Southern Wolves
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Natalie had her own reservations with regard to the lack of a guard, but had decided not to dwell on them. The explanation given was a somewhat plausible one. With most of the able-bodied men gone, there were not many that could act as such guides to them who would not also slow them down. So far, that made good enough sense. If there was anything else to it, they would probably be able to uncover that regardless. For the moment, she could do little more than take this all on face value.
They had more immediate concerns, in the case of an actual slippery slope in front of them. Natalie was somewhat confident in her ability to get down there in one piece. She probably would not make it in a good amount of time, however. With an offer like that given, the healer saw no reason not to take the other up on it. Kasumi did seem confident that she could not only get down there, but help her with that endeavour as well. An easy choice indeed.
“You are right. It probably is safe, but your reasoning is sound. There is no reason to risk any of that, if you can simply carry me down there. I will be less of a burden once we are on ground level.” She added the last part simply because she wanted to save a bit of face. Natalie was pragmatic enough to consent to this, yes, but she was still representing her guild here. It would not do her much good to appear too pathetic.
Hence, she also reached for the umbrella. “In that case, I will make myself useful and carry this, while you carry me.”
Kasumi Ito
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Southern Wolves
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There was an actual reason to that. Interesting. Her point still stood, however. That girl had chosen to don it in the first place. She could take it off whenever she wanted. It would simply make her weaker. But what was power like that worth if it was not your own? Especially when one could not control it. This woman was making a fool out of herself, clearly. Even more so when she finally did realize just who she was talking to, shifting gears to something that probably was meant to sound dashing or so.
It fell fairly flat, though. Natalie really had to hold back on her reply to not make too much fun of him. He was invading her personal space though, so he would get at least some of it. Natalie was not really uncomfortable like that, though the odd fabric touching her skin felt a tad bit weird. She clearly was someone who preferred wearing light, clothen fabrics, not something as rigid as that.
“Given that you are neither devilishly handsome, nor a lad, I will have to decline that question,” she ultimately replied. It was a simple enough thing to do, the woman having served herself in that regard. Natalie was still being gentle, however, and would take to giving a proper answer, regardless. “But so you know, I am a member of the Southern Wolves, and I am currently looking for some work. Or rather, I was until you came in and fell onto your face. It was really cute, though.”
Morgan Laroux
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Southern Wolves
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There was at least some relief on her face. That thing seemed a tad bit too strong an opponent for her and maybe her partner as well. It was not unbeatable, probably, but why would they even care? Their ‘client’ had been talking about some kind of testing, if she had heard correctly, but none of them had agreed to participate in that. They would only stand to get hurt more without a promise of gain. It was not like them to indulge antics like that.
“Right. If it causes trouble for the people here, they will certainly offer a reward. Maybe then we can check it out again.” That was the way of the wolf. They would hunt this down for others if the price was right. But they wouldn’t go out of their way to do it pro bono.
Her partner had gotten up a bit prematurely. It was his decision, especially given how starlight was not a pleasant thing to experience. She would not take it as an insult or anything like that. “We best take a detour to not run into it again though,” she added, as she noticed him looking somewhat interested down his own arm. “Did something happen to your fist?”
Notorious B.I.G.
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“Those are awfully strong words for someone who came here to loot the place herself,” she stated with some bite to her words. She did not really have an issue with being called a bandit, it was just woefully inadequate for what was going on here. They had come to take from the long deceased, make use of that which had not been utilized at all in recent years. There was nothing bad about that, as far as she was concerned. For someone to call them bandits regardless was simply rude. She would have still let it slide though, if she had not been in intimidation mode right then.
Three books were quickly offered, none of them striking her as a proper treasure. Chances were, none of them would fetch a particularly high price. Kin was understandably irked by that, but that couldn’t be helped. No one had actually guaranteed them that this place would have valuables of any kind. Yet, the symbols on these things looked like they were related to magic. Even if she couldn’t make anything of it, someone else might. There had to be a reason why that girl had picked those three, given all the other fading tomes in the library.
Natalie reached for the tomes and shuffled them about blindly. Then, she picked one with her left hand, one with her right. “Those are ours now. Be glad we didn’t take them all. And be glad that I won’t torture you for trying to kill us.” Simple, to the point, and hopefully intimidating. It was probably best if they got out of this looking merciful, rather than like jerks.
Kin Harle
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Kyou Plotter
Oct 5, 2019 10:18:12 GMT
I could see Natalie trying to find out more about that shy girl in her guild, Haruhi Kyouri . She can be somewhat nosy, despite acting like a gentle soul, and is always on the lookout for people that could be fun or sometimes manipulated. A shy girl like that would rouse both predatory and motherly instincts in her, so I can see her try to get into proper contact. |
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Things were happening faster than she could react, in a sense. First, the fist all but hit before she finished her warning. That wasn’t really her fault, at least in her opinion, no matter what he said. Having voiced often enough that something was off there, she felt like she had warned him plenty. And if not, she had more important things to do. For one, Natalie was trying to get further away from the enemy, moving towards her injured partner.
He moved towards her as well and then some, activating a kind of magic to quite literally sweep her off her feet. Before too long, the healer found herself displaced, looking a bit befuddled with a faint blush on her face. Watching him wince in what seemed to be pain, she found her wits again swiftly.
Without hesitation, she laid her hand upon his arm gently and concentrated. “This is going to hurt.” She could say that much conviction, as she channelled healing energy into where the fist had connected. It probably would not be enough to fully restore the injury. However, they had not even tried to attack their sudden assailant at all so far. Being a slight distance away, it was probably best to restore their best fighting condition first, as much as they could, before doing anything else. Channeling starlight onto him like this wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.
If they needed to move due to renewed attack, she would not continue this, however. Either way, there was one simple question on her mind. “Do we fight that thing?” Frankly put, they did not have much reason to do so, didn’t they?
HP: 200 | MP: 95
ATK: 5
DEF: 5
AC: ?
HEAL: 10
STAM: 10
Level: 01
MAGIC.
Healing
Restores health to target?
Defense
Attack 1. Missed?
Damage received: ??
Conditions: ??
MP used: 10
MP regenerated: 05
((OOC: I hope I did this right with the template and all ))
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Watching these two was almost a bit like watching a play. Natalie, despite being somewhat in the center of anything, did not actually have to do anything herself in order for interesting things to happen. Both of the younger women in her presence were clearly impressed by her exaggeration. She had no reason at all to clear that up, of course. Maybe she would tell Kin at some point, in case they ever got into a situation where something like that would have been actually necessary. For the time being though, the healer allowed all of this to simply play out naturally and learned much in the process.
The most important facts were threefold. Their new acquaintance was clearly not the one who had initially inhabited the mansion. That much was certain. If she had been, she would not be looking for knowledge and not act the way she did. Second, there was apparently useful knowledge, probably arcana, to be found here. It was not the grand treasure Harle had expected, obviously, but it was interesting to see either way. And third, her partner apparently had no clue about the value of whatever could be found here.
The last part was tricky. Natalie could easily use this to her advantage, if she so desired. Oblivious to the potential value of findings, her partner would probably let her take all if she so desired. But for one, the honest stranger could potentially unravel that tactic, and for the other, she tended not to scam her guild mates.
Hence, she turned towards the ghastly girl with a gentle smile. “Dear, books can be treasure as well. They can fetch quite a price with the right people. They may be a bit harder to sell, but could still be made a treasure. I am sure we can let this one live if she shares with us what she has found so far.”
Kin Harle
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Oh? It was part of a set? Nevermind then. No one could ever conceivably break up something as holy and static as that! Natalie chuckled to herself, but did not speak that out loud. It would be rude, yet also true. Her smugness was usually restricted to her innermost thoughts, as was making fun of others. It was always best when she had what at least seemed like legitimate reasons for it, too.
This one, she felt, was one of those cases. The strange woman that had recently joined the guild seemed to get upset about things mostly under her own control. Had someone forced her to wear that kind of outfit? Who would ever want to? Granted, she certainly did not pick the most practical clothes in existence and was not above being enticing, but never to the point where she was uncomfortable or could not move freely.
“Are you sure that you cannot just take them off? The heels, that is. I fear that you will have to live with those breasts, like we all have to. It really is not as difficult as you make it out to be,” she eventually noted. While still remaining somewhat polite, these words had at least a little bite. And why not? That was how stubborn people learned best, in her experience. Someone who kept getting up and failing for the same reasons was certainly stubborn, if nothing else. But since she was not actually doing anything to improve her technique, it was doomed to fail forever more.
Morgan Laroux
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Ah, well, that discussion had been tabled. Back to business it was. “I am not a resident either, so I hope you are not expecting too much, from one traveller to another.” That was probably the best moniker to use for the other. Reducing her to that admittedly unsavoury business would do neither of them any good. Thus, she rather went for what they had in common, both being travellers, strangers to this town and this situation. Probably, they were a terrible choice for solving its problems. Yet, there was little in terms of other options, really. And, in a darker corner of her mind, Natalie figured that outsiders were possibly best for this. They were expendable to the townspeople.
There was some information she could share, however. “They did give me more details. The roads currently affected by the mudslides mostly lead around the valley, as you may have seen, which in turn is largely used for hunting and herbing. No one lives there, but supposedly there aren’t any particularly dangerous creatures. Some wolves have been sighted, according to the villagers, but those never make the climb to begin with. No one can tell with this rain, though.”
They were reaching the outskirts of town by now, rain letting up slightly but not ending. If they followed the road out, they eventually run into the men clearing it. The first objective though was finding a small pathway, a semi-natural staircase, that they could take. “Somewhere to our left something should come up. Stairs or so. I am not entirely sure.”
Kasumi Ito
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Nothing happened. It was a bit odd for things to go this swimmingly, with no apparent cause for the effect. But Natalie could not contest the fact that they had found the leg and were bringing it back without any incident. Still a bit wary and confounded, the healer was naturally hanging back when the leg was returned. Her attention shifted fully to the boy when his body did something very odd, however. That was not how a human body should act or react at all. It was different. In her alert state of mind, different meant dangerous.
She kept her distance and observed, listened to an inhuman voice being spoken. Normally, Nat did not have much problem with non-humans. She was travelling with a racoon here, after all. But that voice sounded artificial, which was never a good sign in her mind. Being a healer, however, she could not do a whole lot other than stay behind and call out when she saw the makings of hostile action coming. Potentially, she was just imagining it, due to being a bit paranoid about all of this already. There was no hostility in the air. Yet, when he raised his arm, she did call out “Watch out!” anyway, ready to make a fool of herself if need be. Still, she was rather sorry than really sorry, so she readied herself to do the only thing she knew how to do – to heal and hide.
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Southern Wolves
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When that person stumbled through the lounge, Natalie was busy reading a newspaper, lounging on one of the comfortable, wide chairs. Naturally, she acted in a somewhat refined way, sitting almost proper without fully letting herself go. Admittedly, she was not really reading a newspaper as much as scrounging this proclamation for possible jobs worth taking. They did not really have a guild board in this temporary retreat.
Even so, it was impossible not to notice those foolhardy attempts going on not too far from her. Every now and then, she would look up from the paper and check the progress. The issue was fairly easy to grasp. Her older sister had done much the same, back in the day. Personally, she had never really seen the appeal. Making yourself a little bigger at the cost of comfort was a bit odd in general. But each their own, she always said and tried to stay out of the ongoing performance of ‘the walking of the shrewd’.
It would become impossible not to chuckle at the curse spewn towards no one in particular, though. Nat just couldn’t help herself at some point. And once she realized that she had probably been heard, she really couldn’t just let it all stand in the room like that. “If you don’t like them, why would you wear them? They don’t go well with armor anyway.”
Morgan Laroux
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Once again, Natalie found herself watching the other do something that at least seemed irrational. She was not quite sure if it was. Certainly, using force like this was a bit excessive of itself against a simple door. But it was also a way to open the door that no one would ever really think of. Especially not someone who intended to use it proper over and over. It was very much a one-time way to do this and no normal person would just come up with something like that.
It was also odd enough that it startled her, even though she had watched the full build-up and such. Fortunately, she was not the only one being startled and the culprit in front of them inside the room quickly garnered most of the attention. Natalie, emboldened by the trap having been sprung, peeked inside to see just who that was. Couldn’t see much, but what she saw was not exactly too threatening. Probably made sense, as a truly powerful mage or wraith would not need to rely on crude traps to defend themselves.
“Go ahead, curse us. I will just burn the curses away,” she bluffed, seeking for a bit of intimidation. Two could play that game. Probably not the best idea overall, but it wasn’t like Kin would play nice anyway. Best to present a unified front. “I take offense with being accused of banditry. You are the one who almost got us killed here.”
Natalie Chevalier
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Natalie watched in silence. Arguing any of this wouldn’t really do any good, so she did not bother. There never was a true need to ‘win’ in situations like this any way. People just wanted that because it felt good. But it was always the kind of good feeling that could only come about from making others feel worse. Now, that was not always a bad thing or feeling. Technically, yes, but she liked to indulge herself only sometimes, when she knew it wouldn’t come back to bite her. Needlessly antagonize her partner in an exploration like this was not a good idea.
Hence she would not do that, but instead watch the traps being triggered and expended. They also could have just evaded them, but this was safer. A misstep would be a lot less painful that way. “That takes care of that. I guess we can assume there will be at least one more trap than this. At least that is what I would do.” While she was less informed by stories or the like, Natalie had the mind of someone that would want to deceive others. In her opinion, putting at least one last trap behind a whole corridor of them was smart. People would naturally feel relieved after this onslaught and would probably get a bit too carefree right after, missing another, yet different trap.
As she followed, Nat held her lookout for exactly something like that. A trap had to be put there in such a way that one did not trigger it by accident if one knew it was there, but also so others would trip over it. “Maybe something about the door? I would not just open it in a normal way. But I might also just be reading too much into all of this…”
Kin Harle
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Odd. It wasn’t just that in the sense that she was a bit befuddled from the state they’d found the leg in, at least not completely. It was also odd in the sense that this was not even. Two arms, two legs, the human body was even in a lot of things. Most people also used their limbs in even proportions. Everyone had a favourable leg or hand they tended to use, but it was less so the case when walking. That almost always necessitated moving both in roughly equal measures.
Thus, she mulled that over, as they turned towards the exit again. Aside from this all being a bit too easy, there was something else weird about it. “He probably cannot use that anymore. I am not sure why and how he lost it. If one of his legs is in such a terrible shape to just fall off, then the other must be as well. Unless something happened to him that hastened the decay.” She was thinking out loud, really. Having witnessed ghosts and other such developments however, there could be magic at work here as well. Something that had caused the deterioration, both of the leg and the carcass they had found. Maybe.
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If there was such a thing as an Hippocratic Oath in this world, she had not sworn it. Sometimes, it was simply necessary to do harm to prevent further harm. That also applied in this case, even though it turned out to have been unnecessary. She couldn’t have known, so no one could blame her for that. One could blame her for not healing the nose, but the other had kind of deserved that one.
“Pah, I certainly was not scared. I am just doing my job. You know, trying to keep you alive?” Her reply was a bit more snappy than was maybe expected of her. Natalie swiftly found her groove again, as she dusted off the rain coat and picked up her staff again. “It is my duty to worry about your life. Please don’t make that job harder than it already is” was added, striking a more reconciliatory tone. Her guild mate was free to make of that what she wanted.
Her eyes found the path again, this time actually looking for potential triggers that might have caused the axe-ident. It was not too hard to notice the marked tiles, once she knew to look for something. “We should continue. Try throwing a greave or so onto one of these markers. I think they might have something to do with the trap you just sprung.”
Kin Harle
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