Surprise Visit (Nira)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Move it, shove off, outta my way!" Tock grumbled and yelled as she elbowed her way through the crowd. "Oy, whazza deal, aye?" she asked Nira. "I ain't done never been seen 'is many blokes in 'ere 'fore, aye? Izza party o' somethin'?" She had been too preoccupied with Mikey to pay any attention to the news of the army of Knights passing through. Nira had said she was traveling with 'a bunch if people,' but Tock had figured that meant, like, ten. She had no idea of the hundreds if not thousands of people passing through on their way to Sahova. She didn't care, though. She just wanted to get toasted. She held her breath and quickly downed her first drink, then advanced on the man Nira had picked out, ready to flirt shamelessly if it would get her another free drink. Leaning forward a bit, the buttons of her new blouse undone enough to help the person to a generous view of her cleavage, she said, "Oy, mate! Buy me a drink, aye?" It wasn't until he turned her way and was practically face first in her tits that she realized it was Kaeson. It didn't change anything. She slipped an arm around him, knowing he got flustered easily, and said, "Oy, 'is's my friend, Sook." She grabbed Nira's arm and steered her around to Kaeson's other side. "Sook, 'is's a pal o' mine, mighty fine chap, aye?" she patted Kaeson's shoulder, buffering him up. "Oy, mate, she's only in the city fer one day, aye? Dun be rude! Buys 'er a drink already!" she smacked his arm, still not having leaned back out of his personal space. She glanced around the room, giving serious consideration to some self-destructive behavior tonight. Satevis wasn't around anymore, she was lonely, she was depressed, and she was desperate to keep her mind off the dark thoughts that still hovered behind her eyes. Hell, even Kaeson would do. She didn't even care if she regretted it later. Right now she just needed, desperately, to cut loose and leave her sorrows behind, even if only for one night. OOCHave you noticed that Tock never, EVER calls someone by their proper name? I don't think she's called one person by their name in all the time I've played her!

[Nira'lia]

"Tock, no..." said in Nira'lia in panic as soon as the red-haired girl grabbed her. The action almost made her touch Kaeson, something which the Konti didn't want. She pulled away drastically, making an obvious effort to stay away from Kaeson. 'That's right... she doesn't know I can't touch people.' The Konti gave both Kaeson and Tock an apologetic look. Then, smiling, she looked at Kaeson. "Nice to meet you, uhm..." Tock had not mentioned any names... not even hers. She glanced awkward at her friend, realizing now that the girl never used given names. Pointing at herself, the Konti said, "I'm Nira'lia. And you are?" She looked at him from head to toe. He wasn't half bad to look at, and he also looked familiar. She could have sworn she had seen him before. Puzzled, Nira'lia thought about it for a while. "Aha!" She remembered now. When she had arrived the day before, she had watched the Zeltivan announcement about the journey. Curiosity had brought her to do so. Amongst the crowd she saw scholars, mercenaries, and just about anyone. She had a good memory when it came to faces, and she had seen this person as well... or at least she thought she did. Enthusiastically, she said, "You're going to Sahova as well! Right?" Still smiling, she took a seat beside him and took a gulp from the kelp beer. She almost spit it right out, but fortunately kept herself from doing so. It warmed her insides, which was good. Nira'lia reached forward and clinked her mug with Kaeson's, then at Tock's (even if it was already empty). "To a fun journey, then?" asked Nira'lia. Then she looked at Tock, remembering the last time she had drank with the gadgeteer. "A sendoff, just like last time... also to warm our spirits!" Nira'lia didn't like drinking, nor did she really need yet another sendoff. That was just another excuse. She could tell that something was bothering Tock, and if she needed a night of partying, then Nira'lia was going to comply. Their surroundings were rowdy, with people shouting and yelling. There might have been a bar fight going on behind them and Nira'lia wouldn't even have noticed as she continued to down what was left in her mug.

[Kaeson Dakano]

Kaeson turned from the Konti, only to find himself face first in cleavage. "S -- sorry, ma'am, uh, I, uh, didn't see you there and," Kaeson paused, his eyes briefly flickering up to the strangers face, "T -- Tock?" Kaeson asked, his face as red as the gadgeteer's hair.

"You're friend, Sook?" Kaeson asked incredulously, shifting his shoulders awkwardly in attempt to free himself from Tock's grasp. Kaeson turned to the Konti, offering an awkward smile. "She's never been big on names," Kaeson thought to himself, eyes shifting to Tock before returning to the Konti. Like most men, Kaeson had a certain weakness for the women of the white isle, the growing grin on his face acknowledgement enough.

"Nira'lia?" He repeated, taking care to pronounce each syllable. "I'm Kaeson," the young animator stated, offering the Konti his hand. Tock had distracted enough to not have notice Nira'lia pull away before, he wouldn't know the Konti had an aversion to touching new people. Kaeson couldn't help but notice the Konti eyes follow his own form, and was glad to oblige. The young man puffed out his chest, and slight stuck out his jaw before ordering three more kelp beers and the deepest kind of voice he could muster -- all the while trying to remain as nonchalant as Kaeson could hope to manage.

Perhaps the Kelp Beer was stronger then he thought.

"You too?" Kaeson asked, glad to meet someone else partaking on the Sahova quest. "I should've guessed -- Tock said you were only in town for tonight, after all!" Clinking his glass with Nira'lia and Tock, Kaeson smiled, "A send off then, and to a safe return to Zeltiva!" He yelled, his toast meet with a roar of agreement from the large group in the bar.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock barely noticed when Kaeson started drooling all over Nira, the same way he had over Iris when he first met her. It always seemed like any time Tock was around a Konti, they got all the attention. Even now, at the bar, several other men came up to Nira and started hitting on her. Normally Tock wouldn't care, since she only bothered flirting with men to get free drinks. She didn't usually crave their attention, and hated being oggled like she was nothing more than an object of conquest. Except tonight. Tonight she wanted the attention. She felt like trash, and she wanted some male (or even female, she didn't care) attention and interest to make her feel better about herself. So she undid another button on her new blouse, now pushing the boundaries of social etiquette with how much skin she was showing. It worked to a degree, but the beautiful blonde Konti was still snagging most of the attention away from the plainer, more normal looking girl. Maybe it was the scales? After her cleavage got her a few more drinks, she grabbed a random person from the crowd and said, "Dance wit' me..." She pulled the man forcefully into the middle of the room, the sound of a lute and a squeezebox playing somewhere in the crowd. She started wrapping her arms around her dance partner and pressing her body against him provocatively in the most seductive way she knew how. Having put away a good half a dozen beers in the last hour or so, she was too drunk to even realize it was Kaeson that she had grabbed. When she finally focused on his face she stared at him, confused and wondering just how she had wound up pressed against him that way. She just shrugged it off and told him, "Buy me 'nother drink..." She was swaying a bit and more than ready to start on her seventh? Eighth? Whatever it was. Then as the night wore on and time passed, she still felt the ache in her heart. She hadn't managed to drive it away. She needed something more... Once the dancing finished and she had finished off another few drinks, to the point that her stomach was churning and she couldn't take anymore, she grabbed both Kaeson and Nira by their sleeves and started pulling the to the door. "C'mon," she said. "I *hiccup* gots an idea..."

[Nira'lia]

Nira’lia eyed Kaeson’s outstretched hand. A flash of disgruntlement washed over her face. She had already avoided touching him before… and how he was just making it more difficult for her to come up with excuses. It wasn’t his fault though. He didn’t know. “Can’t touch you, Kaeson,” she said with a goofy grin. Nira’lia was never outspoken about her gift. Even Tock herself didn’t know about her troublesome predicament. But Nira’lia talked about it now. Her words came out as slurred but understandable. “If I touch you, I’ll be forced to see one of your most precious memories… and I’m sure you don’t want that.” She didn’t know if he knew much about the Konti, though her race was known to be seers. Nira’lia hoped he would leave it at that. Nevertheless, Nira’lia couldn’t help but chuckle at the obvious way he attempted to make himself seem more charming. Nira’lia was just about to continue the conversation, but suddenly a stranger had approached her and asked for her name. Puzzled, she obliged and started to speak to the stranger… then later there was yet another man, and they gave her drinks to which she couldn’t find the will to turn down. It would be difficult and impolite to ask them to leave her alone, and this caused her attention to transfer from Tock and Kaeson to all these strangers. A hand suddenly clamped down on her wrist, and her eyes turned to a daze as she was shown a memory which was not hers. Nira’lia shook it away as soon as she could. She didn’t bother to give it any significance. There was a burly looking man holding her wrist, and he was drunk, and he was asking her to accompany him to the dance floor. “I-I don’t really want to dance right now,” the Konti said as she tried to pull away from him. “Oh, c’mon… loosen up, like your friend over there.” Nira’lia immediately looked at Tock. With a gasp, she saw her friend pressed up against a man she had never seen before. Did Tock even know him? Her blouse was unbuttoned to the point that a hefty amount of cleavage was being shown. Nira’lia felt a bit tipsy but had enough grasp on reality to feel a lot of concern for her friend. The man she was pressed again had a mischievous grin on his face, and Nira’lia didn’t miss that. The Konti finally wriggled her way out of the stranger’s grasp and she strode over to Kaeson. “Is this normal for Tock?” she asked with worry. Relief soon filled her when Tock disentangled herself from the man. Nira’lia squeaked as she was suddenly pulled outwards the bar. She couldn’t fight it, nor did she even try – but she was confused. Where were they going now? “Tock, what are you doing? Are you o-okay?” They were soon out the door. The sun was gone now, causing Nira’lia to wonder how long they had actually been in the bar Tock continued to pull them, and Nira’lia fought to keep herself on her feet. The Konti swayed as her surroundings danced slightly around her – the beer’s fault. It was more difficult to walk with someone pulling her, so she struggled away from Tock. “I’m right here, I promise,” she said with a hazy grin. Then she walked behind Tock and Kaeson, following them. She reminded herself that she just needed to put one foot in front of the other in order to more forward – and even that she failed at as she tripped on what she swore was just air. Instinctively, she threw her hands at whatever she could reach – and that was Kaeson. For the second time that night, visions flooded her mind. As soon as they were clear, she frowned and steadied herself. “Sorry,” she muttered under her breath.

[Kaeson Dakano]

Kaeson quickly pulled back his offered hand, instead choosing to awkwardly push back his hair; a pathetic attempt to save face. The young man wasn't used to such blatant rejection, but then again, he wasn't completely used to putting himself out there either. Kaeson was blushing deeply, determinedly avoiding the Konti's gaze. He was embarrassed. Eyes flashing towards the bar, "Maybe another beer..." he hazily thought.

But then Kaeson heard why she couldn't touch him.

Smiling again, Kaeson nodded, "Uh, yeah. Of course. I mean, it can't be s'bad can it? I wouldn't mind sharing memories with you...," he mumbled, his own words slurred by alcohol. It wasn't so blatant a pick up line as he had heard used so often in the bar, but it wasn't clear enough to the young animator. He wouldn't normally be so obvious with his affections, but the liquid courage brewing in his stomach allowed him the confindence the young man normally lacked with these sorts of things. Looking back up, Kaeson was dissapointed to find Nira'lia surrounded by various men, had she even heard him?

Grumbling about tactless sailors and idiot blow hearts, Kaeson made his way to the bar. The young man ordered another pint, only downing about half the sludge before getting dragged out to the dance floor. The melodious sounds rattled Kaeson, this combined with the awkward posed woman thrusted upon him, made it very difficult for Kaeson to focus on anything. The seemingly strange woman had heard arms wrapped around Kaeson, trapping him in an ironclad hug -- if it weren't for the very predominantly displayed cleavage, Kaeson probably would have made more of a struggle. Perhaps.

He was far too gone by the time he realized it was Tock, mumbling a quick yes, Kaeson drunkenly made his way over to the bar for two more beers.

Kaeson was pulled out of the bar before he could pay, not that he was overtly worried about it. He watched as Tock pulled Nira'lia and himself through the darkened streets of a nighttime Zeltiva, the stars made so much brighter by his own drunken state. "Look," he cried out, pointing at the various constellation. They were nameless to him for the most part, but he could identify some of the more well known. "It's the big dipper *I don't know if that constellation actually exists in Mizahar, if not, I can always change the name and *hiccup* Swalden's up there too!"

Kaeson was far too distracted by the shimmering night sky to see a Konti tumble towards him, not that it bothered him too much.
...
Kaeson's memory
"Gran! Granny!"

"Look, look at what I did" a small boy makes his way towards a small table, carefully carrying what looks like a small toy soldier. "GRANNY!" the boy screams again, never taking his eyes off the toy. An elderly woman enters the small room, smiling as she sees the boy. Wrinkles adorn the worn face, signaling to a long life well enjoyed. Grey stains her black hair, casually worn in a loose bun.

"Look," the child commands, carefully placing the toy soldier on the table. Silence fills the apartment as the toy begins to walk.
...
"Can you touch me now?" Kaeson asked Nira'lia.

memoryIs that alright? I can always add some more detail later, I wasn't quite sure what memory to do so I figured this would work -- it seems happy, right?

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock dragged her friends through the streets, leaning heavily on both of them, an arm around each person's shoulders. After not too far of a walk, since it was in about the same neighborhood, they arrived, drunkenly, at The Equinox. "C'mon," the drunken Tock said, pulling her friends inside. "We's gettin' tattoos..." She slapped some gold on the counter and declared, "Three tattoos. Nice ones!" She then pulled off her shirt, and stumbled over to one of the chairs in nothing but her flimsy undershirt. She found herself before a dark-skinned young girl with dreadlocks, who didn't seem overly concerned that her client was drunk. They probably got a LOT of their business that way, after all. "Whaddya want?" the dark girl asked coldly. "An' where?" Tock didn't even give a second thought to it before she tapped her lower back, just above her ass, and said, "A wolf! A real fierce one! Grrr!" She draped herself over the chair, straddling it, hugging her chest against the back of the chair and pulling her undershirt off to give the artist clear access. She propped her chin on the back of the chair and waited for it to start, the girl rubbing something smelly over the area to disinfect it. Then she winced when she felt the needle pierce her, though with all the alcohol inside her right then, she barely felt the pain. Closing her eyes, she left the girl to her work and told her friends, "C'mon! I's buyin'! Mark the night, aye? 'Is's... 'sss... somethin' what ye'll never ferget, aye?" Grading Note : Tattoo prices aren't listed, so let me know in grading what it comes to and I'll deduct it from my ledger.

[Nira'lia]

Kaeson’s memory was one from his childhood. At that point, Nira’lia realized that he was a mage just like Tock. At this point in her life, Nira’lia was no longer taken aback by meeting mages. She was still scared for them, yes, but she was much more accepting of their presence as well. After all, fate had decided to make her part of a mage guild, although she wasn’t a mage herself. The visions that flooded her mind were gone in an instant, and she was pretty sure she would forget them in the morning. At that moment though, she was happy for Kaeson, and that he had such an innocent memory stored away in his mind. “What?” asked Nira’lia, confused, as she looked at Kaeson. He had asked her a question, but she had not heard it properly. Soon, Tock had put wiggled her way between the two of them, putting her arms around their shoulders. They had arrived to a place that Nira’lia had never seen before. The sign by the door read “The Equinox”, and the interior of the building puzzled her. It wasn’t until she heard Tock speak that she began to realize where they actually were. A Tattoo Parlor! “Three, Tock?” inquired Nira’lia. “That’s quite a lot, don’t you think…?” She watched as Tock positioned herself to get a tattoo done. The Konti glanced at Kaeson as soon as Tock took her shirt off. Nira’lia was much more conservative than Tock, and her actions this night was alarming her. The Tattoo artist did her job, and soon the image of a wolf was on Tock’s skin. The Konti winced—that looked painful. After the girl was done working on Tock, she turned to Nira’lia and Kaeson. The girl’s eyes rested on Nira’lia, as if judging her – why would a Konti, someone who looked demure even when drunk, want a tattoo? That was when Nira’lia realized that Tock meant they were each getting a tattoo. Nira’lia had drunk quite a bit. Her vision was hazy, she had a difficult time keeping herself on her two feet, but she understood this. And no, she wasn’t getting a tattoo. The only marks she wanted on her skin were from Avalis and Rak’keli. No amount of persuasion was going to convince her otherwise, and she would have to be strapped down and sedated if Tock really wanted her to get a tattoo. “I-I’m not getting one!” she said, horrified. Her words were still slurred, but the volume of her voice made her intentions clear enough. Nira’lia put her hands in front of her and shook her head furiously. “Kaeson, then… Kaeson, you go!” Attempting to avert the tattoo artist’s attention away from her, she put a hand behind Kaeson and pushed him forward. In her tipsy state, she didn’t even realize how much strength she had used. Her push would probably have sent him tumbling forward if he had been caught off-guard. “Go on, Kaeson! Y-you get a tattoo!”

[Kaeson Dakano]

Kaeson stumbled into the tattoo parlor, semi - confused as to where the stars had gone. In their place, a beautifully painted ceiling remained. Looking around, Kaeson found himself in a small room, decorated with chairs and various dyes and inks adorned the four walls.

Seeing Tock, get a tatto only made the young animator more excited. Then he was pushed towards one of the chairs by the Konti.

"That one!" Kaeson mumbled, drunkenly pointing at one of the many tattoo examples. The tattoo had been expertly traced on one of the various pigskins adorning the walls of The Equinox, it's design heavily based in simple geometric shapes. Black lines and curves artistically interwove themselves, forming a unique pattern as they made their way across the pigskin. "And...and I want it from here," Kaeson paused, gesturing to the wrist of his left hand, "Up to here," he pointed to the base of his neck.

"Right. Well let's get yo' shirt off, then we start." The svefra girl said, turning back to her station to prepare the inks. The alcohol numbed whatever reservations Kaeson would normally have to taking off his shirt in public, so he quickly removed his top, showing a surprisingly fit figure. There was no hint of hesitation as he made his way to the chair and laid down. He wanted this tattoo.

The tattoo artist quickly went to work, Kaeson numb already numb to most of the pain. The young man looked quickly to the Konti, mumbling about how she needed a tattoo as well.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

It took a couple of hours to complete the detailed work, and Tock somehow managed to doze off during it. She woke when the girl who had inked her slapped her bare skin and said, "You done..." Tock looked around blearily, still somewhat drunk but yet refreshed from the nap. She couldn't fully remember coming in here to get the tattoo. Slightly confused about why she was here, but still maintaining enough of a buzz not to care, she stood up slowly, wincing in pain from her stomach wound. The weeks-old wound was sore and red around the bandages, and made it hard for her to bend down and retrieve her shirt. Thus the whole tattoo parlor got an extended view of her firm, bare breasts as she slowly retrieved the new blouse and slipped it back on. Tock barely had any modesty to speak of when sober, and when she was riding a lingering buzz she had none whatsoever. Buttoning up her blouse, and idly wondering just why her lower back was hurting so much, Tock looked around and caught sight of her friends. She rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes and yawned, seriously ready to go home and sleep... What time was it? She belatedly realized it had to be after midnight... It was tomorrow... Crap! "Oh, petch!" she muttered, her expression dropping to one of pain and guilt. "Petchin' bloody dagnub stupid razza frazza dirty piece o' 'ORSE SHYKE!!!" Without explanation she headed out the door, as quickly as her stiff and sore body would let her move with the wound in her gut... OOCTo be continued... I'll post a link here and PM the participants when it's ready! (Continued here.)