2017-03-12: Wherein Zed Makes Someone Stop Crying (No Really)
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- Log: Wherein Zed Makes Someone Stop Crying (No Really)
- Cast: Alisha Diphda, Bart Fatima, Cecilia Adelhyde, Claude C. Kenny, Talise Gianfair, Ida Everstead-Rey, Sephilia Lampbright, Riesenlied, Zed, Lord Chauncey of Foxington
- Where: Adelhyde Fairgrounds
- Date: 2017-03-12
- Summary: Overlooking the Adelhyde Fairgrounds, arguments occur.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The Filgaian Ancient Culture Exhibition is rapidly underway, and the space had already been allotted -- fences had been set up, and a lot of the venues have already been earmarked ahead of time. A lot of construction was taking place, with workers headed ever which way carrying two-by-fours and hurrying to meet their quota and deadline. In the midst of this, a lovely horned woman and her foot-tall dragon companion are observing just over the railing overlooking the Exhibition.
"I can see it now," Odjn babbles as she holds up her little paws like she's approximating a camera viewfinder. "There, and there... and there."
Riesenlied sideglances with one hand on her waist, remarking, "Just what on Filgaia are you talking about?"
"My stage, of course!" Odjn barks aloud. "When the Exhibition's running, it'll be prime busking time! I demand a stage all to myself, Filgaia's up-and-coming Dragon Idol, Odjn!"
"I think you'd probably have to share a stage with the other performers..." she pointed towards another corner of the Ancient Culture Exhibition where a stage's been set up with a dozen rows of seats and chairs. "If they're even accepting musical performances."
"You can't have a fair without music, that's just un-fair!" Odjn cackles.
"Somehow, I feel like you might be mistaken for a singing music box..."
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. Talise has been dressing more casually lately. She's dipped into the ol' Strategic Tunic Reserve and come up with a white linen number that comes partway down her thighs, going with a pair of tall brown leather boots to complement them. It helps her fit in a little better. So does the cowboy hat she's perched atop her head. The sword slung over her shoulder, perhaps less so. "Hey, someone say music?" she calls as she overhears someone cackling about it. Hoisting the lute she holds in her right hand, the tall woman grins lightly as she moves over towards Odjn and Riese, briefly pausing as she realizes one of them is a... ... a talking metal dragon. This only seems to interest her more, given the way her eyes light up with intent. She plants a heel as she stops near Riese, looking out over the fairgrounds. With her free hand she pushes the brim of her hat back to better reveal her face. "I think there'll be a lot of chances for music, to be honest with you. At least, I hope so. You can make a damn good penny playing freelance at these things."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephy is tagging along with Talise, and beams as she recognizes Riesenlied as Olivia, the lady from the other night. "Hi!" she waves, and makes Chauncey wave, too. "This is my friend Talise! She's good at music, and she's gonna teach me!" The young girl is as cheerful as ever and certainly doesn't seem to be concerned about Odjn, except that someone might mistake Odjn as being cuter than Chauncey. For her part, Sephilia herself hasn't really changed how she dresses--her cloak is pretty close to a poncho anyway. Chauncey, on the other hand, has acquired a green kerchief tied around his neck. It gives him a roguish flair. He likes it.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
"She has a point you know," says something underneath the little singing dragonling. "When you are a true diva of the stage, there are none who should share the spotlight! The world of showbiz is the most dangerous battlefield of all, and every precious moment of screentime must be fought for with tooth and nail! It's do or die! You either put everything into the act, or be forever doomed to being... an /extra./ Odjn has a roost. It's a mop of fluffy green hair overtop a grinning, befanged swordsman. "Of course, once you are king-and-or-queen of the stage, you can deign to dole out some territory to your competitors in the name of good sportsmanship. It's the vassaldom of the performing arts, Riesen. This is the way of the world of the rich and famous!" That... sure is Zed. But then... Then...! "Oh! Miss... T..." Zed squints at the... beastwoman? "Tal... Teletha? Tessa? No! Talise, yes, that's the name. Hi!" Zed gives a small wave, "Howdy! How's it going? Enjoying the show?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Yeah, see, Riese? /That's/ a woman after my own heart," Odjn does... not actually look entirely metallic -- it's rather evident that her horns and scales are chitinous, almost earthen, but they don't have the shine and gleam of common metal. She's black and red, somewhat rotund with big cute horns and stubby little arms and legs and a swishy tail.
She perks right up as Zed rises from beneath her and lets her sit on his head -- her favorite roost of hair, ever!
"Ohh, it's my best buddy in the whole wide world, Zed! Lady Talise, I'll strike you a deal, you strum the lutes and I'll swoon the crowd with my beautiful singing voice," she puffs up in pride, chest visibly swelling up.
Riesenlied blinks a few times, before conceding the matter, "That... is a fair assessment," and nodded to Talise and Zed. "I only merely guessed whether or not they'll be offering lectures on ancient artifacts, given the theme..." she waved and leaned a bit to level her eyesight with Sephilia's. "Hello, Sephilia, Mr. Chauncey of Foxington. How are you today?"
"Look at this bore-chore here! If you're gonna teach someone about history, why not do it in the form of... a song?!" Odjn retorts.
"Well, excuse me if I find lectures fascinating..." Riesenlied put on a playful harrumph, leaning on one leg.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise moves her hand down to rest on Sephy's shoulder, giving the girl a brisk squeeze and smiling. The tall woman peers at Odjn for a moment, then cants her head and smiles back up to Riese as the woman speaks up. She opens her mouth to say something - 'Teletha' Tal's eyebrows immediately lower and her smile vanishes. "Hi Zed," she says neutrally, giving him a sidelong glance. "Yes. Yes it is a lovely show." Breathing out a sigh, she gives herself a shake before smiling back at Riese again. "I can arrange that," she says, giving her lute a light tap against the outside of her thigh. "Do you know many of the old songs? I've got a lot of good ones - if you know Natto and the Milkmaids of Meribia? That one's always popular. Or the Wind's Nocturne if you want to get slow and heartfelt." They're songs she's counting on any Lunarian minstrel knowing. A laugh spills from her, then, as she gives Sephy another brisk pat on the shoulder. "Oh, so you two know Sephilia and Lord Chauncey!"
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia spies Zed and her expression changes, just for a moment. "Oh, you know /this guy/, too?" she asks. At least she's not ignoring him completely! "Don't listen to what he says about what's good to eat," she continues. "He's a bad influence. But we're good! It's the fair, and I still wanna see a buncha stuff--" She starts listing things she wants to see for a bit, until Odjn mentions teaching in the form of a song. "I wanna learn history like that! I think it's way more fun than books and stuff. Even if Althena made rules against it, those are silly rules." Sephy beams up at Talise. "I met her when I was getting meat pies the other day! They still wouldn't give me any fun drinks though," she adds sadly. "Even though Chauncey's like way old, they won't give him any either! Sorry, Chauncey, but it's true. It doesn't make you less awesome or less my best buddy!" She hugs the doll. Chauncey's button eyes betray nothing of his feelings about being called old. <Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. "Excuse you, I am the very perfect model of a filgaian gourmet delicatessen." Zed huffs, crossing his arms at Sephy's IMPLICATIONS about his eating habits. "I know meats and berries from here to there and everywhere. I've eaten all kinds of things and foods that noone's ever tried!" "Besides," Zed sniffs. "Those berries were tasty." And sold well, too! He glances up, then, because it's hard not to glance up at a happy singy dragon on one's head. "Songs are way better than lectures, that's definitely true. Do you know how much easier it is to remember things if you put a tune to them? You know, like 'We Didn't Start The Blaze of Disaster' and 'Can't Kill the Metal Demons?' A-are those even songs, or did Zed just make them up? "It's a lot more marketable, too!" "Right, miss Talise? You seem like the type who'd agree with that sentiment! Music is way better than lectures."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida has made a point of getting a little fresh air every day--she knows that nothing is more miserable than being cooped up in bed. Today, she feels well enough to walk from her hotel to the fairgrounds, though between the cane she's walking with and the odd aches and pains, she feels approximately three times as old as she actually is. It does not help that she's wearing an overcoat and dress instead of her more practical field clothes. She manages to make it up the (fairly short) stairs to the plaza. She was expecting to find people here, but not necessarily people she knew.
"Talise," Ida says, with a warm smile. "Riesenlied. Sephilia." Pause. Ida's tone becomes a bit more curt. "Zed. If I'd known there was going to be a meeting, I would've brought tea-cakes."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha Diphda is almost used to Adlehyde, but the princess cannot call it home. She feels more comfortable, now, though -- and the fairgrounds here are entertaining if nothing else. Her leaf green eyes look around with that bright-eyed, eager look that she often has as she walks up the stairs, onto the pavilion. She comes to a halt, as she looks around -- first looking at an ARM on display.
And then she spies a lute and Talise. A smile slips across the princess's face, before it flickers away entirely, as she sees a head of green hair.
Zed. One of the men who fought at the side of the Lord of Calamity. Her eyes widen -- and then they narrow, angrily, and she starts walking forward.
"You!" she snaps in Zed's direction.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's silence.
Odjn perks up at Talise, "I'm a fast learner and a faster ear for pitch and tune!" She didn't even miss a beat on that one.
Riese waved her long fingers in a gesture to say, "If Odjn has any talent, it is for picking up new songs both new and far, yes..." though the tone of her voice seemed to be very lightly poking fun at the dragon.
"It helped when we had to sneak past that Ellurian encampment, right?!"
"Your song about potatoes confused them."
"Well-- that's what the Ellurians do: boil 'em, mash 'em, stick it in a stew!"
Riese let out a thoughtful hum at Sephilia, though. "I suppose music can be a mnemonic device for memorising facts, I do concede... though it is a bit hard to hold a seminar or a discussion with song... ... ..." Some part of Riese is quickly realising she's the boring one here after all. W-were her lectures back at the Photosphere really that bad? She worked hard on those slides...
Her trance was broken by a familiar voice, and she rises to spirits again as she smiles at Ida. "Ida, good morning. We were just--"
"You!"
She paused, then stared, tracing Alisha's eyeline to... Zed's.
Oh, this is familiar.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. A laugh bubbles from Talise, low and rich. "We'll get you some fun drinks soon, Sephy," she promises, before casting a grin back at Riese and Odjn. "We'll definitely have to play at some point. I can sing but it's always better to have a great frontwoman, right?" Then she breathes out a sigh, really wishing she could just punch Zed in the face and be rid of him. "Yes. Yes, songs are very good," she says with a forced smile before forcing her attention to people she doesn't want to deck. Ida saves her. Immediately Talise's eyes snap towards the woman, sizing her up as if to ensure she's still alive, but the smile the half-Beastwoman flashes her companion is wide and genuine. "Ida! You're looking better. C'mon over and chat with us; Sephy and I were just out walking and came across some friendly faces." Friendly to Sephilia, anyway; Tal doesn't actually know Riese from Adam, but who's counting? She opens her mouth to say something else-- Alisha yells at Zed. Talise's eyebrows shoot up. "--Whoa, that came out of nowhere," she murmurs, before nodding towards the other woman. "Hey Alisha. What's up? Zed piss you off?" (Because I can totally understand that,) her mind fills in.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed. Sephilia nods as the stranger accosts Zed angrily. It makes perfect sense to her. 'I bet he did. You know this lady?" she adds to Talise. "Can you introduce me and Chauncey? Anyone that angry at Zed is sensible."
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed. So there had been that whole distraction last week with trying to find some ridiculous old coot in some long forgotten hole that had ended up with them chasing the WRONG OLD COOT and man Bart was kind of steamed about that still. He decided that he'd take it out on Mason or some other deserving old man (Shakhan) because damn someone should take it in the ear for that sort of thing. But barring unplanned and unspecified acts of revenge against the elderly, that leaves Bart with some free time to wander around and take in the sights. Unfortunately you can't just order like three tons of food and giant tanks of water for your pirate crew in one place and not look suspicious, so these supply missions tend to take a while and involve lots of small trips, pick-ups, and drop offs. Which brings him to the fair in time to hear someone suddenly declare what sounds like a potential blood feud. Namely from like three feet behind him, because Bart was walking nearby when Alisha made her very non-specific challenge. And so the blonde haired, tanned pirate just jumps a half foot, as he's been conditioned too when women start shouting 'YOU!' in his direction, and turns. "What!?!" he shouts back. And then pauses as he can see that Alisha isn't looking at him. He looks towards Zed. Back to Alisha. Back to Zed. And Bart grins and rubs his chin. This could be fun to watch.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
"Miss Ida!" Zed beams at the explorer's appearance. Why can he remember her name just fine? Maybe because it's only three letters long, just like his. "Long time no see!" His smile gives way to a frown as he notices the cane. "Uh. Hm. Did something happen? That looks uncomfortable. Oh, by the way, I managed to make it through that... Mine place. Had some help, but it was worth it--" Alisha. "Me!" Zed grins, absolutely zero shame to be found anywhere near his face. "You! I remember you. You were there, on that hill! I think you and Kalve were dancing, yes? He was complaining about knightly honor, I seem to remember. Hmmm." He strokes at his chin, giving it quite a thorough scrubbing. Chin hygiene is very important, it's vital to keep it well polished. "So!" he says, crossing his arms, "Come to find me, have you? Well, too bad! I'm on break right now. If you want to arrange a duel, we'll have to find some time to work it into my schedule. But if you just came here to speak with me, thennnnn... I think that we can probably do that! So, what can Zed And Friends do you for?" <Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed. "He--" Alisha starts to realize what she was doing. Her eyes shift from Talise, to Ida, and then to Zed again. Her cheeks color, slightly, with embarrassment. She stays resolved, though, as she walks up. "Talise, I know he may seem kind, but this man has made alliances with the Lord of Calamity and other dangerous sorts. I implore you!" She turns to look back at Zed, then, and she puts her hands on her hips. The Princess Knight is many things. She is determined and focused. She is serious and, in a way, innocent about a lot. She also has a sense of pride. "I would not disturb the peace of Princess Cecilia's kingdom," she states, plainly, "by fighting you here. Unless, of course, you should attack me first. But I will not back down from a challenge. My pride as a knight demands no less!" Then she realizes how that sounds. She reaches her hand up, and coughs, before she turns to Riesenlied -- and looks at Sephilia, Ida, and Talise too -- and then bows. "Oh, please pardon me! I am Princess Alisha Diphda, of the Kingdom of Hyland. I have come from far away, but it is a pleasure to meet all of you!" <Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. A FEW MINUTES AGO: "No, it's not literally a dog," Claude C. Kenny explains patiently. "It's just called that." "Okaaaaaay," Rena Lanford says suspiciously. "But why would you call it a dog if it wasn't a dog?" "I...we just sort of do," Claude says, rather lamely. "Besides, 'hot cow' and 'hot pig' don't sound as good." "They sound exactly as good as hot dogs, really," Rena notes, not unreasonably. "Well, I suppose we can make them, it's easy enough. Just one question, though." "What's that?" Claude asks. "What's 'mustard'?" NOW Claude C. Kenny walks, alone, in the general direction of the general goings-on. "What the hell even /is/ mustard?" he asks, not unreasonably.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed. Sephy beams brightly at Alisha. "Oh you're from Lunar too? Cool! I'm Sephilia Lampbright, and this is Lord Chauncey of Foxington!" The doll stares blankly, though Sephy makes him bow formally. Then her ears process the word, "Princess" and her eyes widen. "Oh! You're a princess? Should I kneel or curtsy or bow or something? Am I allowed to talk to you? How should I call you?" She launches a barrage of questions at Alisha, not stopping to breathe. Energetic little brat, isn't she?
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida looks at Zed. "Unfortunately, there was--" is all she manages to get out before Alisha levels her accusation. Ida backs up a half-step. She looks back at Alisha, then back at Zed, then over at Bart, and then at Talise and Riesenlied, who are probably best-positioned to ensure this doesn't become, as they say, "an incident". Her eyes narrow, ever-so-slightly, as she plucks Alisha out of the haze of memories associated with 'the tavern incident with Sorey'.
"Princess," Ida says, curtseying to Alisha. "Ida Everstead-Rey, of the Guild Galad Everstead-Reys. I greatly appreciate your discretion, and I'm certain that Princess Cecilia does as well." Her grip on her cane has shifted ever-so-slightly, just in case she needs to use it to stop someone from gutting someone else. "Perhaps we can discuss this Lord of Calamity another time, yes?"
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Oh, hey, it's that guy! Talise blinks, then shoots Bart a wave and a smile as she recognizes him. "Hey!" she calls over.
Sephy's request gets a squeeze to the shoulder for her trouble. "Of course. Just let's see why she's angry at Zed first." Better to let Alisha vent her frustrations - and as Zed speaks up, she can sympathize with those frustrations all the more. As the phrase 'Zed and Friends' is spoken, she lowers her eyelids and sighs once again.
Then Alisha speaks up - and Talise opens her mouth slightly, before closing it again with a slow sigh. "Alisha," she says with a sympathetic smile, "and I know you're not gonna like this, but I've hung around with Zed /and/ with her, and I get the idea there might be more to Lucia than we know. Let's talk about it later, okay?" Here she nods along with Ida.
"And trust me, I have plenty of reasons to want to punch Zed in the face irrespective of who his friends are."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Zed, just ... how much trouble have you been getting yourself into?" Riese starts to ask the question, before realising that the answer is likely not something she wants to hear, for it will stretch on until the end of... ... oh, let's say a second re-run of Y-Burn Sphere X.
Odjn cackles as she bobbles on Zed's head. "Wow, I haven't seen a lady have a go at you like that since the Taco Stand Incident! And Kalve was there?! This I gotta hear!"
She didn't feel the need to step in every single time something like this happened, though she had the argument at the corner of her eye. Huh, who was that blonde man in the red jacket and the eye-patch...? And-- uh oh, here comes Claude, mumbling about something. Hopefully Habib wasn't mad at the insinuation that his food.
"Ah, well--" Riesenlied was caught a little off-guard, maybe wanting to just sidle over to Ida and Talise and saner company, but nodded at Alisha's proper greeting, sweeping a very practiced formal bow as well, unfailingly polite as always. "My name is Riesenlied, and I apologise that my companion Zed has caused undue grief. I'm certain that there must be a misunderstanding...?"
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed. Sephy boggles. "Wait, /Lucia/ is the Lord of Calamity?!" Apparently she never put two and two together.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. "Hmmmmm, you know, your Shepherd buddy said the same thing. 'Oh no, she's a terrible monster! If you could only see~!'" Zed's voice jumped into a distinctly Sorey-ish register, before dropping back down. "But he was a pretty nice guy when I talked to him! Weird, in that he didn't actually want to fight me right then and there, but not a bad guy either. Looks like you're a bit more normal than he is though. I didn't expect pleasant conversation with him, but this is a liiiiittle more my speed." "But, look, let's lay it down here, okay? So. You think she's the Lord of Calamity. I say, so what if she is or isn't?" His eyes... change. Riesen has only seen him like this a handful of times before. Zed does not normally Get Serious. "You're the one calling her a monster without even talking to her. No wonder Kalve was unimpressed by your so-called pride." But then it's gone. Zed sputters, then glares vaguely upwards, "Odjn! I thought we agreed that nobody was to know about the Taco Stand Incident! My spare underwear STILL reeks of habaneros! Ixnay on the Acotay Tandsay!" Nobody needs to know about the taco stand. Nobody wants to know about the taco stand. "Anyway!" His mood... seems to have swung back toward some equilibrium. "Princess or not, it won't be the first time I've engaged in glorious fisticuffs in this city's walls! So if you want a fight, then I'd be glad to supply one! Why, just last week, my good friend and rival dragon-punched me straight into a pantry full of delicious ca-" A sprig of hair on Zed's head seems to rise. It twitches, visibly, underneath the roosting dragon. "...I sense... Rivalry." Zed looks left. Zed looks right. Zed stares straight at Claude. "CLAUDE!" Zed waves over at the NOT A SPACEMAN. "HOOOI, OVER HERE." There is no escape, Claude Kenny.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed. Bart listens to this entire conversation with a rather bemused expression. The greetings thrown his way by Talise and Ida (more Talise, because apparently Ida thinks that the entertainment is far better than saying hello - not that Bart can blame her). But Bart is... more or less ignored by this entire incipient brawl, so he listens and takes in the news. There is something fishy about all this... ... ... Oh wait he had heard something like this! Bart turns and points at Alisha as Zed rambles on for a moment, and he grins - which looks a little menacing, given the eye patch and all that. "Ah HA! You're that Moon Princess that Ceci warned me about! The one that she made a big point about how she'd never seen you out of your armor!" And then he turns and points at Zed. "And that must make YOU a..." Pause. Damn he had something on the tip of his tongue. Wait, that's it. "You must be one of those evil Black Moon Knights, aren't you! Ral Ban Tanks or some weird name like that!" He did hear Zed's name being called out, but really? Zed? Who names their kid Zed?
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed. Alisha pauses, looking down at Sephy, and blinks a few times. Someone else from Lunar? It isn't such a surprise, now. Of course, the fox doll draws a longer stare -- before she looks at the younger girl, and smiles. "Ah--please, it's quite all right, you don't need to kneel or curtsy in these environments or here. It's, er," she stammers. "...Er, nice to meet you?" Then, she looks at Talise. Her expression flattens, turning into a frown -- but not quite. "Talise, she..." Then she looks to the side, and nods, sadly. "...very well. Later, then." There is a hint of royal firmness in that voice. It is a talk that she means to have later. She is more subdued, then, when she looks back at Riesenlied. Alisha hesitates, before she shakes her head. "Your companion has questionable taste -- and he fought with me and my comrades. He... you should ask him about it, my lady!" Perhaps Riese inspires some level of formality in her. Formality that flickers when Zed speaks. She turns, then looks at him, and her eyes widen -- and then narrow again. "The teachings of the Church--no. Sorey saw the malevolence around her. It is quite real, I assure you. I felt it, even if I can't see it. And if you want a--" The princess stammers, when Zed calls out, and turns her head to look at Claude. What? And then Bart says-- "M-Moon princess? I'm sorry?" <Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. Claude's name (minus the initial, which makes him wonder - does he need to start underlying it on his business cards? does he need to /print/ business cards) is called out, and he looks up, a smile on his face. "Hey, Zed!" he says, then stops and frowns, taking in the...well, there's no word other than tension for what's going on here. Everyone is sort of staring at each other, and... Wait, moon princess? Claude stares at Alisha, his look considering. Thanks to Lemina Ausa (who got 200 Gella out of the bargain in exchange for a shiny silver moon coin), he knows that there /are/ people here from another planet, so...it's not all that unreasonable. And given what little he knows about princesses from these parts (taken from a single sample, i.e., Cecilia Adlehyde), he knows that they have two things going for them, the first of which is that they tend to be out solving problems and not sitting in their castle, so... edge that one up to possible. He does know one other thing about princesses from his experience with Cecilia... Claude leans back a bit and sort of tries to sneak a glimpse at Alisha's butt. Okay, bring that up to probable, then, he reasons. She may be a moon princess after all, but shy about admitting it...unsurprisingly. What this calls for is some good old-fashioned diplomacy. Which is exactly why it's such a good thing that an officer of the Pangalactic Federation Navy is here, to mediate this dispute and bring it to a satisfactory conclusion for everyone. "Uh...." Claude says, looking back and forth between everyone. "Nice... weather we're...having?" Flawless.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Moon princess?" Ida says, more or less in time with Alisha. She turns to Bart, arching an eyebrow. "When were you informed of this, Mister Bart?" Ida's tone is skeptical, but her experience with Talise and Sephilia points to something much weirder. This is either the weirdest, clumsiest con in the history of cons, or there is something strange and unprecedented going on. "At any rate. They have a lovely facility for ARMs demonstration which--I suppose--could suit as the site of an honor duel. However, I dearly hope it will not be needed." Alisha might find the tone familiar--perfectly polite and superficially gentle, but beneath that is someone who is not going to tolerate someone just coming up and yelling at her colleagues.
Even Zed. And Kalve, too, which is perhaps the better motivator there. Did both of them get sucked into this bizarre foreign witch-hunt?
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
In truth, Riese and Zed's relationship likely started ages ago because she saw the look in his eye when he Got Serious, probably due to an eerily similar incident. It was a sentiment she had lots of experience with, due to her history with the Tainted. To be treated as different due to circumstances of birth alone, to be branded inferior as such... it was something that was shockingly common, in hindsight, in human culture.
That quality of empathy was a rarity among demons, and it was something she thought was critical, yet lacking in the Photosphere.
Odjn just cackled, in the meanwhile, "Sorry, Zed, but it's hilarious, still!"
There was a clearly deeper story here, between what this group that claims this 'Lucia', 'Lord of Calamity' is... and what this 'malevolence' that Alisha expresses she felt was. Was it like an aura, or spiritual measure that these people can sense? It lends credence to Sephilia's story.
"I shall do that, my lady Diphda," Riese answered courteously in turn. "In the meantime, I would vouch for Zed's character, if nothing else. He isn't the type to associate with truly despicable folk. It isn't in his blood."
She turned to Zed, before--
"Ral Ban Tanks!"
--wait, Moon Princess?
"Fightin' evil by moonlight,
winnin' love by daylight!
Neeever running from a real fight!
She is the one named Moon Princess!"
Odjn paused. "What? It was the perfect setup!"
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. "Zed, do you mind not sneering at Alisha when I'm trying to defuse this," Talise says with a scowl. Her eyes flit back to Alisha, and she flashes her a sad sort of smile, though her shoulders have tightened up somewhat, her grip on Sephilia's shoulder firming for a moment to squeeze her more briskly before relaxing again. "My treat," she offers as if to try to soften the angry princess up a little. "Just you, me and some nice calming drinks, and some hearing each other out." The tall woman pushes her hat back and flashes a light grin, though it's forced. It's not easy to convey concepts through just body language, but she's trying to get 'I'll listen to you too' across. Claude piles into the encounter. The half-Beastwoman closes her eyes and sighs for what must be the umpteenth time today. "Yeah," she says. "Nice weather." Then she brings her hands together in a firm, loud clap. "Look, guys," she says, her voice more authoritative now. "Not all of us get along perfectly, okay? And we might disagree on some important things. But a lot of us come from the same place and we're all on this world together. So how about this: Let's say we put a ban on bickering with each other, at least for tonight, okay? Let's just agree to set all the bad feelings aside for tonight and be friends." She holds out her hand, palm-up. "Deal?"
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed. Bart just grins and jabs his finger at Cecilia again. Because pointing at people is fun, dontchaknow. "Yeah, you! Moon Princess! Believe me I am WELL AQUAINTED with all the local princesses, and you certainly are not on my who's who of local royalty. And Ceci did tell me there was a Moon Princess around." The blonde haired pirate grins in what he probably fondly imagines is a quite rakish manner. "If I'm mistaken though, you'll have to forgive me - your elegant manner certainly may have given me a case of mistaken identity." He gives no thought to how this is going to sound to Talise and Ida, who both were already questioning what sort of unwholesome relationship he has with the Princess of Adelhyde. But then there's another guy in the situation, and Bart's hackles go up a bit when he sees Claude trying to be less than a gentleman towards this nice princess lady (although currently unconfirmed). Instead Bart just looks at Claude for a moment, and states in a deadpan tone of voice. "Hey. Hey. Cassanova. Conversation is over heeeere."
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"Althena preserve me," Talise groans as Bart tries to flirt.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Even Sephilia has noticed that there's a fight brewing. She also notices that there's a bunch of the group trying to defuse the situation. On the one hand, the fight is with Zed, who somehow got actually serious for a minute there. Gives Sephy the chills. On the other hand...he's annoying, sure, but Alisha seems to be pretty serious about this--it's more than just a little brawl she wants, from the sounds of it. Sephy also /likes/ everyone here. Even Zed, at least, a little bit. So, despite the phrase "Moon Princess" being thrown around and being /very/ distracting as a notion, she knows she's gotta do something to defuse this quick. Talking about the weather is already failing! Clearly this calls for drastic measures. She's gonna pay for this later, she knows, but it might be the only way she can think of to get everyone to stop arguing for just a second. Sephy trips (intentionally) and falls over, scraping her knee. Then she starts to cry. Nobody can resist a crying little girl, right?
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"...is the weather nice?" she asks Claude, with an innocent blink. "I have not seen that many days of weather, yet." Alisha looks sideways at Talise -- and she weighs this, for a moment, before she sighs. She can relent. She promised, after all, to not disturb the peace in Adlehyde for a fellow princess's sake. "Yes," she says. "I can agree to that. You have my apologies, Lady Riesenlied." But then Odjn starts singing -- and she turns to look at the dragon. Her mouth hangs open and she gawks at him for a full moment. To the extent that she hears Bart talking to her a little belatedly. She turns her head, slowly, to peer at him. Her eyes blink again. She stares for a moment, down at the finger, then up at the grin that some might call rakish. Then, back down at the finger, before she looks up. "Oh," she says, "yes. I am the princess of Hyland. A-an elegant manner? Are--" She blinks, before she puts a hand over her mouth, and laughs awkwardly. "O-oh! You are flirting with me! Ah, I am flattered, sir, but you... are not quite my type? Is that the phrase used on Filgaia?" She pats Bart, gently, on the shoulder. "But I am certain, some day, you will make some young lady very happy!" And then she jumps back with a yelp, when she hears Sephy start to cry. <Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. So much happens in the span of a few seconds, oh dear heavens. Zed gives Talise a look... and then shrugs and puts his hand into the circle. "Sure, okay. No bickering. But." Oh no his eyes are changing again. His face, too. Zed is wearing a :3. Never should Zed catfais. There's only one thing that can possibly mean. Especially with Odjn singing a catchy theme song. Yes. It's time... For first impressions. "Ahahahahahaha!" He draws his hand back and unfurls his MAJESTIC SCARF that it might billow in the breeze. "That's right, you... You... Eyepatched wearing man whose name I do not know!? I am indeed a BLACK KNIGHT! One who fights in a battle THAT INVOLVES THE MOON! But I am no Ral Ban Tanks. I am Zed! The Ultimate Macho Man! The Grim Reaper's Pen Pal! And now, I suppose... That I am also A BLACK KNIGHT OF THE MOON!" "You might even call me--" Zed clenches a fist, "...A QUARTER-MOON KNIGHT!" Beat. "But right now, I am also on break," Zed says, relaxing visibly and leaning back onto a conveniently placed construction scaffold. "So if you wish to engage me in manly combat, then I will tell you the same thing I told the princess! We will schedule a time and place, and we will have a duel that will be told of by storytellers for generations!" "So, like I was saying princess," Zed turns back to Alisha and shrugs. "This here is Claude! Claude's a great guy. You'll get along great. Claude, this is a moon princess who follows some kind of blue-hair-hating moon cult. That's not going to be a problem, right?" Zed is unaware that it will even be a problem. Nor does he have time to care much, because someone just TRIPPED AND SCUFFED A LITTLE GIRL! Zed frowns, scooting over towards Sephi to ~help~ "Sephi! No! What has happened to you-- hold on." Zed plucks the dragon off his head, and... holds Odjn at the wound. "Here. Odjn, kiss the wound and make it feel better. I know you have it in you, dragon friend!"
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.
Claude C. Kenny has a surprising amount of experience with royalty, all thing considered; there are a lot of planets in the Pangalactic Federation, and a lot of them have old-timey royalty they like to dust off whenever a HERO OF THE FEDERATION (and his no-name kid) pays a visit. Most princesses he encountered prior to his arrival on Cow Patty Planet seemed preoccupied with a) giggling behind their hands, b) giggling behind their hands whilst accompanied by several ladies in waiting, and c) complaining about how Claude's fine, straight, golden blonde hair was wasted on someone who was not a princess. Claude really does not like fancy parties. Since his arrival, however, he has noticed local princesses behaving in an atypical fashion. In the first place, they tend to be out in the world helping solve the problems of their kingdoms, which is...surprisingly awesome of them? Like, as though they're taking their royal responsibilities seriously and stuff? Which is awesome. The second thing he has noticed is that they have great butts. Maybe it's the fact that castles are among the few buildings on Cow patty Planet with multiple floors and elevators aren't a thing, or whatever, but ALL HE WAS TRYING TO DO was use this fact to confirm Alisha's identity as a princess. He didn't mean anything dirty by it! Really! (not really) Which is why Bart's rejoinder brings a light flush to his face, as though he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. For an instant, he's unsure how to respond, but then he remembers his mom's advice. ---------- "When in doubt, Claude, send the message that you're not the bottom." "uuuuuuuuuuuuh" "It's like prison, Claude." "Mom, when were you in pri--" "NOT THE POINT, CLAUDE" "okayokayokay" ---------- "Hey blondie," Claude says, stepping in the general direction of Bart's grill. "Why don't you keep your eyes to yourseeeeeeeeeeeeee-----------" Claude trails off as he realizes what he just said. Oh, this can't be good.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. The smile Talise offers up for Alisha is warm and genuine, even if that hint of tension is still there. "Let's work it out later. You're a good person and I'm not just gonna tune you out - I'm not that shallow." She then stands back, watching as Alisha lets Bart down easy. As if he were a little chihuahua. She can't help herself: She immediately bursts into a gale of laughter, doubling over and slapping her thigh with one hand. "Poor Bart!" she chortles. "Don't worry, bud, you'll find a princess for you! C'mon, I'll even get you some drinks one of these days real soon!" Her laughter immediately cuts off as Sephy goes down. Widening her eyes, she drops to her knee beside Sephy, reaching out to take ahold of her shoulder, her other hand falling to the girl's leg as if to check out her injury. "Hey," she urges, smiling as best she can. "Hey, don't cry, okay? Did you hurt yourself?" Zed attempts to help. Tal jerks her head as if to shoo him away. (Maybe I should've just let Alisha deck him in the fucking schnozz,) she reflects bitterly.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
So not only does Bart have a potentially-scandalous relationship with Cecilia, he is all too willing to be tremendously forward with other young women as well. This is at least three different kinds of scandalous, and wholly unacceptable. She is probably going to look for a romance novel with this very plot once she gets to go to the library again.
Then Sephy trips. Ida is on the young woman in an instant, kneeling beside her with one hand on her other shoulder. "Sephilia, are you all right? I have bandages--" Zed has stopped his nonsensical boasting and is offering a dragon. Ida shoots him a /look/. That look says, more or less: 'If you harm one hair on her head, then I will eject you, injuries or not.'
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Odjn makes the cutest little noise and says, "Here I go! Odjn Healing Escalation~!" and makes the most exaggerated 'chuuu~!' sounding noise as she lightly pecks Sephy's knee. Despite the fact, y'know, Odjn lacks lips and can only probably pucker so much.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed. Slowly, Alisha begins to frown. <Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. Zed looks at Talise and Ida with a face that seems to say: 'Look, I have it on good authority that dragon kisses can make anyone feel better.' Can they truly gainsay that little dragon kisses would not warm the heart and make someone forget their pain!? <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. "Zed," Talise says with the patience of Job, "please let me and Ida handle this before I take off my hat, stand up and punch you so hard you won't realize what hit you until you're passing Port Timney."
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed. In the short bit of time before Sephy starts her gambit to try and keep things from devolving into utter chaos, Bart can at least reply to Alisha somewhat. His somewhat forced grin fades into something a little more genuine as she pats him on the shoulder. Bart leans back just a smidge as he looks at her. And then states in a low and serious voice, "Alas, m'lady - I fear that my blackguard's heart already has two women warring over its echoing confines. For a man to struggle to choose between two lovely lasses is already a terrible conflict - and a wise sailor of the sands knows that adding a third to conflict is just asking for trouble." He makes a dramatic bow, precise and well-practiced enough to have come right out of Hyland's own court, if the style of the movements is not different than what Alisha might be used to. He does look over at Talise with his one good eye as she makes her comment, and then waggles his remaining eyebrow at her a bit saucily. "Well, I might take you up on that offer - and good drink is never something I'm gonna pass up." And then two things happen, which are both relatively important and should be dealt with in some random, arbitrarily assigned order. One is that there is a little girl crying, which tugs at Bart's heartstrings but there are people who are here who can deal with that. The other.. THE OTHER... Well. Bart just takes a step right back towards Claude, and looks down at him. "Oh, don't hold back on my account," he replies, his voice sounding a little less friendly than it had before. And then he grins in a nasty sort of way. "I see what you're up to, and one eye's more than I need if you want to start somethin'."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed. Sephy did actually scrape her knee, so she is actually in pain. Still Zed's offer of help actually surprises her. Plus it's ADORABLE. So it might actually have worked! "Um, thank you Zed, and thank you Odjn--it IS Odjn, right?" She is also glad of both Ida and Talise, and hugs them all in turn. Even Zed.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Odjn nodded with a chipper little grin and said, "Uh huh! You should be feeling all better soon!"
Riesenlied sized up the situation, and Talise sounded rather short on patience, and Ida was also starting to cast looks.
She prepared to make the ultimate personal sacrifice for the good of everyone in the Adlehyde plaza.
"Oh, Zed?" she called out. "I think I've reconsidered after all. Perhaps I would like to watch Y-Burn Sphere X after all. Shall we go?"
Inwardsly, she steeled herself in a way only metal demons, even tainted ones, knew how.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. Zed takes a long look at Talise. And then he's hugged, and actually looks genuinely relieved! Zed... seems to like kids? "Hahaha! Don't worry about it. Besides, if I did not, then Mister Foxington would punch me, and I'm more worried about his fists than hers!" Because Talise does not have GIANT METAL DIGGER FISTS. But. Then. THE MAGIC WORDS. Zed craaaaanes his head back at Riesen like some kind of horrible owl. "..." Zed un-says. "...Can I bring a friend"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
He /is/ a pirate, Ida thinks, as Bart describes a love life that may or may not be factual. Even if he isn't, he surely has that air about him! Still, there's only so much intrigue Ida can absorb while Sephilia is clearly upset, and the three people trying to make her feel better are having issues, mostly Zed-related. She kind of regrets coming off so sternly, especially since Talise is upset as well. "Talise," Ida says, taking her friend's shoulder. "I think Zed simply has a way with children. Right, Zed?" This actually seems to be true, and may or may not be related to Zed having a lot in common with their mindset. "As long as he's helping, I don't think there's a problem. I think we're all just a little tense lately."
Riesenlied, noble woman that she is, offers to jump on the grenade. "Y-Burn /what/?" Ida says, looking at Zed.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephy winces internally at being called a child, but really can't actually complain when she just used that impression so manipulatively. Alas.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. Zed turns his dread gaze towards Ida. His eyes sparkle with the fel light... Of fandom. "...Ida," Zed says, placing a hand upon her shoulder, "Do you want to watch... Something that the ancients of the world created, long, long ago?"
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. Claude meets the glare (well, half of it) long enough to try to give the impression that he isn't afraid of Bart. Because...well, he isn't, really. He maybe should be, but he's finding it hard to believe anyone on Cow Patty Planet will pose much of a challenge after the hell his mom put him through daily, and after the result of his light sparring with Zed. And especially since, well...he's not exactly spacist, but he is techist, and the whole 'pride goeth' saying is one he didn't pay much attention to. "Didn't mean anything by it," he says to the taller man, leaving the 'it' unexplained. "And this isn't exactly the time or place for a fight. So maybe you calm down and we let this drop, Sir Knight," he suggests.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha smiles, apologetically but in confusion at Bart. Her frown, however, slips back on. She begins to suspect that Odjn is making fun of her. She can't be sure, since she is a...
...er, what is she? A dragon?
But then she pats Sephy on the shoulder, with a sigh and a nod to Talise. "There, there," she says. "It's fine--ah, but it was a pleasure, Lady Riesenlied. And... I suppose we shall speak later, Zed."
And then she frowns at Bart and Claude. /Really/?
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is, normally, infinitely graceful and serene in her demeanor. But she shakes her head from behind Zed's head with a look in her red eyes that approximates true terror.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. Talise takes a long look back at Zed. She slowly begins to lift herself up. She actually has an inch or two on Zed and is visibly built like a brick wall. She also does have giant metal digger fists; her gauntlets are hanging from her belt, and she's pretty sure Zed has seen how /those/ work. Then Sephilia latches on and hugs her. ...Talise can't sustain her impatience when someone that cute is applied to her. She bites her bottom lip, then smiles softly and wraps her arms around Sephy, pulling her in for a close, firm hug. "You're right," she says to Ida with a gentle blush. "Sephy's a big girl, but you're right. I think we've all been a little too tense. A lot of us are a long way from home... and that should bring us together, not divide us." At the last, her eyes track towards Alisha; the statement comes with a kind smile. Then she nods towards Riese, then Zed. "Have fun, you two. Nice meeting you, Miss Rie...." She trails off as she watches Claude and Bart. She throws Alisha a disbelieving look.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida opens her mouth, as if to speak.
She then sees Riesenlied's face out of the corner of her eye, and it is clear that this woman has /seen things/. "Perhaps some other time?" she says, with a little shrug. "I just want to get something to drink, and maybe have a polite conversation with everyone, if the option is still on the table." With the way Claude and Bart are getting in each others' faces, some part of her kind of doubts it.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Zed frowns. He looks crestfallen. "Oh... Well okay then. NEXT TIME! Instead...!" Zed cranes his head up, "CLAUDE, YOU WANNA SEE SOMETHING COOL?"
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed. Bart looks at Claude for a moment, and chuckles, slapping Claude on the shoulder. This is obvious a good way to get the locals to be friendly, and will likely work many times in the future. "Nah, not a knight at all - just someone who likes to go looking for trouble. But if you're not serving up any, fine by me." He winks at Claude. With his missing eye. So it looks more like a weird sort of stare. Bart really needs to get used to that. Sigh. "Anyways, this has been a fun little shindig. Is the kid OK?" he calls over to Ida and Talise. Given that it seemed like the princess was gonna jump on the green haired guy, it seems the situation is much improved at least. For the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. Claude's shoulder is patted. Slightly condescendingly? The younger man holds his piece and lets it slide, because...this really isn't the time or the place for a fight. Even if he kind of sort of really wants to throw Bart through the same wall he threw Zed through a few days ago. Speaking of which... "Is it a punch to the face?" Claude asks Zed a little wearily. "Because I've been jumping around all day and am a bit too tired for that," he says, which Ida at least will understand. Still, he walks toward the Metal Demon, passing by Alisha on his way, his left hand digging into his jacket pocket, coming up with a shining something which he holds out toward her. A...Lunarian silver coin? "My name's Claude C. Kenny," he says quietly before pocketing the coin. "And I'd like to talk sometime, if that's okay."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Odjn sweeps back in after doing her healing, happy that Sephilia's looking more cheered up! She might be the only one as gullible as Zed is. "Woo, marathon time! Oh man, it's gonna be so hard to not spoil Riese on the moment when--" then she clamps her mouth. "Hehehe!"
Oh Mother, forgive us sinful children of Hyades...
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha sighs. Really, it seems. She watches the conflict play out -- and then she stands up, as Claude approaches her. She blinks, looking down at the shiny object. She recognizes it instantly. It isn't the gald still used on parts of Glenwood, but...
She knows this coin. Her eyes widen -- and she looks up at him.
"Yes," she says. "Of course. I shall be happy to."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Sephilia is fine," Ida says. It occurs to her that she's not exactly sure how old Sephilia is, and tends to assume she's much younger--probably the doll, probably how she carries herself. "I hope you're not being paid to vandalize more buildings," she says to Claude, and while her tone is light-hearted, well, with Claude there's no way to /tell/.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise gives Sephilia a last, firm squeeze and a pat, smiling encouragingly at her.
Her eyes track after Claude. "...Hang in there, pal," she calls after him, shooting him an easy wave. "And try not to sword your way up too many trees."
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed. See, it's just some crazy ritual that guys go through. Bart isn't all that picky about it, he just likes to get in people's faces at times. Mainly to assure himself that he has some control of his life, which always feels doubtful to him. Although at this point there is word that some scruffy looking rogue with blonde hair, a red jacket, and an eyepatch is causing trouble traveling through the fair at this point. Bart watches as Claude wanders off, and wonders just what that guy's problem was. Seemed like he had been having a rough time of it, which was strange in Adelhyde proper. He does look at Talise and asks, "...do I even what to know what 'Sword you way up a tree' means?"
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed. "What? No, it is not a punch to the face," Zed says with all the (mock) shock he can muster! "It's..." Zed looks to Odjn, then nods. "It's the thing. That that awesome flying kick I tried on you is from. It's totally awesome!" He glances at Alisha and squints, then. "Well, princess! Guess I'll see you... Sometime, maybe? Probably next time you decide to chase Lucia. And all the rest of you guys! Until next time...!" Zed leaps! He flips. He lands... Next to Riese. Time to go!?
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. "No, I was being /not/ paid to /un/vandalize a bunch of buildings," Claude says to Ida, his tone bitter. "Honestly, if the job was sketchy they shouldn't have posted it in the first frigging place." Talise's remark brings a vague grimace to his face. "No swording in town, I'm told," he says with a similar tone of voice and expression. "Last time I did it, I got a stern lecture." Which brings him to... "Maybe next time, Zed?" he says apologetically. "I'm supposed to be waiting here for someone. We just sort of split up for a bit to go handle private business and maybe have...bonding moments with other people?" Or maybe pickpocket people, who knows what Rena gets up to.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. "Trust me. It's much stupider than it sounds," Talise says with a roll of her eyes for Bart's sake, and a lopsided smile. She watches Riese and Zed move off, her teeth closing around her bottom lip, one of her pointed incisors digging in just a little. A slow breath slips from her as she gives Sephilia another pat. "Y'alright?" she asks. Then her eyes snap up towards Claude again, though there's a smile on her face at this point, however small. "Yeah... yeah, not swording in town's probably smart. I'm sure there'll be plenty of chances for swordsplay some other day. In some other place." She crinkles her nose. "Probably in a cave, given our track record."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed. Sephilia has calmed down now. "I'll be okay, Tal," she promises. "I just fell. Chauncey can't protect me from everything!" She smiles bravely. "Maybe Zed isn't dumb /all the time./" She's not sure what these other boys are doing...but she's sure it's dumb.
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed. The Princess of Adlehyde isn't a presence normally easily identified; a young woman who lived in seclusion for years, rumored to be back in town now following her 17th birthday, but not extremely well known to her countrymen beyond a kind reputation. In wholly unrelated information, a young blonde woman in a white dress and green skirt has just entered the grounds and is looking around, though she brightens upon seeing the knot of blondes known as Bart, Claude, and Alisha, in descending order. She steps over quickly, an amused look splashed across her faith. "Is everything well?" she asks. "The guards were looking restless."
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. Cecilia arrives! And Claude takes advantage of the fact that Bart and Alisha are talking in a corner out of immediate hearing to begin information operations. "Hello, Cecilia," he says pleasantly, using the princess's first name because...well, she never told him /not/ to, and he can't quite be sure whether she's speaking ex cathedra or not. The reference to 'the guards' did not go unnoticed, however. "No real issue - I was just getting acquainted with the big guy over there," he says, jerking his thumb vaguely Bartward. "We were having a bit of a disagreemnt at first, but I think we're seeing eye to ey----" Claude C. Kenny stops, his expression one of 'oh my god did i just really' that he hides in his gloves. "God, it just keeps /coming out/," he groans.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida rises. She can feel her bones creaking, and the support of the cane is (for once) welcome. "I'm very glad that you were able to make things right and proper, Claude," she says. She rubs at her bad shoulder, which is now starting to stiffen uncomfortably beneath the bandages.
Cecilia will note the (considerably shorter, not blonde) Ida behind the three blondes, with a cane, and bandages visible on the right side of her neck. "Cecilia," she says, managing a little smile--it doesn't quite cover the guilt of not being able to help her subjects in their hour of need. "I'm glad to see you're well."
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise nods and gives Sephilia a brisk pat, smiling. "I figured. You're tough. Hang in there, okay? You did your best to break all this crap up."
She eases back to her feet, finally taking off her big floppy cowboy hat as Cecilia arrives and inclining her head respectfully. "Lady Adlehyde," she greets. "I think the silliest of it has passed now."
She throws Ida a sympathetic smile as she spots the woman rising with that much effort. The tall woman moves to stand behind the short, cane-toting researcher and a little to the right, hand at her own hip, the other coming up to briefly rest on the back of Ida's shoulder, as if to give her some support.
Thankfully she doesn't have her gauntlets on.
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed. Cecilia takes in the assessment. "That seems to be the case. Thank you," she offers Talise, but doesn't retreat just now. Her eyes sweep across the others for a moment, but it seems Bart and Alisha have retreated in full, so for the moment she turns her focus on Claude. "Getting acquainted, is it?" she asks, with a certain skepticism. She smiles, but perhaps it's not entirely hitting her eyes. "Well, that's lovely. I'm sure you'll be fast friends. Bart can be a handful, but please be good to him." o r e l s e She blinks a little at his groan, and then titters. "Ah, yes, that...I only just found out recently, myself...It's rather...arresting?"
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. Claude's been happy-threatened by the best in the business (hi, mom), but Cecilia does a good enough job that he checks his natural easygoing nature at the door and nods. "Oh, I'm sure we'll get along like a house on fire," Claude says, in what would probably be a reassuring statement if he did not mean it in the sense that there will probably be at least one burning building in the vicinity the next time they meet. He clears his throat, though, because something's been bugging him. "Um... about that," Claude says quietly, "Couldn't that sort of injury have been taken care of with some of that... Crest Sorcery business?" he wonders. "I mean, we mostly have Symbologists where I'm from, so it's pretty common for us to see eyepatches or what not. But here, it seems like Crest Sorcerers are everywhere. Couldn't it have got healed pretty easy?" This sort of admitting ignorance is not Claude's usual M.O., but if he's going to be dungeon-crawling with these people, hed like to know under what circumstances he might need to shop for a peg-leg or a hook.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida is all too thankful for the hand, and smiles at Talise. It's still a little embarrassing to be incapable of the normal range of movement, but well, that's not entirely her doing, is it?
Very professionally done, Cecilia, Ida thinks, as the Princess reminds Claude that there is a price to pay if he transgresses. And then Claude's talking serious injuries, a matter that Ida is unfortunately well-acquainted with. "Not everywhere," she says. "And--well--occasionally all they can do is stop the worst of the bleeding. But that's me speaking from my own experience, it may be... different, elsewhere."
But then she turns to Cecilia, demure as ever. "Cecilia," she says, "Allow me to say that you are a generous and courageous young woman, and I do not mean to impugn you in any way. But this 'Bart', I had a question..." And then, in the tiniest of voices:
"is he really a pirate"
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia blinks, and then her eyes widen in wonder. "Whoah wait, a PIRATE?!" she exclaims.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed. Talise watches the exchange between Claude and Cecilia with a wry smile, making a mental note to be in the neighbourhood next time the blond man decides to measure things against Bart's things. House fires aside. She shares that smile with Ida, keeping her hand where it is for the moment as if to make sure her friend doesn't topple over. Close enough to do that, she can hear Ida's question, and it draws a lot chuckle from her and a shake of her head. "I'd believe he is," she says, her smile wry. "I mean, I like to think I'm pretty good at spotting pirates, growing up the way I did. He's got some of the signs." Sephy speaks up, and Tal just grins at her. "Sephy, you already know one pirate!"
<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed. Cecilia may or may not have caught that. She's not as sharp as she wishes she was. Either way, she lets it pass with a pleased, "Very good!" ah, but Claude asks an interesting question. "Healing of that level is difficult...Crest Sorcery can heal a lot, but it's not so easy to heal damage like that. I don't know what he had access to at the time." Pause. Looks to Ida. ...Ahem. "I don't ask what he does with his friends very much," she says, in what would appear to be a nonsequitur.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed. "Oh comeon, Ida, that's---" Claude stops himself from saying 'spacist' and continues quickly, "---I mean just because he's got an eyepatch doesn't mean..." Claude frowns. Nobody's really....denying it, per se, and...well, he did have a sort of MAN OF THE SEA air about him for some reason... Hoo boy, I've pissed off a pirate. "I think I"m going to need to hang out with more ninjas," he mutters quietly, not really paying attention."