded and emblazoned with the Mahaji prince’s—his loyal, lifelong sponsor—sigil: an elephant whose tusks had been replaced with fierce scimitars. And there HE was now too, framed against the flowing, wind-whipped reds; one Mister Alastor “Mad Eye” Monroe!
As crippled in the wing as Neeva was, Alastor’s own dragged noisily at the claw as they followed him down the wooden gangplank. With an impatient (and rather presumptuous flourish), the entrepreneurial spirit—I dare you to call him pirate!—paid his anchor’s weight in gold coin, a currency as foreign as the flag he flew. “Gordon! Nigel! Come! The time is well upon you boys, g’on’n crack Jenny’s teacup, ay?” He barked laughter at both his Cooper and Navigator’s discomfort, but sent them off nonetheless. He needed no such similar tending to, it seemed, for he had only one thing which satisfied him: adventure.
And this place was ripe with it. He could see it, smell it, taste it. With a long, confident stride that wobbled the wooden pier many already set upon—be it business coming or going—Alastor breezed right past the Chupkapri, but almost stomped on her tail (and Larkspur with it!) in the process.
Rook — 11/21/2020
The sight of Alastor was, at first, enough to concern her - he looked like a berserker and she was keen to slink away before the more brutal of 'her kin' decided to wring her neck. However, the smell that lingered on him didn't smell of Chupakri and she exhaled a relieved sigh. Most of the slang used was certainly lost on her, given the group were the first 'pirates' she'd ever been about.
When he almost stepped on that luxurious tail (and the raptor baby), Neeva was quick to yell her displeasure at his winged back. "You...fuck!" That could be used in the current context, right? Jaxamir 'taught' her the word, but certainly in a different way. "You almost stepped on us, you need to look down!" Neeva barked at him, staring at his wings with no absence of jealousy.
Why did everyone else's look that and not hers?
"You're too tall!" Came another complaint, but even compared to the actual berserkers, he seemed to beat them in height too.
Emroidz — 11/21/2020
(Berserker? More like bearzerker, amirite? Hah! Hah...I’ll see my way out.)
“Hmm? I mean, well...yeah, I guess if’n ya wan’ta put a finer point on what I mean,” Alastor quipped in response to Neeva’s aggressive use of the word fuck (those his and Jaxamir’s definition were far closer in meaning). That’s what crack Jenny’s teacup meant, after all, so the commentary made sense in his seafaring brain, I suppose!
Checking the bottom of his boot as Neeva barked at him, Alastor belly laughed, though it was unclear whether that sound was one intended as a sort of awkward exaltation inclined towards apology! “I ain’t getcha, girl, pipe down, y’live longer. Now who be us?” If he’d missed the sight of HER from on high, rest assured he’d not spotted the even smaller, baby manaraptor who koala’d into the plush coil of her tail.
Bowing deeply, damn near in half and practically nose to nose with the Chukapri, he turned his face almost in profile and scrutinized her with his one, good, ruby red eye. “Ever consider it’s you been born too short? Ho-now, who’s this?” NOW he noticed Larkspur! Whistling a playful tune, whose melody was likely kin to some jaunty sea shanty, he invited his claw to pet the tiny creature curiously. “Y’selling?” To the businessman (quote, unquote), everything had a price. Everything. (the aforementioned Jenny being pirate slang for prostitute, which only further served my point.)
Rook — 11/21/2020
"On what?" The meaning was lost on Neeva, but she decided it of no great importance and she dismissed it immediately. "No!" She would not pipe down, though atleast she hadn't gotten any louder, right? And she didn't respond to his comment with further use of her curse word, but she flopped her ears back against her silver hair when he bowed over to get at face level.
His poor back, because Neeva didn't even reach six feet in height. "Too short! My height is normal, we can't all be giants!" She protested, though she would've liked it. The tallest of the hybrid Chupakri, to be seen as a towering threat! "Who be.." It wasn't an attempt to make fun of his speech, but almost a genuine question.
Almost.
When he reached for Larkspur, the little raptor blinked up at him and rattled those dangerous quills. A stranger! And reaching for him! "He is poison." Neeva warned, reaching for the creature. "No. He is mine, he is meant to be with me. We are connected by magic." The chupakri explained, as she cradled the raptor in her arms. "You go get your own."
Emroidz — 11/22/2020
“Pfft,” Alastor blew raspberries rather unscrupulously in Neeva’s face, before daring to tweak one of her long, batty ears. “You pin these back’n lose a good six inches, lass. N’given your disposition for such a sourpuss, you’re on the short side more often’n not.” He smirked, definitely baiting—ironic perhaps, given he was a bear.
“Huh,” Mad Eye removed his giant paw from the babe’s personal space, but kept a curious, ruby eye trained upon the raptor. “Well, much fun as’is has been, there’s a great big chunk’a world out there I intend on grabbin’ by tha short’n curlies. You n’yer feathery maraca have a pleasant day, bon.” Well hells bells, there were just enough poking, blasé insults uttered before he resumed his jovial stride from the docks to have her giving chase, at least, if the goal was to pick a fight and prove her attitude was far bigger than her size.
First stop? The bathhouse. He dearly needed a wash and a fresh change of clothes!
Rook — 11/22/2020
Neeva's ears rose and flopped, though the latter action not so much in her control. "They just do that." Obviously too big for her head, and not just a saying. "Short side?" It was a saying quite lost on her. Since his face was so close, she attempted to go for his own ears, even if he moved his hand from hers. "Hm, small." She said, as if that was an insult she made up so cleverly.
She followed, but mostly because now he had her attention and she wanted to snoop. "They are nervous about people like us here, you are too big. They will shoo you away, you're too big to go anywhere." She went on, reaching for his wing while holding Larkspur in her other arm. "Can you fly? None of my kin can. It's stupid, giving us wings."
She went on to grumble, as she followed. "So useless."
Emroidz — 11/22/2020
Alastor flinched dearly, given that Neeva had reached for both ears, as one of her hands disappeared into the vulnerable void of his blindside. Ah, so he was not impervious after all. “I’ve been told they’re cute: I’m a veritable walking, talking teddy bear. Besides, my ears are the only thing on me tha’s small, I assure you, n’an excuse to say I dun listen very well.”
Mad Eye laughed rather maniacally as Neeva suggested that he was too large and they’d only shoo him away. “Stick with me, luv. What favor coin won’t buy, I’m more’n willin’ta throw my weight behind. Folks tend’ta stand clear and change their tune, y’ll see.” It was almost as though the Vesper DARED someone to defy him: he liked a good fight, verbal or otherwise, it kept things interesting.
Seemingly unbothered by Neeva handling his wings, as he’d been desensitized rather harshly the moment she’d reached for his ears and delved—purposefully or incidentally—into the portion of the world left unseen without a rather dramatic pivot, Alastor grunted as Neeva inquired as to the usefulness of his wings. “If I wadn’t wearin’a harness to hold’m right, they’d hang’n drag, full but broken n’ jus’as useless as yers, lass.” He wouldn’t elaborate on HOW they’d been broken, but given that there was no visible damage to the structure itself, they had to have been damaged at the nerve-level, which suggested in had been done intentionally and not from some flying accident or the like. Abuse? Torture?
“Escort me to town? I’ll see fit no one says an unkind word in regards to our kind while you are in my company should you grant me my request.”
Rook — 11/22/2020
It wasn't difficult to see with the lack of movement in his pale eye that it was blind, but the issues that came with a blind spot didn't register too well with the lab-beastie. "Hmm, I guess so." The meaning also went over her head, but she figured he just meant the rest of himself - she could see that well enough! Larkspur was set onto her shoulder, where he clung there instead as she followed along again.
"Someone will. Not do that, I mean. Big, strong personalities." Even if it didn't fit their bodies, but that didn't seem so far off from herself. She hmmed when he mentioned the uselessness of his wings, moving her hand back. "I wish mine were full, it would look nice." Neeva did wonder over why his were broken, given it didn't seem from malformation like her own. "Do they hurt?"
When he asked to be escorted, the Chupakri rushed forward to beat his stride and pointed forward. "Where do you want to go first? I have been everywhere, I know where things are."
Emroidz — 11/23/2020
Alastor flexed, though it was unclear which was bigger: all that bear muscle, or the pirate’s (shh! Don’t use the p-word!) ego. “Bigger and stronger, lassie, bigger and stronger,” the great winged beast belly laughed again, his good nature seeming to contradict the threatening promise of dealing with anyone who dare defy him—them?
A thoughtful look overcame Alastor as Neeva inquired into the pain of carrying around such large, broken wings. “Often, yes,” the Vesper confided rather candidly in the Chukapri. He seemed pensive, an unnatural juxtaposition from his otherwise boisterous character, though seemed to sympathize with another creature who perhaps dreamed of flight (rather than merely the aesthetics of such) but had hopes dashed by a lack of faculty (and appendage, in her case).
“I require a bath. I’ve been salted by the sea and desire the spoilings of a hot, full tub. Join me? Seems as though you’ve been denied access a mite too many places for my liking by the flat-faces, and I’m keen to shake up the status quo. A bath first, then perhaps a meal, mead, and a bed.”
Uhhhh...was he inviting her to partake in ALL of those with him, or just the first one? Squint.
Rook — 11/23/2020
She wiggled the end of her tail, and she would've flexed too, if she had any real muscle weight to her. "But you must watch out, cause of the guards!" Bigger and stronger seemed lower on the tier than a group, as far as she was concerned. "It is the worst! But, none of us can fly, not even the elite." The bit was spoken with humor tinging her tone. Not so perfect now, were they?
"Oh, the bathhouse is this way. They are nicer there, it smells nice!" She pointed forward and headed for the bathhouse, raising her ears only for them to flop down again. "What is mead? Is it normal like tea or an alcohol drink?" Those two things would determine if she liked it, she decided, because all alcohol was terrible to her....despite only having whiskey before.
"Hmmm, you are too big for normal beds."
Emroidz — 11/24/2020
“It’s alcoholic but it doesn’t make you stupid. At least not the kind I drink. It’s made from honey, fruits, and spices. History says the Nordic gods drank mulled mead to celebrate their greatest victories.” Well now! The bear might have been all talk, but he certainly seemed to know a thing or two among all that bluster and bravado, did he not?
Laughing as Neeva CONTINUED to disparage his size, Alastor waved off her concerns that he would not fit in a normal bed. “Can’t say I’ve ever slept in one. At least not comfortably. I’ve a hammock to net between two sturdy trees out under the stars, or, dare say I’m feeling a little decadent, a luxurious mountain of pillows strewn upon the floor—as many as the lodge can possibly spare—suits me just fine.” NOTHING seemed to bother this guy, he just went with the flow! Rest assured, it tended to either be incredibly refreshing...or terribly frustrating depending on the type of person he encountered.
Bursting through the doors of the bathhouse, the frame of which he’d have to stoop to get his head under and into the establishment, Alastor likely sent patrons near the entrance running for cover as they awaited their various treatments and relaxation techniques to be implemented. Unbothered to wait and unphased by any who might object to his presence there, the heavy-pursed Vesper approached the counter and leaned down just as far and dramatic as he had done with Neeva when they met...along with the most charming (read: terrifying) long-in-the-tooth smile. Once more, he’d turn his head in profile and scrutinize the person at reception with his ruby red eye.
“Is this bathhouse equipped with something akin to natural hot springs? If a pool is not available, I will settle for a VERY large basin tub. And, whatever my dear friend here would care to partake in.” Generous, albeit perhaps a bit too familiar already! Did they even know each other’s names yet?!
Rook — 11/24/2020
"That sounds nice. I like all of those, is it like mulled cider? That doesn't have alcohol, but mostly everything else." Just missing the honey! The mention of gods though, had her looking unconvinced, but she didn't actually believe in those. People playing Gods, though, that was a thing. "Nordic?" She asked, while making a mental note to grab some mead for herself once they left.
"Pillows are nice, I like those more than a bed, sometimes. The den in the Tether had the best pillows, but it always smelled like smoke and people stayed there late." No chance of sleep, if people were smoking and being noisy. "Hammock sounds nice, too, never slept in one of those." She'd seen them used, at one point.
When the people scattered, Neeva flicked the end of her bushy tail. "Almost like I have a berserker with me! But, less anger." He was a lot more non-chalant than she was anticipating, with his height and muscle-tone, which certainly was a relief. "Hmm, hot springs! They have a big large bath here, you can use that? It is often a shared one, but I'm sure no one will bother you."
Regarding herself, though. "I will just soak my feet, I don't have my other clothes."
Emroidz — 12/12/2020
The last thing, the very last thing, that Alastor was expecting to come up in conversation was mention of the Tether. "The Golden Tether? You're from Guidereim?" The bear laughed out loud. "Well color me surprised! I've only just sailed from there. My home away from home, I should say. What reason have YOU to leave?" He didn't mean for it to sound accusatory, of course, but he did not imagine Neeva with the same penchant (nor business venture) for travel as he had.
"I can be angrier, if you prefer?" The Vesper joked with Chukapri, as she equated him to the Berserkers of her kind. As if to prove a point, the next person they crossed paths with was given a menacing growl and rabid smile SO terrifying that they actually turned a corner and ran face first into a closed door before yanking it clumsily open to make their escape. Cruel to make someone innocent the brunt of their joke, but Alastor didn't seem to care, chuckling darkly as he at last found the room he was looking for: the bath that Neeva had promised.
Word seemed to have gotten around that he was in house, and either intentionally or conveniently, the public space was entirely vacant, and therefore free for them to use. Neeva had said she'd soak her feet, and Alastor was content for her to do so. HE however proved a rather shameless exhibitionist (well, not really, I mean, he was a furry mofo so even as he dropped trow nothing was especially visible except all of that rich, chocolate, windswept, sea-salted fur) as the seafarer disrobed, dropping his heavy, layered garb and OVERFLOWING the bath as he entered and displaced the water with a satisfied and ingratiated AHHHHHH of sweet relief. He sunk down and reclined back, propping his elbows on the edge of the pool-style basin with a hospitable pat to the (no longer flooded but) damp seat beside him.
"Tell me, what should I know about this place. Have you any knowledge of the lands points of interest? Cultural landmarks, historical sites, and the like?"
Rook — 12/12/2020
"Yes!" Neeva replied about the Tether, but she knew little of its stigma in regards to people who weren't at all accepting about slavery and all its other nasty crimes. "I came with my people, but we sometimes go back for visits. My kin are there, so I have to know what they're doing." Mostly for the sake of snooping rather than actually caring.
"Only to them." Not her, of course. Leave her out of the equation when it came to terrifying the locals. When the person panicked, she perked her ears up just before they made their escape. "They will run when they see you now." It was spoken matter-of-factly rather than an attempt to scold him for the behavior, though she was still rather amused.
Into the baths they went and when he disrobed, she had turned away to go through the various soaps. They all smelled great, but she went for one that smelled of fruits and hid it away underneath her dress. To avoid getting her clothes wet, she brought along towels and sat on those while slipping her clawed feet into the water. "It's nice and hot." Good for soaking toes. "No, I don't. I have only explored the city, but haven't gone further. There are dragons out there, and they're not nice to outsiders, I was told. I'm not good at running, so I don't want to have them find me. You might have to ask the locals for more."
The ship could be seen easily enough upon passing and that definitely meant new people (or new things to snoop), so the Chupakri was happy to wander away from her first destination (which was likely wherever food was). She carried Larkspur around as usual, though he was nestled in the middle of her long tail, clinging to the fluff.
Neeva paused by crates already left there by another ship, awaiting pickup and she flapped her malformed wings, resting her head ontop of one of them infront of her. Her large ears sat up straight, and she waited (impatiently), resisting the urge to flop her tail. Larkspur had to be considered! So...to announce her quiet displeasure at waiting, she'd flick the end of her bushy tail repeatedly.
Emroidz — 11/21/2020
Avast! What-ho, there, upon distant horizon? Like a butcher’s knife through pork fat, so too would the Fortune’s Favor cleave every wave against its world worn hull and drive home to Hy-Brazirian shore.
As Thornmouth Bay came into view for Captain Monroe, so too would his imposing silhouette stood upon the bow of the vessel to any dock worker or clandestine observer. That misty outline was too large and too lively to be a mere figurehead!
With mast-line balled in fist, and booming voice only amplified by its carriage over water, Alastor hollered at his crew upon approach to drop anchor. “Bring a spring upon’er, Pascoe!” The Vesper Ursidae cried with bubbling mirth, footfall thundering as he ran from forward to aft, ascending the stairs two at a time to reclaim the gilded wheel from his Boatswain. The otter was a capable fellow, make no mistake, but Mad Eye here might as well have Tokyo Drift-ed that flashy Siamese Frigate into port.
Crimson sails were beautifully fan folded and emblazoned with the Mahaji prince’s—his loyal, lifelong sponsor—sigil: an elephant whose tusks had been replaced with fierce scimitars. And there HE was now too, framed against the flowing, wind-whipped reds; one Mister Alastor “Mad Eye” Monroe!
As crippled in the wing as Neeva was, Alastor’s own dragged noisily at the claw as they followed him down the wooden gangplank. With an impatient (and rather presumptuous flourish), the entrepreneurial spirit—I dare you to call him pirate!—paid his anchor’s weight in gold coin, a currency as foreign as the flag he flew. “Gordon! Nigel! Come! The time is well upon you boys, g’on’n crack Jenny’s teacup, ay?” He barked laughter at both his Cooper and Navigator’s discomfort, but sent them off nonetheless. He needed no such similar tending to, it seemed, for he had only one thing which satisfied him: adventure.
And this place was ripe with it. He could see it, smell it, taste it. With a long, confident stride that wobbled the wooden pier many already set upon—be it business coming or going—Alastor breezed right past the Chupkapri, but almost stomped on her tail (and Larkspur with it!) in the process.
Rook — 11/21/2020
The sight of Alastor was, at first, enough to concern her - he looked like a berserker and she was keen to slink away before the more brutal of 'her kin' decided to wring her neck. However, the smell that lingered on him didn't smell of Chupakri and she exhaled a relieved sigh. Most of the slang used was certainly lost on her, given the group were the first 'pirates' she'd ever been about.
When he almost stepped on that luxurious tail (and the raptor baby), Neeva was quick to yell her displeasure at his winged back. "You...fuck!" That could be used in the current context, right? Jaxamir 'taught' her the word, but certainly in a different way. "You almost stepped on us, you need to look down!" Neeva barked at him, staring at his wings with no absence of jealousy.
Why did everyone else's look that and not hers?
"You're too tall!" Came another complaint, but even compared to the actual berserkers, he seemed to beat them in height too.
Emroidz — 11/21/2020
(Berserker? More like bearzerker, amirite? Hah! Hah...I’ll see my way out.)
“Hmm? I mean, well...yeah, I guess if’n ya wan’ta put a finer point on what I mean,” Alastor quipped in response to Neeva’s aggressive use of the word fuck (those his and Jaxamir’s definition were far closer in meaning). That’s what crack Jenny’s teacup meant, after all, so the commentary made sense in his seafaring brain, I suppose!
Checking the bottom of his boot as Neeva barked at him, Alastor belly laughed, though it was unclear whether that sound was one intended as a sort of awkward exaltation inclined towards apology! “I ain’t getcha, girl, pipe down, y’live longer. Now who be us?” If he’d missed the sight of HER from on high, rest assured he’d not spotted the even smaller, baby manaraptor who koala’d into the plush coil of her tail.
Bowing deeply, damn near in half and practically nose to nose with the Chukapri, he turned his face almost in profile and scrutinized her with his one, good, ruby red eye. “Ever consider it’s you been born too short? Ho-now, who’s this?” NOW he noticed Larkspur! Whistling a playful tune, whose melody was likely kin to some jaunty sea shanty, he invited his claw to pet the tiny creature curiously. “Y’selling?” To the businessman (quote, unquote), everything had a price. Everything. (the aforementioned Jenny being pirate slang for prostitute, which only further served my point.)
Rook — 11/21/2020
"On what?" The meaning was lost on Neeva, but she decided it of no great importance and she dismissed it immediately. "No!" She would not pipe down, though atleast she hadn't gotten any louder, right? And she didn't respond to his comment with further use of her curse word, but she flopped her ears back against her silver hair when he bowed over to get at face level.
His poor back, because Neeva didn't even reach six feet in height. "Too short! My height is normal, we can't all be giants!" She protested, though she would've liked it. The tallest of the hybrid Chupakri, to be seen as a towering threat! "Who be.." It wasn't an attempt to make fun of his speech, but almost a genuine question.
Almost.
When he reached for Larkspur, the little raptor blinked up at him and rattled those dangerous quills. A stranger! And reaching for him! "He is poison." Neeva warned, reaching for the creature. "No. He is mine, he is meant to be with me. We are connected by magic." The chupakri explained, as she cradled the raptor in her arms. "You go get your own."
Emroidz — 11/22/2020
“Pfft,” Alastor blew raspberries rather unscrupulously in Neeva’s face, before daring to tweak one of her long, batty ears. “You pin these back’n lose a good six inches, lass. N’given your disposition for such a sourpuss, you’re on the short side more often’n not.” He smirked, definitely baiting—ironic perhaps, given he was a bear.
“Huh,” Mad Eye removed his giant paw from the babe’s personal space, but kept a curious, ruby eye trained upon the raptor. “Well, much fun as’is has been, there’s a great big chunk’a world out there I intend on grabbin’ by tha short’n curlies. You n’yer feathery maraca have a pleasant day, bon.” Well hells bells, there were just enough poking, blasé insults uttered before he resumed his jovial stride from the docks to have her giving chase, at least, if the goal was to pick a fight and prove her attitude was far bigger than her size.
First stop? The bathhouse. He dearly needed a wash and a fresh change of clothes!
Rook — 11/22/2020
Neeva's ears rose and flopped, though the latter action not so much in her control. "They just do that." Obviously too big for her head, and not just a saying. "Short side?" It was a saying quite lost on her. Since his face was so close, she attempted to go for his own ears, even if he moved his hand from hers. "Hm, small." She said, as if that was an insult she made up so cleverly.
She followed, but mostly because now he had her attention and she wanted to snoop. "They are nervous about people like us here, you are too big. They will shoo you away, you're too big to go anywhere." She went on, reaching for his wing while holding Larkspur in her other arm. "Can you fly? None of my kin can. It's stupid, giving us wings."
She went on to grumble, as she followed. "So useless."
Emroidz — 11/22/2020
Alastor flinched dearly, given that Neeva had reached for both ears, as one of her hands disappeared into the vulnerable void of his blindside. Ah, so he was not impervious after all. “I’ve been told they’re cute: I’m a veritable walking, talking teddy bear. Besides, my ears are the only thing on me tha’s small, I assure you, n’an excuse to say I dun listen very well.”
Mad Eye laughed rather maniacally as Neeva suggested that he was too large and they’d only shoo him away. “Stick with me, luv. What favor coin won’t buy, I’m more’n willin’ta throw my weight behind. Folks tend’ta stand clear and change their tune, y’ll see.” It was almost as though the Vesper DARED someone to defy him: he liked a good fight, verbal or otherwise, it kept things interesting.
Seemingly unbothered by Neeva handling his wings, as he’d been desensitized rather harshly the moment she’d reached for his ears and delved—purposefully or incidentally—into the portion of the world left unseen without a rather dramatic pivot, Alastor grunted as Neeva inquired as to the usefulness of his wings. “If I wadn’t wearin’a harness to hold’m right, they’d hang’n drag, full but broken n’ jus’as useless as yers, lass.” He wouldn’t elaborate on HOW they’d been broken, but given that there was no visible damage to the structure itself, they had to have been damaged at the nerve-level, which suggested in had been done intentionally and not from some flying accident or the like. Abuse? Torture?
“Escort me to town? I’ll see fit no one says an unkind word in regards to our kind while you are in my company should you grant me my request.”
Rook — 11/22/2020
It wasn't difficult to see with the lack of movement in his pale eye that it was blind, but the issues that came with a blind spot didn't register too well with the lab-beastie. "Hmm, I guess so." The meaning also went over her head, but she figured he just meant the rest of himself - she could see that well enough! Larkspur was set onto her shoulder, where he clung there instead as she followed along again.
"Someone will. Not do that, I mean. Big, strong personalities." Even if it didn't fit their bodies, but that didn't seem so far off from herself. She hmmed when he mentioned the uselessness of his wings, moving her hand back. "I wish mine were full, it would look nice." Neeva did wonder over why his were broken, given it didn't seem from malformation like her own. "Do they hurt?"
When he asked to be escorted, the Chupakri rushed forward to beat his stride and pointed forward. "Where do you want to go first? I have been everywhere, I know where things are."
Emroidz — 11/23/2020
Alastor flexed, though it was unclear which was bigger: all that bear muscle, or the pirate’s (shh! Don’t use the p-word!) ego. “Bigger and stronger, lassie, bigger and stronger,” the great winged beast belly laughed again, his good nature seeming to contradict the threatening promise of dealing with anyone who dare defy him—them?
A thoughtful look overcame Alastor as Neeva inquired into the pain of carrying around such large, broken wings. “Often, yes,” the Vesper confided rather candidly in the Chukapri. He seemed pensive, an unnatural juxtaposition from his otherwise boisterous character, though seemed to sympathize with another creature who perhaps dreamed of flight (rather than merely the aesthetics of such) but had hopes dashed by a lack of faculty (and appendage, in her case).
“I require a bath. I’ve been salted by the sea and desire the spoilings of a hot, full tub. Join me? Seems as though you’ve been denied access a mite too many places for my liking by the flat-faces, and I’m keen to shake up the status quo. A bath first, then perhaps a meal, mead, and a bed.”
Uhhhh...was he inviting her to partake in ALL of those with him, or just the first one? Squint.
Rook — 11/23/2020
She wiggled the end of her tail, and she would've flexed too, if she had any real muscle weight to her. "But you must watch out, cause of the guards!" Bigger and stronger seemed lower on the tier than a group, as far as she was concerned. "It is the worst! But, none of us can fly, not even the elite." The bit was spoken with humor tinging her tone. Not so perfect now, were they?
"Oh, the bathhouse is this way. They are nicer there, it smells nice!" She pointed forward and headed for the bathhouse, raising her ears only for them to flop down again. "What is mead? Is it normal like tea or an alcohol drink?" Those two things would determine if she liked it, she decided, because all alcohol was terrible to her....despite only having whiskey before.
"Hmmm, you are too big for normal beds."
Emroidz — 11/24/2020
“It’s alcoholic but it doesn’t make you stupid. At least not the kind I drink. It’s made from honey, fruits, and spices. History says the Nordic gods drank mulled mead to celebrate their greatest victories.” Well now! The bear might have been all talk, but he certainly seemed to know a thing or two among all that bluster and bravado, did he not?
Laughing as Neeva CONTINUED to disparage his size, Alastor waved off her concerns that he would not fit in a normal bed. “Can’t say I’ve ever slept in one. At least not comfortably. I’ve a hammock to net between two sturdy trees out under the stars, or, dare say I’m feeling a little decadent, a luxurious mountain of pillows strewn upon the floor—as many as the lodge can possibly spare—suits me just fine.” NOTHING seemed to bother this guy, he just went with the flow! Rest assured, it tended to either be incredibly refreshing...or terribly frustrating depending on the type of person he encountered.
Bursting through the doors of the bathhouse, the frame of which he’d have to stoop to get his head under and into the establishment, Alastor likely sent patrons near the entrance running for cover as they awaited their various treatments and relaxation techniques to be implemented. Unbothered to wait and unphased by any who might object to his presence there, the heavy-pursed Vesper approached the counter and leaned down just as far and dramatic as he had done with Neeva when they met...along with the most charming (read: terrifying) long-in-the-tooth smile. Once more, he’d turn his head in profile and scrutinize the person at reception with his ruby red eye.
“Is this bathhouse equipped with something akin to natural hot springs? If a pool is not available, I will settle for a VERY large basin tub. And, whatever my dear friend here would care to partake in.” Generous, albeit perhaps a bit too familiar already! Did they even know each other’s names yet?!
Rook — 11/24/2020
"That sounds nice. I like all of those, is it like mulled cider? That doesn't have alcohol, but mostly everything else." Just missing the honey! The mention of gods though, had her looking unconvinced, but she didn't actually believe in those. People playing Gods, though, that was a thing. "Nordic?" She asked, while making a mental note to grab some mead for herself once they left.
"Pillows are nice, I like those more than a bed, sometimes. The den in the Tether had the best pillows, but it always smelled like smoke and people stayed there late." No chance of sleep, if people were smoking and being noisy. "Hammock sounds nice, too, never slept in one of those." She'd seen them used, at one point.
When the people scattered, Neeva flicked the end of her bushy tail. "Almost like I have a berserker with me! But, less anger." He was a lot more non-chalant than she was anticipating, with his height and muscle-tone, which certainly was a relief. "Hmm, hot springs! They have a big large bath here, you can use that? It is often a shared one, but I'm sure no one will bother you."
Regarding herself, though. "I will just soak my feet, I don't have my other clothes."
Emroidz — 12/12/2020
The last thing, the very last thing, that Alastor was expecting to come up in conversation was mention of the Tether. "The Golden Tether? You're from Guidereim?" The bear laughed out loud. "Well color me surprised! I've only just sailed from there. My home away from home, I should say. What reason have YOU to leave?" He didn't mean for it to sound accusatory, of course, but he did not imagine Neeva with the same penchant (nor business venture) for travel as he had.
"I can be angrier, if you prefer?" The Vesper joked with Chukapri, as she equated him to the Berserkers of her kind. As if to prove a point, the next person they crossed paths with was given a menacing growl and rabid smile SO terrifying that they actually turned a corner and ran face first into a closed door before yanking it clumsily open to make their escape. Cruel to make someone innocent the brunt of their joke, but Alastor didn't seem to care, chuckling darkly as he at last found the room he was looking for: the bath that Neeva had promised.
Word seemed to have gotten around that he was in house, and either intentionally or conveniently, the public space was entirely vacant, and therefore free for them to use. Neeva had said she'd soak her feet, and Alastor was content for her to do so. HE however proved a rather shameless exhibitionist (well, not really, I mean, he was a furry mofo so even as he dropped trow nothing was especially visible except all of that rich, chocolate, windswept, sea-salted fur) as the seafarer disrobed, dropping his heavy, layered garb and OVERFLOWING the bath as he entered and displaced the water with a satisfied and ingratiated AHHHHHH of sweet relief. He sunk down and reclined back, propping his elbows on the edge of the pool-style basin with a hospitable pat to the (no longer flooded but) damp seat beside him.
"Tell me, what should I know about this place. Have you any knowledge of the lands points of interest? Cultural landmarks, historical sites, and the like?"
Rook — 12/12/2020
"Yes!" Neeva replied about the Tether, but she knew little of its stigma in regards to people who weren't at all accepting about slavery and all its other nasty crimes. "I came with my people, but we sometimes go back for visits. My kin are there, so I have to know what they're doing." Mostly for the sake of snooping rather than actually caring.
"Only to them." Not her, of course. Leave her out of the equation when it came to terrifying the locals. When the person panicked, she perked her ears up just before they made their escape. "They will run when they see you now." It was spoken matter-of-factly rather than an attempt to scold him for the behavior, though she was still rather amused.
Into the baths they went and when he disrobed, she had turned away to go through the various soaps. They all smelled great, but she went for one that smelled of fruits and hid it away underneath her dress. To avoid getting her clothes wet, she brought along towels and sat on those while slipping her clawed feet into the water. "It's nice and hot." Good for soaking toes. "No, I don't. I have only explored the city, but haven't gone further. There are dragons out there, and they're not nice to outsiders, I was told. I'm not good at running, so I don't want to have them find me. You might have to ask the locals for more."
