Completed New Year's Party! (Part 3)

[Treachery]

No sooner had he called for back up then the man struck. Zooming forward he viciously snatched the paper from Orin, sending the man tumbling to the ground and made for the door. Bad idea. A fast moving target spurred on the thrill of the hunt within the Zith, made even stronger by the knowledge that for what the man had done, he didn't have to be too 'civil' with him. A feral growl tore from Treachery throat as he sprung forward after the killer. The man was a lot faster than himself and the knight who had also sprung into action, exiting the room before they could prevent him. Roaring out a 'STOP, YOU UNDER ARREST!', the zith charged onward even as the knight stoped at the door. Grabbing the door frame to give him more momentum, he failed to realise the scratch his claws had made against the wood. His entire mind simply rigged to find his prey. Ears primed, hurried footsteps above had Treachery searching for the nearest set of stairs. A quick yell of 'He up!' was sent at the knight before the Zith stormed up after his prey. His cloak bellowed out behind him as he went but his wings curved up and around his body on instinct. This made for a small stumble as he went over a step to fast into a full out face plant against the rock as he wing tip caught about his leg. Groaning from where his check had crashed into the foundations of the castle, the Zith slowly untangled himself. Paranoid over his wings, he spent another few chimes checking over the one that had tripped him up. Convinced there was now other damage beyond minor bruising the zith got to his feet and continued to climb the stairs at a slower pace now. Reaching the top of the first set, he focused in on any sound he could identify. The corridor was quiet but for the natural noise of it's occupants sleeping. No. No! NO! He couldn't have gotten away. NOO! Spinning around to see if that could help his ears pick up something, anything new. Nothing. Nothing at all. It couldn't be. Filled with rage the zith took it out on the nearest wall, clawing at the brick work and spewing the most atrocious things in his native tongue. Zithanese being beyond the range of human hearing, it would have simply look as the squire was having some sort of fit if anyone found him. Eventually running out of anger to fuel him, the Zith strained his ears one last time in vain before dejectedly making his way back down the stairs to the party. At what point he passed anyone one else that might have followed him in pursuit, he would simply mutter 'Got away.' as he continued to walk back to the party. In the event that nobody had bothered to follow, he would say those words toward the group that gathered around his fallen friend upon re-entering the room.

[Lorden Ladis]

Lorden's neck bristled as the Zith charged past him.

"STOP, YOU UNDER ARREST!," the knight cocked his eyebrows, but nevertheless hurried after the hairy-thing. Was he a knight? A Squire? Why in the petch would such creatures be allowed in the Order? There was no time to think on it now, the Zith seemed to to know where he was going, something that was not lost on Ser Lorden; he just hoped the bat-thing wasn't insane. Lorden rocketed after the furry creature, a mix of new found hope, anticipation, and trepidation flowing through him as the Squire roared, indicating in broken speech, that their mutual prey was up above.

In Sylir's good name, thank the gods, the swordsman thought, as he followed the agile form up the stairs. His heart had sank the second the supposed assassin had disappeared from sight, he didn't want to disappoint the order; but most of all, he didn't want to disappoint himself, his ideals.

Lorden and the winged creature whirled down the hall, before rushing up a flight of stairs. The Zith would take one step, and the knight would tarry behind, sweat dripping from his face in his anxiety and rush. But when the man... thing, that he was following began to face-dive, Lorden could only but grasp for the walls, as he was forced to halt his hastened step, or trip over the fallen hunk of hairy grey meat.

The monster stood checking himself for a moment. Lorden's heart demanded speed, his nerves demanded quickness, and his mind demanded these things now. Speaking through a dry voice, the swordsman attempted to rein back the rudeness in his voice, as he spoke to the fallen Zith.

"Well?!," he questioned. Almost as if in response, the fuzzball began moving his head around the air, eliciting a questioning look from the knight that stood behind him. The man's eyes drifted to the perked ears of the zith curiously, and expectantly.

What... is he listening for him or something?, the knight questioned of himself, in an nearly subconscious attempt to distract his mind, and keep from screaming at the 'tracker' in front of him to hurry. The beast looked up at him, and began to raise himself against the stairs underfoot, heightening to his feet.

"Got away," as the 'man' spoke, Lorden's eyes grew wide. The Zith simply began on his way back to the apartment. Could they just go back? Was there anywhere else to go?

Maybe I can sort some things out there, the knight offered to himself weakly.

And there's always that man in the chair..., he thought.

Lorden was no medic, but maybe he could do what he could to help? In the end, the twenty-year old gave one last glance up the stairs, before turning to descend said steps. He was no tracker, and he knew it.

[Garland]

Garland was feeling a lot better with April in his arms and on his chest. Things seem to be cooling down, Garland gave a a sigh and closed his eyes as he got showered in April's drunken kisses. He could hear someone confessing their love for someone else, so flowery and poetic. It made Garland gag silently and looked at April.

He whispered in her ear. "Honestly, stop drinking." He said and gently bit April's ear, and nibbled on her earlobe gently. "I know I've told you this before but... I love you." He said followed by a passionate kiss.

For a brief moment, the party was quiet, people just talking normally, no one fighting each other, and Treach being ignored by Sayana and Aren, and eating some ham. Sayana with Aren having a good (attempted) long chat.

And then the crash and the heavy footsteps followed after their small respite from the chaos. "For petching out loud..." He muttered and rolled under April and let her rest on the couch. "I swear Sayana, you must be the unluckiest person when it comes to open invitation parties." He said and got up from the floor and looked around the party.

There was one new guest that had joined, but he really didn't feel like mingling right now, instead he looked at the cloaked figured that seem to be looking for something and... It looked like Devi was on the floor. "Devi! What's going on he-" As Orin's face grew darker and paler all Garland could do was watch and wait for something to happen.

As Treach went over to Orin and started reading the letter, both their faces turned much grimmer. And then in one swift motion the cloaked figured knocked Orin off the chair and grabbed the letter off of Orin and bolted.

"Orin!" He went over and bent down to his friend. "Go! Get him!" He yelled, but didn't need to since a few others were already on his tail. "Devi! Take care of Orin! Sayana, make sure April doesn't break anything!" He said and followed Treach and the obvious knight.

'STOP, YOU UNDER ARREST!'

Garland was just behind the knight, but the culprit had a good headstart, but surely he couldn't outrun a Zith! Zith were, much to the daily dismay of travelers, born and bred to be hunters.

'He up!'

As culprit and Treach turned to run up the stairs, Garland could hear a loud crash. He followed Treach up the stairs and saw that the hunter was furious. "Treachery! Calm down!"

When that didn't work he sighed and ran around the second floor, looking for some signs of where this assailant had gone. He swore he saw a flicker of dying light in a doorway, but the hallways were well lit and it could have been just a trick on his eyes, he was half drunk right now, and only his sense of duty kept him on the ground.

"Petching Shyke!" He cursed and grumbled back downstairs and followed Treachery. "We'll get him." He then turned his attention to the knight. "Ser knight, I would suggest we get a search party up as soon as possible, I doubt there would be many squires in the dorms right now, they will most likely at parties or at the taverns." He said with a bow and a salute.

As they made it back to the party he went over to Orin's unconscious form. "He said that man killed someone, right? Who exactly did he kill?" He asked the people in the room.

[Holland Rolandus]

"Claudia, Come on dear; Come with me lets go. You're clearly incredibly drunk and I do believe we should get going now. Because I am going to have to take you home in your current condition. I wasn't at all expecting you to get this torn up."


Holland spoke and immediately approached the woman from behind. Grasping hold of her by the bicep and throwing her entire limb over his shoulder. Holland surely was glad that he'd chosen not to chug down any Ale; Due to the fact that he knew she would be torn up drunk. He'd been correct and immediately throws out his right arm around Claudias hip. Leaving his digit to come to rest upon the womans stomach. Slowly, but steadily he began pacing out the door. Opening it and walking out; Not even bothering to have acknowledged the "investigation" that was going on. She was far more important to him then some wild assassin. All he could think about for now was her own safety. He didn't want her crashing at the womans house due to how drunk she was.

They begun making their way out and away from the event as a whole. Walking to Claudias current residence.
A smile crept about his lips; As he'd held her and slowly made his way out the door.

[Sayana]

As Aren picked her up and gazed deeply into her eyes, Sayana felt a shiver of intense yet simple delight at such an action. When he spoke, he confirmed that she had made the right choice and her heart pounded with the vibrant emotion they shared. She gave a soft chuckle as she briefly glanced at whatever new chaos was ensuing. It probably paled in significance but she let him put her down as she steadied herself with her hands wrapped behind his neck. He quickly took her hand though, and pressed a tender kiss to the back of it. It was like out of a song or a storyteller’s tale. Unexpectedly she felt her cheeks grow warm and she watched as the Akalak went over to see what the ruckus was. However, when Sayana looked around her apartment, it suddenly seemed rather empty. The zith was gone, the knight was gone, even Garland was gone… And Orin was on the floor? There were maybe a couple people around the cook’s form but they seemed too busy trying to talk to him. “Oh come on, help a man up will you?” She spoke in rather direct manner. The cook looked like he had managed to knock himself out, and then Sayana noticed the fallen chair beside him. Regardless, she bent at the knees and slipped her arms under him to carry him to the empty couch. The cook had looked skinny enough and she was glad he wasn’t too heavy as she placed him down up on the couch. But he looked rather worse for wear, or at least he didn’t seem to be stirring. “Devi?” She called out as she looked around the apartment. “Could you hang back and see if he’s alright?” Sayana then addressed the few people interested in Orin and what he might have read. “As for the rest of you, come back in the morning if you need to talk to him. He’s in no shape now. Go do whatever squire law things you need to do.” She strode quickly to the kitchen area and came back with a damp cloth to place upon Orin’s forehead. She hoped it wasn’t some sort of bruise on the inside, yet was sure that Devi would figure out what was wrong. By the look of the chair it must have been a bad fall. “You should probably start heading home,” Sayana said to those nearest to her. “It was fun while it lasted, but with Orin like this and whatever happened out in the hallway…” Some of the other guests were starting to come back in from the hallway and she gave a scowl as she saw that the zith was one of them. This time speaking a bit louder she announced, “It’s time for you all to start going home. It’s the new year, the food has been eaten and I’ve got to start cleaning up.” She turned to Garland and gave a nod towards Treachery. “Garland, could you…?” She asked in a pained voice. It had been in her house, her home, long enough and she didn’t want to deal with it anymore. She noticed a pair staggering out of her apartment and was glad that some of her guests were starting to go home. It had been a long day and a long night too, but it had still been worth it. Despite everything. “Aren, did you want to stay? There’s a free couch, and there’s also my bed.” Her invitation was clear but she didn’t want to press him.

[Devi]

Devi extracted herself from the coats and cloaks on the floor for a second time, shaking her hand a little as she did so. Something, or rather someone had snatched the odd ring she had found from her hand with an almighty screech. As light returned to her vision she watched the scene unfold and the people in the room collide in quick succession. The focus of her attention flickered between Garland, whose attention had snapped quickly away from the mother of his child to Devi sprawled on the floor and then Orin’s blanched face, to Orin himself who was guided gently into a chair.

Then one of the other guests, the apparent owner of the belongings she’d been reaching for under the bed, lashed out desperately. He snatched a piece of paper from Orin’s fingers just as the cook opened his mouth, eyes locked on his assailant. With a swift kick he sent Orin flying off of the chair he had been seated on and ducked around the remaining guests to escape out of the door. Devi hardly noticed however as her eyes followed Orin’s fall, knowing that no one had reacted quickly enough to prevent it. His head hit the floor first, with a wet thunk that had her scrambling to her feet at once.

She reached him just as he blinked his eyes open and pulled himself up onto his elbows. Watching his face, Devi saw as Orin’s eyes lost focus and she reached to catch his shoulders as it became clear he could not support himself. She helped him ease back to the floor and almost smiled when he spoke.

”I think I’m just going to lie here for a second... Sitting up not so good right now.”

Devi started feeling carefully around the back of Orin’s head but before she could reach the actual injury Orin’s eyes turned panicky and he began struggling to sit up again. Before long he flopped to the ground, no longer resisting and with a wide, silly grin on his face. As he began to giggle a little she felt her stomach churn a little.

The one night I’m out without my kit...

With swift and gentle fingers she felt again for the injury, knowing that Orin’s confusion was not a good sign. His words faded a little as she concentrated on what she knew of head injuries. Puling one of her hands back she couldn’t find any blood on the wound but the flesh had swollen and hardened a little around it. He needed a cool compress to reduce the swelling, Chamayo Tonic and a lot of luck to get through this unscathed.

Orin’s words began catching up with her and she realised with a lurch that the desperate man who had run from the apartment had killed someone. Assuming of course that Orin’s confused words could be trusted. Something must have triggered the thought in his mind though, confused or not. Then as she considered how best to heal Orin she watched his eyes flutter shut and his whole form still. Her stomach gave another lurch – this was quickly growing beyond her skills to treat.

She looked up at the guests gathering their things and shuffling out at Sayana’s request, noticing the keen watch of the knights as they stood by to assist.

“He needs the doctors at Soothing Waters and soon.” She said. She held the damp cloth that Sayana had brought over against the wound, thinking that it was cool enough to be of assistance in staving off the rapid swelling. “Lift him carefully and support his head. No slinging him around like a sack of flour in a baker’s shop...”

Trusting that the multitude of young men (and occasional furry creature) around her would be sufficient to transport the unconscious cook she turned to Sayana and gave her a quick hug. She spoke softly in her ear, “I’ll come find you in a few days.” Pulling away she held the Eypharian at arm’s length, fixing her with a knowing look, “We have a lot to catch up on.”

Once she was certain her friend understood she turned back to the others and indicated she would leave with them. She would follow them to Soothing Waters and, once satisfied that Orin was in good care, would go home, light a fire and sleep as long as she was able.

[Aren]

Aren stepped back quickly, to allow someone who actually knew what they were doing to have a look at Orin. The suggestions of the woman who inspected him seemed sensible, and the Akalak hoped that she looked as capable as she sounded. It would have been a shame for the chef's life to have been saved nearly half a season ago, only for it to come to an unceremonious end now. As he made his way out of the crowd, he noticed the hostess of the New Year's celebration aiming a decidedly unsatisfactory glance back towards the Zith, which somehow still had the gall to linger about. "He must have a huge honking pair underneath all that fur," Seros commented, forced to admire the creature's shameless tenacity. It had been yelled at, assaulted, threatened and all around made to feel unwelcome, but it was still here. The darker Other still could not stand the sight of the hideous beast, but sometimes even an abomination forced a grudging respect out of those who would otherwise rather just kill it, burn it, and put it in the ground. "I still want to carve its guts out with a rusty spoon, though." Aren, for his part, felt his fists clenching every time he looked at the creature, and simply wanted it to be gone before he did something incredibly stupid with all these knights around. Again. It seemed to have some connection to them, especially with their hostess' "friend" Gar-something or other, who might himself have been a member of the knighthood, if the way he darted after that other guy was any indication. Once Sayana began to suggest that it was time people started heading home, Aren headed back to her side, hoping that the decree didn't apply to him. When she offered him a place on her couch or on her bed, his face reconfigured to display a boyish grin, absent command. "I'll... help clean up," The Akalak stated, lips pursing, as he shot the Eypharian a brief glance that was more than sufficient to indicate where his preference surely fell. "And I'll take out the trash, if necessary," Aren growled, as his eyes were unwittingly drawn in the direction of the winged monstrosity who had not yet found his way out of Sayana's home. It better get gone soon, he thought, knowing that there was a limit to the depth of even an Akalak's self-control. At this very instant, he was imagining his hands around this "Treach's" neck and doing the whole world a favor. Why would anybody be against one less savage, raping slaver, Aren wondered, unable to understand how it could be that anyone at all had come to its defense.

[Lorden Ladis]

Lorden looked over to Garland as he suggested a plan of action; and questioned the room, as to the nature of their previous guest.

A search party...? Maybe, Lorden thought, as he looked down at the man who was on the couch, as he was apparently being tended to by a brunet on the younger side of adult-hood. The knight's face contorted into a thoughtful gazed.

But. I don't think he looks like he could tell anyone much of anything, not now... anyway, the man mused to himself, trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation; as the woman he was looking on at, began to offer him just the prompting he was trying to urge from within himself.

“He needs the doctors at Soothing Waters and soon,” as the seemingly capable brunet spoke, the swordsman nodded his head as she did. Slowly, Lorden took a step towards the couch and the cook who had been placed on it, before turning to the Squire who had inquired, as to what the 'assassin' had actually done.

"I don't think he'll be telling us what we need to know right now. At least nothing understandable, as it so stands," the knight relayed his thoughts on the matter, to the man. As his tongue began to lie still in his mouth, Lorden offered what he meant as an approving nod, to show he wasn't dismissing the Squire, just postponing his suggestion out of what he viewed as necessity.

Slowly Lorden bent down, with the intent of hefting the unconscious form, that lay sprawled surprisingly comfortably on the host's small couch. The swordsman began to slip his hands under Orin's head, as the brunet he was trying to heed offered a bit more welcomed directive.

“Lift him carefully and support his head. No slinging him around like a sack of flour in a baker’s shop...,” as Devi spoke, Lorden locked his blue eyes with her's attentively, before nodding as the medically-inclined woman's words began to drag off.

"Carefully then? Very well, I'll see to it m'lady," the knight said, as he looked back down at the injured chef, and reaffirmed his grasp on the man's form.

Slowly, with his chest straining under the weight, Lorden unfolded himself and the man he was carrying up into the air. The knight came to stand erect, in a somewhat uncomfortable posture. Taking a breath, in an attempt to feed oxygen to his straining biceps, Lorden began to offer an obliged explanation to the crowd.

"I'll take him to the Waters. If he remembers what was on that paper when he wakes up, after that beating he took, we'll go from there," the swordsman addressed the small gathering, that had congregated over to the hurt man. Lorden smiled bleakly, at the obvious concern of the guests.

This is what I'm protecting. The folks that care for one another, the knight thought. Yet as he mused, he couldn't help but drift his eyes over the where the blue man from before stood.

Even if some of them, can cause a bit of a stir, the knight allowed his thoughts to readily flow, reinforcing his strength, and pushing pride into his heart, as they did. With another thought, the twenty-two year old, looked down at the man in his hands, and then over to Devi.

"You've already done more than I should ask, in just helping the man. But if you really don't mind coming with me, I'd be glad, I have no idea what he needs or who he needs to see," the knight inquired, unsure if what he had asked sounded like a polite demand or a respectful request. If the woman came with him so be it, if not, he'd figure something out.

Turning, the knight wheeled with intent, to face the door of the apartment. A part of the young man was glad to be leaving. With some semblance of manners still drifting in his concerned mind, Lorden allowed his visage to float over to the woman who was hosting, or rather had hosted, the overly-eventful get-to-together. With an attempt at courteous respect, the encumbered man inclined his head noticeably in the woman's direction.

[Garland]

Garland sighed, and went over to April. "Sayana, I guess I'll talk to you later or something. It's something really important, but it can wait. I've ruined your new year enough." With that, he went over and picked up April and pretty much slung her over his shoulder, like a killed boar being taken back after a hunt.

He looked over to the blue Akalak, he can understand WHY he didn't like Treach, but Treach was his friend, a friend that risked his life for Garland's, he wasn't pretty to look at, true, but Treachery was a trustworthy sort in Garland's eyes. The irony was not lost to Garland, he gave a small snicker and looked at the knight.

"Ser, I'll be taking my leave now. I think it would be best to seal off the second floor for that person." He said and looked over to Nivel and Treach. "You two are the fastest, I think it would be best for the two of you to report back to the higher-ups. Though, Nivel looks wasted... Keep an eye on her Treach."

With that he turned to leave the party, with the drunk Sverfa on his shoulders. "Ugh..." He strained under her weight, this was going to be a long walk back to the docks. "Has anyone ever told you how heavy you are?"

-Docks, April's Ship, Tosca-

Garland placed April down on the hammock and sat down on the chair beside her. "So... We're alone now... I hope you don't mind that I'll be staying here for the night." He said with a wink and kissed April's forehead.

oocDone, I'm out, peace! Well... since Phay is pretty much gone to Sunberth because some dumb reason(though completely justified) or something, I think either a random NPC guest joins the party and does what Phay did or a random drunk comes in and knocks Orin to the ground and then runs off

[Treachery]

It seemed two others had pursued the criminal with him, the knight and Garland. The latter of the pair attempting to calm down his frustrations before giving up and climbing the stairs to see if he could find their prey. The former seemed just as annoyed as the Zith with the entire situation. A curse from upstairs signalled that his fellow squires search had been just as successful. Taking the lead as the group returned to the party, Garland's reassurance didn't do much for Treachery's mood. He didn't want to get this man later, he wanted him now, squirming beneath him as the zith clawed out his eyeballs. Sayana began glaring at him the moment he entered the room, as did her mate. Deliberately ignoring the pair, Treachery instead focused his attention on the man lain out on the sofa. In his rush to catch the killer, the zith hadn't noticed Orin hit the floor, he had only seen him start to fall. Worry and guilty washed over his features as he rushed forward, hovering next to the woman that was checking the man over. His friend was still breathing that much he could tell, but the lack of response scared him. The only time he had seen someone out like this had been back with his old colony when a scout had misjudged an arrow, crashing out the sky with a sickening smack. Back then the result hadn't been pleasant, but he couldn't smell any blood now so that was a good sign. Sounding fairly unconcerned about the injured man in her house, the hostess called for everyone to leave, declaring the party over. Shuffled out the way as the knight hoisted Orin's unconscious body into his arms. Treachery could only look on as the female that had been looking over him followed the knight out of the room. They were going to make Orin feel better, to heal him. That was good. He could trust them. Running these words over in his head a few times was the over thing that stopped the Zith charging after the pair and personally overseeing his new friend's well fair. Somewhere in the background the hostess and her mate had started up again, the latter being the more openly aggressive of the two. Treachery felt his temper flair as the giant referred to him as 'trash'. With a swoosh of his long hair, red bore into gold as the Zith dared to crack a smirk at the giant, wings uncurling slightly to emphasis his challenge. Squire or not, he was proud of his race and wasn't about to back down to an over sized bully. Their silent duel was interrupted when Garland drifted over hauling a very drunk female over his shoulder as he went. Eye contact broken, Treachery nodded curtly at the implied orders and set about looking for the Pycon and her riding rat. Nivel, herself, had rejoined the party after threatening Big Blue and was currently passed out in her own wine bath-cup. Her rat was sniffing about under the refreshment table. Sighing, Treachery crouched down and tried to coax the rat out. Turns out rats weren't that fond of Zith. Pondering for a moment, the squire closed his eyes and focused on everything that made his claws, claws. Feeling his own djed, the flow, the shape, the texture of it and recalling where to pinch and tug to get what he desired. Breathing in a slowly letting it out, the Zith pulled at it. Claws gradually over the course of a chime melted into slightly elongated fingers. The model wasn't perfect as the excess mass had had to go somewhere but it was better than it had been. Only when he was certain he was holding his djed on place did Treachery open his eyes again. Now without the danger of his claws harming the mount, the zith was free to forceful grab under the table. Now trapped in the crook of his elbow, the rat couldn't do much but squirm as it's capture stood up. Carefully pouring the Mage-squire out of her cup, he ignored the dribble of wine dripping on the floor. Nivel really was adorably tiny, he could fit her entire form in one hand. A brief shake of his head at her silliness, the rat calmed down as he let it's master lay against it's back. No longer needing the fingers, the djed was release flowing back immediately to it's original shape. Exhaling deeply, Treachery walked over to the man he assumed was a Squire judging how he had been threatening to haul people off to the tank earlier in the night. “We need inform higher up. You come with too?” Although he was a squire, Treachery wasn't sure how well the higher ranking members of his new colony would handle a lone Zith during the early hours of the morning. Hopefully the man would join him but that was up to him. Giving the hostess and her a brief lingering look, the squire disappeared out the door. A swish of hair and the flap of wings following in his wake. The pair annoyed him but Treachery had bigger problems to worry about, first of which being locating which one of the many squire dorms in the castle belonged to the unconscious clay female lying in his arms. Bother. Maybe he could ask a knight.