Coatleque

If you are standing still and do this, the game will rotate your position to face the enemy. This is fine if you want the enemy to come to you. In most cases, you want them to move somewhere else. If you take a running jump, the momentum will keep you facing the direction you intend while your Shield Lob goes the other way. When pulling packs of creatures (on a PC at least), you can tab-target to the next creature immediately after using Shield Lob, then use this tactic to fire another Shield Lob at a second creature as you continue gathering mobs. This is a good way to build up threat fast on the initial pull when DPS decides to start attacking rather than waiting. Given enough room, and a quick hand, you can essentially Shield Lob 8-10 things before you're done gathering and start flashing.

Perhaps somehow involved?

I would like to point out that I was not advocating for anyone to break the law. The whole point of my post was to examine why someone is actually bothered by this behavior, NOT to question if it should be illegal or otherwise. The fact that a law exists does NOT breed animosity against a behavior. And it is not bred through biology as we've already examined - else nature would have pushed puberty to an older age by now to compensate. The revulsion is instead a learned behavior, and what I was trying to elude to is that the source of this learning should be examined for truth and validity. To say "it is wrong because I feel it is wrong" is a blank statement. It is akin to a parent saying "You will do this because I said so". Accepting it as fact is no different than brainwashing.

But we already knew...

Coatleque tilted her head before pushing off the wall to stand straight once more. She was no expert conversationalist herself by any means. From her past dealings with the man, she knew Berrod was even less so. She could not explain why, but her intuition made her feel as if some meddling was required today at least. So she smiled at him. "Please don't tell me you are only here to collect your pay and go! Come, there is the most interesting fellow over there by the bar. Why I've never seen someone make an hors d'oeuvres disappear so quickly. Surely you can spare a moment for at least one drink?" The whole time she tried to usher the man towards the bar area.

On the contrary, my post was aimed at causing you to perhaps stop and think about why this is even an issue in your mind. Nowhere in my posts have I condoned pedophilia, at all. And your libelous accusation is incredibly offensive.

The world is full of imbalances. Every species vies for dominance during mating. Why would humans be any different? Unless what you are trying to say is that this is a moral issue.

And I would agree with you on this up to a certain point. But that whole argument is beyond the scope of this thread. What we do seem to agree with is that society has unnaturally pushed the age of adolescence much further than biology intended.

True, but irrelevant. What does living longer have to do with the age of maturity? Nothing. Else biology would have naturally moved along with it. Unless you are just seeking a pass for lazy parenting. Being old at 65 rather than 50 has no bearing on being mature at 14.

Such uncomfortableness is merely a product of the society you were raised in. You must separate the accepted 'norm' from actual biology and learn some history. It wasn't until the mid 1800's in real life that people were suddenly considered "minors" under a specific age. That was when the conservative right lobbied for age of consent laws to try and cut down on human sex trafficking and forced marriages. Before then, you were almost a full adult by 14. That is when biology naturally takes over. That is when nature intended the human species to be mature. If a child is not emotionally developed enough to handle life by then, it is society's/the parent's fault, not nature. Not the Government. That being said, the government is still in charge here, sadly. And if they say such things are illegal, then you must contend with their backing of force. All I'm saying is that before you say "That makes me uncomfortable", take a look at WHY you feel that way and put it in perspective over the course of all of human history. If your view makes absolutely no biological sense, perhaps you should reconsider it.

Coatleque watched with an inquisitively quirked eyebrow as the man at the bar lifted both a half of the sandwich and the visor of his helmet. Her looked turned to a mixture of horror and disgust as each half was systematically pushed or thrown into the helmet only to disappear. She could not see what became of the sandwich from her angle, and she half expected the man to turn and face her suddenly with food plastered all over his face. Luckily, the visor had been replaced when he did, in fact, turn to address her. She furrowed her brows slightly before closing her eyes and nodding once at his recommendation of the sandwich. Her left hand raised slightly from her crossed arms and she was about to rub her forehead when the sound of the doors at the side of the room being roughly thrown open drew her attention. She watched Berrod quickly cross the room and turned her attention back to the man at the bar with one finger raised. "One moment, if you please." Without awaiting a response she circled around the opposite side of the room to reach the door first and knowing full well the man would do his best to keep his visit brief. She leaned against the wall next to the door in a casual manner with her arms crossed once more. On queue he made his dash right for the exit and may have barreled past her if his attention wasn't drawn. "Why Master Armstrong. A pleasant day we are having, is it not?" she said with a wave.

Additional Lore Time Based on the Ladies Day event display in Ul'dah, it shows the first three Paladins as mannequins. They happen to be shown wearing the AF2 armor, blue on white. Based on this, I'd say there is no reason why someone role-playing as a Sultansworn cannot wear whichever color they chose. Personally, seeing how Captain Jenlyns and Phillis both wear the white on silver, I think we could consider that the current 'official' uniform color. I consider the blue and white to be more of a formal affair. Akin to something Crofte would probably wear to the next Royal Ball.

The morning saw Coatleque in no better shape than the previous night. The bruise on her jaw only grew into a larger, purple welt that she was sure looked worse than it felt. No mirror was handy to confirm however, not that she would have wanted to see it. She sat up and cupped her face in her hands before rubbing her eyes. "Di'ja sleep good on yer fluffy-ass f***in' rug?" came the voice of Morn from across the room. She slowly stopped rubbing her face and glared at him. "Do I look like I did?" "Nope." He snickered. "F**k, at least you got a rug. Don't say we never did nothin' for you." his companion shot back. It was mid-morning by then. Jameson had been seeing other associates or clients for some time already. Coatleque had insisted they get this over with. Vandol held her back with little effort and insisted they wait their turn. "I feel like we should get some sorta extra tip or some shit." "Seriously, compensating for our f**kin' pain and suffering." Coatleque shot them another glare. "Yes... your pain." "Not just that, but now we're a day behind. Man, babysitting mouthy bitches is a pain." "You could always make her leave." Coatleque replied snidely. "Damn, Tash. She just blew you up!" "What, she wasn't talkin' about you?" The two mercenaries continued to talk up their own bravado while Coatleque sat quietly. She pulled the tunic down as far as she could, still feeling uncomfortably exposed for these circumstances, then tried to comb out her knotting hair with her fingers. Even in this state she should attempt to look her best for Jameson. Eventually Mister North finally arrived only to be swarmed by the pair upon entering the lobby. He glanced briefly at Coatleque and gave a slight bow without commenting on her current appearance before addressing the others and leaving to inquire if the Master was ready to see them. No sooner did he leave then another man exited and smoothed his coat while eyeing the assembled. He gave a sniff and wrinkled his nose before walking off stiffly. "Snooty ass f**k" Morn commented after him. "They all is." "Don't I know it." he replied, eyeing his prisoner. "Know your betters, fool." she shot back, feeling somewhat emboldened now that they were about to gain audience. Attention shifted back to Jameson's office door as Mister North let himself back out. He cleared his throat. "Milord will see you now." "Awesome." "Heard that?" "Finally..." Morn yanked Coalteque to her feet roughly by the chain of the manacles across her wrists. She almost tripped over him in the process but managed to keep her balance as she was dragged and then pushed through the door. Vandol and Tash followed close behind, with Mister North after them. He closed the door and stood off to the side quietly, adjusting his jacket and resting a hand just inside its front. Just inside the door were the two mercenaries with Coatleque in the middle, shoved roughly to the front. Jameson remained seated behind his desk and watched with a staid expression and narrowed eyes. "Hey boss." "So, we had a little problem." "We figger you needed ta see this." Jameson exhaled slowly through his nose, patiently. He spoke in a controlled and careful tone. "What. Is this." "Was hopin' you could say" Vandol continued. "I figger she can have her say, then we'll answer whatever shit she decides not to say." Coatleque said nothing. She glanced at Jameson once then bowed her head. Whatever boldness she felt before had since fled now that they were here. "Oh now she's quiet?" Tash laughed. Jameson stood slowly. Even his movements were measured. Dressed in an oddly casual manner for him, he approached her. One hand extended and he lifted her chin with a crook of his finger, appraising it. She winced slightly but otherwise made no resistance, allowing him to turn her head one way than the other. He showed no reaction to the sight of her, though his head tilted slightly. "I offered to help them." She protested. "They decided to do this instead." Jameson shot a glance to Vandol who just shrugged. "Yeah, no, that was me." Tash admitted with a nod. "Partial truth, I guess. She can still talk though." "By all means, you explain it first, and then I shall clarify." Coatleque's confidence resurfaced slightly. Jameson's hand lowered, as did her gaze to the floor once more. "Truth. Now." The three exchanged glances. Tash only laughed at Coatleque as her gaze fell back to the floor. It was Vandol who finally started to explain. "Bitch all mouthy all night long but now she wants ta shut the f**k up. Anyways, look, I can make this long story short. So me an' Tash was on the job, yanno? We hit the Silver f**king Bazaar. One of the girl's hideaways, supposedly. An' lo an' f**kin' behold, mincin' outta the desert in a f**kin' black evening gown is this one." He bumped Coatleque's shoulder with his elbow then, causing her to stumble forward another step. "So she's all 'Tell me why you're after whatserfart.', an' 'I can help you.', 'We can be friends and allies.'" His voice went high with his re-enactment as he tried to mimic her voice, poorly. Coatleque rolled her eyes but still would not look up. "Don't forget the threesome." Tash chimed in. "Oh, right. Well, she surmised that me an Tash was involved. Which we AIN'T, okay? I mean, we WAS, but Tash is a... anyways, so she's all 'Well I always wanted to have a threesome.' But me, yanno, I'm a f**king professional, boss. And even if I WAS into her, which I ain't, it'd be a no. On the job, yanno? So she's all 'I may or may not be sleeping with your boss, so you should let me help you.'" At his last impression Coatleque closed her eyes and hung her head. Jameson took a step backwards and crossed his arms. His light amber eyes strayed to the fraying sleeves of his overcoat. A slight tension could be seen in his jaw just then. "The longer this story lasts, the less your payment will be. To the point, Morn." "... Sorry. Yeah, so basically she threatened ta warn this c**t that we was comin' for her if we didn't let her join us. So... yanno. Tash decked her." Both of them shrugged at Jameson who flicked his gaze to Coatleque, a small twitch to his upper lip. "Is this true?" "And by that point we was like, 'We gotta warn the boss man.' So instead'a writin', we thought there was a chance you might not want this girl dead, so we brought her in person" Vandol continued. "And she was tryin' to pay us to make sure she don't get hurt." "Oh, yeah, we took twenny-five thou from 'er. Rich." "She started out sayin' it was a bonus like you gave it the okay, but we smelled fish. I got it with 'er dress an 'er ear thingies." "Tash, did you crunch her ear-thingies? Or they in one piece?" "... Buried 'em. But I can get 'em." "Yeah, a'ight. So anyway, yeah boss. I mean, if she's worth keepn' alive, that's for you to decide. Me an' Tash can go either way. But we figgered you needed to hear 'bout this shit in person." There was a moment of silence before Coatleque finally spoke up to her defense. "... I was not really going to warn her. I threatened it when they would not listen to my offer." Her words came out more earnestly than she intended. Jameson made no move. "So you meant to... simply join them in their hunt for Deneith?" She nodded slowly, not daring to look at him. "To make up for my previous failure." "But threatened them that you would warn her, because they did not listen to you?" All she could do was stare at the carpet. "Yes." "... Why not come to me, Coatleque? I hired them." "... I know. I wanted to show you I was not as useless as you thought. The extra gil was dependent on them not hurting her. That is all." His arms remained crossed, but his hand's grip seemed to tighten on each arm from the wrinkles that formed in his sleeves. "You did not trust that I left what instructions I would with the people I hired?" "I trust you. I don't trust Roen." She replied. "She will not go willingly." "That it is up to them to deal with that. They know they are to bring her in alive. You said she has set forth plans for my own life. You do not expect me to be gentle... do you?" "I... no." "You did not want to see her hurt." "Neither would I you." "Then what would you have done, Coatleque?" The two mercenaries exchanged glances again then looked at Coatleque with confused expressions. They were having their own trouble making sense of the whole thing. They knew enough to keep quiet though. Jameson reached out and lifted her chin once more with the crook of his fingers. He had taken to no longer wearing gloves around her "What would you have done if she raised her sword? Against them? You?" She almost heaved then and there. What would she have done? Till now the question was only an afterthought. She had pleaded with Roen before not to lead them down this path, but seemed once again the choice was being made for her. As much as she loathed the idea, duty compelled her to act. She still would not meet his gaze through her response. "... I would have responded in kind. I only wanted to give her the chance. I offered to help by luring her into the open." Jameson leaned in towards her then, his voice low, stern, commanding rather than questioning. "Why. Did you not come to me." She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes now. Her true shame had finally come to light. For as much trust as he had been willing to place in her, she had placed so little in him. "You were already displeased with me. I wanted to surprise you." she whispered. "And of all the things to threaten them, you chose betrayal against me." He continued. The accusation forced her gaze finally. "I did not mean it, James! I had nothing else to use as leverage! I thought the chance at more coin would be enough as it were, I swear!" "You let her walk time and again. Even after she spoke of assassins against me. And now you go behind my back, and threaten those I hired to bring her in. Your friend. One you have stayed loyal to all this time." For the first time since they had arrived, Coatleque was now genuinely afraid of what he may do. Her eyes went wide with fear as she stared at him imploringly. "I wanted to show I could do it... please, you must believe me..." The mercenaries behind her exchanged curious glances as if they were only waiting for the word to 'remove her' from the room. "I want to trust you, Coatleque. I would have their intestines pulled through their throats for laying a hand on you." To that the silent snickering behind her stopped as both of them almost stepped back towards the door. "But you told them you would betray me." He continued. "I lied!" Her hands raised to cover her mouth as quickly as the words escaped. The entire world seemed to freeze in place at the realization of what she said. Of what she implied. There was an indignant snort behind her. "Ain't the first time, prolly ain't the last." Jameson's tone did not waver regardless. Still leaning in towards her she could tell the true extent of his anger but by the hiss of his voice. "Of all the lies. That one comes too easily." Tash could no longer keep quiet. "This bitch was goin' on about how she didn't want her hurt because she's such a gooood frieeeend." Vandol merely nodded along with her. "All the signs was pointin' to a f**kin' retarded attempt at sabotage." "Do not... insult her further. Not in my presence." Jameson hissed without looking over at the woman. She immediately backed off with her hands raised. Coatleque's face once again lowered to stare at the floor. She had begun to shiver, though out of fear or lack of clothing was anyone's guess by then. "... I was not going to stop you either way. It was merely incentive." she said quietly. Her face was lifted again, gently, by his hand as she cradled her jaw and turned the swollen side towards him. "North." "Milord?" "You will tend to Lady Crofte's injuries." "Of course, sir." Mister North replied with a bow. "Morn. You will take her with you when she is ready. She will lure Deneith out." The two mercenaries exchanged glances before mumbling a response. "Yeah, boss." Coatleque also blinked and slowly turned to look him in the eyes again. "And you will bring her in. I want a full report. If she resists, take whatever measures necessary. I only need her alive." He continued. She nodded slowly as their eyes remained locked. "Do not fail me, Coatleque." "I will not." His head tilted, thumb softly grazing over her bruised jaw. "I have let her roam too long, waiting for justice to be delivered. She has grown bold in that time. She knows not of this new hunt. I doubt she will exercise more caution than before." His gaze grew more stern, commanding even. "Nor certain changes in alliances." Another slow nod. "She will not anticipate it being me." "No. She will not." Vandol made a gesture to Tash as if to unlock something to which Coatleque held out her hands to the side. Her head did not turn from the man in front of her as the manacles were removed. Not till his hand dropped from her face. "Let North tend to you, then coordinate with Morn and Holbrook. I expect Deneith to be brought before the fortnight." "As you say, my love." Her words were quiet, yet confident. Turning, she did not look at her former captors before leaving the room. She sat down on the side of the bed in one of the guest rooms while Mister North tended to her bruises. Still feeling quite exposed, she pulled the hempen tunic down as far as she could and stared at the wall in front of her. "How is your hip, Mister North?" She eventually broke the awkward silence while attempting to reclaim any semblance of her station. "Comparatively? Not that terrible of an issue, Miss." He smiled gently yet exasperatedly. "Look up please." She complied, now focusing on the ceiling as he applied ointment to the bruise. She winced at the momentary sting but kept her eyes focused on the surroundings. "I am glad to see you returned. I pray things were not in too sorry a state for you." He bunched up a handkerchief and cleaned the abrasion as best he could. "I confess, I was expecting a somewhat more lax homecoming. I suggest Miss try to take ease, however. I suppose some things are unavoidable." "They are. No matter how hard I try to. Mister North? Am I... doing the right thing?" "I am no fit judge, Miss. But I have faith that you are." he spoke as he continued to tend her. She nodded. "Thank you. It is wrong for me to doubt myself, but... thank you." "You appear to have avoided altogether dislocation. Fortunate, as I doubt you would have cared for any sort of bizarre headgear." She stifled a laugh at his attempt to make light of the situation, probably to his benefit at that moment. "That should take care of... the more long-term worries." He said as he stood back up and retrieved a book he had left on the nightstand temporarily. "Now, if miss would simply breathe in and out..." With a few quick scans of one of the pages, the restorative aether was applied and her swelling already decreased noticeably. "If possible, I would advise avoiding more strenuous activity of the area in question. Soft foods, for now. I will postpone the lamb." "A pity, that. I shall look forward to it once we return then. Is there a spare dress available? I should like to change." "I will have one provided, Miss. For now, I suggest rest, for optimal mental and physical convalescence." She canted her head towards the door, the sound of more demanding guests travelling up the stairs now. "Very well. I shall consider that a doctor's order. You may want to deal with the remaining guests. Thank you again, Mister North. I shall remain here for the nonze." "... Yes. Of course. By your leave, Miss." With that, she was left alone once more to her thoughts.

Wool. How she hated wool. Who's idea it was to make a veritable sea of needle points one of the worlds most staple of fabrics was anybody's guess. Coatleque shifted herself, scratching at her bare leg once more as she tried to let sleep take her. She was curled up on a plain rug, wearing nothing but a dirty tunic given to her out of a misunderstanding. On a long sitting couch nearby were the loud snores of a mercenary, Vandol Morn. Where his partner in crime had gone she did not care. Coatleque had no desire to run by this point. Making as best a pillow of her arms while her hands were bound, she began to recount the events of that evening. It was little over a day ago she had left Jameson's office with an accusatory glare and feeling of immense inadequacy. He was clearly displeased with her apparent loyalty, and while she knew she should care little about it due to her position with the Sultansworn, her personal feelings were beginning to chip away at such resolve. More and more she was feeling pain at seeing him distressed. There was more to it than that, though, as always. She had a city to defend from a menace she could not find. Her leads were all dead ends, or false. She was not moving backwards, she wasn't moving at all. There was only one person she knew who could without question lead her to Lazarov. If she could only bring her in, perhaps... perhaps Coatleque could kill two birds with one stone, as it were. She could fulfil her duty while also proving her worth. She was present when Jameson sent for the mercenaries. She heard the name used. Holbrook. It did not register at the time, but she had crossed paths with this particular pair multiple times already. At the warehouse in Moraby. Outside Ul'dah when they collected the bounty on Jaxon Hawk. In the Goblet at the end of the poker game. And finally on the Ruby Exchange by chance as she was merely passing by that afternoon. Her need to know overcame her sense of caution. They were up to something; That much was not hard to see. So she followed from a distance. Through the exchange, along the outer wall, and out the Gate of the Sultana. She trailed them from a distance, staying a ways off the road itself using boulders and trees for cover. Being hardly dressed for such work, her dress caught quite a few brambles from the underbrush. This one would be ruined for sure. She sighed as she pulled some thorns free from the bottom hem then watched as the pair entered the Silver Bazaar. Slinking around the gate a moment later she crouched behind another boulder and listened as the two argued with a large Roegadyn. While not particularly enlightening conversation, it did confirm what Coatleque suspected. They were looking for Roen. Not getting anywhere with the Roe, the pair split up. Seeing this as her chance, Coatleque slowly rounded the boulder to confront the woman named Holbrook. She seemed to be the more reasonable of the two at least. Stubborn was more like it. Her associate, Morn, returned while Coatleque was still trying to explain her motives. She was, surprisingly, not there to stop them. She wanted no part of their contract. In fact, she was offering them additional pay on top of what Jameson had promised. Her only stipulation was that Roen not be harmed. They scoffed at her, were so guarded as to not trust her motives - and perhaps she could not blame them. However, she grew desperate and threatened to out them to the target if they would not cooperate. The threat of losing five hundred thousand gil is more of a motivator than one would think. It was a stupid move on her part, especially when unarmed and unarmored. The next thing she knew she was slumped against the boulder and rubbing her jaw as Morn checked her for weapons and bound her hands. They took her linkpearls, her gil purse, then dragged her along to the local inn. To them she did nothing but comply. Inside, she was laughing the whole way at what was sure to be their greatest misfortune. "Yes, make this even worse on yourselves." Once out of sight in the inn room they forced her to undress to be sure she was not hiding anything else, then gave her an olive green tunic to wear which barely ended below the waist. Securing her to the bed with manacles then, they continued their own line of questions and threats. She answered all truthfully and finished each line with the insistence that they take her to see Jameson. She had nothing to hide, laying there. They had already won, why bother? Whether out of dedication to their contract or sheer paranoia they persisted. "Keep me here or release me. I'll not fight you." She insisted with eerie calmness. "Regardless, if you leave me in any worse consideration I promise Jameson will feed you your own manhood." "Why? Milord bangin' you?" The larger of the two replied which only drew a narrow-eyed glare. More hushed arguing outside, followed by the same line of questioning once more. Coatleque sighed as she recounted the same answers for the third time. If boredom was their interrogation method, it would be working except that she had hid nothing from them. Once more she insisted they take her back to Taeros to cross examine her intentions. Finally they relented. Morn, the larger one, dragged her out of the inn to a cart that Holbrook had acquired. Inside was a large, thick rug. Tash proceeded to stuff a handkerchief into Coatleque's mouth before they rolled her into the rug up inside the cart. She did not struggle or try to run, thankful that they were finally taking action rather than talking in circles. The cart ride itself was uneventful except for the occasional pat on her rump whenever she made too much noise. Not that Morn could tell where she was, stuffed in a rug as it were. She was subjected to even more crass conversation and undignified behavior before the cart finally stopped at Jameson's estate. Or at least she hoped that is where they took her. There was more rough treatment as she was systematically hoisted out of the cart and the rug thrown over Morn's shoulder. At this time of night, the servants had all gone and Jameson was either busy or elsewhere. With nowhere else to go the rug was dropped crudely in the middle of the lobby before Morn gave it a push with is foot, letting her roll out. Coatleque slowly sat up while shaking off the dizziness before managing to spit out the gag with some effort and coughing before composing herself as best she could. The whole ordeal was now some four hours past. Another particularly loud snore from the couch earned another disgusted glare from her before she rolled onto her other side. Scratching her legs raw once again, she tried to catch what sleep she could until Mister North would arrive in the morning.

This applies to hailstorm in Shiva as well. Even though the floor effect disappears, you have to keep running and wait for the ice explosion before returning to the group or else you'll still hit everyone with it.

The door from Pearl Lane swung open as Ser Crofte entered with a somewhat authoritative stride. She took two steps right to the railing and observed the room before crossing towards the bar. Having come to the end of her round she decided to stop here momentarily before heading back to her office. She stood between the bar areas and crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall. As her gaze scanned the room she noticed the man sitting to her side and found herself watching him inspect and mutilate a sandwich. Every time she thought he was about to take a bite, there was something else which needed inspection. The shaving off of the sliver was the final straw though. "By the Twelve, will you just EAT it?!"

There's always next time...

I think it's supposed to be taken a little more tongue-in-cheek. It's not a question of how comfortable they are. Not every decision in life is based solely on one's sexuality.

Hey! They weren't my words! Just passing on what I commonly see elsewhere.

The most common explanation I see in other forums whenever this is brought up is "Well, if I have to stare at an avatar's ass for 6 hours every night, I might as well make it an attractive one."

The head of a major accounting firm in a prominent east coast US city tells me his password is bob spelled backwards. Yeah... we (as their IT company) all collectively shit bricks when we heard that.

When I reach 1500, I get a free ice-cream. Ask Freelance! /end derailment

... Kay

((Feb/March Update)) Yes, the Linkshell is still here. It has been quiet lately, but so has the city it seems. You need not 'try out' for anything. If Madda wants to join the Sultansworn or become a Free Paladin, that's all it takes really.

Time to date myself as a child of the 80's...