Glayp'neir

Dr. Atrium chuckles a bit.

"If she was a danger to people, do you honestly think I would bring her out in the open? She is safe and friendly. Heck, before we ran into you, a friend of ours had her on his shoulders. She was scared and alone when she bit me. I am okey also. I got myself a book and read up on it. I am fine and I will be fine."

Doc stands back while the others talk. When they starts heading back to the house, Doc can't help but laugh.

"I can cook a little, but nothing to brag about."

"So, Richard is cursed. I guess that explains the aura he's giving off.What does he mean he and the doctor ran together."

"Jian is a wonderful cook, but he's busy right now. We can take you to our place but its under furnished...hm...and I'm still waiting for the quarantine to be over. All so bothersome

The attendant stares at the ground in thought before answering. "I'm afraid I do not know." she says.


Meanwhile at the house, Clarent doesn't stirr, but as Airgetlam is talking to her she notices Clarent has broken out in a sweat once more. Her fever isn't too high, but she can tell even without medical history that she will soon be overcome with pain and worry.

Sharpe laughs a bit at the idea of Ferrous sitting down with one project for once.

"Ha! That's a great joke RD!" he chuckles. "Ferrous wasn't really a nut-ball, but he definitely doesn't keep one thing in his sights for long. He's probably still got other projects at the same time, he's Essa's representative to our faction anyway so he has to deal with those duties as well!"

He smiles, thinking of his old comrades. Then his look turns a bit more solemn, thinking of the disgust he gets at what Alvoric's bunch do on a daily basis. An utter disgrace to Teyness and it's traditions.

"I know you don't really want to hear about home, man, but those guys... one of the reasons I left Teyness. Things would just get more heated, and the Gov might have gotten involved. I didn't want that shit to hit the fan, y'know? Anyway, we should get back to the house." he says, though he doesn't explain fully what he knows of Alvoric's Pride. Nor does he really want to, for his own sake as well. He keeps walking along, a hand on the bottom of his sword's hilt, the other in his coat pocket, like usual.

"Reminds me, you have yet to meet the other two in the party." he takes out one of the tokens he was given and flips it without really paying much attention to it, though he has enough dexterity to not drop it.

Airgetlam notices Clarent starting to break a sweat again.

"Shit, I hope that's not because of me!" She exclaims at the still unconscious Clarent. She leans over and grabs her pack and takes out her personal canteen and goes into the bathroom looking for a towel of sorts. She retrieves one and runs back into Clarent's room and deftly applies it to her forehead.

"I'm really wishing i knew more medicine right about now!" She says, and thinks of where Jian might have stowed some spices or herbs.

"What am I thinking, I don't know too much of that either!" She keeps looking about the room for something to use to quell Clarent's pre-fever. She sits back with Clarent and wipes her head a little more.

"Where's Doc when you need him?"

"A book eh..?" RD says a bit skeptically.

He eases himself somewhat around Hitomi, figuring that the Doc may have tamed her a bit, at least enough to walk alongside him within the city and not attack at random at least. She seemed calm enough at the moment at least, still he wanted to keep an eye on her just in case.

"Hmm? So this 'Jian' is another part of yer group eh? And ya'll own this 'place' of yours? Huh... but yeah I've been wondering about that quarantine, what's it for eh? The guards seem really protective of the place and aren't telling me anything... ya'll know anything about it? I mean I just got here, ya'll have been here longer, am i right?" RD shoots questions at them left and right, extremely inquisitive about Recudor as a whole, and seemingly unable to wait till they arrived at wherever Jack and the others are leading him to.

He makes sure to grab a few groceries on the way to their "place", various meats, fish, veggies, fruits, and such. Occasionally they had to stop Hitomi from grabbing at the various food, RD guessed she wasn't used to the concept of purchasing goods, so he bought her a small meal so she'd be a bit easier to handle. Since he felt he was the one imposing on them, he Uses 13 of his 53 gold in the process. He's able to carry a decent amount of it, but makes the others carry some as well, seeing as they'd all be partaking in a meal, he didn't see a problem. He made sure he had a bunch of funds wherever he went, he worked not because he needed funds, but more so he could explore and go on adventures.

As he continues to question them he notices they're entering the high-class district, judging merely by the overall atmosphere of the area. They're approaching a manor, rather small in comparison to the ones around it, but definitely a nice place. RD whistles rather impressed, "Not well- furnished indeed.." he says rather sarcastically. As they enter he notices there's basically no furniture, "Oh, that's what ya meant by 'under furnished'... gotcha." As he sets down his luggage, as well as the groceries, he hears some rather loud rustling further upstairs, fearing he may surprise some ally of theirs by suddenly bounding up the stairs to check out whats going on, "Hey... Ya'll might wanna go see what's up." He mentions to the others, keeping right hand close to the hilt of his blade in case they're in actual danger.

Jian frowns a little hearing that she doesn't know about his location either. He shakes his head a little thereafter.

"It's fine. Thank you for taking care of me today... I really needed it. I also thank you for the time you took to think about my question a bit further. Good fortune shall cross your path aswell.", he then says, getting up and dressed slowly. He then nods to her, pulling out some coin from his backpack, handing her 1 Gold for her efforts. It's rare that people appreciate those people's rituals, so it just feels right to be one of the people that gives something in return.

Having fully dressed himself he bows, looking at her with a warm smile before leaving, on his way out he bows to Kuu aswell, saying good bye. Being outside he decides to head home for now as he has no clues about the healer's presence or location. Being stuck in thoughts he then marches on a little, heading back directly without taking any detours, arriving not too long after.

He steps into the building, going up the stairs, seeing everyone being present... including a new face. He backs away shyly a little, looking at the man with a bit of a worried expression. Who could that man be? Jian can't tell. Silently he looks at him, not sure of what to say.

Dr. Atrium is laughing as they walk into the house. He lets Hitomi go and watches her run off into another room. Hearing the commotion upstairs, Doc goes into a mini sprint as he charges up the stairs and into the room that Airgetlam and Clarent are in. He rushes over to Clarent and puts his hand on her forehead for a moment when checks her heart beat. He then sighs and shakes his head.

"I am afraid I don't know what is making her ill so I have no idea how to cure her. I only hope that Jian will have the answer when he returns. Until then I can only ask one other person...If she will talk to me. So far I haven't had any luck."

Doc then walks to the window looking out. He enjoys the view for a moment before shutting his eyes. He then pulls out the Soultrap that has been tucked inside of his shirt and concentrates.

"Lady Dahaka, I know you can hear me. I need your help. Clarent, the girl you had taken over. She has become very ill and I have no idea how I can help her. Please answer me."

As doc focuses and listens with his mind, he feels a slight tug, followed by a slightly dizzying sensation. It passes quick enough, leaving him in perfectly fine shape, but without any answer. Meanwhile Clarent lies in bed. Still sick, and looking a little worse than this morning. But not nearly as bad as last night. Mitsuki jumps onto the bed and gives off a gentle meow as she licks her paw and then looks up at the Doc. As she catches his attention, something in the way she stares at him make him feel uneasy. An uneasy feeling that quickly subsides as Hitomi jumps into the room, letting a playful roar come from her and picks up the cat. With slight protest the cat is lifted in the air and squeezed, and run out of the room, now to be used as a mock airplane by Hitomi as she runs from room to room.

As he walks into the house and hears the rumbling upstairs, and crosses his arms.

"She tries her best, but without Doc she really can't do much. She being Air, the last member you have yet to meet, besides Jian, who you might as well make acquaintance with now." He says, moving out of the way of Jian, who is in the doorway.

"Hey Jian. This here is RD, he's from Teyness as well. He was in a military operation with me and my men, so you can trust him I'd say." He walks beside RD and puts his hand on the man's shoulder.

"You play nice, ok? Jian isn't the most trusting type, but he's justified in being untrusting. As well, I think Air knows more about what's with the quarantine. Seems she might have intel, she usually does. She's a bit shy, so don't be afraid to make her come out of her shell a bit when you talk to her." He whispers, and goes upstairs to his room. He looks at the two papers, and thinks on what he should do. Go after the heirloom, or go escort those folks? I'd assume those people might need to be there in a hurry, though it might not take very long for someone to pawn off an heirloom, unless that's not their intent. I guess I'll ask RD later what he thinks.

He sits down and unsheathes his sword, checking the blade for any sign of disrepair. None can be seen, and he has a pretty keen eye for that kind of thing anyway. Guess I might take this to RD, too. He remarks again.

Airgetlam backs away from Clarent a bit to let the doctor have ample space to work. She shifts her weight onto one leg and entangles her fingers in front of herself, watching what Doc is doing by the window.

"I guess I will leave you then, Doctor, unless you require my aid again." She says and grabs her crossbow, heading out the doorway and to the staircase.

She stops abruptly. And doesn't do anything, simply watching with unease.

"Jack, Jian, who's this?" she asks. She decides not to threaten the man with her weapon, he has this look about him that isn't exactly so threatening, that and he's comparatively much larger than her, so it would be unwise to try anything no matter what.

"Air, huh?" RD says as he slowly sets his hand back to a more passive position, "That's a rather odd name... and hello there Jian." He says with a smile as he offers his hand to the tall man with the blue hair, trying to ease his obvious worries somewhat; he doesn't trust people too easily, just as Sharpe said, hmm, well that's fine he's got his reasons i bet. He notes that he seems a bit young and definitely too kind, perhaps even a bit naive, though he's definitely got the right armor on, its well made and of an eastern design that RD hadn't seen very often. "Nice to meetcha, I'm RD. Guess you could call me a bit of a 'Freelance Adventure' or a mercenary." He chuckles lightly. "Sharpe and I go back a bit, same with the Doc. That's some fine armor you've got there, its very well made and i'm definitely a fan of its design! Jack said you're a top-notch cook and i was hoping we could all talk and get to know each other over a nice meal, so I bought... A LOT of groceries... heh." he chuckled a bit in embarrassment finally noting the sheer amount of groceries he had actually bought.

He then turned his attention from the young man in front of him to a rather stunning woman further up the staircase, cross bow in hand, but not aimed. She had stopped her progress a short distance away from him, now weary of his presence, and I do mean 'Weary' she seemed almost afraid. He had dealt with people being afraid of him before, so he merely sighed, closed his eyes and drooped his shoulders somewhat, then immediately perked up and grinned "Hey there! Name's RD! Jack, Doc, and Sharpe know me from way back! They found me in town and invited me over to tell me how they've been and what's been going on with them since they entered Recudor, I honestly haven't heard anything good about this place since I've entered it. Kidnappings, quarantines, and strange things that go 'bump' in the night... Something's not right here and I was hoping ya'll could give me some insight to get to the bottom of it. Speaking of..."

Rd walks past her and towards the last room he saw the Doc enter, the same room Air had recently vacated. Inside he sees the doc standing at the window looking outside, and a young girl laying in the bed, a pained expression across her face, she's breathing rather heavily... she seems to have a fever, possibly even the flu. He looks back to the Doc just standing in front of the window... clutching something... it comes to RD as he sees the doc stumble somewhat from a dizzying effect he was all too familiar with. RD glances down at his own Soultrap then closes the door quietly behind him and turns back to the Doc. "We need to talk, NOW." He says with a bit of a growl in his voice as he quickly moved over to Doc and turned him around, keeping it quiet enough not to startle anyone or rouse the girl from what he hoped was sleep."I sure as HELL hope that's not what i think it is and... IS IT CRACKED? Explain. NOW. What the hell is going on, who is this, how did you get that and why are you trying to commune with it?"

Jian, still not sure what to think, carefully shakes the hand of this unknown man. To his surprise, RD, at least that's how he calls himself, even knows how Jian looks, even more what his name is. Getting his armor admired, he simply remains a bit silent and held back about the situation. Even more so, RD seems to know he's a good cook. Jian shakes his head a little, why do people tell strangers so much about him? Well, not that he's a stranger to Sharpe and the Doc appearantly, but... he personally thinks revealing the personality of everyone just isn't the best of ideas, given that the times currently are a bit hectic and chaotic.

He then also introduces himself to Air, which gives him a moment to step aside and dodge the conversation a little for now. He keeps an eye on RD while he's taking off his backpack, opening it to then take some containers, putting them into the belt that came with his ordered armor. He also flips his dagger into the given slot that's on the belt, then closing his backpack again.

He just came back from a cleansing ritual, so he refuses to take any risks of doing anything stupid, as it would defeat the purpose behind him going there in the first place. RD leaves shortly after, going into a different room. Jian sighs a little, then looking to Sharpe and Jack, tilting his head a little.

"I'd like to hear a bit more of an explanation of who this fine man is... And how did you get to know each other?", he simply says, still unsure of how to feel about them.

When RD forcefully turns Dr. Atrium around, he glares at the man. When RD is done talking, he pushes him back so he isn't in his face.

"You're talking about this?" Doc holds up the Soultrap. "This is EXACTLY what you think it is and yes, it is cracked. It belonged to her..." He points at Clarent. "...before she lost it and I used it to seal away a powerful soul. The soul in here, her name is Lady Dahaka, I was trying to communicate with her because I need her help...but she has yet to talk to me."

Doc then walks over to Clarent and wipes all the sweat from her forehead off with the damp rag that is on her. When he is done, he walks to the door and locks it. He then uses Protraction to put a ward on the door to sound proof the room. He then walks over to RD.

"Where do YOU have the right to be angry with what people do with Soultraps seeings how you NEED one to be normal. I would like it if you would stop doubting me. We have JUST meet up again and this is the second time you have questioned what I am doing. I thought you trusted me or did our travels mean nothing to you?"

As Doc is talking, he is letting his anger slips bit by bit. The fairy illness starts to take effect do to him not focusing and his fingers start to get longer and start to get a point to them turning into claws and his teeth start to become fangs.

"Just because very odd things have happened the past few days, doesn't mean I don't understand what is going on." He points at RD with one of his claw like fingers. "It's you...who....doesn't...."

His voice trails off when he notices that his hands have changed. Doc then curses under his breath, then looks back at RD.

"Don't think this means I don't know what is happening. This is from Hitomi biting me. If I don't keep calm and level-headed, it seems I will start to change a bit. This isn't bad compared to the last time I changed..."

Doc's shoulders drop and he walks back to the window, looking out. He keeps his hands down so no one outside can see he has claws.

"Please go down stairs." He says in a low and defeated tone. "Tell Sharpe to start filling you in on how we met and what happened when we left here. I need to try and return to normal...I need to think..."

Jack's mind was distracted most of this time thinking about the quarantine.

"The survivors... we saved them...whats was the point of saving if they just turned into monsters...would the death toll have been lower if I just let them drown..."

"Would ya mind shutting up with your bullshit already."

"?"

"How were you supposed to know all this shit would happen? The people at the castle, the ones who were experimenting on those poor bastards, they're the ones responsible for this bullshit. Makes more sense to hunt em down and find out what they're doing than me listening to you wine your ass off."

"Heh...when your right, your right."

Jack didn't intend to say that out loud, even if it was an inaudible whisper. The talk with his brother helped him remember that he wasn't a cog anymore, he was an adventurer, and he need the proper tool.

Jack tries to walk into the room where Richard and the doctor are talking, but the door is locked. He plants his ear to hear what they say.

Sharpe slides his sword back into it's scabbard and walks back downstairs. He pats Air's shoulder on his way down. His eyes lock onto Jian, forming the thoughts in his mind to answer his question.

"He grew up in Teyness, and he became a local name in the town part. He was proficient enough that he had a spot in the Straylight Run, which was a mission we undertook. It had some... repercussions that I'm not going into. I was thankful for his assistance, but never entirely got to know him. He remembered my call sign though, and I remembered his. He's an alright fellow. Of course, I don't know really what happened in the interim, I left Teyness because I was sick of the corruption, and I wanted to find something that would give my faction an edge over this other one that was there that pretty much threatened to bring the whole thing down from the inside."

He opens his eyes after having closed them, vividly remembering the details of what happened that lead him to leave, and he looks around for Jack, finally spotting him at the top of the staircase.

"Rude much? Hmph..." he gives short grunt.

Airgetlam watches the man with intent, the so-called "RD".

"Charmed..." She says before he just simply goes into the room with Clarent laid up in bed. She watches Jack walk up to the door and try to open it, and she pokes him in the tricep.

"Hey um, it looks like whatever they're talking about you shouldn't listen in on. People enjoy their privacy. You could also knock, too." She says. She walks downstairs and sets her crossbow down in a safe place and looks at the groceries.

"At least that RD guy seems nicer than out last new member. I'll take these bags, but we need to get the kitchen set up. We will need protraction to do it as well." She says, going to pick up some bags and taking them to the kitchen. After a few bags, she stops, looking around, then to Sharpe.

"I thought you guys were going to move the furniture from his place? Unless the quarantine is still up or something?" She says with a raised brow.

RD listens to the good Doctor, but his words don’t match his actions.

He watches in silence as the Doc locks and places a soundproof spell on the room they’re in, RD knows it well; Doc had performed it many times in the past and it often made RD wonder where he learned such a convenient spell from.

He is a strange audience to the horror of his good friend’s body slowly distort somewhat, what was once a man is being replaced by a beast right before his very eyes.

Yet he makes sure to silently stand by and listen to every word his old friend has to say before he starts again. Barely quelling the rage within him, he balls his fists up tight, teeth visibly gritted, his eyes narrow and flicker from a soft hazelnut to a crimson red after a few blinks. “This idiot thinks he’s got it all figured out! LOOK AT HIM. HE’S FALLING APART AT THE SEAMS AND YET HE REFUSES TO ADMIT IT. Smack some sense into him! And then he dismisses you? ARE YOU JUST GONNA LIE DOWN AND TAKE THAT?" The presence within RD’s own soultrap, the one which he keeps tied around his neck, seems to scream straight into his mind, its demands so loud that they blot out his own. He turns towards the door and cups his hands over his eyes as he tilts his head towards the ceiling, trying to calm himself and relax his body which had tensed up as a result of nearly going Berserk.

He allows a silence to fall between them before saying what he has to say, it’s hard to collect his thoughts as he tries to calm himself. After a deep and slow inward breath with his eyes closed, he breathes out and opens his eyes as he turns back towards the Doc, their natural color returned.
“Gods man we are such a mess. Maybe that’s why we get along so well.” He pauses and chuckles trying to laugh off the rest of his anger.

“Look man, I’m honestly worried. We haven’t seen each other in a decent amount of time and when I finally run inta ya again, not only are ya communing with a soul trap just like me, ya seem to be cursed because of a fairy girl which ya are now some kind of 'family' with.  Can ya blame me?”

He pauses and starts to pace the room. Allowing both men a bit more time to let a kind of calm set in.

“Fine, I’ll give ya that. We’ve just met up again and I’m honestly happy to see you, Alive... Considering the last time we met up you ended up dead, and still refuse to explain why… or what? Exactly happened when you came back, it was like you stole the life of another so you could recover…?”

He paused, his mind falling back into his memories, but shook it off, now was not the time for it. He just needed him to know he wasn’t planning on losing his friend again.

RD then continued “… But not like this though. I would never wish my own curse on anyone and yet here ya are in an ironically similar situation. Did ya expect me to just shrug it off, give ya the A-ok and just leave it to ya ta handle it on your own? Dammit man, ya’ve always been like this, ya wanna help save the world, constantly sticking your head in other people’s business, yet ya refuse to let anyone help ya… ya won’t let anyone in…”

RD grabs a chair and slides it towards the middle of the room, it’s back facing atrium, he then sits in it, crossing his arms and letting them rest on the chair’s back. “You’re not only attempting to get answers out of a soultrap which contains a soul that honestly has no real reason to help you from what I understand, AND said soultrap is damaged, which gives way to the possibility of whatever is sealed in, getting out. On top of that, you’re dealing with a curse that forces you to go practically feral when you get mad or agitated enough, yet you’re telling the Berserker that he doesn’t understand how that works. Hm. If that wasn’t bad enough the little lady here is sick with some unknown virus that may or may not be connected to the soultrap in your possession and the best doctor I know can’t even begin to ascertain what’s going on. Sounds like you have quite a bit on your plate. Yer frustrated, I understand, hell I don’t even blame ya, if we don’t get ourselves together fast, the lady here may not make it, you might lose it, and if I’m right the rest of the town is in for some serious hell.”

RD gets up from the chair and rests his hand on the Doc’s shoulder, “...So dammit man lets figure this out together this time. You already know how I am. I’m not letting you handle all this yourself and I’m not gonna watch you slowly tear yourself apart or worse trying to go it solo again. ” He then turns to leave “Get yourself together and come find me when you're all good. I've got an idea that might help with the girl but you may not like it, as for your current state... Close your eyes and think deeply of how you looked the last time you saw a mirror. Focus on that. Breathe deep. Slowly. Exhale. Slowly. Relax. Let the tension seep out. Almost like meditation, it helps with berserking, might work in your case too.”

He then goes to leave, but notices Jack at the door immediately after he unlocks and opens it.

Making sure to use his body to casually block Jack’s view of the inside, RD stares at the man with a rather deadpan look, slightly raising his eyebrow in a rather quizzical manner, neither surprised nor amused to see him there. He then leaves the doorway closing the door behind him, making sure not to slam it as not to alert the others. "Not a very nice habit ya got there champ. Just so ya know the reason ya couldn't hear anything is cuz the Good Doctor soundproofed it." He then picks Jack up by the his collar, lifting the man off his feet. "Look pal, I don't blame ya for not trusting me, I'll admit I kinda showed up outta nowhere so i understand, but don't do that; you wanna know what's up? I'll tell ya what i can. In fact the doc and I just MAY HAVE figured out a way to help the poor girl... huh, just realized i never caught her name..." he mutters to himself still holding Jack up, "Anyway we're gonna need to run it by the rest of you first, it might get a bit dangerous." He then sets him down, patting him off somewhat and setting his hand on Jack's shoulder, "The Doc might need a second he's trying to help her relax a bit, he's doing everything he can to help, and he's a bit frustrated that nothing he's tried so far is working." He then walks away from Jack and towards the stair case, hoping that Sharpe headed back down.

“Time to get the full story here.” He mutters to himself, heading to Sharpe to see if they could hook up the rest of his ragtag group and RD could finally get the lowdown on the going-ons around town. Plus after that rather ‘heated’ discussion he figured he could use a good meal to take the edge off.

As he reaches the bottom of the stair case and sees most of the group gathered down stairs he lightens his demeanor and expression, hopefully covering his mild aggravation relatively well.

"Well looks like most of the gang's all here!" He walks towards the center of the group and then looks towards Sharpe, "SO ol' buddy, ya ready to tell an ol' pal a riveting tale of magic and mystery, swords and shields? Weave an epic that explains how such amazing individuals all met and ended up in one household? A Tale of Swords and Souls Eternally Retold! You know I LOVE a good story!" He smiles a big grin, his eyes alight, honestly happy to hear a tale other than his own, and Hitomi's playing merely adding to his own excitement. He really does love a good story. "Oh and I know i'm kind of a new face and i'm intruding a bit on ya'll..." he gestures towards Jian and Air "So I bought ya'll some groceries, don't worry Sharpe, Jack, and the Good Doc were there when i got em. Also if ya have any questions about me, where i'm from, or whatever, feel free to ask i'll be happy to answer each and every one of them to the best of my ability."

Jian, hearing out Sharpe for the time being tilts his head left and right a bit during listening, simply replying with a "mhm-mhm" to make sure that Sharpe knows he's listening. He scratches his head a little, looking a bit worried. "I see... Well... I mean, he didn't seem toooo bad...", he says with a bit of a sigh in his tone, shrugging. "I guess we'll see how things go... he's a friend of yours so I'll gonna try to not mark him with a bad impression based on being so intrusive.", he adds thereafter.

Sharpe saying something about being rude, he peeks himself a bit afterwards, seeing Jack leaning against the door with RD coming out shortly after. As Jack is being lifted up by the collar, Jian simply widens his eyes a little, quickly turning back to facing the room with a slight sweat building up.

"W-weeell.... I think I might start... C-cooking then.", he laughs nervously.

He trembles a little, going through the groceries that RD claimed to have bought for them, trying to pick what might be the best for a meal in the morning to early noon. He decides to make a simple soup, as everything for that is present. He leaves of a big sigh to calm a little and sees RD walking in, making him gulp once. He tries to act calm about it, but still has a bit of a shiver going on as he grabs some of the vegetables for the soup, then looking for pot on the shelves. He tries to just cook in the meantime while they're busy talking, in hope for him to calm down fast.

Dr. Atrium watches as RD leaves, he sees Jack in the door way for a brief moment before RD shuts the door. He sighs and looks out the window some more. He closes his eyes while feeling the cool breeze across his face and soon feels his hands and teeth start to return to normal. He then walks over to Clarent to check on her once more, and once again all the signs show that she is well but she has the fever and is heating up. He takes the cloth off of her forehead and walks out of the room and walks into the kitchen. He sees that Jack, Airgetlam and Sharpe are talking as he walks past them and in the kitchen he sees Jian cooking. Doc puts the cloth under the running water in the sink, and looks at Jian.

"How was the cleansing? Did you happen to learn anything that could help us with Clarent?"

Spotted by almost everyone in the house, yielding no new information on the doctor or Richard other than the fact that Richard might have a crush on Air, losing trust of Ronald's son, Jack could feeling anything but humiliation for the next few seconds. He quickly follows after Richard, trying to see if he can make up for it with an apology.

Richard wait. I'm sorry about trying to listen in, its just that...it's like...it's been 2 years now. 2 years since anyone has called me by my real name. I've gone into hiding for that long... I'm not a man with many strengths, but one of them is knowing my weaknesses is one, and I'll admit, I'm a paranoid bastard. I was going to ask you for help with a project and then I saw the door was locked and I just wanted to find out more about your curse and I'm sorry, ok?"

Sharpe leans back against the wall with his arms crossed and his left leg over the other. He takes off his hat and carefully lays it upon the cheaply-made bare-bones table they have and sighs, scratching his stubble that is now starting to grow out.

"A story, eh? Well honestly, I don't want it to be too long, but I guess i could dress it up with a little purple prose..." He says.

"It started with us meeting up here randomly, we all had different reasons. Me I just made my way here, Air I think was looking for employment opportunities, Jian was a merchant, among other motives as well, him being a refugee and all. Doc I think just happened to be here and serving the public as the good doctor that he is. It was the beginning of the festival, but then things started to get hairy, as soon yet, It turned out people were looking for Jian, or someone at least fitting his description. At the same time, a young miss went missing right before Airgetlam's eyes, being taken by a man of shadow and magicked stealth. So, being the kind, caring woman she is, she ran after me and we somehow got all these guys together thanks to intersecting goals. We found out that Doc's family, which was his old guild of assassins were all but wiped out, save for a small few. That was at the Umbra et Solis inn, so we ended up finding out via a painting that a certain "Castle Vikuur" was potentially where she was taken. It was said it was inhabited by a cult. So we travelled through the countryside, and we came upon a house, where we had a small standoff with something in the woods, and we found Hitomi there. We never found out what was after her. Eventually we came to a bunch of ruins, and found a portal to another realm, which turned out to be Castle Vikuur. We greeted with a very... unsettling welcome, but not hostile. We met in their dining hall and found a bunch of pale-skinned, odd folks of noble upbringing. the chief among them was that girl, who was the one who was abducted. Thanks to a parallel mission Air went on, where she scoured the Dungeon and other parts of the castle for information, we found out she was possessed by a demon, who had made a pact and merged with the last survivor of a vampire clan who once ruled the castle. We soon also found out they were trying to make vampire hybrids via some sort of... magitek, immoral use, and we ended up busting those folks out of there, whilst Doc, Jian, and Ayame, a resident of Recudor who was kidnapped by that same man that took Clarent. Marcus was his name, that's right. He turned out to have been a member of Doc's fam, and he was killed by the head made, who was evidently a necromancer. We also managed to meet Jack there, who said he was asked by them to create a flying machine of sorts for them, or at least work on one. We ended up getting most of the people out of there, some were lost sadly, but casualties happen. Not to say there were nothing more than numbers however, I'm sure you're aware of losses. We were able to seal away the the woman that was the first half of the "Dahaka" being, which possessed Clarent. I had to use my only tube-charge to get us out of there. Eventually we made it back to town." He takes in a rush of air after his long-winded explanation.

He looks to Airgetlam and winks at her, then turns his gaze back to RD and he blinks a few times, trying to regain his eyesight after glazing a bit, remembering all the details of what happened.

"Oh, we met another fellow who helped out Air, but we don't know where he got off to. I have a feeling though that he will return. When he does you can size him up yourself. Now, if I may, I feel like Airgetlam here can explain more on what's happening currently, and of our return from Vikuur."

"Love, would you do the honors?"

Airgetlam darts her eyes to Sharpe, raising her eyebrows in the process.

"O-oh, sure!"

"Um, well we got back from the castle, and we were rewarded for our efforts with some money and this house. We found out that Ayame was being detained by the City Guard in the central district, so we set out to find her. This came after Jian ran into this odd woman with a wizard's hat - don't call it a witch hat nor her a witch, she doesn't really fit that either - and she came to us, relaying the information of her location, if vaguely. She took my broken cloaking device, which had been that way since the Castle. So we went to the central district, and found a building that was being used as a checkpoint. Ayame was indeed being detained there. but as I was watching the whole situation from a nearby rooftop - including Jack being used as bait which, sorry to say, was hilarious - the mage appeared to me and revealed why the quarantine was so: Apparently the people we had saved were being rounded up, or mutating perhaps into vampires or creatures, and were roaming the central district. There was a man on the rooftop of the checkpoint building who was killing and disposing of guards, and he seemed to have disappeared after we left. I know Jack went after him and Doc went after Jack, but I have no idea if they were conclusive or not. We returned to the southern district, Jian took Ayame back home, We got some food, then we all headed home for some rest." She says, and she edges forward, resting her knees on her legs and her chin in her hands, her fingers catching her cheeks.

"To wit, Clarent was also a bit more able-bodied than she is now, and accompanied us, which wasn't exactly the wisest move, but then again she might have been in the same position if we left her at the house. As well, someone needed to watch her, and we just couldn't leave her there, so i guess Doc made the decision to bring her along, so i guess it was partially-sound at least."

"Oh, I should do this while I have the chance. Nice to meet you RD, for what a formal introduction is worth." She says and extends her silver arm to shake his.

Just before Richard descends the staircase, he listens to Jack explain the reasoning behind his actions, folding his arms as he usually does. Understanding a bit more about the man and why he does what he does, he nods in acceptance. “Hmm. Well Jack I didn't know all that... You'll have to tell me exactly why you're in hiding when you get a chance, but like I said, I understand you wanting to know more about someone who suddenly reappears from your past; it’s no big, just don't do it again. As for my curse..." He breathes deep, he had never really fully explained what exactly the curse is about, Doc being the only person in his present company who knew about as much as RD himself; and coming right out and saying 'I'm a Berserker; depending on how much stress I’m under and the situation, I could possibly kill you!' never goes over well with anyone, especially when introducing himself. "... I um... I'm a bit uncomfortable talking about it... I'll tell you all about it soon enough, if it becomes a problem later; I'll tell you right then and there. Might be a bit difficult, but you'll have to trust me on that, as for your project; give me the fine details on what you need me to help with after we get things handled around here, and I’ll see what I can do to help." He smiles reassuringly hoping that would at least pacify Jack for a while, at least until he could shed some light on the mysteries behind this city.

Later, after hearing Sharpe and Airgetlam's story RD is in a bit of a state of awe. There were so many strange events surrounding their group! SO many events, stories, and mysteries yet to be solved surrounding them!

He takes it all in, making mental notes of somewhat strange events in the story and details he may need during certain parts, also noting that they said nothing of the Doc's strange transformation RD had witnessed a short while ago, "It had to have happened after he met Hitomi... maybe they haven't witnessed it, or want to keep it private? Doesn't matter, they didn't say anything about it, I won't either." He looked over at his old friend, who was listening in along with Jian, noting that Jian himself was seemingly trying his best not to make eye-contact with Richard, but RD doesn't pay it much mind, the story has him enthralled.

His eyes alight and holding his head at the sheer scope of it all, RD takes a moment a to recompose himself, clearing his throat and folding his arms while looking away a bit embarrassed, he then decides to ask a few questions.

"Ahem- sorry about that, but I do have a few questions... Bear with me here, some of them might be wild speculation but there's so many, I think ya may wanna look inta them... See I've been doing a bit of digging around this city since I arrived and I can't shake the feeling that something is definitely wrong here. I had gathered that things were a bit iffy before you all returned with all those villagers in tow, I mean so many had gone missing, yet no one seemed too panicked hmm? Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd? But we'll get to that later. I've got a few questions about Jian... but he seems to be a friend of ya'll so I'll leave it be, I'm sure that bridge will be crossed when it's gotten to. I'm assuming the young miss you're talking about who was kidnapped and the girl sick in bed upstairs are one and the same, Clarent, right? I actually think I know what might be wrong with her but going by what the Doc told me, it may be risky..." Seeing their confusion he adds "Right, that's what the Doc and I were talking about upstairs, that and a bit of catching up... He informed me of the situation in her case."

"But anyway back to what I was asking." He starts to pace, helping him get back on track and remember the other questions. "I'm VERY curious about Hitomi but judging from what she IS and what you've said she may have been getting chased by some kind of predator... then again she was somewhat close to this 'Castle Vikuur', so who knows, maybe she originated there?" He shrugs and then continues. "I'm also VERY curious about the nobility you met at the castle, wondering why they were even there, but I’m guessing you haven't seen them since ya'll escaped, so I wouldn't be surprised if you saw them again... that last part has me very concerned though... Vampire research happening so close to the city, was there anything specific ya'll learned about the research being done there? Like maybe who requested it? Then the people your group rescued reemerging as vampires as well? An entire district closed off and quarantined as a result? On top of that, this 'Ayame' was picked up off the streets on her way home, I’m guessing she was one of the people you rescued from the castle eh? I wonder why she wasn't escorted home, but instead detained. I'm curious... maybe they thought she could be a vampire too, or maybe they were planning something... maybe she knows too much... either way we may have to find out a bit more about her, I have a feeling she may still be in some danger. Also, did any of the captives actually make it home? I have a bad feeling all of this may be actually tied to some larger organization at work, considering how hush-hush it’s been kept within the confines of the city, someone who's a Big-Wig here may be tied to it. I'm pretty sure it’s not the authorities though, seeing as there was someone dispatching their men as well..."

RD shoots off question after question, he then realizes a good amount of the questions were actually redundant. Most, if not all, required some sleuthing, some serious investigation and follow-up.

"...It's all food for thought eh? Getting back to Clarent though..." he looks towards the good Doctor seemingly wanting his opinion and acceptance first and foremost, "...I want to try something, seeing as no medical treatment so far has stopped her symptoms, merely eased them somewhat, the source of her 'sickness' may be magical in nature. I'm wondering if ya'll first met her with that Soultrap already on her person. If so, then it may be that she actually NEEDS it. Maybe she's cursed or something, I dunno, but I'm guessing her health may be connected to that trap. Problem is, as the Doc let me know earlier, this 'Lady Dahaka' is sealed in the Soultrap... so this may be opening Clarent to getting possessed again, which is why I said this is risky. If we're gonna even attempt this, we're gonna havetah prep for the worst."

He allows them to mull it over for a bit and take in the full extent of what he said, visibly relieved about being able to finally get some more pieces of the puzzle together. Chuckling somewhat he then mentions "My apologies Point-man, but depending on what ya'll decide, we may have to hold off on the jobs ya grabbed for a bit. Then again I think they'll understand if we get to the bottom of this... whatever it is."

He then reaches to shake Airgetlam's hand and hesitates somewhat before he takes it realizing then that it’s a dull silver! Unsure whether it would bite or shock him, he shakes off such a silly thought but still can't help but marvel at it. It moves so naturally and fluidly... can't be a prosthetic, can it?

"You must get this a lot..." as he turns her hand over and brings it up to his lips, then lowers his head somewhat to peck the silver hand, "... but did you feel that?" He then laughs, "It’s a pleasure to meet you as well Ms. Air...?" He grasps at her name slightly embarrassed that he seems to know her by only a nick-name, "her name couldn't be Air could it? That'd just be too confusing", he muses mentally. "Sharpe seems to think so highly of you, are you two...?" He inquires, attempting not to make too many assumptions as to the status of their relationship.

Jian, still remaining silent, is cooking away as he's carefully listening. Yet, he decides to not interrupt or interfere with anything that was said. He slowly gets fully consumed by the cooking as he keeps adding spices, testing the flavour of the food every few minutes, with the soup simmering on the stove. Having adjusted the broth, he decides to then add the vegetables to the soup, in addition to the noodles he had ready. He then puts some meat slices into a pan, they're rather thin. Soon he's fully occupied by the cooking, then not paying attention to the conversation anymore. He starts uming a calming tune and kind of forgets that he was tensed up earlier.

About half an hour later, he pours the finished soup into the bowls, adds halves of cooked eggs into each one. He then tops that off with laying two slices of the slightly fried meat into each bowl, having it swim on top, serving it one-by-one on the table for everyone, including the silverware.

He leans against the kitchen counter with his bowl in hand, pulling out his chopsticks, giving it a try again, nodding in confirmation of the food turning out well.

"Noodle soup it is for now, I hope you'll enjoy it.", he says in a fashion as it would be a routine sentence for him, facing the group.