Against the Night

[FriendlyFern]

Calaiuryon was brushing her knotted hair. It seemed like it had been ages since she last had a good brushing. Twigs and grass got caught up in her brush along with clumps of hair. Sighing and frowning Calai put down her brush to get dressed. She picked up her quiver full of arrows, her dagger holsters, and long bow, then stepped outside. The door to her cottage squeeked slightly as it opened and let the morning light seep in. Calai stretched and yawned, preparing herself for the new day. She decided to go to the local tavern for a bite to eat. As she walked she greeted several towns folk with a simple and friendly wave. She opened the tavern door and walked up to the bar, her shoes crunching dirt onto the floor...

[tangletail]

It wasn’t much longer before Neshar pushed his way inside. He was wearing a cloak once more, and looked dreadfully tired. Reasonable given the feline hadn’t actually tried to sleep… or eat much sense about a day or so ago. It’d probably also explain the uncharacteristic grumpiness, displayed by him lazily putting his hand on some big oafs face, and shoving him into a table.
 
 Eventually the feline sat down at his party’s table, then let his chin drop down to the wooden surface. Hard. “Good morning everyone! Good news and bad news! I can’t tell you either yet because it will have to wait till we are somewhere else. Oh… and we need to get moving…. Soon.”
 
 The feline’s eyes soon turned to a  nearby plate full of food. His ears perking, “Are you going to eat that?”

[Xavier Akafur]

The hybrid took a seat relatively near to the large avian female after retrieving his food, though not directly adjacent to her. She seemed to be out of sorts, and he did not want to risk having her trip and fall into him while he was eating. "Better than I expected to." He replied honestly, though he still looked like he wished to sleep more. "I never rest as well on dry land." He grumbled, though continued speaking without waiting for a reply. "Have you decided to join us for the time being? I am unclear on your abilities, but if Nemael suggested you would be useful..." He paused and shrugged. "I would trust him to be correct."


He saw Drake stand up from his peripheral, and turned slightly to watch him go get some breakfast. Otherwise the two were left fairly undisturbed until Camille came down the stairs, looking a little less rough than Xavier would have expected, but certainly not entirely unphased by last night's activities. After he spoke Xavier just motioned for him to sit down. "We'll be quick, but get a few glasses of water before we head out. You look like you need it."

Xavier was halfway through his food when the few missing people filtered into the room. He was mid-drink when Neshar came in. Xavier set down his wooden cup of cold water, looking rather intrigued that the man had come from outside and not from upstairs, and appeared to have had about as much rest as Silverwing. Another individual walked in behind him, that Xavier quickly glanced over due to the quiver of arrows on her back, but his attention was quickly diverted as Neshar sank down against the table after pushing a particularly large fellow over into a table... making enough noise that pretty much everyone in the room looked over at them.

"Uh.." Xavier began, before the big hedgehog that Neshar had pushed over loomed up behind the shadowdancer. The tavern was silent as the man began yelling.


"What's your problem, cat!?" The oaf bellowed, reaching down to try and grab neshar around the neck. His face was flushed with indignant rage, though clearly those at the table knew he was probably about to suffer further humiliation.

[Eden-H]

Noting the presence of the other party members as they began to trickle down into the tavern, she finally stopped her barely controlled spin on the chair and furrowed her brows, gaze coming to rest on Xavier. The corner of her mouth pulled into a taut frown, looking almost ready to scold the hybrid for some unforeseen circumstance when she suddenly perked up and grinned wide. "Though I may speak from a spot of bias, Nemael would never have roped me into... this if he thought I would provide little to your party." Her smirk grew as she continued to peer at him, though the look was offset by the way her muscles drew taut beneath her feathers and how her wings seemed to erratically twitch every few minutes. However, whatever may be on the birds mind would remain unstated as Neshar apparently concluded it was best to shove a large brute.

Gaze finally moving from Xavier to the hedgehog, she propped her chin on her palm and snickered. Loudly. Cocking her head to the left ever so slightly, she watched as the situation began to unfold in the most natural course it could take. While she was not a betting woman, she knew the massive beast stood little chance against the lithe feline. Even if the man did think he had the upper hand due to sheer strength and unlikely-to-be-true fortitude. "Unless you have a fantastic healer on hand, I recommend you back away. He does not look to be in a mood to play nice." The only warning she was going to give, she idly turned about to watch as someone new and quite unusual walked in through the doors.

Well then!

[Cyril]

The jackal grumbled and knocked Neshar's shoulder with a shake of his head. He looked toward Xavier with a squint before to Silverwing. "I suppose you don't know, but I can work some magic.." He grumbled as he sat back to watch his... Acquaintance begin to deal with the stranger which he had so rudely harmed. "But I don't think he's worth it, after getting himself into said situation." Crossing his arms after drinking a glass of his water and still fixing his hair, Camille awaited the event to finish.

Visibly impatient, he was more bent on getting the last word on the men he'd seen last night. Definitely not to deal with strangers at the bar.

[Drakeyboy]

Drake didn't bother himself with the situation that started to unfold. It wasn't worth his time so he didn't worry. He then sat down at the table with Xavier and co an began eating. Once everyone was ready he would voice what he thought of last night.

[tangletail]

Oh… this table felt delightfully comfortable. The feline could just… his jaws fell open into a gentle yawn as his head rolled over onto it’s cheek. Yep… he could just take a nap on this table right now. The thief closed his eyes and nuzzled deep into the fine grain mahogany platform. The world was quiet, and the air was warm. Pleasant smells all around him. Yep… this was paradise.
 
 That… was till some lug behind him started yelling at him. Oh buggers… must he do this now? The feline opened an eye, an annoyed glint filled his eyes as it swiveled to look to the towering thug. And then he felt his neck being grabbed. Yup… this hog really has to do this now.
 
 The felines on suing reaction was something that was bred from training, plus trauma and paranoia from war for something like this to come from a thief that was physically and mentally exhausted. His tail immediately bristled as his eyes shot wide open. In one fluid motion the thief spun about, his body leaning against the table as his arm swept out and trapped the other male’s underneath his own, and locked them tight.
 
His arm appeared as it practically vanished and reappeared in a mere heartbeat before a loud crack filled the air. The arm had left behind a trail of thin shadowy mist in it’s wake before the side of his hand had made contact with the hedgehogs lower’s jaw. The strike seemed to have severely damaged the bone, as the jaw bent out of shape.
 
 Next, Neshar gripped the man and stomped down hard on his knee. He didn’t bother to check for the damage, instead he continued on with what he started. Just as the hedgehog dropped to his knee’s the feline twisted once more, falling out of his chair but catching himself on his toes.
 
The hedgehogs head was brought down hard onto the table. Hard enough to rattle the plates, tankards, and silverwear resting on it. As the hedgehogs head bounced up, the cat caught it with both hands and brought it down again, this time adding his weight into it.a

[Xavier Akafur]

The hybrid seemed relatively nonplussed by the exchange, just watching with a curious sort of expression. That was, until Neshar hit the man with enough force to mangle his jaw. Xavier's eyes widened slightly at that, and when it became clear that the shadowdancer was going to continue to assault the man, Xavier stood quickly and lunged over the table.

He wasn't quick enough to stop the first impact, the whole table rattling, glass and silverware making a jarring noise. "Enough!" He called out, his arm reached out and attempting to hold the hedgehog's head away from the table. He had little leverage, though, and even his substantial strength didn't fully stop the impact. This time, however, the likely unconscious man's head hit his fingers instead of the table edge.. probably sparing him a serious wound. Instead Xavier hissed a breath as his fingers were heavily crushed into the wood, but he didn't remove them.

"Enough." He growled, reiterating his earlier statement. He was extended across the length of the table, having flung himself forward in order to reach.  "What the hell is wrong with you?" He didn't need to add that the last blow may well have killed the man, who as far as Xavier knew was just an extremely unlucky idiot. The mage glared at the shadow-dancer and removed his hand, flexing his damaged digits gingerly. It was only then that he noticed the entire tavern was staring at them, most in shock, some in outright fear.

"Let's go..." The hybrid grumbled, addressing the statement to the table of adventurers in general. If they stayed it was only going to invite more trouble, and he doubted this town had enough law enforcement to deal with Neshar alone, much less the whole group of them. He was not so subtly reminded that these people were strangers, and dangerous at that.

[Drakeyboy]

Drake was also surprised by the sudden flurry of unnecessary violence. But before the hedgehog's head made contact with the table he scooped up his plate and milk not wanting it to spill and waste everywhere. He stared at the feline with curiosity and a bit of fear. Sure he could do that with a bit of his magic but a surprise completely setting him off and assaulting a man to death if it wasn't for Xavier. he set his plate and drink down once everything calmed down and heard Xavier tell everyone that they should go. And Drake didn't argue with that. He quickly scooped up a few more spoonfuls of food then drank a few more swigs of his milk not wanting to starve before lunch. He then placed some money by his plate and a little extra as a apology for neshar's behavior and to pay for any unforseen damages. He then followed the rest of the group out making sure he didn't leave anything behind before he did so.

[tangletail]

It took a voice for Neshar to snap out of his panicked frenzy. His eyes blinked, as he regained some semblance of lucidity. He looked at the male’s head he held between both of his hands, and grimaced. His eyes flicked upwards, immediately spotting the glare he was reciving from Xavier. The feline’s ears flicked back as his eyes turned away with a guilty look.

He hadn’t needed the command to tell that they needed to leave. Not the first time he’s been in some morally ambiguous situations. Though the law enforcement? He might be a veteran in the criminal underground, but he was no murderer. He’d sooner run, than harm some peace keeper. No need to be a complete heartless monster.

Regardless, the feline clung to the table for a moment to regainhimself, his arms twitching from a sudden influx of adrenaline. Once he felt composed enough, he stood up, and placed a handful of coins onto the table. For damages if any. Then dropped the coin purse onto the bruiser after pulling a small collection of coins, for medical. May be overpaying… but he certainly did not want to stay any longer.

He was quick to leave through the door. His tail still bristled, was just only beginning to lay it’s fur flat once again.

[FriendlyFern]

Calai was munching along when suddenly the group behind her had caused quite the scene. She was minding her own business and trying to hurry herself when she overheard something. "They need a healer?" She thought to herself, "It would be nice to have a group once again. I hope they aren't always like this, but it can't hurt to try." The commotion had stopped and some of them began to head out. Calaiuryon wiped her mouth and threw down her money in a hurry. "Wait!" She called out to the group, "I couldn't help but overhear you need a healer. Is that correct?" She squinted her right eye and raised her eyebrows waiting for a hopefully unharsh response.

[Cyril]

"For the love of..." Camille grumbled lowly, looking to the newcomer. "Hurry up, we got places to be!" He wasn't the most welcoming member, and his sharp temper was flared. But if she was interested in competing with the jackal's light magic, he'd probably lash her quite a bit beforehand.

"Xavier, do your leading thing..." He nodded towards the new one and crankily approached Neshar with his arms crossed.
"Thief, what information on the trio from last evening do you have? Where were we, and you think that they are still there?" His tone was slightly demanding, and the sunlight warmly shined from his cloak. He rose his hood once more, scratching his head and sighing long. The early morning mess that had been created by the venture in the tavern had been enough to combine with every other part of the situation. Seeming as aggressive as he felt, he was focused on getting that trio, or at least entering the woods once more, and this time he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

[Xavier Akafur]

Xavier did not stop walking, but he did slow down considerably when he heard someone call out. He pushed the tavern door open so that the others could go through, nodding to Camille as he went past. Apparently he was the leader now? Fair enough. The others did not seem as if they had much experience working as a group, where as the otter-wolf had quite a bit. Granted he had never had to try to control a group quite so chaotic by nature as this one. "Keep an eye on him." He said quietly, nodding towards Neshar, who had already stalked outside. He didn't figure he needed to explain why.



Xavier motioned for the girl to follow them, and once she had come outside he let the door swing closed, entirely ignoring the other patrons of the tavern. It was going to be a long day already, and he was not fond of dealing with the common people of the land. They tended to be a bit ignorant for his tastes. he paused just outside the door, however, looking the female over. She was the one who had walked in earlier that had caught his eye, as much for her unusual appearance as for the fact that she carried a weapon in plain sight. He had noticed that nobody else had reacted to her, so she must be a local.... or had been here for several days prior.


"A healer?" He questioned, his eyes examining her antlers for a moment before returning to her face. "We have a healer of sorts, but hiring another would not be a terrible idea..." A small smile crept onto his face and he held out a paw, his webbed fingers marked with more than a few scars, the silver markings shining through the brown of his fur. "I'm Xavier, and as of ten seconds ago I am in charge of screening new people for our..." he paused, looking over at the others. "...group." He finished, his tail giving a slight flick to one side as he said the word.

[tangletail]

The feline was leaning on a railing looking glumly out into the busy streets. Partly tired, partly annoyed, partly disappointed in himself. But… that would have to wait for later. His tail flicked, displaying his annoyance as he watched the folk.
 
Where the in the blue hell did all those people come from? A question he found himself asking repeatedly last night. He couldn’t even recall seeing any groups of people on the outskirts, besides the bandits he had slaughtered. Not by choice of course, they attacked first.
 
But then he heard a voice speak behind himself. Thief? Already forgot his name? Geeze and after a kiss like that.
 
 “I have a name, Neshar, thank you,” The feline hummed, now slowly turning around so his back was on the railing. He spoke again, but instead of hostility, there was a gentle note of annoyance. “Also what the hell crawled up your ass? You weren’t the one that was crawling through the world’s most hostile woods this little country side has seen alone lacking two days of sleep and food. Or accepted the fact that you might be beheaded in a moment’s notice when you turn around. Ooor felt like someone wanted you to snoop around to do the dirty work for them, because you’d be too brain-dead to put up much of a fight when it's time to collect.”


The feline crossed his arms and looked up to the sky with annoyed grimmace. His eyes then contemplatively dropped down to the towns people. He pulled the map, and monster scrolls he had collected from his journey last night from his bag and tossed them to the party's acting leader. "Yeah that last feeling had me contemplating just burning what I have all damn night, and looking over my shoulders for eyes. Two of those guys wen't missing, one remained in place. Three guys with enough skill to bypass my scrutiny of all people, and the only hindrance I found was a bell alarm."

His voice dipped into a softer tone, leaving it only audible to the group nearby. It was thoughtful, but careful. His eyes flicked back to the group as well. "Two different parties wanted the hound dead. We were the ones that were capable enough to kill it. We run into a group of unknown hostiles, that took care to keep out of sight when I was actively searching for them while ascertaining information. I've been in the criminal underworld and a military infiltrator and commando for too freaking long to not see this as a lead into a cage, and we're the game."


His grimace deepened into a frown. It may be his paranoia... but last night the town was empty. Could that faction have...

Neshar whistled to a nearby lad and his group of friends and beckoned them closer. He smiled kindly as he dropped down, leaving both hands up on the railing.

"The lot of you look like you've been here for some time. Do you know how many people moved into town in the past few months? Maybe grown ups leaving town?" It was just his paranoia... but his instincts have rarely ever lead him astray.

[FriendlyFern]

Calaiuryon had no idea how to react, but thankfully the leader, soon after, introduced himself. He held out his paw. Calai grabbed it with her hand firmly and shook it,"My name is Calaiuryon, but you can call me Calai. Thanks for letting me join you." When she was done shaking his paw she scratched the underside of her hair. It was so ratty and messy, it itched fairly often. Calai had no idea what she had gotten herself into. "So...what is it that you guys do exactly?" She asked, following close behind the leader. Calaiuryon hoped for a good answer. Were they bandits? Pirates? Helpers? Questers? Guardians? She just hoped for the best. Calai wasn't going to miss this town though, she hadn't been there for much more than a month. It was about time she got some action and adventure in her life.