Veralidaine Roleplay

((Sorry for the wait guys!))

Asher walked along the dirt road, his heavy brown cloak pulled tightly around himself. His hood hung over his head and covered his eyes, though he didn't need to see as he could navigate by sound. He dodged around the humans walking in the opposite direction with ease, and the road itself was pretty straight.

He walked off the road and stopped for a moment. He lifted his hood just enough so he could see what was ahead. The walls of Agustine rose up in the distance, about another half hour of walking and he'd be there.

He had no idea what was going through his great-grandfather's head when he decided to send Asher this far north for some book. The old man must be losing his mind. However, Asher couldn't turn him down.

The sun was now high in the sky, though some clouds had begun to move in and cover it. There was a slight breeze that rustled the grass and the few trees that grew on either side of the path. Despite that, Asher was ridiculously hot, but he had to wear this cloak in case of poachers or whatever else. He knew what humans were like.

He pulled his hood back down and continued on. The road was somewhat busy, though the increasing number of demons tended to keep many people home and off the road. Also, only the most tolerant humans actually went to Agustine, since there were infanima there too. It had only been 68 years since the war between between the races had ended, after all. King Elson III had made Agustine as a place of peace and appointed his family and an infanima family, that of King Alyran, as its dual rulers, allowing both races to mingle there.

Lost in his thoughts, Asher accidentally bumped into someone. His hood started to slide back and he grabbed it, but not before he heard a woman gasp. He darted off the road and into a cluster of trees. He knew she had followed him; he drew his sword and waited for her.

She approached around a tree and came face to face with the blade. She stopped dead, but didn't take her eyes off the cloaked figure.

"I saw... horns. You're a..." she stammered.

"You never saw me," Asher growled. "You'll continue on like you never saw me and not breathe a word about it or I swear..."

He thrust his sword closer and she ran away. After fighting off a few stray demons, he returned to the road.

The rest of the walk was uneventful, and he soon arrived at his destination. The massive stone walls rose up before him, tall and sturdy enough to stave off most demons. Archers were positioned along the top of them to shoot down the airborne ones.

He slipped past the guards at the main gate using his stealth and a group of humans that were passing through and he was finally in. The city sprawled ahead of him, the houses and stores all made of stone and wood. Humans and infanima passed each other on the streets with restrained tolerance. Even after all these years, the city still wasn't the peaceful paradise King Elson had envisioned.

Asher passed by a group of infanima who had cornered a human, a guard who was breaking up a fight, and a male infanima and female human sitting on a bench together. Overall, he questioned the wisdom of making a place like this, though there seemed to be some good.

The library was near the castle. As he moved toward the north end of Agustine, he could see the tall spires of the castle rising up into the sky. The library was dwarfed by the building's overall enormity.

Glad to finally be there, Asher hurried on to the library.

((Attn: Open))

Meditation was never something Pallas had been partial to. Apart from being incredibly dull, the position he had been trained to sit strained his long legs. He had a feeling that whatever priest had invented the practice way back when had either been short or masochistic. Despite that fact, it was something Pallas had taken up more frequently as of late.

At some point, when it became evident that there was no sign of the demon invasion stopping any time soon, people had completely lost faith in the higher power he was a representative of and had even expressed hostility toward him, calling him a liar. Pallas could hardly blame them; seeing what was happening to the world didn't really lend credibility to the idea of a higher power looking out for people. His own faith was beginning to dwindle. Maybe through meditation he could get some kind of a sign.

Or maybe he was just losing his mind.

He'd been at it for a while without any results, so he opted to call it quits for the time being. He stood up with a yawn and paced around the temple a couple of times to walk off the stiffness in his legs. The temple tended to be stuffy on sunny afternoons and it was making him drowsy. He doubted there would be any pressing business in the time it would take for him to take a walk to wake himself up.

In spite of its neutrality, Pallas could see that there was definitely tension in the streets of Agustine. He was admittedly a bit out of the loop regarding the city's political climate, so he didn't know exactly what was up. He hoped the presence of demons was the trigger that was driving people to violence; maybe that would prompt officials into recognizing that they needed a solution.

The racial issues, both the overt and the underlying, were puzzling to Pallas. His mentor had never treated those of other races differently than he had treated humans. The only thing he had ever said to Pallas regarding race was 'people are people' and Pallas had no reason to question that. After all, the infanima and even the one tiamat he had met back when his mentor was still alive hadn't seemed that much different from humans. It was probably a simplistic and even naive viewpoint, but he wasn't about to start thinking politics.

He started off down the street, disguising another yawn with the palm of his hand. Either way, his black robes made him look like a harmless, peace loving type at worst and someone to respect at best, so he generally managed to avoid conflict on the streets.

Walking along the dirt road, Chane has little interest in the various humans and infanima around her. The black cloak she had wrapped around herself helped to conceal her horns and wings, not that she cared if anyone saw. It just made things less troublesome, and dangerous, for her. She was by no means particularly imposing, but she still drew glances and double takes from various people traveling the road. Most likely due to the fact that someone who looked like she did, did not usually go unnoticed. Maybe it was her eyes, or the paleness of her skin. Perhaps her cloak has slipped, revealing a bit of her wings. Either way, she didn't really care. She continued to move on, silently trekking along at the far right of the road.
A small fact about her, she didn't like crowds. Which is why she would have preferred to stay in the forest, out of sight. But she didn't feel like dealing with demons, so she decided to stay on the main road. Also, there was a possibility of poachers.
She had been venturing to Agustine on her own accord. She didn't mind cities, as long as she could keep away from the bustle, but that was probably going to be next to impossible here.
Approaching the city gates, Chane surveyed the tall walls, guards, and archers. They were there to ward off the demons, she assumed. Entering the city, she now realized why people were reluctant to come here. The city was fairly..unsavory, to say the least. Chane trekked forward, now feeling any safer considering the lack of guards. She sighed, walking down the street. Coming to a street filled with shops, and taverns, her eyes wandered. Spotting passed out drunks and loud mouthed alcoholics who had come to drown their sorrows.
Before Chane had realized it, she had bumped into a rather drunk man, who appeared to be violent. Her suspicions were confirmed when he shot her a glare.
"Oi, watch where yer goin'!" His words were slurred, and he blinked, as if to try to focus his vision. Now, seeing as how most of the . of Chane's gender were covered at the moment, she could be mistaken for a very pretty boy. Which is exactly what happened.
"You little pissant. Who do you think you are?" He snarled.
"Think we best teach him some manners'" His partner, a rather small man piped in. The larger one lunged at her, with a knife she didn't know he had been holding. She managed to avoid being hit, but he tore her cloak off. Revealing her gender, as well as her horns.
Lovely.
They stood, looking at her, mouths agape.
"A Tiamat, a live tiamat." The smaller man stuttered. " This must be our lucky day then. A pretty young thing too!" He grinned.
"Well then, doubt she'll put up much of a fi-"
Chane took out her knife, a sleek, footlong piece of iron. She hold it to her collar, the place pointing directly outward, at the men. In a perfect sign of, 'come at me',

The sounds of children playing filled the air at the park. A group of seven children ranging in ages from 5-7 gathered around a teenage young woman. She has short straight light brown hair with very light blonde streaks in them. Her eyes, one green the other blue scan all the kids. "Go ahead and play guys." The kids scatter amongst the playground.

One of the kids tugs on her modest dress "Mare, can you push me?" Maresca allows herself to be pulls along to a swing.

The young boy climbs on "I won't be able to push you that high."

He laughs "That's ok, I don't want to go that high."

Maresca begins to push the young boy. After a few pushes she stopped and went over to a bench. She wasn't there long before a little girls screaming bloody murder comes running. Her knees are skinned from falling. Maresca embraces the girl. She puts her hand on the girls knees and heals them. The little girl hugs Maresca.

Maresca looks over at the orphanage across the cobblestone street. The kids love their park time. She did too when she was their age. She never thought she would still be there. Only one more year until she was on her own. Maresca pick up her book and begins to read.

[ATTN: Pallas, Open]

“It’s always uncomfortably warm here, don’t you find?” Cassian remarked, looking out the window of his horse drawn covered carriage as it rolled along the path to Agustine. His bodyguard sitting opposite of him, Alicia, nodded in agreement. Smiling, he continued. “However, this trip is always enjoyable. This place is so different from Infanus.”

Alicia looked at Cassian, knowing that he was hiding apprehension. His trips from the mansion were few and far between since his parents were killed on a trip similar to the one he was currently taking. Cassian had grown up quickly after their death, and tended to hide his vulnerabilities.

The carriage reached the walls of Agustine and passed through them. The coachman stationed the carriage off the main path, and the two bodyguards sitting next to him, Leroy and Bernard, jumped to the ground, using their wings to slow their descent. Cassian exited the carriage, Alicia following him. Stretching, Cassian stepped onto the street, Leroy and Bernard on either side of him and Alicia still behind him.

“Hmm… Where shall we go first?” Cassian looked all around, taking in all the sights. He thought for a moment, and then smiled. “The library.”

Cassian walked with a regal air, not making eye contact with anyone he met on the street. He was vaguely aware of the attention that his entourage was attracting; it never occurred to him that he should be concerned about their opinions.

The four continued along the streets, each unable to remember the exactly where the library was. Soon, they had come to a more empty part of town, and nobody had any clue where to go.

“Umm… I think we’re lost,” Leroy said, turning to look at Cassian, who folded his arms. “Uh, it’s okay, Master! If we keep going this way, I’m sure we’ll-”

“You there,” Cassian said in a commanding tone, pointing to a nearby human in black robes. “Are you able to give us directions to the library?”

((Attn: Cassian))

Refreshed by the gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun on his face, Pallas decided not to return to the temple right away. He glanced around, trying to figure out how to spend his time. He finally settled on the library, having been meaning to do some research on demons.

An addled looking group of infanima caught his eye and as he moved to walk around them, the well dressed boy in the middle addressed him. It wasn't the most tactful way to get his attention, but Pallas chose to respond anyway. Conveniently, they just needed directions to the library.

"Actually, I'm heading there myself. It might be easier if you just follow me. My name is Pallas, by the way." Pallas tended to prefer being addressed by name than as 'you there'. "Come on."

[ATTN: Pallas]

"Very well. Lead the way," Cassian responded, and the group followed the man down the street. He had no grudge against humans, however he shared the general feeling of superiority over them that many infanima had.

After some walking, Leroy spoke up. "So... do all those robes mean you're a priest or something?"

"No, he's obviously a farmer," Bernard said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Really...?" Leroy began, and then became indignant when he realized he was being insulted. "Hey! I resent that!"

"Now, now. I can't have you two fighting like children," Cassian said good-naturedly. "If we are attacked, the demons will not take you seriously."

"But that would be a good thing! They'll underestimate our power!" Leroy exclaimed.

"True," Cassian responded, knowing that Leroy didn't realize that most demons didn't have the mental capacity to make that assumption.

((Attn: Cassian))

Pallas nodded in reponse to Leroy's inquiry, stifling a snicker at Bernard's remark. "Yeah, I'm a priest. This isn't a really religious area or anything, but a lot of people consider themselves spiritual, especially older folks." As much as he'd tried to avoid it, he couldn't resist acknowledging how gullible the man was. "Just to set the record straight... I'd make a terrible farmer."

He glanced up ahead. The library was in sight.

"We're almost there; it's that building up there. So, what brings you guys to Agustine? You obviously aren't from around here."

Even the illiterate locals knew where the library was, after all.

[ATTN: Open]

Asher had made it into the library without incident. He now had the daunting task of finding the one book that his great-grandfather wanted. The old man had insisted it was here, so he began scouring the shelves. There were so many books; it was going to take him a while.

As he made his way to the back of the building, he pushed his hood back. He needed some air, and he figured no one would see him back there. He looked over the books, one by one, hoping it was here and that it wasn't a complete waste of time.

{Attn: Open}

After a half hour the kids started to tire out from playing at the park. Maresca gathered them all up and took them back to the orphanage. She started to gather all their borrowed books up intending on going to the library before they closed. However she was interrupted by the Mistress of the orphanage. "Maresca, I am so happy you are back. I was going to cook some thing for dinner, but it got destroyed. I need you to go to the market area and pick up a few things." She gave Maresca a list and enough coins to cover the purchases.

Maresca takes the items from the Mistress, along with a couple of sacks to carry everything. She heads to the market area. She considers herself lucky the Mistress is probably the closest thing she had to a mother. Maresca pretty much grew up in the orphanage after found abandoned in a carriage as a toddler. The authorities tried to find her parents, but couldn't.

She continues down the cobble path way past the library, cursing herself for not bringing the books.

(ATTN: OPEN)
The larger man lunges at her. Seeing as how he is drunk beyond comprehension, Chane dodged him easily. He turned, going to lung again, with murder on the mind. In response, Chane grabbed his collar and smashed his head into her knee. The man was out cold, leaving her to deal with the other man. Unfortunately, this one managed to hold onto most of his sense, and he was armed with a crossbow.
This city had a horrible weapons policy.
Three small arrows flew at her. The sound of them being deflected by her knife echoed off the walls. She lunged at him, dodging the rest if the arrows shot at her. But one managed to graze her cheek and arm. She shoved her knee into his gut, sending him toppling to the ground. She knew she had drawn unwanted attention, so she quickly grabbed her cloak and hurried off. To the library. She threw the cloak back over her wings and horns before entering. She sighed, her fingers brushing along the spines of each book.

{Attn Cassian, Pallas, Open}

Maresca walks past the library. She takes a chance to take a look at the list the Mistress put together. She wants to know where to go once she gets there. The Market district can be quite tricky to navigate.

Suddenly she walks into something solid and falls to the ground. She looks up and sees Pallas in his dark robes. She looks down retrieving her bags. "Sorry about that. I should have been watching where I was going."

((Attn: Maresca, Cassian))

As Pallas was trying to ask the people he was guiding where they were from, he suddenly felt someone collide with him. He was about to make a rude remark when he caught a glimpse of who it was.

"Hey, you," he greeted Maresca, picking up one of her bags and handing it to her. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

{Attn: Cassian, Pallas}

Maresca takes the bag looking up as she does "Oh sorry Father, I have to watch where I am going. I was just going shopping for the Mistress. One of the kids attempted to make lunch, and it didn't turn out very well." She smiles shyly at him and the entourage he was with. She eyes them curiously not recognizing them.

((Attn: Maresca, Cassian))

"It's no problem, I was a little distracted myself," he assured her. "We're heading to the library. This is..." He indicated the group with his hand, trailing off as he realized that he didn't know their names. He eyed the boy in the middle who had asked him for directions. "So, what is your name, anyway?"

[ATTN: Open]

Asher kept looking through the stacks of books. He began to think it was hopeless when he finally spotted the book. He reached in and pulled it out; the covers of it were rough and clearly very old. He looked at the title, The Ancient War. He didn't know why his great-grandfather wanted it, he probably knew more about that war than whoever wrote the book did. Though not even he remembered that much.

He slid the book into a pocket in his cloak and pulled his hood back up. He turned and began to head toward the exit.

[ATTN: Pallas, Maresca, Asher]

"Oh, no," Cassian replied. "I live near Infanus."

"We're his bodyguards," Leroy added proudly.

"This is-" Cassian started, but was cut off when a girl walked right into Pallas. He sighed as each insisted on taking the blame. Then, Pallas asked Cassian’s name.

“I do not give out my name,” he stated simply. Cassian stepped in front of his bodyguards, and turned to them. “Let’s continue.”

Cassian walked between Pallas and Maresca, his three bodyguards following him single file to the library. He pushed open the door, causing a sudden gust of wind to rush inside. It hit the cloaked figure in front of him, pushing back the hood. A pair of silver horns immediately caught Cassian’s attention, and it took him a moment to realize what he was looking at.

“You are…” he began, frozen on the spot. “You are… a Tiamat…”

It was the first time he had seen a real one, and he was actually frightened at first. After Cassian’s initial reaction had worn off, he became bitter.

“You-” Cassian was interrupted by Leroy bursting inside past him.

“Master! Are you in danger!?” he exclaimed, looking at the man in front of him.

{Attn: Cassian, Pallas}

Maresca felt the young man brush past her without an introduction. She glance at Pallas, nodding politely as she continues to the marketplace. She is used to people treating her in such a manner.

[ATTN: Cassian]

Asher quickly pulled his hood back up and glared at the infanima standing in front of him. The guy seemed ticked off, though Asher couldn't imagine why.

"Tch, why would he be in danger?" Asher grumbled at the other infanima that came rushing in. "Now let me by."

((Attn: Maresca, Cassian, Asher, Open))

Pallas narrowed his eyes as he watched the boy and his entourage brush past the two of them. "'Cause we deserved that," he grumbled sarcastically. He returned Maresca's nod as the girl headed off to do her shopping before continuing to the library.

By the time he arrived at the library, the entourage was standing in the doorway. Pallas was already annoyed by them, and now they were blocking his way into the library. "Hey, maybe in Infanus you stand around in doorways, but here we go through--"

He trailed off as he heard one of the boy's bodyguards ask if he was in danger. He bit his lip, glancing around. Demons, maybe?

It soon became apparent to him as the Tiamat trying to leave the building responded to the bodyguard. He didn't appear to be posing any threat to them. He hadn't even seemed hostile until the bodyguard had ruffled him. What was with these people?

"So... are you going to move?"

[ATTN: Asher, Pallas, Open]

Cassian didn't hear what the others were saying; he just stared at Asher. Alicia stepped inside the library and stood next to Cassian. Gently, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Come, we shouldn't stand in the doorway," she said quietly as she guided him to the side, Bernard and Leroy following. Alicia looked at Asher, then at Pallas. "We're terribly sorry for the trouble we have caused. Please, continue."

{Attn: Open}

Maresca continues to the marketplace. It is a bustling place with shops of all kinds. She goes to the food ones to pick up the items on her list. She already knows which vendors have the best deals and which ones overcharge. Soon all the items on the list are purchased. As usual the Mistress gave her a little extra money. She decides to pick up a book for herself.

Maresca begins her walk back to the orphanage. As she passes one of the stalls, a young adult man watches her past. He and his friend approaches her "Hey there sweet thing, you need some help with those bags?"

Maresca looks up. She recognizes the man. He is an arrogant human she ran into in the past. Maresca holds her bags closer to her "Thank you for asking, but I can handle these bags."

He gets closer to her and Maresca can smell the alcohol on his breath. He steps in front of her. "You are looking more and more beautiful everyday Maresca..."

Maresca side steps him and continues on her way "Thank you."

He takes her arm "Now, now sweet Mare don't be shy." He pulls her backwards into him. Maresca, frightened steps on his foot and takes off running. The man and his friend chases her.

Maresca continues to run back to the library. She turns the corner of the building and leans against the wall. She is exhausted from the chase. She puts the bags on the ground and falls to her knees. She prays they are not still after her.

[ATTN: Maresca, Open]

Asher walked past Cassian, Pallas, and the rest irritatedly, exiting the library. Why did humans and infanima have to make simple tasks such a chore? Hadn't they tortured his race enough already?

He turned the corner of the building, hoping to find a back alley to travel through, but instead found a girl sitting there. He was about to walk past her, when two guys came running up behind him.

"There she is!" one called.

"Move, buddy!" the other one said.

Asher turned around and glared at the two. He could tell just by looking at them that they were trouble.

"Screw off, scumbags," he said, reaching for his sword.

The two guys stopped and saw that he had a sword. They decided it wasn't worth the trouble and left, mumbling to each other. Asher turned back around and walked past Maresca, not saying anything.

(ATTN: MARESCA, ASHER)
Seeing the girl, who had apparently being chased by the two men. Chane was ready to intervene, but the young man, a Tiamat, stepped in before her. She felt a bit of respect for him, and decided to focus on helping the girl.
Kneeling next to the young human, Chane looked at her, piping up.
"Are you alright? Do you need any help?" She asked, cocking her head. She withdrew her hood, revealing her horns. "I mean no harm.."

((Attn: Cassian, Open))

What could have become a fight dissipated as one of Cassian's bodyguards managed to diffuse the situation by allowing Asher to leave the library. "Eh. No worries," he assured the female bodyguard as she apologized to him. It wasn't her fault the person she was guarding seemed borderline crazy, after all.

The peace lasted approximately two and a half seconds as he heard drunken shouts, followed by Asher telling them to back off. Luckily, they obeyed after seeing the weapon. Some other person leaving the library went to check on Maresca, so Pallas finally headed into the library.

He was a bit unsettled after what he had witnessed at the door. The way the kid had been looking at the Tiamat and the way his bodyguard had been prepared to take action just upon realizing the other man's race... it was disturbing.

"Hey... what's the deal with that guy?" he asked as he caught back up with them. "Do you know him?"

He hadn't seemed dangerous, but if he was it would be useful to know, Pallas supposed.