2017-12-01: Hot Krosse Burns

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========================<* Krosse - Sunlight Square *>========================

Krosse is a walled city, and the killing grounds inside the entry to the castle have been given a much nicer spin than is typical. Known as the Sunlight Square, it is a wide-open plaza with a fenced-off grassy park in the centre. The square occupies the same sort of role as a village green, and residents of the city frequently gather to socialize, work, or even kick off their boots and enjoy a nap in the sun.

Small shops surround the edges of the Sunlight Square, offering a variety of goods and services to travellers. A three-story building in the northwest offers lodging at a reasonable price, and a stone cathedral in the northeast is one of two surviving houses of worship of the Warrior of Light remaining on the continent.


<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha Diphda is, once again, in Krosse!

A lot of people are in Krosse today. A winter market -- though, of course, winter is mild (if existent at all) in much of Ignas -- has set-up shop, selling goods to the hungry and the needy. Of course, something is strangely awry in Krosse. Many of the local merchants seem more gloomy than usual; the city guard are stricter. Perhaps, recent events have left them on edge -- and despite the rumble of a nearby band, somehow, the cheer that should come doesn't quite permeate the surroundings.

The princess frowns as she looks up, and then she tilts her head as a few guards march by. Then, she shrugs, and looks down at what she has acquired: a mug of apple cider, piping hot. The princess sighs, before she has a long sip.

...But, with the temperatures far warmer than a Lunarian winter, it doesn't quite feel right.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida helped deliver a certain fossil thief into the custody of the Company's people. She's not sure how things will play out from here--the property he stole belonged to her family, but he's from halfway across the world. Ida hopes it's not going to get too ugly, but at the same time, perhaps making a show of this would discourage certain other would-be fossil thieves. She took a detour through Krosse on her way back North, and while she told herself she wasn't going to spend too much money, she bought a tin of tea. She also bought a very large apple fritter and a mug of apple cider from a stand of various apple-related wares.

        Ida makes her way through the crowd, looking for a place to sit. Someone unintentionally jostles her, startling her out of her own thoughts. Ida fumbles with the mug, catching it before it can spill hot cider all over--

        "Oh goodness," she says. It's that woman who travels with Sorey, she reminds herself. What was her name--Eliza? No, that's not right. Come on, you spoke with her, why can't you remember? "I'm sorry."

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Previously...

Asteroid the Kid: HELLIONS RULE ALTHENA DROOLS!
Talise: Hellions don't rule! Malevolence is really bad! Ask Sorey about it!
Asteroid the Kid: who the fuck is Sorey.

NOW

Asteroid the Kid drags a cart along the market filled with water jugs that she intends to sell here, buy building materials and assorted guilds with what she makes, sell it to Wayside for 'fair' prices and then who knows? She is actually doing pretty well on money as of late though she's leaving her hood back rather than over her head.

"Hey. Wasn't that lady in the tournament?" Pause. "Wow...is her skirt...attached to her greaves?"

She tilts her head, examining Alisha's Knightly Zettai Ryouki nature blatantly. 

<Pose Tracker> Katyna Reidal has posed.

Krosse is not quite Kat's usual stomping grounds, but here she is.

If she's being honest, the number of places where she's comfortable going is kind of lower all the time. She's stayed away from Aveh after the whole Aveh Situation (tm), she's not going back to Kislev without an infiltration plan (and maybe a way to get back her pistol, which she is still sore that they have and she doesn't), and though she likes November, it doesn't pay the bills if she spends all her time there.

She appreciates the mild winter, though. Kat has re-acquired a duster from somewhere after her first one was destroyed, but that's the only coat she has. Under it she's wearing her strange outfit with the top made out of a mysterious material. If it was really cold, she would not like it at all.

At the moment, Kat is haggling with a merchant. She is, apparently, buying dried food suitable for travelling, and is trying to argue him down. It isn't working that well. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Today, the Caravan Kinship's travels had brought them to Krosse. There were a lot of rumors coming out of the kingdom, and while they had taken them into consideration, they had still decided to visit anyway and set up shop along with the other merchants.

At the moment, however, Jacqueline herself is on break, taking a stroll through the streets and assessing the mood of the crowd and the merchants present...as well as their wares.

Indeed, people are looking a bit more gloomy than usual...that might be something to look out for. As she's walking, however, she spots a couple of famliar faces having just apparently bumped into each other.

"Ah, Miss Ida, Miss Alisha, hello. Fancy meeting you here!" Jacqueline greets with a smile and a wave.

...And wasn't that Asteroid in the near distance, dragging a cart of goods?

The last time Jacqueline had seen Ida, she had put her hand right through a man's chest. It's hard not to keep that thought from coming to mind, but it doesn't affect her smile in the least.

It must be the work of her experience as a merchant. 

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

 
"You know, I could get used to this," says someone holding court at a respectful distance from that band. 'Court' is in this case some open air tables; 'the court' is several ruffians with hound-themed jewelry; 'someone' is Margaret the elf, who has her feet up and is reclining in a portable chair made of brocaded cloth and cunningly positioned struts.

Their little nook of outdoor dining is not that large, but their thuggish looks have kept people clear. They also have like, ten pounds of fried potato slices and assorted spices, along with metal pitchers of some friendly beverage.

Margaret gazes through her eyelashes at the passerby.

She has not yet spotted Asteroid the Kid.

There are also several hastily-woodblock-printed paper pamphlets on a small table near the actual flow of traffic, under Hound supervision. An encouraging sign says: CURIOUS about ALTHENA?
TAKE ONE! - FREE! 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

There is almost hot cider all over Alisha. The princess yelps and turns, quickly, on a foot to look at Ida. Her expression isn't incriminating -- it goes from alarmed to a warm smile in short order, and she shakes her head once. "Oh, it's quite all right," Alisha says. "It was a near miss, after all."

The platinum blonde nods, once, to her. "Hello, Miss Everstead-Rey." They met once -- briefly, but Alisha had to remember names in the palace. Keeping track of Drifters is no problem. She turns to look at Jacqueline, and then she smiles at her for a moment, before she nods. "Miss Barber," she says. "It is a pleasure to see you. I hope that you have been well."

She adjusts her posture, before she takes a sip of her mug. However, she hears a couple of things. The first is Margaret talking -- and the princess's leaf green eyes glance to her, before they turn to Asteroid. She smiles -- and then blinks. She hasn't seen a beastwoman like her before. She catches herself starting to stare, before she waves once towards her.

She also flashes a smile at Katyna, as is proper and polite, before she looks back at Ida and Jacqueline. "Did the Caravan come here to trade?"

<Pose Tracker> Iskandra Grendorre has posed.

The dark alchemist has spotted an alleged chemical warfare specialist, and thus heads over that way. Iskandra has her malevolence suppressed, so shouldn't stand out too much to any would be heroes that take offense at that kind of thing. "Miss Jay, other assorted people." She greets with a smile and a wave. "Didn't see the Carakin on my way into town, did I just miss it or did you not bring it?"

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida looks a little upset with herself, nevertheless. She withdraws a little from Alisha, averts her gaze, and takes a breath. Only after that does she realize that Alisha isn't upset. "A pleasure, Miss--" Ida is normally good with names, but this time, the name in question seems to be eluding her. Was it... "Diphada?"

        This is not like the calm, composed woman Alisha saw back in Adlehyde. Even her manner of dress is different--military-issue overcoat, clothes of a more lower-class make.

        Barber, Ida thinks, a moment later. Please God don't mention November. "I was passing through," Ida says. "I'm, ah, not with the Caravan."

<Pose Tracker> Serill has posed.

Unfortunately for everyone, where one member of Althena's Guard can be found there are more of them. Margaret brought a number of her own, of course, but there's one more who made her own way here.

Serill is identifiable, at least to some Lunarians, as wearing a student's outfit from Neo-Vane. The engraving on the buttons (Neo-Vane's crest) and the staff she carries are big clues. The Filgaians (and Lunarians who have not had the fun experience of meeting a Neo-Vane wizard) identify her instead as a glasses-wearing teenager in a strange, tailed jacket with a red skirt, carrying a staff with a pair of slight natural kinks to it, one near each end.

She is perched up near Margaret's booth, sitting on a stone wall that is not meant for sitting on. This is because Serill stole some of the fried potato slices and has decided to eat them without wandering around. Rest assured she will be bothering people again... very shortly. 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid pretends not to notice the staring. Besides, she's staring all the same herself.

She says, "You're pretty cute. Why do you like only wear armor on your hands and feet. That's not where the vitals are. Oh! Maybe it's one of those like super tough cloths that come from really huge moth monsters or something. Yeah, maybe it's that."

So far she seems content to keep putting her foot in her mouth.

"Do you like to buy stuff? I can sell you stuff. Maybe like, so you can put armor on the rest of you. Though really, I think you have the right idea, like if you have it strut it right?" 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"There was a bit of a...rough patch...but I believe I'm on the other end of it. How about yourself?" Jacqueline replies with a smile. The 'Oopsies Incident', as it has come to be called around Wayside, took a lot out of her...

She glances to the side, smiling and waving at Iskandra as she approaches.

"You came from...that side, correct?" She asks, pointing in the direction Iskandra had come from. "That explains it, we're currently over in that direction."

She then points in the opposite direction, before nodding to Alisha with a smile.

"But yes, we did. Everyone is working hard today! You should come by sometime, if you're not too busy." She says

 "And you're welcome too, of course, Miss Ida." She adds with a nod. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be a risk of her bringing it up, at least for the moment.

Her attention goes to Asteroid when she starts talking, and Jacqueline...isn't quite sure whether she should say anything in Alisha's defense.

...Maybe it was more polite to say nothing at all... 

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

 
Margaret remains too reclined to see Iskandra, although she hears a voice that makes her frown slightly. But she's soon enough faced with a larger problem, which is Serill, who is nearby and seems to be slouching.

Margaret then clearly hears Asteroid speak to Alisha.

"Did that sound like solicitation to you?" Margaret asks Serill. "Maybe we should do something." She looks at the younger mage, her expression making it clear that she means: Serill should do something. 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Alisha Diphda," Alisha says, with a smile and patience. "Princess of Hyland. Ah--I see, I apologize for the assumption." She nods, once, to Ida. Then she glances sideways at Iskandra, as she approaches.

Her eyes shift, slowly, as she takes in the surroundings. After all, while it's nice to stop and talk to someone, she is here to shop -- looking for a gift for someone, specifically. She notices Margaret's sign, and then her eyes shift upward. They narrow, at the familiar (though, not terribly) sight of a Neo-Vane student's uniform.

They visited Ladylake, at times -- which means her eyes shine with recognition.

But before she says something, Asteroid is talking to her, and she looks down at her -- and blinks, before she takes a step backward. "W-Well... I do have chainmail underneath! But--" Her lips curve down into a frown. "--I am here to purchase goods, yes."

She glances back at Jay, then, and she blinks for a moment, before she smiles at her. She nods, once. "Ah--yes, I should imagine. The past few months have been trying." She doesn't, for better or worse, know of the 'oopsie incident.' "I've been well, too. The weather in this part of the world is... different, but I've been working to adjust."

<Pose Tracker> Iskandra Grendorre has posed.

"Iskandra Grendorre, alchemist from Pendrago." The hellion introduces herself in response to Alisha's introduction, making a lazy half-curtsey, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness." She doesn't sound especially impressed by the presence of to her foreign royalty, but she doesn't seem hostile either, and glances to Jacqueline, "Miss Jay, when you have time, I'd like to have your professional opinion on something I'm working on."

<Pose Tracker> Serill has posed.

Serill is not slouching. She is snacking. There is a difference.

Serill wipes her fingers on a handkerchief before making it vanish, a lesser-known wizard power (it's in a pocket). She hadn't been listening to Asteroid at all, though now that her attention has been directed that way she stares intently at the back of her head for about ten seconds.

"Well, I don't know," Serill says. "But if there's moth cloth, I want some of that." She slides off the wall, grabbing her staff where it had been propped up next to her, and approaches Asteroid and by extension the others.

Then she pokes Asteroid gently with her staff tip. "Hey, you!" she says. "What was that about spun moth silk? I want to get some of that for a project." that isn't helping at all

Then she looks at Alisha. Really looks. Serill was so not expecting to see a princess here that her eyes just skipped past her, but now that she actually pays attention... 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Iskandra speaks up. Ida's demeanor changes, subtly but noticeably--she suddenly stands up a little straighter, and a sense of alertness lights up her eyes. She glances at Iskandra out of the corner of her eye, but doesn't look her way, even as she addresses Alisha. Already, a part of her brain is wondering if something's happened--if she's done something to these people. "No, no," she says. "It's all right." Asteroid takes her mood down a few more pegs. She eats several bites of the fritter, as if this would somehow enable her to blend back into the crowd.

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

"Alisha Diphda...Princess of Hyland... Never heard of Hyland before." Asteroid tilts her head curiously. She crouches down to slightly above half an Alisha. She glances back over to Ida and shows off all of her sharp teeth at her. She can tell that Ida seems to be in an 'off' place, though she can't tell what that means exactly, so that means baring her teeth as a defense mechanism.

"Do you have a lot of friends that ask you to like go to pubs and stuff?" She asks of Alisha. Wait, she thinks, if she says it like that that means she's going to think Asteroid doesn't have a bunch of friends who ask her to go to pubs and eat nacho platters. "I have so many friends that I'm going to the pub all the time, like, I have no time to just do my own thing, it's really kind of a hassle but they're my friends so what can ya do?"

She is then poked with a stick and she jumps right up to her feet, showing off her teeth again, but slows upon seeing that it's Serill. she doesn't know Serill but she also seems to think Alisha is cute so they have something in common.

"Oh you can find the occassional poison moth in forests, you want to get the smaller ones because the thread's tighter that way." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline nods. Trying, indeed...it seemed like it was that way for everyone.

"Ah...I imagine." She replies with a nod. It was expected, for there to be a difference in temperature, and it wasn't always easy to overcome...she had potions for regulating one's body temperature, but there wasn't much she could do about this.

For a moment, her attention falls on Ida. Jacqueline doesn't say anything, just studies her. She's a little concerned, admittedly, but bringing it up here doesn't seem the right thing to do...

Iskandra's request catches her ear, though, and she looks away from Ida without saying anything.

"Oh? Well, I am interested in hearing what you've been up to..." She replies. "We should get together sometime so you can show me, then." 

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

 
Margaret's brow furrows. A princess? HERE?

Margaret sits upright. This puts her eyes on level with most people's shoulders. A moment later she stands up, reaching over without looking away to pick up a fried potato slice and dip it in some kind of cream dressing. As she munches with thoughtful vigor, she supervises Serill.

Advancing, she picks up some of their pamphlets, which have been put on festively colored paper, and moves around the group. She tries to move without making much noise, but this is not her usual habit. Even so, she's circling round to get approximately behind Asteroid and Jay...

But why!? At least she doesn't seem armed. 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Ah, from Rolance!" Alisha says, with a nod -- and perhaps a little guardedness. She could never be sure if that would lead to problems. It hadn't with Garan, but it felt as if 'yet' might be most accurate. She glances, briefly, at Ida before she nods.

She turns to Serill -- a little after she poked Asteroid with her staff -- and then inclines her head, respectfully, if commandingly. Alisha wasn't the sort of princess to say that her title and station did not matter. (Or, if they did not, it was because that title and station didn't matter.) Still, she smiles at her, and then extends a hand outward. They are on Filgaia, and she isn't going to insist on bows, curtseys, or other displays of respect.

"A student from Neo-Vane," she says. "It has been some time, but... I do remember when the Black Wizard came calling at Ladylake, once before. It is a pleasure to see another from the Silver Star here."

Which is when she looks back at Asteroid, and she blinks -- her expression slightly clueless. "Ah?" she says. "Well--er--I do not frequent many pubs, but I believe they would come with me, if I asked..." She trails off, awkwardly. "Oh, Hyland is--ah--on Lunar. This planet's, ah, moon."

Sometimes, people think this is insane. Even now.

<Pose Tracker> Serill has posed.

Serill doesn't need to know Asteroid to prod her with a stick. At least she does not continue to use her staff to poke. Nor does she pay much attention to the others around (yet).

"Huh," Serill says. "But are there any around here? This is important." Pause. "Also, how'd you get your head stuck in a rock?" Serill does not need to be tactful either, at least with her lessers (she assumes that Asteroid is at least not her superior).

Alisha is a little different, though. Serill does what nobody expects from her: she nods respectfully, since Alisha doesn't appear to be insisting on anything more. "I wasn't part of that delegation," Serill says, probably because she was in classes at the time. "But I know the one you mean. I am Serill, top student at Neo-Vane!"

She looks at Asteroid after. "Didn't you know she's a princess? She's important!" 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

"Oh! The moon." Asteroid says. "Do you know Sorey? Everybody keeps telling me to find Sorey. Is he a prince? Are you married? Why does he hate hellions?" She considers this further and adds, "What's...what's dangerous about hellions?" Her position seems to be a bit more thoughtful than before. A certain encounter with Virginia has encouraged her to speak out on the subject.

She remains oblivious to Margaret since she's kind of focused on the people already gabbing at her and Margaret is behind her.

"I didn't know she was a princess. I'm not from the moon." She sighs. "...I wish I was. I bet it's so much better over there..." She glances back to SErill. "My head is the Guardian Rigdobrite made manifest. It's not a rock! It's an asteroid. Which is a rock--from space--and that's very different. It's also Rigdobrite. So it's a very special rock that's important to the functioning of this planet and uh... the universe maybe? I don't know how Guardians work for aliens." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Asteroid's face turns any smile at least a little menacing. It's probably the teeth. Ida glances at her, certain she's seen that face before somewhere, and now distinctly unnerved. They're staring. Why are they staring at her? Ida drinks her cider and tries to collect her thoughts as Asteroid continues her strange tangent.

        'What's dangerous about hellions?'

        Ida blinks. Is Asteroid talking about Iskandra, or someone else? How many of them are there on Filgaia? She should do something. She should--

        "Neo-Vane?" Ida asks, finally speaking after what feels like forever.

        Damnation. Something not that.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

In any other situation, ominous music would start playing as Margaret starts circling around behind Asteroid and Jacqueline. Jacqueline doesn't notice her at the moment.

It helps that there's a Serill here now, offering a convenient distraction.

"Oh, hello there!" Jacqueline greets with a smile and a friendly wave. Jacqueline has heard of Neo-Vane before, but only from Kourin. She didn't know too much about it, only that it most likely had some sort of connection to Lemina's Vane...

...What a can of worms that was, though Jacqueline didn't know about that. 

<Pose Tracker> Serill has posed.

"Neo-Vane," Serill explains for the benefit of Ida and the others, "is the greatest bastion of magical learning on Lunar! I'm a student in my last year, and already a great sorceress. I don't know, it's really a shame you people don't have anything like it down on Filgaia. Just Crest Sorcerers and Symbologists and stuff."

And Guardians, which Asteroid has reminded her of. Serill suddenly brings her staff up and raps it (or tries to) against the side of Asteroid's head. It's not really painful, but it is annoying. She just wants to see if it sounds like rock when she does it.

"Huh," she says, thoughtfully. "I guess it really is a rock." She doesn't believe the Guardian bit, though. 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"A pleasure, Serill. Top student? That is quite the honor," Alisha says, with a warm smile. Whatever her opinions may be on Vane and Neo-Vane, they're not brought to the fore here. (And they're quite complicated, truth be told.)

She looks sideways at Asteroid, then, and she blinks once. "Ah--" A lot of questions, all at once. She looks down for a moment, though her eyes widen as Asteroid goes on to explain. Her head is like a Guardian? She looks up, then, and blinks. But, she nods. "I do know Sorey," she says, "and he is not a prince. Nor am I married. Sorey is the Shepherd--and he does not hate Hellions. Hellions are..."

She considers how to explain it -- a way that isn't rooted in Althenan theology, which isn't that useful for the practical side.

"...people, animals, and other things affected by a force that responds to powerful, negative emotions at odds with what they want and their ideals," Alisha says. "They aren't evil--and Sorey does not hate them. He tries to help them, by freeing them of the Malevolence. They're... very dangerous, because it empowers them, and it could spread to others."

Ida's discomfort isn't noticed.

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

"Is it dangerous to them? Will they get sick? And die?" Asteroid asks. "I know a hellion. She is one of my best friends." She says 'friend' differently in a slightly different way this time, like more naturally rather than that bragging from before, which probably means she's talking about an actual friend this time rather than 'friends' that she made up so she doesn't look 'lame'.

"What's a Shepherd?" she asks.

She glances at Serill as she talks about Neo-Vane and gets a few prods in the face. She opens up her mouth and bites into the stick (not with enough force to damage it, though her jaws ARE strong. Despite being poked a lot in an annoying manner, she isn't pissed off yet.

Probably because to be honest this is the sort of thing Asteroid would do. 

<Pose Tracker> Iskandra Grendorre has posed.

"Oh, you're with Miss Rose and that fairy tale prince she mentioned." Iskandra asks Alisha with a tone of mild annoyance, "You shouldn't believe in fairy tales, they just get you killed." Well isn't she miss sunshine. She eyes Asteroid but doesn't say a word to that one, and instead glances to Jacqueline once more, "When we've got time, then."

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

 
A pamphlet is stuck forwards and into Asteroid's field of vision. It's on some dusky pink paper. Margaret wiggles it. "Here," she says, RIGHT BEHIND the avatar of Rigdobrite, "read it if you want to know."

She then raises her voice slightly. "Your Highness! I hope you've been surviving well enough on this goddess-forsaken catbox! Have you been here long?" Having just insulted the planet in front of everyone, Margaret continues forwards. "To answer your questions, yes, yes, yes, that's rough, too bad -" She ends up getting skipped past on the topic of Shepherds.

Her eyes narrow to Iskandra. She looks dead on at her.

"Haven't we MET before, Miss Sunshine and Sparkles? I seem to REMEMBER something like that once. Maybe we should GET A DRINK OF WATER, and PUT SOMETHING IN IT, to HELP US REMEMBER," Margaret says to Iskandra. "Remember the TIME WE PUT SOMETHING IN THE WATER, TOGETHER."

She raises two fingers to point at her eyes, fork them at Iskandra, point them back again. To Alisha she mutters, "Don't drink anything she gives you." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        "I see," Ida says, to Serill. "It must be quite an adjustment, but I'm certain y--" Serill then bonks Asteroid with a staff. "Miss Serill," Ida says, doing her best to look mildly scandalized when all she wants to do is just get out of here. Things start to escalate. Asteroid might be completely lacking in social graces, but she sounds genuinely curious, and genuinely concerned. Ida steps away a moment, drains what's left in the mug, and tries to collect herself. Be sociable. You need human contact.

        'You shouldn't believe in fairy tales, they just get you killed.'

        Ida whirls around, rounding on Iskandra. "Bugger off, poisoner," she says, her voice icy. "If I had my way you would be awaiting that 'fairy tale prince' in a cell rather than standing here--" Margaret swoops in. Ida isn't sure whether to be grateful or even angrier. She doesn't finish that sentence.

<Pose Tracker> Serill has posed.

"I work hard," Serill agrees with Alisha. She takes praise relatively gracefully.

And then... Serill gets her staff bitten.

"Hey, let go!" Serill shakes her staff to try to free it from Asteroid's mighty teethy grip. Unfortunately, since Serill is an unathletic wizard, this probably doesn't amount to much. She gives it a good shot, though.

"If you don't let go I am going to hex you," she says, still shaking. "And if you've left teeth marks that I have to polish and buff out...!" It's okay for her to smack people, but not for Asteroid to bite back, apparently. She'll deal with the accusations of poisoning later - oh, wait, they're not aimed at her, she's safe. 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"They... it wouldn't kill them, but it could very well warp them over time. They could cease to be who they were," Alisha says. Her eyes widen, and then she shakes her head quickly. "You--you should be careful. We could help her, but... she may pose a danger to you, in time."

She hesitates a moment, though. How does one explain what a Shepherd is, without falling back on mythology? "A Shepherd is--" 'You shouldn't believe in fairy tales.' Alisha frowns, before she looks at Iskandra. "They're not fairy tales. But yes, I am friends with Rose. The Shepherd is one chosen by the Seraphim and the Goddess, who has the power to purify Malevolence. It--"

She stops, though, to look at Margaret. She blinks for a moment, and then she nods. "Yes, I have! I have done well enough here. Are you also from the Silver Star? Ah, I'm pleased to hear it!"

Then, she blinks at Margaret again, but nods -- and then tenses when Ida has that outburst. She blinks, looking at Ida, then at Iskandra. "Is something quite the matter?"

Which she asks just as Serill yells at Asteroid for biting her staff. The princess blinks, unsure of exactly how to handle this.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline nods and offers Iskandra a smile. She...also doesn't offer a comment on the subject of Malevolence and Hellions, considering her current company. She didn't want to say anything that might offend anyone.

It's about this time that Jacqueline's Least Favorite Person shows up, and her expression darkens visibly. She looks at Margaret with an unimpressed frown, especially when she insults her planet. She opens her mouth to say something but decides against it, deciding that silence would be better here.

And then the Incident gets brought up.

Jacqueline glances toward Iskandra.

"Look...it's in the past, and she regrets it." She comments with a slight frown, glancing back to the others. Well, technically, her words were that it was 'stupid', but that was close enough, right?

...Probably not. Not for them. 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid waits for Serill to tug and then opens her mouth, letting go of the staff. There's at least a lot of saliva on it now. Grossss.

She looks back towards Alisha, frowning. She stands herself up, dusts herself off with a hand. She did run into Seraphim. They seemed pretty normal. Well not normal. Frankly bizarre. But not, like, unrelatable. It sounds like Ginny wouldn't be her friend anymore since it's 'Malevolence' twisting her into doing something she wouldn't normally do. She grinds her teeth together for a moment.

"Does that--" She begins, quiets, glances at Jacqueline.

And then just runs off right then and there. 
<Pose Tracker> Iskandra Grendorre has posed.

"Two things. One, I technically didn't poison anyone or put anything in anyone's water. I was stopped before I could." Iskandra points out, before continuing, "Two, that was a mistake, I was desparate for money and not thinking straight. It won't happen again, it was stupid of me to even consider it, much less try." Three, Iskandra, get a bloody lawyer who will tell you to shut up. She smiles at Jay when her fellow alchemist defends her. "Thanks." She pauses, and then adds to Alisha, "Well then, I look forward to meeting him." That's stated in absolute deadpan.

<Pose Tracker> Serill has posed.

Serill shakes her staff again when she has it free. This fails to clean it off at all.

"Yeah, you run!" she yells after Asteroid, then looks at her staff. Ugh, gross. "She has no respect for a proper sorceress," she grumbles, before using her free hand to summon a bubble of water that floats in midair like a particularly ripply sphere. She swings her staff through it a couple times, which makes it cleaner if not precisely clean.

Serill is still scowling when she turns to the others, tapping the butt of her staff against the ground a couple times. The sphere of water is still just floating there, though it is sinking slowly to the ground and will splash against it sooner or later. "Try not to be a nasty poisoner, or someone might poison you right back. Margaret!"

"I'm going to go clean my staff. I'll be back later." Serill stomps off, still angry with Asteroid even though she instigated 100% of that encounter. 

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

 
Margaret tells Alisha with a sudden thousand-candle smile, "I am! I'm sure you've heard of me if you've heard of Neo-Vane, naturally - ah -" Of course she doesn't fully introduce herself, because Jay is speaking.

She says Iskandra is sorry. Margaret looks skeptical.

Margaret's head tilts back as her skepticism seems to be WHOLLY JUSTIFIED. Her over-made-up eyes narrow. "Well," she says, folding her arms before she is momentarily left at a loss for words since Asteroid the Kid has abruptly streaked across the sky and left...

"Y.. yes, go do that. They should have reagants at the camp if you need them," Margaret says as the glistening staff-tip draws her (disgusted) eye. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida barely notices the strange rock-headed woman running off, but when it registers, it makes her even more uneasy. The bile rises up her throat before she can stop it. "That makes it okay, then," Ida says. She turns to Jay and Iskandra, showing both of them something that is not a smile. "If you say you're sorry, it doesn't matter who you hurt, or even who you planned to hurt! Jay forgives you, doesn't she." Ida is trembling. She glances at Alisha, and the glance turns into a long, uncertain look--as if she's gone and wrecked everything again. She was about to issue a threat, but she... can't, now. She feels sick.

        She says nothing more. She turns and starts making her way through the crowd in a hurry. Some of them are whispering. Some are staring.

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"You... were going to," Alisha repeats, a little -- but not a lot, because she is polite -- flatly. "I--I see. I'm pleased that you did not engage in such a course of action. But..." She glances sideways at Ida, and considers for a moment, before she looks between the two of them. "I can't fault Miss Everstead-Rey for having little trust in you, after it. I suggest you behave more politely, if you wish to win that trust back."

She winces, though, when Asteroid runs off. She looks after her, frowning -- and then towards Serill. "Ah, maybe that was too..." But, Serill is departing, and her words were too softly spoken. "...harsh."

The princess sighs, looking down for a moment. Then, she looks up at Margaret. She blinks and shakes her head. "...I--oh, are you Miria Ausa?" She smiles, then, and nods. "I had heard you were in Neo-Vane. Do give my regards to your daughter!"

She tips her fingers to her brow. "Now, please excuse me, but I must get back to shopping. Miss Barber, do give my regards to the rest of the Caravan!" Alisha waves, and then starts off...

...leaving desolation in her wake.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline's eyes meet Asteroid's. She's...not really sure what to make of that look, but before she can say anything reassuring, Asteroid's run off. She sighs, then glances toward Iskandra with a nod of reply.

And then Ida speaks up. That not-smile and that tone don't escape her notice.

"I ...I never said that. But ostracizing her over it doesn't help anyone." She replies. "It only-"

Whatever she was about to say, it's too late. Ida's gone, and that along with Margaret...being here, put her in a bit of bad mood.

She sighs again, massaging her forehead before offering Alisha a weak smile.

"Ah, yes, I'll be sure to do that...it was nice chatting with you." She says, seeing her off with a wave in reply.

She then glances toward Iskandra.

"...I should be getting back to the others, on that note. We'll be closing up shop around evening, so feel free to come by then if you'd like to talk." She says, and starts to make her way back to the rest of the Kinship. 

<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.

 
Margaret glances at Ida sideways but that's because Margaret doesn't recognize sarcasm unless it's laden on with a trowel, much like her eye makeup.

She's about to speak up, as if to apologize, when Alisha says -

words -

And for reasons unclear, she freezes in place, a smile still largely on her face, but it is clear if Alisha watches that a light has gone out inside of Margaret's eyes. Something good - er - pure - no - SOMETHING, of some kind, was touched by those words, and snuffed out, eternally, no doubt.

She doesn't reply or move even as Alisha leaves. She doesn't look towards Jay as she speaks about ostracism. It seems that Iskandra is going to escape further scolding or the risk of being beat up by an angry elf. Indeed, the handful of pamphlets falls gently out of Margaret's grip, now slackened.

Alisha gains a surprisingly generous amount of experience points.

LATER

"SHE THOUGHT I WAS MIRIA AUSA!!!" Margaret bawls in a tent.

Several other Hounds of Hell pat her energetically. 'No, you don't look like her!' 'She was probably just under stress, and remembered the wrong name.' 'Yeah, like when I called Filio a -'

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