[center][i]Collab by [@Garden Gnome] [color=F4A460](Senua)[/color], [color=darkseagreen][@IcePezz] (Annalynne)[/color], [@OneWayOut] [color=peachpuff](Jessabelle)[/color] and [@JulienJaden] [color=lightblue](Nicholas)[/color].[/i][/center] [hr] Jessabelle's words were a lot less kind than those of the other woman but the comment from the neighboring carriage made Nicholas laugh. [color=lightblue]"I appreciate the sentiment! Perhaps I should shave my head to be more like our friend here. Or maybe grow one feet taller? Ah, but then again, I don't think my ego would survive rapid changes like that. I guess I will have to wait until I can show everybody my beautiful pe- uh, personality."[/color] While he let the joke take effect - or not - he shot Jessabelle a quick, curious glance. What circumstances could have brought her here when she said herself that Isabelle, Annabelle, Mirabelle and Clarabelle were relying on her? It didn't seem to make much sense for her to go on a dangerous quest that Nicholas knew was a lot more likely to go badly and end in all of them dying than seeing them successful and with an immunity to magic poisoning in hand. He would have asked, perhaps, had she not made it abundantly clear that she didn't care to talk to him, and her previous comment, however much it reminded him of their friendly bickering in better days, did little to change that impression. As the man across from him seemed too preoccupied with the most silent person in their carriage, Nicholas instead turned to the woman next to him. [color=lightblue]"So, since I'm a fool for wishing to die in the comfort of my own bed, wanting for nothing, why are [i]you[/i] here?"[/color] Not quite waiting for her to answer, he leaned forward to glance through the window to the neighboring vehicle, grinning at the woman who was [color=lightblue]"And what about you, oh stalwart defender of my manliness?"[/color] Despite his reservations, he looked at Jessabelle again, silently extending the same question to her. --- Senua let loose a chuckle as the man suggested to shave his head in an attempt to put his manliness on par with the other more muscular man on his carriage. He even wanted to show everybody his beautiful [i]pe-personality[/i]! For a moment there, she thought it was [i]something else[/i] entirely. An unsure smile tugged at the edges of her lips as she swallowed the words she nearly uttered about the man's [i]personality[/i]. The brunette listened to the suave and charismatic man he began speaking to the other lady before moving back to her, tossing her a direct question this time around. [color=lightblue]"And what about you, oh stalwart defender of my manliness?"[/color] He even called her his [i]stalwart defender of his manliness[/i]! Her lips spread into a wide smile as she stifled an oncoming laughter. [color=F4A460]"Well, I didn't have much of a choice, really. I was a criminal, you see. Not my fault of course, yes I know, they all say that,but I'm innocent, really. To cut a long story short, I was offered my freedom if this expedition bore fruit. No idea what they saw in me, but this is sure as hell better than rotting away in some dark and dingy dungeon."[/color] --- Her eyes canvassed the carriage, settling on Jessabelle. There was obvious tension between her and the care-free gentleman. The answer she gave wasn't exactly a direct one, but there was something said that caught Annalynne's interest. Something about not having the luxury of death and just then, Annalynne felt quite alone. She had opened her mouth with the hope of striking with a witty response. The notion of speech, unfortunately, was quickly swept away when the girl from the other cart spoke up. She couldn't make heads or tails about the her. She spoke of seeking freedom, which was certainly something she could relate to. But, Annalynne didn't particularly care for spunky loud mouths - and suddenly, her imagined future of the group flashed before her eyes once more. Blood every where, it wasn't a pretty sight. Despite this, there was something amusing about it all, deep down inside a chuckle wanted to emerge. The girl from the other carriage was another criminal. Reasonable enough, no normal, sane person would volunteer for this mission. At least they all had that in common - they had nothing to lose. It was what they had to gain that made each person interesting, that made it all worth it. Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with an answer that sounded any less ridiculous than his. [color=darkseagreen]"I suppose the notion of dying in ones own bed is certainly an appealing one. Unfortunately, it's not a luxury that many of us have, nor is it likely a luxury that this mission will allow any of us once all is said and done. Though those are just my thoughts on the matter. My reasons are my own, but I think there is one thing that most, if not all of us have in common. We have nothing left to lose at this point."[/color] There was something off about her as she sulked back in her seat. Pain stricken and guilty. She had given up on the only family she had left. A soft sigh escaped her, and she went along in silence, hoping that someone would speak up soon, filling the quiet void. --- [color=lightblue]"You can say that again"[/color], Nicholas murmured to himself, his voice so low that only Jessabelle and Annalynne could hear him. He had been looking for a mission like this, organization and information like this for a while. The ICC wasn't the only group that offered an immense reward for finding the new panacea, the substance that turned anyone who tasted from it into a god - or at least something as close to that as one could possibly hope to come. But unlike the others, the ICC seemed to have at least some kind of idea of where to look, even if them hiring random strangers rather than sending their own to secure spoke volumes about how much they trusted this information. He had cut himself off from everything and everyone long before but things hadn't just been going well in the years after he left Sorei. Nicholas bore more scars than before, he looked and felt older and more tired. Without a home to return to or people to look out for, the world wore you out quickly. But he had nobody else to blame but himself - he had never been one to point fingers or lament about the things that didn't go as planned - so he didn't. And yet the woman was right: He had nothing left to lose. In fact, as his eyes wandered from face to face, he found himself thinking that they all had more to lose than him. But he wasn't one to let thoughts like that keep him down for too long, at least not as far as his appearance was concerned. Within a few seconds, he donned his charming smile again. [color=lightblue]"But a man can dream, and I'm sure you'll be thinking about that bed I was talking about soon enough, once we are out of these rolling coffins. And you are in good company"[/color], he raised his voice so their neighbor knew that he was addressing her, [color=lightblue]"my... friend here"[/color], he winked at Jessabelle, knowing full well that she could and probably would strangle him in his sleep if he overdid it, [color=lightblue]"and I, we both hail from Sorei, the city where you can lose your money, your innocence, your dignity and the clothes on your back before the sun has set. I am the magnificent, the one and only, the world-reknown... Nicholas"[/color], he concluded lamely but somehow still succeeded in sounding supremely pompous. [color=lightblue]"I'm sure you've heard of me... or somebody with the same name, I don't know. It was probably me. Unless it was something about goats and cheese and- uh, anyway, that [b]definitely[/b] wasn't me. So... Who are you?"[/color] He looked at Jessabelle again, trying to make out if she was at all entertained by his babbling, but if she was, the twilight of the carriage hid it well, though he thought he could see the corners of her mouth twitch. It was enough to make him push his luck and attempt to communicate with her. [color=lightblue]"What is your name, beautiful stranger?"[/color] --- She'd kept her eyes fixated on the passing scenery as the others spoke, and Jessabelle didn't have anything to say while they did. Of course she heard most of what they were talking about, but in truth, she wasn't inclined to participate. And so she didn't. Even though her calm expression was set in stone, her mind was buzzing with so many questions and concerns, worries and fears. Had she not naturally been so stoic, it would have been clear to anyone who cast their eyes upon her. Jessabelle was consumed in her thoughts before something Nicholas said made her inadvertently turn her head to look at him. He was referring to her as a friend, telling them they both hailed from the same city before pompously introducing himself. She rolled her eyes at this, thinking that the man before her seemed to have changed so little in regards to his personality. How she wished she were close enough to kick him. [color=peachpuff]"I believe "magnificent" and "world-renowned" are taking things a little too far wouldn't you say, [i]friend[/i]?"[/color] she said to him, her tone light as she adjusted her seating position. One of her legs had started to go numb, so she uncrossed them and stretched them out before crossing them again, the numb one resting atop the other. [color=peachpuff]"My name's Jessabelle. It's a pleasure. Please forgive my silence for now, I choose not to speak often because, well, you know what they say: "If you've nothing nice to say, say nothing at all"."[/color] That being only one reason and the other being she didn't open up to people... at all. She was even a bit annoyed Nicholas had told them where she was from, then again everything he said at this point annoyed her to some degree. She had no intention of making friends here, but at least she didn't want any enemies, or to make them feel like she couldn't be trusted. Not that she cared on a personal level, but she believed that a mutual trust would work out well for all parties involved. Though she had broken her long string of silence, she planned to settle right back into it. --- Senua watched as the pair from the neighbouring carriage introduced themselves. The charismatic man was known to be Nicholas the magnificent, while the girl was simply known to be Jessabelle. Surprisingly, they both hailed from Sorei as well, the very same place where she was born and lived most of her life in. She'd never heard of this man by the name of Nicholas though he claimed to be really popular. But then again, back in Sorei, she did not wander around the city much, and so that could have attributed to her ignorance of the name and his popularity. Senua thought about how the man talked, and how flamboyant he sounded, very much like the performer or the storyteller she had once saw during her childhood back in Sorei. She had long forgotten the name of the fellow, but remembered distinctly what he looked like, and the way he was dressed. His clothing was bright and lavish, though one could tell that it was not because of wealth but of his profession. He had referred to himself as 'the magnificent' as well, and had entertained quite a small crowd in a small terrace a few blocks away from the home she shared with her father. Senua had gone along to watch and listen to his tales with her father watching close by. The young girl then had listened to his tales of adventure and battle, where valiant warriors fought creatures of various ferocity, showcasing their might and emerging victorious. Those were stories that she would never forget, for they instilled in her a desire for adventures of her own. Senua spoke up. [color=F4A460] "I go by the name of Senua, and was born and lived most of my life in Sorei as well. I left the place after my father died and have been wandering around ever since. Well, I guess you can say that life hasn't really been all that great for me so far. I hope that this would be a turn for the better. We can all hope, can't we?"[/color] --- Again, she couldn't help but chuckle at Jessabelle's response. Her own temper had sometimes made it very hard to live by those words, but some may argue that is why she remains silent when forced to work with others. Senua spoke up, introducing herself as yet another adventurer, still wet behind the ears. You had to envy the girl to some point. Despite having already had a taste of death, and the trouble independence has brought her, she was still young, bright eyed and bushy tailed, untouched by the harshness and cruelty of life. She still didn't like her though. They had all been honest in one way or another. But no matter how this mission went, she was still a renowned spy and assassin, at least within some circles. Still, they were not asking for her life story, it was just a name. She had rarely gone by her real name anyway, she doubted anyone would recognize her, or be in danger because of this name. She wanted desperately to open up. They were all beautiful and witty in their own way, a crowd that she -could- possibly make a friend in. Not that it was something she was here for, but it would be nice to be a part of something. From her slumped spot, wedged between the awkward pair, she sat up and said. [color=darkseagreen]"Annalynne, my name is Annalynne."[/color]