Coatleque

Once she was alone, her expression changed again. She arose from the bed and began to pace nervously around the room. Finally she spoke again at length, to nobody in particular. "I do not know who you are, or what you want. I know you are listening. And I know that you are a coward who forces others to fight his own battles. Whatever you want with me, you could at least have the honor of telling me in person rather than sending your lackeys."

The armor was cold, uncomfortable. She didn't care. Nothing much mattered at this point. Even his words offered little comfort, as heartfelt as they were. Then she heard another voice, quite unexpectedly. "Do not be afraid, Lady Crofte. For we are kind." She sat up suddenly and rubbed her eyes trying to pull herself back together. She looked at the other two in turn then said "I think... I would like to be alone for a time."

Coatleque saw the scribbled notes beside her. She read them as best she could from her peripheral then stared at the floor again. She knew he was serious, even without seeing his expression. It was getting harder for her not to maintain herself in front of him, and single tear slipped down her cheek. Her silence broke with a shallow and shaky sigh. Looking back to him with now red eyes all she could stammer out was "I'm scared..." Her resolve was fading fast now. Not knowing what else to do she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.

She played the proper nurse-maid and made sure he ate till he was finished. This turned out to be the rest of the soup, in fact. She then used a kerchief to clear away any signs that the spoon may have missed its mark. Looking quite pleased with herself, she placed the empty mug and spoon on the end table and took the sandwich for herself. "Now then. You are already looking more hale than when you arrived." She nibbled on the sandwich, trying to think of more pleasant conversation. At length she put the food aside and stood to fetch the stationary Jancis had brought. Returning to Warren's side she began to write. Find Od'hilkas Need collar key Fear for life She placed the paper next to him and looked down to the floor, unsure of what to say.

Coatleque huffed as more food was piled onto her lap. Looking up she found herself drawn to his eyes. They looked gentler now than she had ever seen them before. She found herself struggling to protest. But then her attention was drawn again to his hands and her mind was made up. "No. You are in the worse condition. I shall eat once you are finished."

At this rate, there's soon to be more bad guys than good guys, intentional or not!

She felt the mug steady under her grip, then a tug on the spoon. Her eyes had been instinctively clenched shut for these past few seconds. She opened them in surprise just as he turned away. Flushing red, all she could stammer was "A-aye, Ser." One down... fifty more to go... She continued on in the same manner, trying her best not to spill anything on him.

Blinked incredulously at Jancis, unsure of how to proceed as the woman backed away and left the two sitting there. She looked at Warren trying to think of ten different ways to hold the mug, then to the spoon. This isn't happening. "U-u-umm... " Realizing Jancis's scheme now, she inched herself closer to Warren. Using the spoon, and a nervously shaky hand, she tried not to scoop too much for him to actually bite and leaning over slightly, slowly extended it to him.

Coatleque looked at Jancis in horror as she realized it wasn't for her, and almost choked in embarrassment. She held the mug over for Warren, not quite sure how he would be able to hold it with his hands bandaged. "A-apologies!", she stammered. She wasn't sure who to be more ashamed of. Herself, or whoever was currently listening in while she made a fool of herself.

Coatleque received the mug from Jancis gratefully and scooted herself along the bed towards the wall, giving the two plenty of room for Jancis to work. "Thank you for attending him, Miss.", she said. She was quiet after that, staring at the floor and occasionally drinking from the cup.

She looked at him in half disbelief before waving off his confession of sorrow. She began to relax now that her mind was distracted with other things. "You have more important things to worry about... Please tell me you found your friends? That you are not hurting yourself over another dead end?"

"I never doubted..." She leaned towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder while trying to look around his broad form. Ignoring her own plight she asked, "You are wounded?"

Her head turned to regard the sudden commotion at the door, but she did not stand. She saw her friend at the door now and her heart leapt momentarily. She suddenly didn't care who or what was listening. "You... you came...", was all she could stammer. She glanced at the innkeeper behind him, still voicing protests and motioned that it was okay to let him pass. Looking back to Warren once more she was suddenly more worried about her own appearance. Pulling her hair back in an quick attempt to straighten it revealed what was now around her neck. Regarding the man's own appearance she tried to hide her own worry behind a forced smile. "I... trust you are well?". It took all her willpower not to say his name.

[align=center] ** II ** [/align] Coatleque sat in the bare room on the side of the bed, staring at the floor. It wasn't her room, but one at the Inn in Drybone. She was wearing rather plain clothes today in an attempt to not stand out. Her arrival the previous night had probably already ruined any chance of that though. This is where she was told to stay. This is where her friends had found her. At least she was still alive. It was that fact which troubled her. Someone needed her alive for a purpose, though she couldn't say what that was. Her leg started throbbing again and she tried to rub it away. The fracture was healed, but there was still the lingering phantom pains of having known it was broken at all. Perhaps it was better that way, as it distracted her from the itching around her neck. Or perhaps she was still far to used to wearing collars in the first place. In either case she didn't understand why Buttons had kept fiddling with hers as if it was the most uncomfortable thing ever. She sighed and held her head in her hands. There was nothing she could do but wait now. Jancis had gone out to get some supplies, and the room was paid up for the week now, as well as something extra for having painted over the center divider of the room. What she really needed now was a way to pass the time...

Thanks to everyone involved last night in one way or another. Who knew there would be such a stir caused when Crofte was taken!? I swear I had five separate link pearls chattering at once. Also to Obsidian, Gharen, and Roen for the previous night. Hornet, you had to sit through my speech twice. I hope it wasn't boring. To the others, I hope I conveyed the seriousness to which Crofte is taking this investigation. And finally, thanks to Aya for being so patient! I promise Coatleque will sit all night with you if she survives and just talk about whatever you want!

Awww Hopefully things will clear up for you soon. And when they do, we'll be ready!

Because everyone knows when steel and leather combine in the presence of aether, it makes lipstick. Blue lipstick. *mwah*

Here you go, for anyone who defeats Ser Crofte in the Trial by Fire :cry: [table] [tr] [td]Item Name[/td] [td]Drop Chance[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]10,000 - 50,0000 gil[/td] [td]100%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Halone's Ire[/td] [td]90%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Paladin's Holy Shield[/td] [td]50%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Shell Ring[/td] [td]15%[/td] [/tr] [/table] 10k-50k gil - A lot of gil for just one person. But Coatleque carries it just in case. She has needed a large purse before in order to make restitution in the name of Her Grace for petty crimes, making quick judgement as necessary on the streets to keep the peace. Halone's Ire - This blade began as a simple commissioned work from the Flames Quartermaster as her personal reward for completing her training and taking her oath. Since then, she has had the blade Aetherically enhanced. It now holds a blue hue and is perpetually cold to the touch, as a shard of ice. Holy Shield - Only carried when absolutely necessary, this shield is thick, sturdy, and ornate in appearance. The base has been anodized with a white coating, while the edges are trimmed with silver and gold decorative patterns. Shell Ring - Cosmetic item. This simple ring carved from a seashell appears worthless. It has no intrinsic qualities or value.

So I'm using the new "Carnage Sword" as my weapon glamour, because the color matches the Valor set so well. My only problem is... how do I describe what this thing is made out of? The hilt, grip, and pommel are easy, but the blade itself looks like either some kind of frosted glass or crystal. Going by the items crafting materials makes no sense, because it's a bronze sword with... aldgoat leather added to it. I had thought about just calling it some kind of blue steel, but that feels like a cop-out. Anyone have a better idea?

Well met and welcome. If you wander through Ul'dah at some point, I'm sure we'll bump into each other!

*** Coatleque found herself gliding across the sands of Thanalan once more. In the distance, the city-line of Ul'dah stood out against the horizon. As she passed by the city, she brought with her a single rose. Throngs of people began to flank her on either side. Pointing fingers, throwing accusations against the rose. Occasionally someone would burst forth and attempt to pluck a petal from the flower. She turned each way, trying in vain to keep it out of their reach - even going so far as to place herself between it and them, taking their ire upon herself. Despite her best efforts, neither of them passed through unscathed. As the city faded into the distance it began to snow. The rose, now wilted with most of its petals gone lept from her hands and glowed brightly. She held her hands up to peer at it through her fingers despite the blinding light. As it faded away there was a figure left in it's place. A familiar figure in shimmering white, laying in the snow. She called to him in a silent scream, pleading with him to "Get up!". But he was out of her reach. As she cried out, dark figures rose from the ground on all sides. They pressed in against her with grasping hands aiming to bind her. She struggled, kicked, tried to resist. The more she tried, the harder they pulled. She saw herself being pulled away from the figure and city both in yet another direction. Her pleas of "Get Up" turned to cries of "Help me!", though the one in white was unable to come to her aid. She found herself laying backwards, held down by the dark figures as they bound her arms and legs. Before her rose a final image. A colossal warrior made of Obsidian. The warrior drew an axe and glared at her with mixed emotions. Anger, vengeance, sorrow. The axe flashed as it descended towards her. *** Coatleque sat up screaming "NO!"... She looked around her room in a cold sweat, taking a moment to realize she was in fact still alive. It was another dream. She turned and let her feet dangle off the side of the bed, cradling her head in her hands. She would have no further sleep this night...

I wonder if the whole in-game marriage thing is just a way for them to debut a name-change system...

So, talk about bleed-through... I want to apologize to the long list of people who I had planned to RP with last night, or who I didn't get a chance to say more than 2 words to. A storm came through around 8pm and we lost power. As of now it's still down and I'm at work. So I sat for two hours just jonesing for my internet fix, thinking of all the stuff that COULD be happening. And now today I'll be out doing field work most of the day. So I'm just like... "Ef my life". Is this situation thread-worthy?

This 8-)

That's it... I'm doing this. I just need to start taking shots now