shylarah

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@Lovejoy I /like/. A lot. ^.^ This works so well.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@Drakey@Lovejoy I might have some suggestions for resolving the critiques on Rodion's sheet, possibly.

@scout HOLY CRUD LOOK WHO I SEE! And @Vena Sera too?! *flailing*

waitwaitwait Scout you were in the original? AAAH!

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@Drakey oh that works nicely!

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@Drakey I'm still feeling out the idea. I get the idea that yeah, this one's less a genius, though certainly clever. But...I'm thinking she? She rather resents Varya as a whole, and the priesthood in particular. I think she's particularly good with magic...

@Lovejoy I notice that there's no particular background for the Omestrians. What are they supposed to be?

I've no idea if Irin even fits as a name anywhere, since I can't remember what I used to make it. X.x

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@Lovejoy I didn't realize the slaves were kept for ether reserves. That's /nasty/. And now I know my character, more or less, if I can join. Probably Lanostran but possibly Varyan, with Omestrian heritage in there. Rather hates the Varya, but didn't get a choice about their path in life. Actually, @Drakey, I /could/ possibly end up as that kid. I mean, a half-blood would be harder to do, unless Varyan...hm.

Lovejoy, think there were any early raids to test the Lanostrans, before the full war started? Say, twenty or thirty years ago?

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@Lovejoy Count me very intrigued! This looks like a fascinating world, and I have a few ideas rattling around in my head....I need to make sure I have enough time to commit, but I definitely hope to join. ^.^ And I've been thinking about a few new fighting sets for chars, so this could be good! *wiggles*

What are the odds that Omestrian slaves -- or freefolk, before being captured in the wake of Omestris's fall -- might escape to Lanostre? And I'm seeing a quirk in the timeline. Two hundred years ago Varya attacked the other nations. ONe hundred years were spent subjugating them. Then Varya went after Lanostre, which surrendered after three years. Now they turn their attention to the east.

What happened to the rest of the second century between the start of the Varyan invasions and today?

Is magic only in blood, then? None at all in the air/fabric of the world? ...Do they have a plan for where they'll get ether from when the supply from other Remnants runs out?

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Kensen didn't want to teach her. She didn't know how to explain that it wasn't a quarrel, she was scared, and didn't want to be near Gage. Especially since trying to do what he said only ever seemed to make him angry. When he turned up right there she didn't reply to him, nor did she notice Kensen's grumbling. Pale and with her shoulders up near her ears, the girl's attention was on the one that scared her, and on keeping something or someone between him and herself. She only came out when he grabbed Ethan by the shirt.

"Leave him alone, he wasn't hurting anything!" Amuné glared over at Gage, feet spread and fists clenched at her side. Her voice came out high and thin in her ears, and she could hear it wavering. When he looked over at her she wanted to run, but she stayed put, trying not to shiver so he could see. Thank the Saints he didn't actually try to hurt anyone, instead turning and stalking off. She leaned against Ethan once Gage was out of sight, feeling weak with relief.

Of course Kensen wasn't sympathetic either. She /was/ supposed to be learning to fight -- it wasn't her fault her magic didn't do anything flashy or useful, was it? If you could fight with magic couldn't you fight without it, too? ...Was she really in the way so much?

"But...I...." Her stomach twisted into an unhappy knot, and Amuné stepped away from Ethan. She lowered her head so they couldn't see her face, though it wasn't hard to tell how she felt from her posture. "No, it's okay, I'll j-just...find somewhere else. He's right, you should keep practicing -- I'll...I'll go see if the healers need anything." She turned to go, her steps heavy, but paused long enough to glance over a shoulder. "Come find me when you're done?"

She waited long enough for an answer, then headed off, abruptly breaking into a run. Why couldn't she get anything right?! With Wyth beside her, she made for the infirmary, but by the time she got there her vision was all blurry and she just knew the healers would be able to tell she was upset. She didn't want to explain. She just wanted to cry.

It wasn't all that hard to find a supply closet, and the girl ducked inside. The giant cat wedged himself in after her, and with a bit of shuffling she managed to get the door all but closed. Secure in the knowledge that no one would think to look for her here she broke down, wrapping her arms around Wyth's huge head when he pushed it against her chest. She just wanted her parents -- was that really so much to ask?

To Dance with the Stars

Northeast of town. That was a start. And ten minutes out from the bus wasn't terrible. She walked farther than that, and regularly. Lee could hear how Axel's nerves were making him ramble, and eventually he figured it out too, and went to find whoever it was that he felt it so important she meet. Relax, Lee. Just...get some information. I'm sure whatever he's got going on is a mess, and maybe you can help him.

She recognized the next voice -- of course Cal would be one of them. She'd been part of the negotiation for lessons, after all. And the young lady thought that she was some sort of goddess too. At least Lee hadn't stepped away this time. Twelve of them -- like the horoscope constellations. Two departments, wishes and punishments, whatever those were. If this was some sort of cult, they probably were the equivalent carrot and stick -- or perhaps recruitment and dealing with problems. She wasn't sure if it even mattered.

Eventually most of them returned to the house -- mansion? Who funds them? ...Do I even want to know? The two men that stayed, along with Axel and Cal, were very different. One was tall, wearing a suit and a tie, with a long face and heavy brows. He seemed serious, and Lee had the impression he was as wary of her as she was of them. The other was the one that had poked his head out when they first arrived. Younger, dressed casually -- bordering on rumpled, but he seemed to have been woken up for this. He had a conservatively modern haircut, and the sort of posture that she'd learned to recognize. He thought he was hot stuff, and he expected everyone else to agree. It was precisely the sort of attitude found in males in every American bar and club ever, and the reason why most women preferred to go in groups so they were harder to corner.

Axel's voice reached her, but somehow without her hearing it, and Lee jerked as if she'd been stung by a wasp. It took her a moment to regain her composure, and she did appreciate the information -- but not the intrusion. She frowned at him, but bit back the sharp words she wanted to say. Maybe that was something he normally did with the people he knew. No need to give him a hard time in front of the others, especially his boss and his friend.

"Right." She took a deep breath, still not sure what to do about the whole mess. "So...I'm guessing you don't actually need lessons, then. Axel told me about the...situation you are in. I thought we'd worked something out, but I forgot to mention that miracles are extra." Lee managed to give them an uncertain smile, but it faded quickly. "In all seriousness, I still don't understand what you want from me. My help with your jobs, yeah, but...what precisely is it I'm supposed to be helping you do? I can't afford to be way out here at the edge of town all the time. I've a busy schedule, and I've just started this season's classes."

Forest of the Future

---

N i k k i

the Fall

---

"You sound like my ex," Nikki said, her voice turning irritated for the first time. The insult itself didn't bother her, not as it might a human -- and she wasn't even a hybrid in the first place, unlike others in the group. She'd seem some like them get targeted by the same nasty groups that went after Mirans in general. There were even some that saw nekomi in particular as a blight, with their habit of turning up everywhere and the way they embraced the variety that came from interspecies relationships. "'Cept he just went with 'earwig', whereas you picked something you'd be better off calling a mirror." Her tail lashed as she stalked forward, away from the group. That was the last thing she wanted to be thinking about -- the whole reason she'd been looking for excitement to start with.

Forest of the Future

---

N i k k i

Sculpture Copse and the Fall

---

Nikki pulled the papers away from her face with a noise of protest. She wasn't a trash can! She ran her eye over it before setting it aside. Surprising he wasn't from the downed plane, but before she could ask further questions, he suddenly shouted at the papers, and then started trying to gather them back up. Make up your mind, kid, she thought, but she did what she could to grab the ones near her and pass them back.

Xell's comment got a raised eyebrow. "I didn't draw it," she said, letting the last bunch of papers go when the kid didn't bother to take them. She looked up to see Taffy joining them, with a reminder that it was getting late. She nodded assent, glancing back at the troubled kid one more time but deciding to let him be. If he didn't want to talk, he didn't have to.

As they continued on, she caught Xell passing the kid -- Yonath, the paper said his name was -- a drink. He was underage, but that hardly bothered Nikki. She'd had her first drink even younger, and maybe it'd help. God knew he looked like he needed it.

When Xell split off, she trailed behind, partially out of curiosity, partly to make sure he didn't get lost. He really wasn't looking so good. He ended up staring into a fractured mirror, and she couldn't help but crack a joke. When he met her eyes, though, the laughter faded. "Hey, you feeling alright?" she asked. "You seem...Iunno." She waved a hand. "C'mon, let's get back with the others. Hopefully it's not too much further to Taffy's uncle's place, yeah?"

Of course the spicati pilot was going to be an ass about it. "Yanno, if you don't wanna stick with us, you can just go off on your own, neh?" Nikki pointed out. Sure, she'd prefer to stick together, but if he had such a beef about them, goodbye and good riddance. "I'd've thought someone just off a wrecked plane would be glad of a hand and a place to stay for the night, but nobody's making you come."

With a lash of her tail, Nikki turned away, not interested in discussing it further. Taffy said they were all welcome, and that was that. She was just in time to see Xell drop.

"Hey, Xell? Xell!" She was glad to see his eyes crack open again, even if they were oddly reddish. When he plunged off the trail she watched him go, taken aback.

...Only for him block the way forward, looking like he might just draw a knife on them.

Really?

Mush-brained druggies, man, she thought to herself, glancing around for a good angle. How is anything worth this kind of pain if you don't get a fix? "Man, you really are a mess, aren't you?" she said softly. She felt bad for him, but all the same, if the knife came out she wouldn't hesitate to tackle him.