Against the Night

[Eden-H]

Silverwing bowed her head as she listened to the commentary of Nemael's companions, specifically noting the hard tones that had suddenly steeled Xavier's voice and the accusatory glances Drake seemed to send his way. While it had not entirely been her intent to instill such doubt, both in her perceived sensibilities and in the mind of the fox-coon, she also could not admit to being entirely surprised by the turn of circumstance. What did catch her off guard was the fact the hybrid had not tried to quiet her before she finished her line of questioning, let alone what she had been insinuating with her curiosity.

"Neither of you are innocent in the matter, of course," she said. Although she spoke softly, the pointed glance she sent towards Drake only functioned to punctuate the intent of her comment. The look was then followed by a slight furrow of the brow as she considered the statements made, both verbally and metaphysically as conveyed through the simplest of handshakes. "Secrets are binding. While I think it is best to lay them out in the open, my people do not... function the same way most cultures and races appear to."

Furling her wings in closer to her body, she carefully clipped the implanted piercings to the hooks attached to the cloth on her arms. "Where you see lack of foresight, I see means to an end." When her wings were settled, her eyes shifted from Drake and back to Xavier. However, they seemed to move yet again and settled at a point just beyond the hybrids shoulder, the dust tail of a comet that had long since passed glittering on the vast, black landscape that composed her eyes. "I must also admit to being rather curious. Why has that woman been attempting to keep you within sight?"

Hoping she had chosen her words far more carefully this time around, she forced herself to bite back the desire to chase after the barmaid. It would have been simple enough to gain a brief understanding, at least on an emotional level, if she could just gain physical contact outside of the bustling tavern. Then again, the woman's behavior could also easily suggest the mundane, such as Xavier forgetting to pay for the meal he had been enjoying when Silverwing first walked inside.

On the other hand, the avian bore suspicion towards every last living entity that was not a Samsara, understanding far too well that those outside of her people tended to choose hiding their agenda over being upfront; let alone honest. "Again, I do apologize if anything I say is considered rude. I have not quite learned what may be considered, ah," she hummed as she thought of the proper phrase. "Out of line."

[Drakeyboy]

Drake just simply kept a eye on Xavier as he spoke trying to gauge him. He had plenty of questions but not the patience or composure to listen right now because of earlier and the sudden revelation of his true motives. With a sigh and rub to his eyes with his free left hand he simply said. "We'll talk about this later... I'm not in the mood for this crap right now."

He then listened to Silverwing as she explained herself some more. He simply crossed his arms and let Xavier take over keeping a eye on the woman, not sure on what to think about her. Definitely a interesting person.

[Xavier Akafur]

The otter-wolf just smirked at the female, listening carefully now that she had revealed herself to be an honest threat to his tenuous partnership with the group. "So you knew what you were doing?" He questioned, and his tone conveyed an honest disbelief. If that were the case...

"This artifact is dangerous, and neither you nor I can get close without the aide of the others here. Betraying their trust, no matter the reasoning, is dangerous beyond explanation. If I cannot reach this artifact and it falls into the hands of one more selfish or ambitious than myself... it could very well doom us all." To say nothing of the countless innocents that may get caught up in the power struggles that follow.


As for the barmaid, Xavier did not even bother to follow the Samsara's gaze, hoping the odd nature of her eyes would not betray where she was looking. "I am not entirely certain, but the fact that she bothered to come see where I was going does not bode well. She tried to have me share a room with Camille against my request...." A slightly worried look crossed his face, brow furrowing. "Arguments aside, it would be wise to make sure he has not gotten himself into trouble. That woman seems to have a vested interest in having us both go to the same room, for some reason."

He glanced over at Drake. "I take no joy in deceiving you or the others, it is just a necessary measure of precaution." He commented. "Many of my past allies have betrayed my loyalty."

[Drakeyboy]

Drake simply gave a dismissive wave as he replied. "Yeah yeah, you didn't know us and all that i understand. Didn't want to have people backstab you. To be honest I would have done something similar. But i want to talk to you after this meeting and get more in depth on this subject." He then folded his arms across his chest and huffed as he squeezed a bit of sir out of his lungs. Well looks like he wasn't the only one useing this group minorly.

[tangletail]

It was all fun and games naturally! Neshar was simply playing the part of an annoying rogue. He hadn’t thought that his flirting would have actually gotten anywhere. But, well it seems he thought wrong. The feline stopped dead in his tracks after hearing the last few words from Cam. He slowly turned around raising a brow, and even accenting the incredulity he was feeling with a gentle “hhhm?”
 
He studied the man for a moment. No materials? Don’t need them? He’s one of those spiritual types it seems. But, the feline did offer something else. And it did not seem that the possibly tipsy Jackal had any plans on saying no to the last one. And so with a light grin, and a small shrug, he spun around completely and firmly planted a heartful kiss on the other’s lips.
 
 Payment finalized.

 He let it hang for a few seconds, before finally breaking it and heading out the door, down the stairs, past the annoyed Inn keep, and out the door. Adventure awaits!

[Eden-H]

(Dear sweet Farore, Silverwing is hard to play with these idealistic tendencies!)

Silverwing carefully weighed her response, gaze resting gods only knew where as she thought. "Yes. It may be that I am idealistic or that I hold my peoples tenets in too high of a regard, but I have learned over time that it is better to openly bear the truth with those you plan to undertake such tasks with." She paused and waved at Drake, pointing out that he had become incredibly guarded and distinctly disgruntled with the situation at hand. "Lying to one another, even by omission, will only lead to strife. You must also consider whether or not they truly wish to help with a task that would put their lives in danger. After all, would you willingly follow someone who hid their intentions and fully planned to bring you on an endeavor that would very likely cost your life?"

Making an unusual clicking noise, her feathered crest lowered ever so slightly as she recalled several instances where her trust in others had been betrayed. Granted she had been younger then, perhaps even more foolhardy than how she presented herself now. But she could not turn away from the very ideals that partially made the Samsara who they were, let alone begin blatantly lying to those around her when it was unneeded. "Tell them your purpose and reason. If they choose to stand by your side, you will know for a fact that you have steadfast allies. But if they choose to turn against you? It would be better to know now than when you are just about to obtain the object of your search, one of them striking you down when you are at your weakest."

Feeling slightly uncomfortable as she felt the emotions emanating from both Xavier and Drake, she was pleasantly distracted by the tavern door swinging open. A single brow rose as out strode an awfully energetic feline, his mere presence nearly overriding the two who stood before her. "You as well," she suddenly said. Although her attention appeared to be resting on the roguish cat as he strode towards their little gathering, she had tilted her head far enough to briefly point her beak at Drake.

It may have seemed that she was ignoring the fox-coons comments towards the hybrid, but in reality she had been directing her little speech towards both of them. While her continued stay with this group was up in the air, a fact she understood had been put into play by answering Nemael's messenger spirit and promising to aid them, she hoped they would at least take what she said into consideration. To her it was better to know where everyone stood and whether they truly believed in the cause they were undertaking, rather than risking their bowing out at the worst possible moment.

[Xavier Akafur]

(Making waves xD)

Xavier watched the avian carefully as she considered her response, offering Drake a slight inclination of his head in gratitude for his understanding. That issue, at least, seemed to be working out in his favor. As he suspected, the fox-coon was too level-headed to allow the sting of deception overcome better judgement. The Captain's gaze remained level and unmoved as the woman began speaking, his eyes drinking in the details of her shifting expressions. It was quite clear to him that she was being honest herself, or was so adept a liar that he could not possibly detect any untruths. The former was far more likely.

"In truth-" The hybrid replied, interrupted by the sudden appearance of the feline. He gave the rogue a look of curiosity, and then an almost sinister smile. "Well, hello again." Xavier chimed, looking him over carefully. The care-free gait in which he walked put the hybrid at ease. It was not the body language of a man looking to harm or steal. Plus, he guessed that Neshar's trump card was to ply his advantage from the shadows. The fact that he had openly walked out to them was certainly not a sign of aggression. "Come to collect the bounty?" Xavier ventured a guess.

He took a few steps away from the rogue, moving to stand beside the large female, dwarfed in the most unsettling way by her height. As an aside he commented to her, though quite audible to any listening. "In truth, I admire your ideals. I regretfully inform you, though, that heroism is rare and greed is rampant. Were I to disclose my true motives to an entire group of men of my strength and skill, there's a high probability they would kill me simply to remove me as a future opponent. It is not a matter of simply being turned away from potential allies. It is a matter of self-preservation."

As he finished speaking he reached out and gently touched the side of her arm, his fingers gently pressing against her feathers before he pulled away. As if to highlight his point he focused on past memories,and in those flashes of emotion and thought she would feel the sting of a blade in the chest, the bite of a bullet tearing through a torso, the crushing agony of a betrayed love, and the cold grip of death. Before he pulled away from her arm there was also a hint of remorse, and certainly fear. In a voice too low for the rest to hear he whispered. "The rewards of trust..." and for once he could not keep the slight tremor from his voice.

He seemed to rally himself and his voice rang out clearly once more. "Shadow-dancer, you did not happen to see our rather eccentrically dressed healer in there, did you?"

[Drakeyboy]

Drake sighed seeing the Silverwing character point out his guarded pose. He almost had half a mind of snapping and simply saying things about his entire predicament getting out of one bad situation to learn that a ally was using you. This was one of the reasons why he didn't like groups too many unknowns and hidden motives which could undermine the entire thing.

Drake wasn't really paying attention to Silverwing when he started to notice she was simply ranting about a idealistic world if he knew what Xavier did he would do something similar just it not being as harsh. That's when he noticed the entire focus switched and he looked to see what got the Hybrid's focus. Seeing the feline and hearing Xavier call him shadow dancer had him confused. He looked liked the random person he pulled to safety in the fray. What exactly did he miss.

[Cyril]

The jackal grumbled as his lips were met with another. He smirked against his face and pulled it a bit deeper, before breaking apart with the other and giving a tantalizing look. He grabbed his glass and watched the other dash down the stairs ambitiously, although Camille took some time. His ears perked at the title healer as he came down from the stairs, and he looked at Xavier with crossed arms; "I don't think you have much to say about being eccentric." His intoxicated, although dark eyes then batted slightly and reexamined the hybrid. "Although, if you're looking for my services, it seems like you need a type of healing I cannot give." He laughed drunkenly, tossing down coins for another glass of ale, and receiving so.

He walked to the group and looked at Drake and then the new Silverwing; tilting his head slightly at her. "Camille Aelius is my name. Guess I cranked out the big guy, huh?" He grinned a bit, although the group was mostly quiet upon his entry. Batting his ears a bit and then turning, he looked back. "Don't be so down, folks. Get another drink, while you can."

"Aye, thief! Waitup!" He staggered slightly after finishing his ale and leaving it upon the bar. Almost tripping over his cloak, he made it out the door and peered around outside for the other member of their party. He began to walk in the direction of the monster from earlier; eyes rather hazy in the night.

[tangletail]

The feline came to a halt in front of the traveling party that he had ran into earlier. A smile curled onto his lips as Xavier took a wild assumption on his reason for being here. Well… Xavier hadn’t shown up to the bedroom for a private chat… so he likely already knows –what- Neshar really was. No point in hiding the fact that he was a thief now. A damned good one at that. Well… a very outgoing thief.
 
The feline spoke with a humorous and chiding tone, “Bounty? Hunny if I wanted the money, I wouldn’t have waited like this. I would have just lift it from the payer himself.” He was chuckling softly now after looking the other up and down, “But I can also tell you’re not exactly here for money. Advice, loose the jacket and seadog smell if you’re trying to hide your reasons.”
 
He clasped his hands together, and allowed his ears to perk up. “Now then! Your friend? Bit tipsy. Lips taste like brandy. And he’s lagging behind.”
 
The feline then allowed his gaze to drift away. The eyes were now completely glazed over in a visible purple aura. A magic aura leaked freely like smoke from a candle. Thanks to the night sky, his vision had turned to a very desaturated representation of the world. And though it lacked a good deal of colors, Neshar’s eyes easily pierced the night.
 First his eyes settled on Drake, whom he recalled pulled him into the center of their… chaotic formation. Seems he was having some sort of personal dilemma. Like he was just questioning life it’s self. Poor guy.
 And then… the large female. Her size immediately caused the feline’s head to recoil in surprise. Neshar pursed his lips together, eyeing her for a moment longer. The size briefly reminded him of home. Yeesh, he hoped she was nowhere near as aggressive as the sergals in Vilus.
 
Then the feline heard footsteps behind himself. He glanced back, then smiled to the Jackal. His gaze turned back to the group, and he gave a polite bow. “Neshar! Professional Thief. Glad to join you,” he chimed. He quickly pulled out the stack of letters he stole from the Lord, and offered them out to Xavier, seeing as he seems to be the party leader.
 
 “You will need these!” And with that, the feline began to walk to the woods with Cam.

[Eden-H]

Recoiling once Xavier had let go of her arm, Silverwing's expression flashed from deeply wounded to severely disappointed. Whether it was in the fact the hybrid had taken advantage of her species' abilities or what she had felt would remain unstated, her gaze shifting away to watch as the jackal stalked off into the forest with the feline quickly trailing behind. While she had taken note of their words and the unusual action--and reaction--of the cat-thief, the thin line creasing the corner of her beak remained. Indeed, she would not speak for a few breaths longer as she considered the experiences felt and the lack of response from Drake.

When she finally did speak, her voice was stilted; almost forced. "We uniquely bear our scars and their affect on us. Your experiences led you towards being cautious and somewhat dishonest with those around you; my own turned me into the creature before you today."

Her crest came to lay against the back of her neck as she spoke, ears almost seeming to fold with the feathers as they dipped down. She turned towards the fox-coon. "You wanted to speak with him alone, so here is your chance." With that she walked back to the tavern, gently pushing through the doors as a loud cheer rose to greet the quickening night.

[Xavier Akafur]

The hybrid let out an exaggerated sigh when the jackal came into view. He was about to say he was glad to see him, but the way he was walking and the smell off booze around him tipped Xavier off to the fact that it may be better just to let him go on his way. He was safe, or safe enough. "Be careful, and don't get lost." He responded, ignoring the comment about his clothing.

Xavier did not venture to guess at the feline's profession, but it came offered anyway. He seemed entirely undisturbed by the revelation, which was not all too surprising given the way the man had fought earlier. It bespoke skills that were commonplace in the trade, stealth and subterfuge. The exception may have been the explosive arrow he had fired. He held out a paw for the offered letters, giving them a glance through quickly before tucking them in his pocket as the feline began to walk away.


As to the comment of his coat- "I'll keep that in mind." Was all he offered. He said nothing further, just gave him a slight nod of his head.

As Silverwing also walked away Xavier could only shake his head. He had hoped for more of a reaction, but it seems maybe she clung to her beliefs a little stronger than he had anticipated. The hybrid looked over at Drake and shrugged. "Well that could have went better on all accounts."

[Drakeyboy]

Drake sighed rubbing his eyes. "No kidding..." he muttered as he did this action. He thought about his next words carefully not wanting to enrage Xavier. But he only had one question in mind and there was no honey coating it. "Before we do anything else what is this artifact." He states more then asked. He really wanted to know because if it was rumored to be all powerful maybe he could ask to use it for a bit when it came to the fight against his parent's killers.

[Cyril]

Camille stood in the moonlight as he awaited Neshar and any other company. Although the moon was not full, his eyes still rested upon the waxing figure in the sky as its light illuminated his cloak and the jackal pulled it over his head. The cloak reflected in brilliant silver; completely outdoing his dark gray and blue clothing. The roses on the designs stood out in the light, and he temporarily became distracted by the fullness of his ability flooded through him. In the court, the people weren't always as allied as their lips said, so such power was extremely limited. The Aelius' casters were not permitted to be in the moon light as much in order to pacify any potential threats they may pose.

Outside of the world of politics, he was warming up to the possibility that he may use his abilities to their full potential. Not many were outside at the time, which drew Camille by surprise. In the cities, it was normally bustling, even after the twilight. However, his eyes blankly looked around for anyone; but were greeted by the emptiness of the village square. Although some windows were illuminated by the lights of their owners, no other lone soul was found within his gaze. Cautiously, he began to walk towards the woods; although still staggering and clearly intoxicated. Knowing that beneath the trees he'd have less power.

Upon arriving on the edge, he stopped as he heard a rustle and snapping of twigs amongst the rest of the night air. He retreated slightly, still quiet and swaying slilghtly as Neshar caught up. He turned quickly, almost falling over as he then met eyes with the member of his party, although not speaking a word. His demeanor had changed for its previous playful, to a more solemn.

[tangletail]

Neshar silently walked, while his eyes watched the man before him stumble around like a one year old child. A small thought entered his head as he began to wonder about the posterity of him thinking it was a good idea to bring a tipsy mage with him. This was probably only two drinks away from turning into a go collect this, sort of walk… and into a “Escort to and fro and try not to get killed”.

Oh… how he wished he had probably snuck a few more drinks of that wine. If only to have the same cheerful feeling that the other seemed to be presenting. And… wasn’t there something dangerous in these woods at night? His eyes flicked around quietly. The town wasn’t large, so the streets being empty at night was something you’d expect. Nothing to tell him anything from that.

But then, the mage ahead of him spun, nearly tripping his over his own feet. The thief grunted, and quickly stepped forward to help stabilize him. But backed off when he saw that Camille had managed to catch himself. Though, the change in expression did seem to tip the feline off to what he may be feeling.

Neshar raised a brow, and gave the male a pat on the shoulder and continued walking. “From the look on your face, I’d wager you don’t really trust me. I might be a thief, but least I got some form of honor. I don’t steal from allies, and I certainly don’t kill them.”