Hydaelyn Role-Players

Red today? Or perhaps blue? Oh, a lovely shade of violet might be nice as well, perhaps with frosted tips.

The morning found Hohoyoho reclining lazily in his chair, a finger entwined around a lock of jet black hair thoughtfully. It was naturally white as snow, but the Lalafellan Ringmaster had early on developed a love of dyes and flitting from style to style. Sometimes it was to fit a role or character, other times it was simply due to a whim that had struck him. He had even gone so far as to procure a Mammet that was designed solely to fulfill the role of his personal aethestician, lest he spend an untold more amount of gil and time travelling to and from the barber's chair. He kept the little automaton, whom he had named Seville, dressed almost as fabulously as himself.

Even now, the little Mammet waited patiently at his side, holding up an ornate box that held his other decision to make for the day. The other, lesser part of the genetic bargain was his Twelves-be-damned eyes - which were a pale gray, though they too changed color depending on the lighting. Green, blue, red, violet; no matter the color, they still suffered a horrible astigmatism that made the amusing world around him fade into an indistinct fog. His solution was an interesting, yet pricey one - thin lenses of ice crystal, shaped just so as to be set into his eyes and bring his stages and his audiences back into sharp focus. The fact that they could also come in a variety of colors was just another bonus.

Ah, but what eyes should I wear? If I go with the violet, perhaps a nice golden hue - I haven't worn those nearly enough, and it is quite the fetching combination on Jugs...

A knock at his door roused the ringleader-cum-pirate from his aesthetic musings. By the knock code, it was involving the latter half of his livelihood, which brought a slight upward tug to his lips. Another special performance, and so soon? This might be an interesting day indeed.

With a practiced hand, Hohoyoho took a pair of lenses from the proffered box and slipped them over his eyes. The heavy haze in his vision cleared as those dull blue eyes turned a brilliant silver. A bit of a snap decision, but silver always went so well with the darker dyes. Seville obediently snapped the gilded case shut once his master's choice had been made and tucked it away safely within his elegant doublet. Another wave of the hand sent the little Mammet to his little hidden cabinet within the Lalafell's desk to await his next calling.

A true performer never explains his tricks, after all...

"Enter."

The door creaked open, letting in the noise from outside. Even this early in the day, the Stage Left was bursting with life and action, for there were many preparations to be made before first showing. It certainly was enough of a din to make eavesdropping difficult, if one were to dare put an ear to the Captain's door, and the heavy make and exacting fit of it made such a prospect even more challenging. An added effect was that the room fell back into muted silence once that portal clicked shut again. At least, it would have been silent.

With an energetic hum and a bounding here and there, a female Lalafell done up in reds and blacks and bells and tresses approached the desk. With a jingle and a jangle, she leapt and somersaulted onto the desk, scattering papers to and fro with her one-footed landing. With a spin and a pose, she held out a hand to her employer, her painted face split wide in a smile. Harlili Harli was here.

"Allo, Boss," the still quite tribal Lalafell trilled in greeting. Teaching her proper Eorzean had been quite the task, though her skill and energy were quite worth the often odd accent she spoke in. "We goht us a bite, we does."

"Oh? Go on then, my Laughing Rina," Distractin' responded, sliding easily into his other role as a sword did into a well-oiled scabbard. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers. The mess of papers didn't bother him overly much - it was all there to look important and little more. Besides, he so loved a good entrance.

"Blokes wot say dere Flames, lookin' fer another show," Harli-now-Laffy explained, dramatically shifting into an over-exaggerated thinking pose. "Whispered 'n nudged all 'round, it wos."

"And nothing at the drop point?"

"Nae."

The wry grin on the Cap'n's face stretched into a Cheshire smile.

"Well well, I think I may know just who it is, then." The silver-eyed Lalafell settled back in his seat, resting his hands lightly on his stomach. He canted his head to one side before continuing. "The audience seeks an encore, and the Cap'n is nothing if not obliging."

Now it was Laffy's turn to smile; a wild, vicious and toothy smile.

"Wot we do, den?"

"Oblige them, of course!" Distractin' responded grandiosely, spreading his hands wide. "Whisper and nudge them in kind, and tell them to meet us at, oh, someplace nice at Candlekeep Quay for drinks, let's say. And let us see which members of the audience step up to the stage... and what sort of extras they bring."

"'n th' Rogers?"

Cap'n Distractin' folded his hands neatly behind his head.

"Tell them to prepare for a show."

Captain River and his men took the prisoners in a covered wagon far to the north of the city eventually out of Central Thanalan, to a secured building north of Bluefog. The building itself seemed unremarkable but had in the past seen much history. Once the cart entered a garage, the door shut behind it and the two men were led out of the cart, through a door and into what seemed to be a nice inn room. "Now I want you both to again understand that you are of course prisoners until these charges can be investigated, however...." he waved his han, causing his soldiers to unshackle them, "You are officers of the Immortal Flames until we are told otherwise. And that constitutes curtain privileges. You must remain here in this room, there is a washroom with facilities, and we can bring you whatever you like to eat."

Resistance was futile. That is not true, Kahn'a thought, but in the very least he conceded to follow the mountain of a man without making a rukus. It was certainly a much more preferable fate than to be slashed and scorched after all. But even then, as fancy and comfortable as it looked, a cage remained a cage, and the hunter longed for more. He complied to the orders of River's men, making it unnecessary for them to maintain their tight escort. Without a word, he followed the Roegadyn to the inn room, and listened to what he had to say. No complaint, no request, no sound in fact. Everything was concealed deep within himself. With eyes devoid of will, he watched the company exiting the place.

It was then, and only then than the spark of life got inspired into his body again. At first he simply snapped his eyes about, acquainting himself with his new shared cell. Yes, yes, no doubt would a prolonged stay here be much more enjoyable, but there was no place with cushions deep enough to smother him and his guilt. Then Kahn'a moved towards a low-table. A fine work of carpentry, officers really were pampered in the Flames, even in detention. Without ceremony, Kahn'a dropped the hat and gloves that were not his on the table. He breathed out, fatigue creeping back on him now that he was granted some peace of mind. What was going to happen now? Information had been spilled, they would certainly be making moves upon it. Their investigation, as they called it. However, there was no telling how long it could take, and the Keeper knew it in himself: he would turn mad before seeing the end of it if he remained here while his comrades were out there, probably unaware that the Immortal Flames now had the slightest of leads on them.

Loyalty.

Kahn'a smirked pitiful and cast a look at the other person present in the room. Titor Jaraba. By the looks of it, he had been messed up badly as well. Had he spoken too? What did he tell them? Those were questions pounding against Kahn'a's teeth, but there was an odd comfort in silence. He simply laid his eyes on the Hyur, and he felt like he understood him. No words were needed for that. Was this the defeat of loyalty? Or...was there any to begin with?

Before his mind could sink in dark patterns, the Miqo'te paced around the room, inspecting the furniture, the accommodations. He looked thoroughly at the furniture, but saw no furniture. The table turned into a temporary wall to hide behind, under enemy fire. The rug could serve to make men trip if it was pulled from under their feet with enough force. And the chairs were no more than planks with four sticks he could use to bludgeon his way out. He stopped in his tracks and stared longly at the chair.

"Have you spoken?" his broken voice then suddenly asked.

Slowly, he shifted on his feet to put the Hyur in his sight again. Expecting an answer, he stood there, while that little mind of his was already busy weaving a plan for his escape.

Youkio rushed back to his small shack on the river's edge. His long legs feeling fully stretched for the first time in a long while. Though his news was important, it felt nice to run, to feel the winds comb through his hair, the slight ache reminding him muscles were there, it all felt exhilarating.

He broke into a grin and keep running full speed until he neared the house. Slowing to a jog, he absentmindedly gave Pepper a quick pat on the side as she shuffled around the yard. He had asked about hitching the bird, but Tempest insisted against it and so far the chocobo had made no move to leave and even let Skittles snuggle on her back where the saddle usually was.

Upon Youkio's return, Skittles moved from chocobo to Youkio, settling on his head; fluffing up his feathers with an all over shiver as he landed. "What's with ta excitement, ey?" The pink bird cawed.

"Somthin big, seems talk's been goin round and we got us a meetin." Youkio replied to his friend. Though this wasn't the only reason for his excitement truth be told. He had a small plan of his own, one that Youkio hoped to place into effect shortly.

Cliodhna re-read the parchment, her jade eyes scanning the lines quickly. Forging documents were not new to her, but that didn't stop her from double and triple checking the contents to ensure it sounded correct in linguistics regarding the supposed sender and overall look of the document. Half the work had been easy enough thanks to proper planning; the few blank papers she grabbed from Erik's desk with the generic Flame Hall letterhead and swiping his ring were both in foresight for just this sort of occasion. The exact details of the letter mattered little, it simply stated that they were displeased with the events on the bridge and that a demand for the money was to be made and given to the Flame Currier that was in possession of the letter with a minor few backhanded death threats tossed in; all mimicking the written mannerism of a Flame personal. Near the bottom it was left blank save for a short statement saying the recipient should already be aware of the sender's identity.

After folding the letter carefully, she applied the wax and pressed the seal firmly into the puddle as Youkio burst into the door. "Somethin up, Piper?" She asked, not looking up from the newly formed seal; the edges crisply outling the scales that was the Flames' insignia.

"Yeah, we got ourselves a meetin! Overheard it down at back part of Hawker's alley, we got a bite and a meetin's bein set up over 'round Candlekeep for a sit down chat an some drinks." He replied, bouncing from foot to foot; tail swaying.

"Sit down Piper, you're actin like ya got fleas." Cliodhna replied as she carefully tucked the letter in the pocket of her Flame coat. She was close enough to Khit in size that it should fit her alright but it wouldn't be a tailored cut appearance-wise like it was on herself.

"Can't help it, I wanna help an get Geruda back." Piper sighed over exaggeratedly and swung a free chair around; straddling it with his chin on the top of the backrest.

"Piper.....how much do you owe them?" She asked, glancing up at him for the first time since he entered the room.

Frowning, Youkio looked at the floor, grinding the toe of his boot in a circle. " Nuff an I'm leavin it at that." He mumbled, his secret hope of them offing the group in one sweep dashed as Tempest brought up the payment arrangement.

"Three thousand, ta dummy owes em three thousand gil. It ain't worth that much if ya ask me but he insists on buyin it back." Skittles pipped up, already swooping out of hitting distance and landing on a nearby exposed support cross beam for the roof.

"Damnit all, keep yer beak shut!" Youkio grolwed but it was more subdued than before. He just didn't have the heart to start up an argument when he was right; it had been stupid to try and gamble that much and had he been more sober, Youkio would have known something wasn't right when the bet was offered. This issue with Tempest aside and all; Youkio hadn't thought too poorly of the Lala, he did offer to let him buy Geruda back after all...it's just would have been a much shorter time if he could actually use her for his real job. This washing dishes thing was giving too little over too long of time.

Cliodhna sighed, that was a hefty fee for someone and Youkio's current income level made it worse from the sounds of it. Stretching, she leaned back in the chair, languidly enjoying the feeling of her spine popping before wincing slightly and sitting forewords quickly. The tale-end of the stretch pulling the muscles under that stupid wound expectantly. During her part of the watch; she had tried to treat it again best she could but it was getting worse. The medical salve she had just wasn't doing much by this point and any sort of healing magic was out of the question. Once this was all over, she had to find a proper doctor of some persuasion to take a look at it, but that was of course provided they all survived this little adventure.

As far as Youkio's bill, she remained silent on it; already aware he wouldn't take money from her if she offered but something had to be done. If the meeting went as planned, perhaps a rework of his deal with the pirate captain could be made. The only thing left for them now was to gather up and head towards Candlekeep Quey, hopefully gathering Osric and the others in hiding at Limsa in the process for added support before leaving La Noscea and heading back to Thanalan.

Kiht hadn't prepared for the meeting with Siha to turn into a stay at a shack. That meant during the course of the day, when it was her time to rest, she had removed her cloak and armor. She only wore her shirt and leather pants as she rested.

She took cat-naps at various intervals when she was not keeping watch. Not because she was Miqo'te, but because she was nocturnal, and not in sync with the sleeping schedules of the others. She had spent some time polishing her guisarme and knives, eating some of Youkio's food, and wondering where the talking bird was from so she could go and find one of her own. Aside form that, Kiht was bored.

However, Kiht did not complain. Irregular sleep and waiting patiently was something she was use to. When Youkio arrived and talked with Tempest, Kiht noticed the Immortal Flames coat she stuck the letter in. She let out a quiet sigh. That coat was going to be a bit big; hopefully not too big to the point where it ruined the disguise.

Kiht did not regard the two much, but she kept her ears up and listening to them. She had an apple stuck on the tip of her hunting knife, and continued to bite on it. But the time for her to put on a 'show' was nearing.... She was not planning to tell them how bad at lying she was...

Erik nodded to Nako'li, "It has been to long." he said as he continued to watch the sky for his ship, "What do you know of my men?" Turning to hear the answer he placed a hand on Mikh'a's shoulder, letting him know it was alright.

----------------------

Captain River paced in his office, Ryder was to be a bigger pain then he had thought. Though he had captive his pawns, Ryder was using his well known pension for being a pain in the ass. River had thought him out of the way, the clinking Black Chains around his neck. But that pain of a commander had done something unexpected. He and the Chains had vanished, like Leviathan diving out of sight into the sea. They would emerge when most deadly. Something had to be done. He tapped a crystal box on his desk and then touched his pearl, "Ready the device. We must expedite our plan."

We can make this work, Kahn'a thought to himself.

The room was filled with a great silence. Had they spoken to each other? What did they learn from the exchange of words? Whatever came to pass in the intimacy of the room, it had not brightened the mood, not lifted the spirits high, not soothed the concern. The reality of a struggle for survival dawned on Kahn'a as time passed by. Odd moment to feel that way, there, in the safety and comfort of a place most would have gladly spent the rest of their existence, but the Miqo'te's instincts kept ringing the bell of doubt in his ears. They had been saved from The Black Chains, yes, but something else was in the works, something he could not grasp but only feel.

The contemplation of twilight before fell the cruel night and rose the Pale; an omen not to be overlooked. It was enough of a bell spent confined between those walls for Kahn'a to discover all he could use and to make his preparations.

"I do this for the right reasons," he threw in the air, feeling scrutinising eyes on him. It sounded very much like the confession of a criminal caught red-handed. The irony of the thought tore a smile from the Keeper. Oh, what crude contraptions was he resorted to, when deprived of the safety of distance. Elegance mattered not, however, only the success.


A guard with a stern and suspicious expression stood before the door. On the flat of his palm was a plate of some fine dish, the mere sight was enough to upset his very empty stomach. There was nothing edible to buy around but disgusting porridge, and it was still infinitely better than the rations his unit could grant him. So to have fine cuisine delivered to some captive Lieutenant, understand how upsetting it was to the foot soldier.

"...Your Captain urged us to speak up should we need aught," a low and rough voice had explained through the wooden panel, answering the simple soldier's doubt. "So shall you bring us those plates?"

He grabbed the handle of the door, grumbling. He had had little choice but to comply, he wanted no attention from Captain River, none at all. But still, what would he do to get just a bite of that food...or the other. Of course there was another plate. A plate that had yet to be brought back there. Oddly, that second dish took much longer to arrange, so it had been decided between the two guards that they would carry each a plate. The soldier grumbled, because he knew this was just a dirty excuse for his comrade to beg for food to the cook, and probably see his modest request satisfied.

"Stand back, I'm opening the door!" he warned, pinched with annoyance, and then he gave a turn of the key slotted in its lock.

The first thing he noticed as he stepped in was the presence of only one of the two prisoners. The Hyur was in sight, but not he other one... There was also a noise in the background. Yes the soldier could hear running water. For a fatal instant, barely two steps into the confinement room, he relaxed and motioned at the origin of the noise, a room with showers separated by thin walls.

"Is the other...?"

But he would never learn the answer to his unfinished question, for suddenly, a great force oppressed his shoulders and his head. It was like the alluring call of gravity, inviting him to meet the floor with the violence of lightning. The poor man scarcely had time to blink that his legs lost their balance and he fell down, dropping the plate in a surprised gasp. And as if it was not enough, he was swiftly robbed of his consciousness, struck with something very hard on his head. Something, or rather someone had dropped on him.

A wooden stick met the floor too, near him. It was one of the foot of a chair. A pale hand reached at a piece of meat in its pool of sauce spilled unceremoniously on the ground, right next to the soldier's face. It brought the chunk to an equally as pale mouth. Kahn'a took a much needed bite, before kneeling down next to the unconscious guard, and his hands slithered on the uniform.

Some Gil, a shortsword, yes that would do. The Keeper smirked victoriously, he could not deny that getting the drop on that poor man had been exciting. But he wasted nothing more than a look at him, before turning once again to Titor.

"It worked, the second one is still busy. Now, I give you the luxury of choice, you may remain collared here..."

This was it. The dice had been cast, it was now time to move, time to disappear from sight, but most importantly time to pursue hope, that fragile thing.

"...But I will not. I chose them."

And in a blink of the eye, he was gone.


Kahn'a took time to assess his surroundings. Quite a few bells had passed, and the Shroud was in his reach. He had done all he could to traverse the land as discretly as possible. Come to think of it, the only risk he has taken on the way was back in Highbridge, where he snuck into a house to...attire himself more approprietely. An Immortal Flame uniform would not have not crossed Wellwick Wood without notice, so he improvised. Thick and heavy cloth now draped his potent body, giving him a much more unassuming appearance.

But as he passed through Quarrymill, he had felt his heart skip a beat. There was a smell, a smell he was not completely foreign to; somebody he knew was near. Taking a seat on his bench a little out of the way, Kahn'a removed the wooden mask from his face to better look at the passers-by. Amongst one of them was a soul that bore more knowledge of his position that he had thought would be possible, given the haste of his move.

Siha swept into the house, already pulling her mask from her face and dropping the sack as well as the pole she'd grabbed in a corner. She'd heard on her way up and a smile lit her face, so they were going to meet with them, it was better than no bite at all. Perhaps the Flames had paid them so well they were ready for more...but...she frowned for a moment, clearing her throat, and fixing a light smile back to her face. No, she would make sure they were cautious, they wouldn't get too comfortable and fail. Not this time. This pirate crew owed them more than one life back at this point, they owed them all of their lives back and she planned to collect she simply had to stay confident that they could.

The house seemed already abuzz with activity and judging by the shouts she'd caught outside she surmised that they had already heard. "You've heard then? I caught wind myself when I took a detour..." she turned violet eyes to Kiht and gave her a reassuring look before she disappeared into the back room and went to root around in a bag she'd snapped up this morning. In it were extra sets of clothes and plenty of them, she took some time to sift through them while she let silence linger. She wasn't sure exactly what she should contribute but when nothing more was said she twisted to glance over her shoulder. "I don't think Kiht should go alone, even if Youkio doesn't go down with her someone should...if I need to get a couple of contacts to pose as footsoldiers to her I will. They wouldn't mind. As for those left over they've agreed to set up around the place and keep an eye on our...adversaries."

Cliodhna glanced in the direction Siha's voice came from. "I wasn't planning to have her go in there blind anyway, but the more people we have on our side is better.....Provided we get there early enough; we can plant a few people around and inside the building along with the ones that will pose as Kiht's guards. Once they start talking and it's clear they're in a passive state; We'll let our real intentions be known."

Idly she twirled a lock of hair around a finger as she leaned back in the chair; feet propped up on the table. It was gonna hurt quite a bit and take more concentration than usual, but she was planning to cloak herself and stand near Kiht just in case. There was no better position than right on top of her for an easy defense in addition to her added guards. This wasn't a doubt of the woman's skills on any part; Erik had trust in her, that was enough for Cliodhna but it was still best to get as much leverage as they could quickly.

Youkio bounced his leg while still straddling the chair, he wanted to get out of there already and get this started. Since there was no chance in hells they'd wipe out the miserable lot he had taken to another idea. Clearly from the card game the other night and a few other points of reference from whispers; they took on a lot of odd jobs...more so than what Youkio himself took. Since he couldn't buy Geruda back with what little he was earning....it might just be worth a shot to seek employment with them till he earned enough gil.

He let out a sudden chuckle at the though; tossing his head back and covering his eyes with a hand while the other held onto the back of his chair. It was a stupid idea, but he'd be damned if he wasn't gonna try it anyway.

"Somethin funny?" Cliodhna asked, brow raised at the male Keeper.

"Nah...just nother one of my dumbassed ideas is all." He replied with a smirk and a wink.

Cliodhna shrugged it off with little regard. "You have a lot of those...but you best not be doin anything stupid that'll get us killed." She replied sharply before looking back to the others in the room. "Siha, how fast can you get your contacts out near the spot to meet up with us before headin into Candlekeep?"

Nako nodded to erik as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the miqo'te. "Captured, last I heard. I was there as a witness for the former, and as a ride along with the chains for the latter. I got myself inserted into their operation so I could keep an eye on them for news. Know however, that they have been tortured."

He looked around them, the cold starting to bite through his outfit, holding a fire crystal hung arou d his neck, he pulsed a small ammount of aether into it, allowing it to roll over the glyphs and sigils carved minutely into the surface, causing it to radiate warmth over his body. As a result of the change in temperature, he started giving off steam where he was in contact with the snow.

"From what I can tell they have no solid info on the others or even your location, though it wont be long until they branch out past thanalan." He paused for a moment, his connection with Kahn'a changing. His emotional state no longer despondent, was that... determination? He would have to focus on that when he had a moment.

Kiht decided she was going to enjoy the vacation. She moved to just outside the shack. She began spinning and twirling her spear around in elaborate dance-like drills. Of course, she was only in her shirt and pants still. There was no need for armor. Kiht had nothing to do while they discussed her fate as a decoy... Fun times.

She could have talked to the others, but did not want to distract them from their work. Suddenly, she got a craving. Her drills came to an abrupt stop. "Hmmm pineapple juice. I think I will have some." She muttered quietly to herself. After all, what kind of vacation at a shack in La Noscea would it be without pineapple juice? She thought to herself.

Kiht paced back into the shack. She gazed around one of the rooms, and that was when Siha returned. Kiht followed Siha into the other room shortly after; slipping in quietly. Kiht was just in time to overhear Youkio and Clio's exchange about his 'dumbassed ideas'.

"Indeed, I would prefer to avoid death. I like you all, but I am not sure if I like you all to -that- extent." She announced to them with a hint of implied humor in her tone. She waited until someone's attention fell on her. "Where do you keep the pineapple juice?" She asked; assuming they even had that in the shack.

Siha watched the pair warily for a moment and then cleared her throat, turning her attention back to gathering up the clothes strewn about from the bag and shoving them back in. She'd gotten what she wanted and she held it up before wincing, it wasn't bad, it would be easy to move in and that's what mattered. Clio's question made her ear twist back towards them and Kiht's humor tinted words eased some of the tension squeezing her stomach, "As soon as we need them they'll come, they're waiting now actually, it will only take a call. They...already had their hands on some Flames uniforms..." in fact they'd had a lot of things she didn't want to know about, for one reason or another.

"Two of their best will be accompanying Kiht, both hard to recognize, they try to stay low key" she explained and ducked her head, her father certainly didn't stay low key but she had faith in the two that he was sending to be the public faces. She snorted once, the two men were certainly intimidating, a Sea Wolf and Duskwight, both practiced at what they did and confident they could keep Kiht safe. She hoped their confidence wasn't misplaced, as much as Kiht jested, she really hoped any hurt could be avoided. She didn't bother to answer about the juice, she had no idea where that was or if there was any but if there wasn't...and Kiht pulled this off...she'd buy her the biggest bottle of Pineapple Juice anyone had ever seen.

"I'll call them now and tell them to be ready, just give me a location to send them to" she straightened and pressed her fingers to her pearl, watching Clio expectantly. The cliffs overlooking Candlekeep would be best but she wasn't sure if the woman trusted her enough to put that much control into her hands. She knew La Noscea sure, it was her home turf...but they had no reason to trust her on that alone, clearing her throat she let a light smile grace her face. "If I could suggest perhaps a few ilms from the Cliffs overlooking the meeting place. They have a good view once we get to them, a few ilms away will let us know if they're expecting us as that would be the best place for them to set up shop if they were."