Quest Disinclined to Acquiesce (Open)

[Iosha]

When she arrived in Wind Reach a week ago, Iosha noticed a poster advertising the festival hanging on a wall. The party sounded like fun, and she thought to herself it was a good way to learn about the customs of her father's people first hand. Iosha never really had time between her studies to go to the festivals in Mura, so most likely she will find a quiet corner and be perfectly content in people watching. Iosha felt odd being all dressed in white. Her white cotton blouse felt out of place compared to the extravagant and colorful silk halt tops the Inarta women are wearing, and her eastern style pants seem dull compared to long flowing pants of the Inartans. Iosha decided to wear her hair up in a tight white bun that now has become elegantly disheveled from her travels through the city. Walking faster down the inner warren, Iosha can hear the revelry of the festival down the hall. Iosha smiles to herself when she sees a large crowd at the entrance of the Courtyard of the Sky. She notices the party must of already started since the crowd has already started their drunken festivities. She laughs and says quietly to herself, “As usual Io, you are once again fashionably late to the party.” She gently starts weaving her way through the ever growing crowd until eventually she makes it to the center of room. Standing there trying to find her bearings, Iosha notices a long table with platters food on it. She walks to the table and picks up a plate. Iosha fills her plate with a assortment of meat, vegetables, fruit, and piece of cake. She turns around, and she sees a young red hair man man holding a tray of drink walking towards her. He stops and ask her, “Would you like anything to drink?” Iosha looks at the drink selection, and says to him, “I will take the blush wine, sir.” Hearing her call him “sir” definitely confused the young man, the expression on his face a look of shock, but he quickly recover and says politely to the her, “Enjoy the party, miss.” He turns around and quickly makes his way to another party goer. Looking around the courtyard, Iosha notices a quiet and comfortable spot by the wall. Once again She weaves her way through the crowd, trying her hardest not to spill her food or her drink. She makes it too the wall, and she sits cross legged on the ground. She sets the plate in her lap and takes a sip of her drink. She listens and watches the, crowd, dance, laugh and eat to their hearts desire. When Iosha is finish with her food, the same red hair servant comes over and kneels down besides her an smiles, “Did you enjoy the food, miss?” Iosha looks at him and nods with a smile. She would have said something, but her mouth was filled with cake. The young man smirks and says to her, “Well if your done with your plate. I can take it off your hands.” She swallows the rest of her cake, gives him a wide smile, and hands him his plate. Feeling her mouth dry, she take another drink and says to him, “Well thank you sir. I have to say you are doing a fine job.” She looks at him and notices he is has elegantly dress as the other patrons at the party. He is dressed in a long dull tunic, but she can't help but notice if he fixed his hair and dressed up like the other young men at the party. He would be quite a attractive young man. Starting to feel the effects of her wine, she giggles to herself and says impishly to him, “Well when your shift is over, sir, You should join me in a dance.” Suddenly the young man eyes widen and blushes slightly. He sets the tray on the ground, he looks up at her, and flashes her a sad smile, and says quietly, “I would love too my lady, but deks aren't able to participate in the festivities.” Feeling slightly tipsy, she takes another sip of her wine, and she gives him a pout and says quietly, “That is soo unfair... I will tell you what if you change your mind and want to dance. Come and find me my name is Iosha or Io for short.” The young man flashes her another grin and says to her, “Well Io you will just have to wait and see.” He picks up his tray and disappears into the crowd. Hearing the music, Iosha starts humming to herself and she stands up to get a better look at the crowd. She starts watching the crowd, and she decides to mingle. She make her way back to the center of the room and grabs a small hand full of nuts. Another servant comes by and ask her if she needs another drink. She looks at her wine glass and notices it is empty. She hands the servant the empty glass and takes another glass of wine. Suddenly, she is startle by a loud clang of metal hitting the ground. She looks up at the origin of the sound, and she sees a crowd growing around the commotion. She sudden hears a flurry of shouts echo through the crowd. “Is he dead?!” “Someone help him!” “No! Leave him there, you’ll hurt him more!” “Who did it?” “It was a dek! I saw it! He had yellow hair!” Iosha knowing her calling given to by her goddess. She springs to action and forcefully makes her way through the crowd. She hears a flurry of curses in nari at her, but she doesn't care. She walks into the center of the ever growing ring of people. She looks over the scene, and a young man bleeding, but he is alive and he is starting to come too from the blow. Deciding not to approach the injure man, until the commotion plays out. The man struck seem to carry authority in the crowd, and the person who struck him was a servant. Minute past she waits and watches the scene unfold when the injured man named Red seems like his spirits are coming back. He seemed to motion for three other men to follow him. She decides to approach the approach the four young men. Honestly, if it wasn't for her calling, Iosha would have minded her own business, but she needed to see if the injured man is alright. She walks up to the four men. Hoping not to be rude, she takes a deep breath and says loudly, so Red can hear her over the noise of the crowd, “Hello my name is Iosha...I not trying to be rude sir, but I am healer of Rak'keli, and I was curious if you need any assistance with your injury?” She blows a piece of hair from her eyes and shifts uncomfortably hoping the men don't think badly of her for her rudeness.

[Elna]

"I didn't do it. I didn't do it…"

Sounds like they already found their guy. That was easy.

"Now, now please if everyone could give us some space"

People started backing up while Elna was pressed up against the crowd. She stumbled a bit as she was pushed backward but managed not to fall down in the process.

"Two things, one I doubt this man was wielding two serving treys, and as well, if it were him then why is he still fully clothed"

Elna figured it was possible that he picked up another tray to throw off suspicion, she had no idea what clothing had to do with anything. But perhaps she was being paranoid, she had the self awareness to know she had a habit of paranoia.

"All is well, let us not keep our party on hold for this shall we? Come, music dancing"

That's it? We didn't even find out who did it. Elna bit her lip in disappointment but soon realized, she could figure it out for herself. She could prove herself useful, even if their was no formal job for investigation. She saw the blond Dek people had been talking about breaking away with three other men. She tracked behind them as they moved to a secluded area.

In the process of following them she ran in to Ardal. He was an acquaintance of hers, in such a small city it was hard for Elna not to at least have some run ins with most people near her age. They weren't exactly friends, neither of them were outgoing enough to have any major conversations with each other, she didn't know much about him beyond his name. "Looks like we had the same idea" she said to him in here quietist whisper. Meeting him worked out well, it will be more suspicious if she stood near them alone. She joined him in eating inconspicuously with her sweet roll.

It wasn't long before a blond women had come up to speak to them. Elna was instantly suspicious of the women, even if she was a female non-Dek.

"Hello my name is Iosha not trying to be rude sit, but I am healer of Rak'keli and I was curious if you need any assistance with your injury"

She was speaking common rather than Nari, as if it wasn't obvious enough that she was an outsider. Elna didn't know much about Rak'keli, if she did she might have been able to judge her character better by knowing what she expects of her followers.

[Red Daghul]

The party of course didn't seem to go back to the way it was earlier, but he felt fairly sure that if the Dek was still around he would be easier to find him if the Dek felt safe, which meant he needed to the Dek to feel safe. Next though was gathering people to help find the Dek, and then they could get some answers.

Standing waiting for the others to come over he noticed that farlen was the first to come over, and Red had to say that he would to if he had just been accused of attacking a Endal. Looking over to Daghul the wind Eagle perched just a little was away he sent 'keep your eyes open, this is shifty' the bird nodded to him and turned his gaze else where.

Red turned to see if the others had come over yet, but what he found was a woman he had never laid eyes on before. What was stranger was he was pretty sure she wasn't Inarta. The woman wore her white hair in a tight bun with a few strands that had gotten loose and now danced in the evening breeze. The style of clothes she wore were unknown to the Endal he had never seen it, and it only seemed to point out that she was not from the Reach.

"Hello my name is Iosha not trying to be rude sit, but I am healer of Rak'keli and I was curious if you need any assistance with your injury" she said to Red.

With that question Red remembered that he had taken a blow to the head, and all at once the throbbing started again. Feeling slightly unsure if he should trust her he sent his unease to Daghul who made a strange noise before saying 'I think she is fine, and i will watch her closely'.

Turning back to the woman Red opened his mouth "I am Red, and i would be grateful to you if you would" the Endal had only met a few people who wern't from the Reach, and today he was meeting tons. It was odd and Red started to wonder if that had anything to do with the craziness of the day.

Looking back to the others Red said "we need to find the Dek responsible" he tried to give the woman enough space by taking a seat on a chair that was near by "I fear this is not just a random act, and i want to get to the bottom of this mess soon" trying to find the right words he added "I need you all to go back into the party and see what you can find out, either we can question those who might have seen what happened, or even finding the Dek" with that Red pulled out the Deks garment "I pulled this from the attacker, so he will not be dressed fully if we find him soon".

Red stopped talking and hoped that the other would be willing to help, and as soon as his head was dealt with he would join the search.

[Iosha]

“I will do this quickly and quietly as I can, so you can find out who did this to you,” Iosha gives him a reassuring smile before the look on her face becomes serious. For a moment, her violet eyes stare at his forehead and face, and she notices nothing out of the ordinary except for a old scar over his left eye. She walks around him and his chair, and she notices some blood matted on the back of his head. She gently reaches up and parts the bloody hair, and she notices the blood is starting to hard over a small cut. She frowns and notices the large bruise around the cut. Worried about a possible concussion? She puts a hand on his shoulder and walks over to his side. She kneels down next to him, she looks up at him, and she asks softly, “Sorry Red, I am not trying to interrupt, but I have to ask you some questions before I continue. Are you feeling dizzy, nauseated, sensitivity to noise or light, or a headache?” Iosha make a strange face when she clearly asked a stupid and obvious question. The man was just hit in head by from she observed at the scene of the crime as the attacker's weapon a bent metal tray. Not realizing she should of said this in her head, but she accidentally scolds herself out loud, “Of course, he has a headache Iosha. He just got hit in the head with a metal serving tray!” Suddenly Iosha's eyes widen and flushes with embarrassment. She can't believe she just said what she said out loud. She quickly tries to recover her composure, and she manages to give him a weak smile. Keeping her thoughts to herself this time, she says in her head, “Great job Iosha now. Now he thinks I am crazy!” For a moment, she looks at him like a scared deer, but she says with confidence in her voice, “Please be honest with me about your answers, Red.” She just sits there looking at him. Wondering why she couldn't just have fun, get drunk, and dance till she falls down at the party.

[Red Daghul]

Iosha went straight to work on Red her facial features changing suddenly to a much more serious look. It made sense and was even something that Red found comforting in a way, for it made it seem like she knew what she was doing and wanted to help. It was good that there was a healer around because Red was finding it harder and harder to ignore the beating in his head, and with how the night was turning out things might keep him up late he needed this to be dealt with.

The woman kneels down meeting him on his own level which the Endal is thankful as it was easier to talk to someone like that “Sorry Red, I am not trying to interrupt, but I have to ask you some questions before I continue. Are you feeling dizzy, nauseated, sensitivity to noise or light, or a headache?” Iosha asked, and Red was about to answer when she suddenly spoke again “Of course, he has a headache Iosha. He just got hit in the head with a metal serving tray!”.

Suddenly the Iosha's face changed like a young Inarta who just mistook a Endal for a Dek, and she quickly seemed to add “Please be honest with me about your answers, Red.” but hey voice didn't match her face at all as she spoke with confidence.

Red cocked his head to the side and smiled holding back chuckle as a braid of his hair fell into his face. trying to reassure Iosha he made sure his smile was encouraging and he opened his mouth choosing his words carefully "I do have a headache, and there is a throbbing in the back of my head around the cut, but as far as feeling sick there is nothing as far as i know" that was honest he thought to himself as he watched Iosha.

At some point Red started to feel as if someone was watching him, which was a odd feeling because everyone was most likely shooting him looks because of what happened, so Red just pushed the thought out of his mind and went back to answering the questions he was being asked and all the time hoping that he would be able to figure out what was going on before something else happened.

That's when it hit him and he had to ask "Its my turn to say sorry for interrupting, but you didn't happen to see what happened did you?" Red knew it was a long shot, but it would surely make his night easier.

[Ardal]

As he focuses intently on the men if they would have any information on the incident. He heard a whisper behind him.

"Looks like we had the same idea"

This startled him only slightly. Turning back he saw the girl sit down near him. He recognized her face and remembered her faithful blue jay that seemed absent. Unsure on what to say he nodded slightly.

He watched the Konti approach the group and said to himself in a whisper “how many light haired people are there in this city?”

"Hello my name is Iosha not trying to be rude sir, but I am healer of Rak'keli and I was curious if you need any assistance with your injury"

A healer seems a bit convenient right now especially a blondish one. He quickly put that thought behind him as his paranoia getting the better of him.

"I am Red, and i would be grateful to you if you would"

He seems to trust her enough to get close at least.

"We need to find the Dek responsible. I fear this is not just a random act, and i want to get to the bottom of this mess soon--I need you all to go back into the party and see what you can find out, either we can question those who might have seen what happened, or even finding the Dek--I pulled this from the attacker, so he will not be dressed fully if we find him soon.”

“Well now we’re getting somewhere.” He said a little louder than he would have wanted. He filled his mouth with a bite of apple and pretended to be preoccupied with something in the dirt near his feet, in case they looked back to him. Feeling as if they didn’t notice or at least didn’t care, he sat for a bit longer listening to the two go through the routine of medical treatment in the understanding the best he could of the common they were speaking.

[Phoenix]

As the concerned group gathered in close around the assaulted Endal, his wound carefully tended by the Konti outsider, those Dek that hadn’t fled when the attack was initially called stood in a loose knot outside the rest of the group. A large majority of them looked scared of simply confused; the blame could fall onto any one of them at any moment, should the Endal decide to suddenly find the attacker. One word from the Endal and the suspected would be dragged off. Dek had been punished for far less than suspected assault.

What was curious, however, was that it was the physically or mentally impaired that remained behind, deformities making it impossible to do any kind of skill trade while they were still able to carry a serving tray. Not quite the lowest of the low, but close. There had been a large influx of outsiders into Wind Reach, a large amount of them being sent into the Dek caste, all of which were now curiously missing. The more physically fit with perhaps a bit less up top intelligence wise were also absent.

Ardal and Elna, further off from the rest of the group, would notice a flash of movement out of the corner of their eyes, the distinct clinking of a dropped serving tray from further off down one of the corridors that led from the Courtyard towards the Inner Warrens. Should they indulge their curiosity and follow the sound, they would find a pair of Dek muttering in the shadows not far from the party.

“I don’t see the problem, we...” The first drawled as he bent down to pick up his dropped tray.

“Give me that,” snapped the second, irritated as he grabbed the tray away from the first. “There is a major problem. It wasn’t supposed to happen yet. Are you all so stupid? What were you thinking?” The second speak was trying to control his wild gesturing, stepping out of the shadows in an attempt to calm himself by walking in a tight circle. Though the light only hit him for the barest of ticks, but it highlighted his black hair well enough for Ardal and Elna to see. An outsider.

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about…” The first dek started to sound a bit scared, his eyes wide as he backed himself against the wall.

“Of course you don’t. He does his job too well. Ugh.” Sending the tray spinning away in pure frustration, the black-haired Dek grabbed the first by his upper arm, pulling the man along behind him as he turned and strode off down the hallway, away from where the two partygoers lurked. “Come on. Lets go do some damage control.”

Elna and Ardal would be foolish not to report their findings to Red and the others as quickly as possible. Something very strange was going on here, and apparently it was only the beginning.


OOCGreat job so far, Folks! Try to keep some semblance of a posting order until the PC's I've highlighted at least get a chance to post!

Just a tip: Don't repeat the dialogue of the PC's you're responding too. The reader has read the post previous, and the constant repetition of the speech can get really distracting and confusing. Instead, simply try referring in your descriptions, for example, to which bit of speech your PC was responding too. It makes it a lot easier on you, too!

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[Kanri]

Before any of the Dek could say anything, Kanri bolted the other direction wildly. She toppled someone and bumped many shoulders in her panic. Finally, she slowed to a stop on the other side of the party. What was she thinking? It was a bad idea to rampage through parties. What a better way to fall prey to some "accident" that might wind up with her being dead? Stop and think, Kanri. Formulate a plan.

The Dek had targeted an Endal. Yet, the attacker melted away and became anonymous within seconds. And it had only been a serving tray. If they had wanted to do any real damage, they would have to use something much more dangerous. There were plenty of knives around the city. Those could steal a life! They were also much more subtle. So, maybe it was meant to be showy. And something else was going on! But where would she find out? And what Dek would confess to an Avora "Oh, yes, we hit the Endal over the head so that we could do such and such and overturn the city order!" That wasn't likely in the slightest.

Once again, it seemed like she was running in circles in her futile investigations. She was awful at this. Why did it seem she was the only willing to take action? There were probably many people who were very clever. Clever people could figure things out and Kanri was not clever.

But maybe she could find someone who was clever enough to help her! So, dove back into the center of the crowd, which was much more willing to move out of her way now. No one had bothered to clean up the pool of blood and it had left a slight trail. So, keeping her eyes on the ground, she slowly followed the muddled path and went the general direction of the injured Endal.

[Ardal]

After a few moments he thought to himself that he’s not going to learn to much more from shadowing Red.

He saw the reflection of sorts and heard the fall of another severing tray. He grabbed Elna by the shoulder and said “I think someone else just got hit!” and ran off in the direction of the disturbance, unsure if she followed or not. When he reached the source of the sound he was surprised not to find another person lying on the ground but a group talking in the shadows. He hid in one of the shadows sat on the ground with his knees close to his chest, he was hard to detect; being small has its occasional advantages. Listening to the conversation scared him a little. Should he say something to somebody? He always thought the Dek caste was treated unfairly, but this is important. Seeing them leave he thought for just a moment maybe to let their plan unfold and let them rise up. He quickly threw that thought away and sprinted as fast as he could back to where Red was, bumping into several people on the way. Once he reached Red he was out of breath and franticly told Red of what he heard.

“Sir! Sir! I think I know what happened to you. I heard some Deks talking near the Inner Warrens. If we hurry we may be able to catch up to them!” he paused for a moment, “This isn’t an isolated attack -- they’re planning something big.”

[Elna]

Elna hesitated for a moment, losing focus as Ardal ran off, but running after him soon after. The group of Dek that he ran towards were talking about insurrection, or at least that was what she had figured. At the very least they were planning something as a larger group. If they said it wasn't supposed to happen yet, there was a very real possibility that they were going to make another attempt at taking someone down.

After they finished and began to walk off, Ardal returned to where they came form, likely to go get some help. She wouldn't be much help if she just ran off with him, parroting what he had already said. She knew she had to keep an eye on them, telling someone who is responsible for the assault would be useless if they didn't know where they were. She took a deep breath and made her way towards the hallway where the Dek had disappeared from sight. She was going to track them, but she was going to make it a point to keep her distance. These people are dangerous, even if they said it was to early for them to get violent. It wasn't worth being with in listening range, she just needed to know where they were going.