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Nobody Wins; [P] Linesi Eth'ria
Topic Started: Mon Oct 1, 2012 3:05 pm (997 Views)
Linesi Eth'ria
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Linesi said, "It's not your fault. You probably don't have the money for a more expensive restaurant, and this is what's available at this level. You also don't wear long robes, so you don't think about such things. One of these days I'm going to figure out how to use my magic to clean my clothes."

Lin could see that Shan's smile was somewhat forced. It seemed he was embarrassed by the whole situation. Lin was curious what it was that made men act somewhat strangely around her. She knew by now to expect it, but she didn't know why, though she figured that was one question that would not be answered to her satisfaction any time in the near future, if at all.

Linesi returned Shan's smile with one that was not at all forced. She was trying to let him know that he need not feel bad for what he perceived to be mistakes, and that she was enjoying her time with him. However, she wasn't completely aware of the influence her smile might have on him.

"Actually, I'm going nowhere in particular. I was just wandering the city and seeing what I could see, and that's something I can just as easily do with you."
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Shan Orison
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"Yeah, I guess I do go for more practical wear. Um, not saying that isn't practical, or very nice..." He trailed off, sensing the hole he was digging. Why did this girl make him feel so flustered? He had a girlfriend! Or...he was sure she was his girlfriend.

Though you haven't really seen each other since Vyse's party last year.... his second thoughts pointed out. And you've shared, what? One peck on the cheek? You've gotten more play from that vampire.

He...didn't need a reminder of that. Besides, it wasn't like that at all with Linesi. They were just...friends, maybe? They were friends, at most.

Then why are you blushing?

Shan ignored himself.

"So, is this your first time in Balefire?" Shan asked. "This is the first place I ever performed as a bard, so it holds a lot of fond memories for me. If you're here as a tourist, I could show you around."
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Linesi Eth'ria
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Linesi wouldn't have been offended by his comment about wearing more practical clothing, but Shan seemed to think that she would be. Lin knew that the long robes and dresses she liked to wear looked good but weren't the most practical things around, and she wore them anyways.

Lin just smiled at him again and didn't reply. He seemed to like being around her, and he couldn't quite keep things together. This told her that he just might be interested in her. He wasn't the first. Lin wasn't quite sure what it was, but she'd noticed that she had that effect on men. She didn't judge them for it, though it could be fun to watch.

She said, "Yes, it is my first time here, and I would like it if you show me around the city."

Shan was the friendly sort, and Lin was enjoying her time with him. However, she didn't consider him to be more than a friend, although she might flirt with him to see how he would react.
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Shan Orison
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"Well, thanks to a generous patron I had earlier, I don't have to worry much about getting enough coin for dinner tonight," Shan smiled. "So I have time. Shall we?" Shan gestured with his hand, and led Linesi a few yards down the laternlit street before snapping his fingers and pivoting back. "Hang on, sorry, forgot my violin." Shan quickstepped back to the high table they'd eaten at. He blinked, and his eyes darted across a wider and wider area. "Uh, oh..."

"Um, sir?" Shan asked the brisket salesman. "Did you happen to see what happened to a small brown case that was leaning over there?"

The brisket man shrugged. "Nope. Not my problem. I'm not liable for anything stolen. Sorry, lad."

Pfft, it's not that big an issue anyway, his arcane thoughts pointed out. All you have to do is summon your violin back and-

We can't! his common sense broke in before Shan could do just that. Cricket! Cricket's in the violin! If we summon the violin back, those thieves would just open it up to find an empty case and a cricket! They'll squash him!

There's a chance he'd take them down first... his second thoughts offered. But if he's in the violin, he's got a much higher survival rate. We need to track it down by foot.

HOW? We don't have a dire tiger to sniff it out this time! his pessimism panicked.

They couldn't have gotten far, his optimism said. We'll find it.

Yeah, but that does mean.... his inner gentleman trailed off.

Well, yes, that was unfortunate, but Shan had his priorities. He planned to stick with them.

"I'm sorry," Shan said, running back to Linesi. "I'm afraid I can't show you around after all. Someone stole my violin and, well, I am very sorry, but I need to go find it. I hope you have a good day, and thank you for your company."
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Linesi Eth'ria
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Shan was just offering to treat Linesi to dinner when Lin noticed a somewhat worried expression on his face. He then mentioned that he'd forgotten his violin and rushed off. Lin stayed where she was standing, waiting for Shan to return with his instrument.

Shan seemed to be taking a while to return. After a bit, though, he came back, but he was not holding the violin. He then mentioned, in a rush to go looking for his instrument, that he was going to go look for it and leave her behind. Lin, however, didn't particularly care for being left behind like that.

She said, "I can help you find your violin. There's no need for us to part ways yet. Once you find the violin, I'm sure there will be time for you to show me around the city."

Linesi then thought for a moment. She was no expert on finding stolen property, but she had noticed an alley nearby that would be easy for someone to sneak into. Lin gestured toward the alley and said, "Maybe whoever took your violin ran down there. Seems to me like a place to hide."
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Shan Orison
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"Oh, really?" Shan said, a bit surprised but pleased, nonetheless. "Okay, um, sure, yes. Let's get on this, then." Linesi noted a side alley the thief might have fled down. Shan started down it, but backtracked.

"Wait, wait, dammit, we can't just run blindly. The thief would know this city better...we need some way to...Okay! Wait, um...you're alright with dogs, right?" Shan asked, stopping his nervous pacing to grin. "Oh, and can you hold my bag? And I'll need you to open doors. It's easier to maintain shapes and, wait, probably should transform in that alley. Don't need to freak people out. I mean, people not you. I mean, you probably shouldn't be freaked out, since you're a mage," Shan babbled, not keeping his thoughts well connected or well explained as he ducked into the shadows of the alley, nearly vanishing in them when he held still. Shan shut his eyes, focusing, then began to mutter. Shan's body shrank, twisted, and elongated, espeically in the face, ear, and spine.

A few seconds later, a droopy faced bloodhound stood in the alley, its fur the same shade as Shan the human's hair. It inhaled as it waited for Linesi to prepare to follow him and oh dear gods the smells. They were a whole world of their own, just as rich and vibrant and varied as the mana his eye could see. He could still see with that wizard eye, the thing being capable of shifting with him, but sight was really such a tertiary sense now. There was so much to hear and even more to sniff, so many delicious and interesting and bright and confusing and strange-

Focus, his second thoughts said. Focuuuus.

Right, right. Focus. He was this shape for a reason. Even with his human nose, he could likely pick out his beloved violin by scent. He sniffed, now with a goal in mind, and there it was: familiar varish, the oil from his hands, the musty leather of the case, and a soapy scent hinted with rosemary. That might be the thief. Shan knew he kept his rosemary scents to soup. Now, lavender, on the other hand-

Focus!

Right, focus. Shan's black, moist snout snuffed a bit off the ground, and his tail wagged as he headed down, fortuitously enough, the same alley Linesi pointed out. It didn't remain a straightfoward trip, however. Shan found himself turning onto main roads, squeezing down narrow corridors, through deserted backways and crowded market streets. This thief was damn fast. Shan kept on the scent, however, only pausing to ensure Linesi kept up. Finally, they caught a hint of movement as it headed into a backdoor, the door closing with a quiet click. Shan kept following, nose snuffling steadily, and confirmed that, yes, their thief went in there.

Shan stared up at the door and, specifically, at the knob. It was brass, round, and impossible to operate without thumbs. Shan looked over at Linesi, hoping she understood this was where they wanted to go. Hopefully, the thief didn't lock it behind themselves.
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Linesi Eth'ria
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Linesi made no attempt to reply to Shan. He seemed to be babbling, so chances were, he wouldn't pay her much attention anyways. Lin did listen, though, picking up Shan's intention to shapeshift into a dog. Shortly afterward, he did just that, and instead of a human, Lin now saw a bloodhound in front of her.

It wasn't until Lin noticed him smelling things that she realized why he'd changed himself into a dog. A dog would have a sufficiently strong sense of smell to be able to track down and find this violin. It wasn't long before Lin was following this dog down alleys, streets, corridors, and such like. Linesi didn't have much trouble keeping up, but this was because she used her wings to enhance her speed. Lin's wings were made of air, and as such, they could not be seen or touched when they were not in use. However, now that she was using them, they appeared as wings made out of mist or cloud. They were easily enough for her to fly, but Lin was not using them to fly at the moment, but just to run faster, though her feet did leave the ground a few times.

After a few minutes of running like this, Lin saw Shan sniffing at a door and then look at the doorknob, and then at her. Lin got the message that he wanted her to open it. Lin tried the door, but it was locked. She took a step back and said, "Step back, I'm going to see what I can do about this door."

She started casting a spell, her incantations and gestures making it obvious that she was doing so. When ready, she extended her hand toward the door, hitting the door, specifically the lock, with a lightning bolt. This caused some visible damage to the door. Lin tested it, and she was able to open the door by pushing on it. As she did so, some pieces of wood fell to the ground. Lin waited by the door for Shan to go through and followed him inside.
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Shan Orison
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The handle was locked. Dammit, where was Dali the locksmith when you needed him? Shan prepared himself to expend the mana to switch back to human, but Linesi had her own creative solution to opening the door. With a bright flash, she send a small bolt into the lock, severing the bolt that held the door in place. She jiggled the handle, and the door opened with ease. She stepped aside and waiting for Shan.

Shan headed in. The room was dark and crowded with debris, but Shan was far more focused on his nose and oh man there were so many smells here! This is fantastic! There's food smells and spice smells and metal smells and wood smells and leather smells and-

Focus, dammit!

Focus. He snuffled the air, searching for wood and varnish and the oils of his human hand. It was here, yes, though it was taken through the maze of boxes. Shan looked back at Lin. He realized that things were likely to get dangerous from here on out, so he should give her another chance to get back, or at least tell her the true purpose of the mission. He harrumphed in his thick dog throat and shifted back, fully clothed, thank the gods, and on all fours.

"Alright," Shan whispered. "Before we continue, I should probably let you get out now before we run into actual trouble. I'm betting this is the thief's destination, so we're likely very close." He paused, realizing where he was, and standing up. "Now, if that doesn't work, I figure I should let you know that, if worse comes to worse, we're honestly here for um...for my pet cricket. He was in my violin when it was stolen. So if we need to run or bargain or anything, we just want the cricket. The violin will care for itself. Alright? Now, we need to get to the other side of the room." He extended an arm towards Linesi. "Hold my hand. I'm pretty good at navigating the dark, but watch your shins. It's a bit of a maze of stuff in here."
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Linesi Eth'ria
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Once they were inside the building, Shan, still in canine form, sniffed around. Lin couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed like he could tell where to go. He didn't go very far, though, but looked back at where she was standing. A moment later, he shifted back into human form and started talking to her.

He warned her that pursuing the thieves might become dangerous, but he seemed to assume that Lin intended to continue with him. He was correct, though she thought he might be the type to try to keep her out of danger. It could be mentioned, though, that he had seen her use a lightning bolt on the door, a demonstration that she could use magic.

He then had a confession to make. Apparently, he was after his pet cricket, and not his violin. To Lin, that seemed like an unusual type of pet to have. However, it did explain the insect flying into his violin case earlier.

Lin said, "So that's what jumped into your violin case earlier. That would explain you not letting it go right away. Anyways, I'm ready to get moving."

Lin grasped Shan's hand, sliding her fingers between his. She didn't have much ability to see in the dark, so she would have to rely on his ability to lead her. When Shan started moving, Lin would follow him.
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Shan Orison
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"Oh, uh, you saw him," Shan said. "Yes, that's him. He's a pain, but he's my friend."

And we somehow enhanced him with human intelligence and you've seen him kick out a bandit's eye once, his second thoughts said. Are we going to mention any of that?

None of that really applied here, and he really didn't like to think of that bandit. He still shuddered at that memory. He understood Cricket was tiny, but going for the eyes was just....brrrr.

They proceeded slowly around the crates and barrels, though more for Lin's benefit than his own. He could see just fine in the darkness, somehow, and his false eye could see even more. He paused before a door he suspected led out of the storage room and into the building proper. He held up his hand and stopped her as he shut his left eye to better make out the mana swirling around the door. He didn't know what it was, but there was a strange pattern that looked somewhat familiar, but incomplete.

"Shh, stand back," he whispered, letting go of her hand. "I'll go first." He waited for Lin to step away from the door, as he was uncertain what might happen when he opened it, and cautiously touched the knob. Nothing happened. He gripped it. The pattern kept coiling slowly. He turned the knob and pushed it forward, catching a glimpse of what looked like a storefront, the walls filled with miscellaneous knickknacks and goods. He could hear the voices more clearly: a young woman and an older man. From the words he could catch, it seemed they were making small talk.

Now the pattern reacted, snapping into action and knitting together, shooting toward the the knob and down his arm. Now he recognized it. It was a strange, looping, almost crochet pattern that went along with a very specific kind of magic, one he was quite familiar with, though he'd never seen it used in this matter.

Transformation.

The door opened wide as he fell against it in shock. His mass shrank and vanished as he tumbled into the room. His limbs twisted, his hair grew, his spine elongated, and in a span of a few seconds a small, red furred kitten tumbled around the floor, its feet and the tip of its tail colored white. Shan panicked slightly, accustomed to the form, at least, but certainly not the method, and tried to change back. Most terrifying of all, nothing happened. He was trapped. He looked up to see the owners of the voices looking down at him. A porky man with a well oiled mustache to make up for the hair missing from his head leaned over the store's counter to get a better glance at him, and a thin girl dressed in drab browns and greys smiled and leaned down to pick him up, cooing. Shan hissed and batted a claw, but kittens weren't precisely fearsome creatures, and he found himself trapped in her hands.

"Awww, hey there, little guy," the girl said, holding Shan up on the air where he twisted and mewed in protest.

"Dammit, now I have to reset that trapspell," the portly man said in mock anger, but his grin showed he was just as amused. "You best calm yourself, little sneakcat. That spell isn't wearing off anytime soon. Should teach you to avoid breaking into places."

The girl tossed Shan in the air a few times sending him into rigid terror as he took flight before she caught him. Oh, gods, this was horrible. He could see his violin on the counter, at least. They hadn't opened it, yet. He could try to work out a plan, as long as they didn't spot-

"Hey! You!" the portly man shouted, pointing toward the door. "You! Little girl!"

Linesi. Dammit.

"You want your friend back?" he asked, then grinned. "I hope you have the cash for it. People who trespass into my shop get rather expensive."
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Linesi Eth'ria
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Linesi followed Shan to the door. He soon reached the door and opened it. Lin stood back somewhat, but when the door was opened, the man was right in her line of sight. She might not have been extremely easy to spot in the low light, but she was not hidden, and her clothing did not blend in with her background.

As Shan opened the door, Lin saw him push the door open wide in what looked like more of a fall than an intentional push. Seconds later, his body was shrinking. Before long, he was a small, red-furred kitten. Lin then watched him try to resist as the girl picked Shan up and threw him into the air a few times.

A moment later, Lin saw the man's eyes lock onto her. The man then called out to her, referring to her as a little girl. Lin knew that since she was an elf, she was probably more than twice this man's age, but as an elf, she looked like a young woman. He then mentioned that it would cost her to get Shan back.

Lin just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to make of the situation. She had money on her, but probably not enough to pay this man's price. This meant that she would have to resort to some other means to get Shan and his cricket free.

After thinking for a few seconds, Lin came up with an idea. She stepped to the side of the doorway, so that she was out of sight of anyone inside the room. Her intent was not to hide, but to give herself enough time to cast a spell. Lin began casting, her incantations making it apparent that she was casting a spell. As she cast her spell, she heard the older man casting a different spell. She couldn't tell the exact nature of the spell, but she recognized that it was dark magic. Lin finished her spell, which caused a thick fog to cover the nearby area[1]. It took a few seconds for this fog to cover the entire room, but it obscured the doorway almost instantly. The man finished his spell, a black bolt, and blindly cast it through the door. Lin, expecting that, stayed out of the doorway and moved behind a box as the spell was cast. The fog was supposed to make vision difficult, but Lin realized that she was seeing through the fog without difficulty. Either her spell had failed or her connection with the wind was giving her the ability to see through the fog (in reality, the spell took full effect, but Lin was able to see through it via Storm-Blessed [Storm Kindler]).

Lin decided to walk into the room, passing through the doorway for the briefest possible amount of time because she didn't want to be hit by another blind spell. She then started casting her own spell. Once again, the man started casting after she did, and again, she got her spell off first. She extended her hand, releasing the energy of the spell in the form of a powerful bolt of lightning that struck the man's chest. The spell didn't appear to cause serious injury, but it was enough to make the man lose his spell and stun him for a moment. Lin took advantage of the distraction and opened Shan's violin case. She didn't do more, but by opening it, she was giving the cricket a chance to get out. Lin then said to the girl, "Let that kitten go or I will have to blast you with lightning, too."
[1] Spell Used: Obscuring Mists
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Shan Orison
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The girl looked at the fallen man, she glanced at the violin, she stared at Lin, and she gazed quietly at the kitten in her arms. Neurons fired in her mind as she worked out her chances against someone who could summon lighting from her hands.

Carefully, she stepped toward the counter, kitten Shan in her arms, moving deliberately and slowly. "Alright," She said, raising a hand and cupping the kitten in one arm. "Alright...I'm puttin' 'im down...." She grabbed Shan by his neck scruff, causing his limbs and tail to curl against his body. This actually felt kind of nice, Shan thought. Kinda cozy and secure.

"Just...puttin' 'im down..." the thief said, unbending her elbow and lowering Shan onto the countertop. When Shan was a few inches above the worn wood, however, her other hand darted out and plucked the violin from its case. She dropped Shan, took a deep breath, reached into her jacket, and slammed a small metal capsule on the ground on the ground. A cloud of grey smoke suffused the air. Shan coughed an adorable tiny kitten hack, feeling his mind beginning to spin with wooziness. When he looked up, he saw the woman vanishing inside a trap door on the other side of the counter, the heavy wood of it dropping back into the floor and securing with a thud.

Shan tried to move, managing to stumble over and into the empty case before the gas filling the shop made it near impossible to coordinate his four legs. Something chirped at his ear, kicking at his fuzzy head. Considering he was beginning to see swirling rainbow circles before his eyes, he didn't pay it much attention as he sprawled, confused and weak, on the velvet lining of the case.

Used Muddling Liquid from the alchemist shop in a dispersal grenade. Sorry this took forever to appear.
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