Arc 2 - Heart of a Monster (Completed)

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge's heart had experienced many emotions within these first minutes of reunion, but once more his heart began to sink. She had missed the point.

"Hali... Abby..." he started, frowning slightly. "Naeem was my name before. I was a merchant. I am neither of those things now." Stepping back, he grabbed his holy symbol with his left hand, and momentarily gripped the hilt of his sword with his right. "I am Revenge, a Paladin of Sehanine. Revenge, for all the people hurt, all the lives destroyed, by who I now know as the military minds of the kingdom of Aria. I can't..." He averted his gaze. "I can't simply lay down my sword and my quest, it would dishonor everyone I swore that promise to. It would dishonor you."

Once more he would look to her. "When I asked what do we do now, I mean for the short term. We can't just... go back to how things were before. Not yet. Not until... not yet. When I am done, I will once more become Naeem, and I will continue the promise I made under that name, to love you until the end of days - no matter what happened to you."

Revenge would take one slow step forward. "Corsica said you were waiting here, and you were in danger from the Arian soldiers who were out searching for you at this moment. I'm still surprised I haven't seen any yet, I would have figured they'd beat me here. But, as Revenge, I am here to just keep you hidden, to keep you safe. That's the reason I'm here at all. If I die during this quest of mine, then you would have waited here, never knowing. That's what Corsica and I both were afraid of. We both care about you too much to let that happen."  

[PupSage]

Kuori relaxed, "As long as you promise not to turn me into a lawn ornament. No reason anyone has to die." She relaxed, putting her arrow back into its quiver. "So," She motioned to the others to relax, "How does this work, can we meet face to face without the conversation growing ... stone cold."  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla was heading around the corner, words of warning on her lips, when the goliath responded to the voice Twyla has assumed was a hostage. Twyla froze. The person talking... was the monster?

She put her songblade away fast--no need for someone who could petrify people to see how close Twyla had come to skewering her. Well, then. If the monster could be talked with, this was a whole different situation.

Twyla cleared her throat and spoke up. "Yes, yes!" she said, trying to sound cheerful. "We'd love to talk to you, uh, miss! I'm real excited to meet someone who can do, um..." She glanced at the statues, at the shocked expressions on their faces. "Well, you know. That thing you do."  

[Lavander42]

Lavander lowers her sword but keeps a tight grip on it.  

[Mongooseh]

Valac begun clearing through the rooms starting with the one closest to the right. Throwing the door open, stepping inside and giving the room a quick once over.  

[Kowsauni]

Abigail (Abby) Morgan

Abby let out a sigh and turned away from her husband. She walked over to the window in front of her shop and began to stare outside. "I suppose there is nothing I can say to change your mind. Even If I told you your quest was suicidal, and that I've seen what these people are capable of first hand, and there are fates worth than death."

Abby would turn back around and face Revenge. Her eyes were still wet with tears, but there was a big smile on her face. "Then I guess you leave me no choice. I will have to join you on your quest. And don't try to talk me out of it, either. I can be quite stubborn, too. I desired to discover my past more than anything. Now I have found it--and I have you. Call me fatalistic, but I'll die before losing it again."  

[Kowsauni]

(The reptilian girl appears on F9)

Kuori and Lavender once again hear the sound of soft footsteps on the stone floor and the small, lithe figure of a girl appears from around the corner. She looks to be about 14 years in age and 5 feet tall. Her hair is dark brown and her sad looking eyes are a deep crimson. They even seem to have a soft glow to them. Her skin has a greenish hue and her pointed ears look reptilian in nature. Out from the white summer dress she wears pokes a lizardlike tail. In one hand, she holds a large kitchen knife limply at her side while her other hand wipes tears from her eyes.

The girl is sniffling and her gaze is purposely fixed to the floor, making her look all the more pathetic. She speaks in the same shaky voice as before. "It... It was accident. I didn't mean to do it, honest. T-they startled me and I was so scared. No one is supposed to see me. Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

The girl trails off and begins to sob quietly to herself.

As Valac brazenly explores the upstairs rooms, he finds that they are all empty of people. Three of the rooms are bedrooms while one appears to be being used for storage. As Valac returns to the landing he hears a conversation taking place back down stairs. One of the voices is new to him.

Unknown Reptile Girl

 

[Rain Yupa]

"That's precisely why they need to be stopped," Revenge would say as he walked to stand behind Abby as she stared out the window, mirroring her gaze.

As she turned and made her declaration, however... he would smile the first honest, genuine smile in years in response. "I have no problem with that. If I can pursue my quest and spend time with you simultaneously, then that's a gift from Sehanine if I ever saw one." Without realizing it, he would reach up to gently brush his fingers up against his holy symbol.

After the moment passed, he would once more regain a neutral expression as he turned his head toward the door. "When I came here, I was on the way to Lake Street, following some guards. It sounded like something had happened. I don't know if that's Aria or not..."  

[Lavander42]

(Unless we backed up I think that's the wrong map.) Lavander will say (No diplomacy check. Just trying to calm her.) "It's ok. May I ask your name?" As she does this she pulls out her book and searches through the rituals.  

[PupSage]

Kuori came out around the corner (I10) expecting to get petrified. When she saw the girl she thought 's**t, this just got complicated.' She took a step towards the girl and began to whisper, "Hey, I am a friend of Corsica and Ying. You are in safe hands." She would put her bow up and open her arms, gesturing for a hug as she said whispered again, "Aria will never hurt you again." She looked back and said, "Hey, one of you shut the door." She already felt her coin purse getting lighter. The things she does for love.  

[Mongooseh]

Valac came down the stairs walked up to where the two arm chairs were to see the rest of them talking to someone.

Curious Valac craned his neck trying to see around the corner and asked them, "Who're you talking to?"

(Guesstimate gets me about to the chairs from a double move)  

[AlphabetFish]

The girl was pretty, young, and seemed remorseful, and that was all Twyla's heart needed to break for her. How could she help but trust such a person completely?

Twyla scurried back to the door at the goliath's command and shut it immediately, offering a simple "Sorry, this'll just take a minute!" to the guards outside.

Turning back to the girl, Twyla said "Of course, of course, anyone can see it was an accident! Don't worry! We'll figure out how to fix this right quick and it'll all get made better." She offered a big "it'll be okay" kind of smile.

She slowly approached the statues to examine them (G12). There must be a way to turn them back. She just hoped the group could figure it out.

((Arcana: 14. Does Twyla know anything about how to cure petrification?))  

[Kowsauni]

Abigail (Abby) Morgan

At Revenge's mention of Lake Street, Abby begins to look concerned. "That's where I live. Corsica might have told you this, but I traveled here with another escapee. Her name is Petra and she is like a little sister to me. I've instructed her to stay hidden, no matter what, behind an illusory wall I created in the house, but what you say now makes me a little bit worried. Let's go check it out."

Abby stashes the Arian sword hilt in a drawer and unlocks the front door. She then motions for Revenge to leave so she can lock the door behind them. "After you husband, hehe."  

[Kowsauni]

Petra

((You don't have to worry about movement since we aren't in combat.))

At the mention of Ying and Corsica, the girl's eyes open wide but she keeps her gaze fixed to the floor. "They... they're all right... Thank the gods." As Lavander asks her question, the girl turns her head slightly in the elf's direction but her unfocused eyes remain looking downwards. "M-my name is Petra."

Finally, the girl looks up and, much to everyone's relief, no one is turned to stone. She sees Kuori's open gesture for a hug and by the look on her face you think it might be the first kind gesture she has received from an outsider in a very long time. Petra lets go of the kitchen knife and it falls to the ground with a clatter. She runs forward and wraps her arms around Kuori and begins to cry uncontrollably. She barely comes up to the goliath's stomach.

From his vantage point, Valac sees a strange lizard girl rush forward and accept the hug being offered to her by the Goliath, then burst into tears.

Twyla thinks about what she knows about petrification, but it is truly a rare and unusual affliction. She knows it can be cured but she is not sure how... perhaps with an obscure spell or ancient ritual, but she doesn't even know where to begin to look for such a thing.  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would lead the way towards Lake Street, with Abby at his side, slowing to a crawl when he saw the sheer number of guards outside.

"... thoughts?" he would ask aloud to her, while keeping his gaze forward. He didn't approach any official yet.