Recudor: Party's House

BlakeAviat wrote:Sharpe rubs the side of his face with his hand.

"Stay if you like, I think it's rather unanimous if you ask me." He says and as Jericho and RD pull... a giant wolf out from someplace upstairs Sharpe can't help but stare as the thing gets dragged out.

"Where the feth did that even come from? Is that from last night or something? That... that don't look like no normal wolf neither..." He says as he takes in the details of the beast. It's vastly larger than a normal wolf, with an odd coloration to it's fur compared to other wolves.

"Must have taken some heavier firepower to down it, that's for sure..."

Saint wrote:"Yeah we bagged it last night, and yeah I guess you could say we had to use heavier firepower, but not by too much. There was another wolf but that one ended up getting... overkilled." She says, making a note to keep her mouth shut about the nature of the kills and the events of the previous night. If the others knew, and considering some of the hostility between Frazil and RD, it could end badly.

Genericface wrote:Frazil is somewhat startled by Jericho's request, but stands and follows him outside, remarking It's not so much freezing magic as it only works on... Frazil's eyes go wide in surprise. Wait... would it work on something else?!?

Spiked Edge wrote:"Fine, but regardless of what happens, i still need to turn in our earlier bounty." Jericho asks a flood of things after that, to which RD remains silent as he watches the man take the carcass downstairs, opting to instead answer all his questions later as well as discuss a solid 'battle plan' for handling the young markswoman. Richard, on the other hand, remains in the room for a few moments glancing at Clarent from the door as she sleeps. Her breathing is a bit haggard, but otherwise she seems fine. He nods decisively before carefully closing the door so as not to wake her.

Richard quickly falls in step behind Jericho as he descends the staircase, failing to keep a smirk off his face in reaction to Sharpe's surprise. "Pretty impressive isn't she? Come on out and i'll tell ya all about it, ya can even help me skin 'er if ya want!"

RD hangs a turn into the room he had posted up in the previous night to grab a few more tools from his bag, ones he would need for skinning the beast. Hearing mild confusion in Frazil's voice as he grabs a knife he could use for skinning, dons a pair of gloves, and switches to a spare shirt; he mentions "Won't know till ya try... Ya said things seemed a bit different here, might as well see what exactly changed." He then casually steps outside.

"Yanno this might take a few hours Jericho... and i don't really want to put collecting our bounty off too long. Hell i was planning on grabbing another while i was down there." Richard mentions with a bit of aggravation in his tone as he twirls the knife between his fingers, before beginning a cut from the center of the wolf's throat to the tip of it's tail.

"As for 'lil' Miss Badass', No, i don't know much about her. I noticed her around the same time you and Sharpe first met her; at the bounty boards when we ran into each other. She had that kinda vibe about her, as if she does a lot of dangerous jobs and works alone, making a name for herself that way. Seems to have poor communication skills and to that end she doesn't socialize unless its necessary. She was rather unforgettable so i pegged her with that nickname since i don't know her real one. I dunno honestly, maybe Point Man has a bit more info about her." He shrugs as he finishes the first cut.

"As for battle capability i would assume she wouldn't carry around the huge rifle if she wasn't planning on using it; even then i find it better to assume someone has martial arts training before taking them on. Does it shoot bullets or amplify her magic and shoot shells? Beats the hell outta me, didn't get a good look at it, but that's fine, if my plan goes well, AND I INTEND FOR IT TO GO WITHOUT A HITCH...!" Richard projects his voice somewhat while pointing the knife in Jericho's direction in order to hammer in the point, "...This won't get too rowdy and we won't be making any unwanted discoveries... I'd like to be able to come back and nab more jobs off the boards if ya don't mind." He says with a bit of agitation, returning to the work at hand.

Producer-san wrote:"Uhh..." Not sure on what to say, he decides not to say anything at all once the wolf was dragged down the stairs. Everyone then seems to be heading outside and his personal curiousity and desire to go out and do something drags him along. Everyone having their own situation going on, and something they can talk about, he seems to feel a bit weird as he literally has nothing that has happened. This might be a good moment for him to actually go and accept jobs aswell, he could use the money, training and experience he'd gain from such a thing.

He listens in a bit more closely once they start mentioning a mysterious girl at the boards, doing her own thing a lot. Curiousity strikes him again, people like that always appear interesting to him. "So she's been giving you trouble, I presume? A huge rifle you say...." He rubs his chin for a moment, thinking. He could've sworn that he knows someone with a similar setup, though it just escapes him after a short moment, shaking his head.

He keeps watching RD closely, butchering is always interesting, people do it differently a lot, depending on how they learned it. Jian would have to do it back then when he was living with his family anyway, so the sight of that doesn't bother him too much. The board being mentioned, he raises his hand for a second. "I would like to tag along in terms of accepting jobs. I have not really done much for the group except for when we left Castle Vikuur, plus... I have cash that I owe you, so best way to do that is to check the board out."

He quickly disappears into the house for a moment, grabbing his gear, ready to roll once RD is set.

Dr.Atrium wrote:Jericho watches as is seems the whole group is interested in the beast that they brought home. He overhears Frazil and how she doesn't know if she can freeze other things. He can't help but look at her with bewilderment. This is confusing to him, why would you know what you can or can't do with your magic. He then turns back to RD and listens to what he has to say.

"I need to correct you on a few things. One, I have never meet the girl that we are looking for. Atrium might of, but I have no knowledge of her. Remember, I do not know everything Atrium knows. I have to do a lot of work to even recall the little I do pick up from him. As for the plan, I would rather it "go without a hitch"...Last time it didn't, I got shot...You make it sound like I ruin all your plans and horrible things happen."

Jericho glares slightly at RD as he puts his gloves on and pulls out a scalpel. He then starts cutting into the wolf. He draws blood, takes bits of the meat and puts them in some bottles. He backs away so RD can move the wolf so he can keep skinning.

"Ok...this is odd. from what I was seeing...this is just a bigger wolf. There are no glands were it could of spit out the fire...That mean...that it was using magic. This is very interesting. I know there are animals that can use magic, but the wolf isn't one of them."

Jericho scratched his chin as he thinks. "I wonder..."

He closes his eyes and focuses on the SoulTrap.

"Hello again. Can you hear me?' He waits for a moment before continuing. "Because you have been around longer then I have, you must know a lot. Do you know anything about two magic using wolfs?"  

dthvader wrote:Jack was the last person to walk outside. He never noticed the wolf as it was dragged outside, but his twitched the moment heard the others surprise of the beast. Trying to turn a new leaf in terms of eavesdropping, he stayed put for the few moments of time he was able to control his curiosity.

"It can't be considered peaking if everyone else is doing it I suppose."

As soon as Jack made his way outside, question violently bounced around the inside of his skull.

"What does Jericho mean it could use magic? Who is this petite madame 'Badass' Richard is going on about, and what does she have to do with this"

Jack did his best to avoid asking about petite madame Badass in order to focus on the task at hand.

"Jericho, is there anyway I could help with your autopsy there. I have a vast selection of magnifying glasses if you'd need any."

"Although I guess it wouldn't help much if it really is an ordinary wolf. I hate dealing with magic, so confusing and disorganized a subject. How is anyone supposed to explain a bloody wolf using magic?"

---

It's the beginning of evening.
The group has gathered in-front of the modest house where, after a short disruption by Jericho, RD is now continuing his work, skinning the wolf like a professional.

For all Jericho can tell the great white Wolf, who previously had been dashing about consumed in flames and spewing fire, appears to be just an ordinary wolf. It's a lot bigger in size, compared to a normal wolf, but it's innards and organs seem completely normal. This reminds Jericho of what the Doc and Airgetlam had seen the night before.

Recudor: Feared Wolves Den wrote:As RD recovers from the sudden unexpected deafening noise he takes in a scene of empowerment. Before him the Black wolf is standing on all fours, staring Richard directly into the eyes with murderous intent. From the white wolf laying beside it, orange flames slowly start to trickle up to the Alpha, slowly merging with its Azure burning furr, coating the whole thing in strong flaring magenta flames. As if unscathed by RD's blow the wolf towers over him, now easily bigger than his own size as its grown through the boon of the lesser wolf, who now stands weakened by its side, flashing its teeth, still eager to fight, though all of its fire gone.

Perhaps it was somehow altered, or maybe it's something entirely different. In either case, the wolf he has laying before him is just an ordinary wolf.

Jericho focuses on the amulet. To him, the voice of Aura is clear as day, though this time there is no extravagant vision unfolding before him. To everyone else, all that can be heard are faint whispers and the occasional far sounding echoes of words spoken. "Greetings, Formless One Jericho." She answers him. "Unfortunately, even though my spirit is old, I have not been able to step outside my castle. Though, through Azi-Dahaka's knowledge I learned of the one you seek. The banished pieces of a long lost guardian; Cerberus. When the demons escaped the underworld, Azi-Dahaka lead the charge against the south. He was also the last to be imprisoned by Cerberus who defied it's master in order to save mankind. The once great beast was split, and now remained as only a shadow of its former self. Something feral and wicked, insane and uncontrolled. Death was a mercy for it."

Having said all she knows about it, Jericho returns his attention back to the task at hand, and the group.

By now, RD has gotten most of the skin removed, making sure never to cut too close to the hide to ensure all of it comes off in a single piece.

Sharpe wanders outside the house and watches the beast get skinned. Upon closer and more pointed observation it's really just a big wolf.

"I think you've got it from here, you didn't really need me. Besides, I don't have a knife for skinning with me, don't want to end up hacking the thing apart."

He looks over at Frazil.

"If you end up not using any of your abilities, I'd like to discuss some business if that's fine, I mentioned it earlier, but I'd really like to get it out of the way considering it's the only thing I had left on the table from the morning that I explicitly wanted to do today." He says to her.

Airgetlam, not being terribly interested in the kill, since she helped bring it down the night before, heads back into the house.

"I'll be right back." She says and goes back into the house and into one of the other rooms, the completely empty one that Sharpe would train in. She enters and sees a bag on the ground, Lox's bag she believes, and opens it, finding a certain key, and figures its of some importance, so she keeps it in her most secure pocket. She takes the bag and goes upstairs, dropping it alongside her bag in her room for safeguarding, and heads back down outside, saying nothing and continueing to watch RD and Jericho do their work.

Frazil takes a seat on the ground near enough to the skinning that she can be of help if needed, but far enough to be out of the way, and not underfoot of the people milling about. She reaches out for her block of ice, reclaiming control and allowing it to puddle once again, off to the side. When Sharpe addresses her, she looks up, and then pats the ground next to her. I have no idea what they want me to do, so for the moment I'm free. If you can have the conversation here, we might as well. Barring intentional eavesdropping, there's enough noise and commotion that we have some privacy over here. Even if they do need my help, I'm within range, so won't have to go over there.

Richard finishes up skinning the beast without much trouble, shrugging off Jericho's glare. Definitely a big wolf, but otherwise unremarkable... "Hm. Thats weird..." he comments towards Jericho and to a lesser extent everyone else nearby, "...It was definitely bellowing flames right alongside the pack leader... I mean I may have lost it a bit there, but i wasn't imagining that right?"

He pauses and takes a moment to look over the hide, recently removed. He nods slightly appreciating his work "This... This is gonna be a serious pelt, it should sell for quite a bit." He grins rather devilishly before using a nearby unoccupied bench to set it up on for the time being, at least until he's able to set up a proper piece to allow it to dry.

He turns back to Jericho now ready to respond to his earlier comment. "As for 'Missus Badass' and any plans concerning her, you made it sound like we're kidnapping her; we merely need to bag the soul trap she has on er' right? Honestly if this goes well we merely need to make her lose focus on it for a bit and then snatch it. No need to surround her. Ya make it sound like we're a buncha uncivilized thugs bout' to shake down somebody. C'mon Jericho, you've got Magic at yer disposal, get a bit creative. We make it look like we're mugging her in or around the boards, and that's it, any future business opportunities there are instantly shot. You telling me you've never learned anything that might make it a bit easier to grab something offa' a person without em' noticing? Or is Doc the only one who has any useful abilities?" He sneers at the man, knowing if anything that this jab at his abilities would get his gears turning.

Jericho listens to what Aura tells him and he cannot help but be shocked at what she has told him. "Wow. Thank you Aura, your knowledge has again really helped me. I hope to talk to you soon."

Jericho shakes his head as he returns to reality. He frowns when he hears RD talking about selling the pelt. He is about to object when RD then belittles his magical abilities in front of these new people who have yet to see what he can do. His face darkens and his eye glow brighter then they were before.

"How dare you compare what I can do to that insecure wannabe doctor. He may know a lot more offensive but I know a hell of alot more supportive abilities." He pulls the scalpel out and points the blade at RD. "And you know this! You are just doing this to get me angry. I just wanted to get in, get out with the Soultrap, no fooling around but fine. If you want to tip-toe around, I could do something like this to aid us!"

Jericho then throws his hand in the air, palm open and flat. A small ball of light forms in the middle of his hand and grows until it is the size of a golf ball, then it explodes making a blinding light in the area that doesn't last more then a second. Jericho has his head down, so he isn't blinded by the quick flash. He puts his hand down and is smirking at RD. It takes a little bit for everyone to get over the momentary blindness.

"I can make that a lot bigger and last longer." He takes a moment and calms down. He turns around to look at every. "I am truly sorry. I did not mean for you all to get blinded as well. I get a bit carried away when I get angry. I know saying sorry will not fix it, but its the only thing I can offer...

Jericho looks ashamed of himself. He should know better then to just go off the hook like that. He sighs and turns back to RD.

"Don't sell that pelt. Its a one of a kind. This beast was once one of the three parts of the great Cerberus. It disobeyed its master and got split up. Last night, you killed killed two of the three parts. I need to think what I am going to do with the pelt. It must have properties like no other."

He then stands up and takes off his gloves. He has a vial of the beasts blood as well as the heart of it in a jar. He looks down at RD and speaks with a calm voice. "Would you mind cutting the beast like you would a wolf in order to serve it? You can do what you will with the organs. I wish to save the meat as well. He turns to Frazil. "Can you freeze the meat for me? This is why I needed you. I want to preserve the meat. Before she can tell him yes or no, he bows to her. "Thank you. I am going to take my leave. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day. I am sure I will not be invited to join in what you have planed..."

Jericho then takes all he collected and walks back into the house.

Sharpe nods and walks over to sit next to Frazil, taking a knee and then moving to a sit, his right leg fully extended, his left brought up at the knee with his corresponding arm perched over it.

"I wanted to ask about where you're from - just not nonsense... I do not wish to know about customs or the everyday. No, I want to know about the important shit. I'll start off. How organized are you people? And by people I don't just mean what you are, I mean governments, nations. The powers that be." He says, though before he can say more a blinding flash almost engulfs his vision. He instinctively blocks most of the light with his hand, so he is not so nearly blinded.

"Hey, hey, watch the magic, man."

He looks back at Frazil, though it appears it is time for her to assist.

"Go help, I can wait."

Frazil looks crookedly at Sharpe. That's an odd question. Not really sure how it matters, but I dunno... organized I guess. I mean, everyone knows who everyone is I guess. There's a ridiculous number of countries, but they're all accounted for.

When Jericho's flashbang goes off, Frazil lifts off the ground as the icy water pushes her up and envelops her in a supercooled armor with blades of ice, almost faster than can be seen. She takes a ready stance and then realizes that it's just Jericho and RD having a pissing contest.

With disgust she dumps the water back down onto the ground, making sure it doesn't splash Sharpe, and snaps at Jericho. Hey! Next time you decide to show off, why don't you limit the effects to the people you're showing off for? When he asks about freezing the meat, her anger makes her instinctive "reach out and pull" much stronger that intended. The visible parts of her Eufiber glow white hot, and the meat is immediately flash frozen, with the water in the air beginning to frost on it.

Frazil then takes a deep breath and looks down at Sharpe. Like I said. I can do it from here.

Richard raises an eyebrow at 'wannabe', getting a rise outta Jericho had given RD a bit more insight as to how he ticked. He mentally readies himself as Jericho brandishes one of his many scalpels, smirking coyly and looking away as the man states his rage; his off hand twitching as his grip on his own knife tightens.

As soon as Jericho throws his hand up RD jumps back taking a ready stance as he stares directly at the man, the great flash forces him to instinctively defend his eyes, but its too little too late. Richard curses under his breath as the flash temporarily blinds him. As hears Jericho mention he can extend the length and radius of the flash, he snaps back "Cute," refusing to allow the man to see it as a moment of weakness, never allowing the coy smirk to leave his face as he lowers his arms.

Still recovering from the brunt of the flash he's forced to listen to Jericho's explanation as well as his requests, only allowing himself to relax his own muscles once his sight has mostly returned. He turns his gaze down and towards Sharpe and Frazil, whom was asked to freeze the remains, catching a glimpse of the armor she seems to instinctively form around her. His eyes widen in surprise and he's taken a bit aback, not only at the time it took to form the armor but the over all presence as well. As if that showing wasn't enough she then flash freezes the carcass from the same area she's standing, no incantations or even a recognizable delay in the process of the two actions.

Richard whistles, clearly impressed. The woman wasn't merely a mage or sorcerer of great ability, she's a prodigy. Her mastery over the element almost primal in nature, as if she commanded complete dominance and the water naturally obeyed her every whim. "That might just be able to 'work on something else...'" he says, echoing and referencing her earlier thoughts, before jogging back towards the house to catch up to Jericho.

"Oi, professor! A few questions if'n ya don't mind?" He walks up to the man not waiting for an answer or particularly caring; what was to be said next, needed to be said. "Firstly I'll apologize for riling you up, but i wasn't sure you understood exactly what i was trying to say there, ya seemed off in yer own little world for a while, i'll assume speaking with 'the lady behind the looking glass' so to speak." he shoots a quick meaningful glance at the trap, one lined with obvious distrust, before continuing in a much more serious manner, his arms naturally folding in front of him as to accentuate his no-nonsense state of mind and tone.

"... We're not going to be tip-toeing around, clearly not with a 'flashy' ability like that. If i don't have a good, reasonable grasp on what the people i'm leading can and cannot do even in an operation as seemingly simple as stealing a trinket, things can go south very quickly. Not only is there a girl's life on the line here, but our reputation as well, so if at all possible i don't want the people at the board as well as 'Ms. Badass' to even SUSPECT we're involved with this theft." He takes the jarred heart of the beast from Jericho as well as the vial and gestures to move the conversation towards his room, not particularly caring who hears them speaking but figuring he'd assist as a sign of good will, that and standing on the steps having a full blown conversation struck him personally as a bit odd.

"...We'll be moving with a small team here, as more people may just make this operation harder... at least to plan though we may add a few more, depending on who may or may not be interested and who has skill-sets i can take advantage of to make this flow a bit smoother." Richard enters the man's shared room, silently asking him though a few gestures where he wants the specimens placed as to not wake their guest. Then leaving the room and having Jericho follow him back downstairs for the moment until they reach the main 'living room', where RD continues. "Unfortunately, I'm about as stealthy as a brick through a glass window, so the most i can do is provide a distraction, leave that to me. Assuming your control of that spell, the one you so graciously appealed us with before, depends on you actually directly interacting with it, we'll need to make you a bit less distinguishable so you can use it without anyone recognizing you. while you concentrate on that, we'll have a third person snake the bauble off our target. That's the basic concept of the plan i came up with, now we just need someone with the skill to pull off the part i just described, the most difficult part of course."

He pauses, as he goes over the plan in his mind. Rough, but easily explained and minimal in casualties, the best he could come up with given the time. That aside, he began to go over the skills of the people at his disposal. He begins pacing back and forth in the room; his thoughts freely flowing as his ideas and analysis take verbal form. "Our best bet is of course Air." He starts aloud, apparently oblivious to the rest of the eyes and ears around him as well as the irony of how odd pacing back and forth talking to yourself must seem to onlookers. "She's got a specialty in espionage so i assume she could get in and out quickly and efficiently. But that's only going off of what i know. Frazil says she has a bit of background in that as well, so she may be able to pull it off too, but i'm hesitant to ask this of her, she's not particularly involved in any way, shape, or form, so forcing this on her would weigh heavily on me. Jian would be too out of place at the boards... at the moment at least. Even if he could get it off her he'd look odd being in there in the first place. Jack is a bit too loud, and from what I've seen and heard, stealth isn't his forte, could be a good distraction though. Lastly, Sharpe has an aura he can't shake. He reeks of danger and professionalism... also a good distraction but we're not going for explosive entries here, might be able to work him in though if his knowledge of firearms is as good as i think it is though... and if he can act... to that extent Jack might work too... Yeah... yeah...." He's completely wrapped within his thoughts thinking aloud.

"Jericho, you need to go get mysterious, this... this is gonna be a bit fun..." He smirks rather deviously seemingly becoming even more excited about this plan.

Jian, mostly just waiting to get going, looks around a bit, then back down at the butchering going on. He doesn't suspect any harrassment as he didn't focus much on their conversations at this point, thinking about other things. Not much later, Jericho turns louder, which fetches his attention immidiately. Him turning blind momentarily, he steps back a bit, one hand just gripping against his dagger as he covers his eyes with the other one. "W-what the actual hell?!", just comes from him as he's trying to regain a steady stance and his vision.

"If you two really wanna fight, keep it between both of you! God damn, these people sometimes...", he just says a bit after seeing a little better, shaking his head in disapproval.
RD's whistling snaps his attention to Frazil, as he seems to be very impressed by her reaction to this sudden escalation. Jian can't help but feel also quite amazed by what he saw, even if it was just momentarily. He looks down at his own hands for a second, a thought striking him if he also has something hidden, something he doesn't know about yet...

A little later, he shakes his head, he always has been quite the "on earth" person, his main capabilities not giving him any advantage but to create tasty food and soon to make items out of wood. The sudden realization throws quite a sad feeling over him for a moment, as he didn't do much for the whole time he's been with the group anyway.

Jericho and RD go back inside, Frazil freezing the wolf in the meantime. He looks around a bit lost, as he expected to go to the bounty board with RD. A few moments pass and he shrugs, maybe he should go there alone after all...

Before that, he approaches Frazil though, scratching his head. "That was quite an interesting reaction to Jericho's flash... You have a lot of surprises ready, I realize"
He smiles, then nodding to her. "Anyhow, I guess I should be going or something...", he then adds, his response having an odd tone as his mind is mostly focused on him finally being more useful, him walking off to find his way to the board shortly after.

Jericho pays no mind to what the others have to say about him using his magic to blind everyone. He has apologized and meant it, that was the end of it. He glances at Frazil as she yells at him but doesn't listen for more than a second and walks inside before she could even finish. He starts making his way back to his room so he can check up on the girl when he hears the door open and shut behind him. He instantly knows that it is RD do to how his heavy foot falls. He ignores him for a bit but stops walking when RD calls out to him. He stops and slightly glares at the man.

"What do you want now?" He asks in a slightly angry way.

He listens to what the man has to say, wanting to interrupt a few times but lets him finish. He is then shocked that RD takes the jar from him to help him out. He notices the gesture and they walk up the stairs and into the room. Jericho puts all the stuff on the desk and walks to the window to look out. He hears RD start talking again and listens. When he is done, he turns to him to speak.

"Let it be known that my reputation is trashed for the most part. I can not stay in one town for too long due to the bounty on our head getting here sooner or later so I really don't care if it falls any more then it already has. Remember, people want me...Atrium dead."

He turns around and walks over to RD and pulls the Soultrap out.

"I know you are distrusting of most things in life, but the soul in this is not the person that Atrium and the others met. Her name is Aura, she happens to look alot like her." He gestures at the girl in the bed. "She seems to like me because we suffer a similar fate, we don't own a body of our own. She is someone you do not have to fear is what I am saying. As for 'Ms.Badass' I am afraid that Atrium and the other guy are the stealthy ones. I may be able to do a few things due to muscle memory, but I will not be good. I stopped practicing what I learned about killing to heal people and help people, hint why I mostly know support magic. If you want to go in super sneaky, then I would talk to the girl with the crossbow...Air right? She seems like the best to talk to about stealth. BUT I can be 'mysterious' then I can do that."

Jericho's hands start to glow white as he starts to channel some of his magic to his body. In front of RD's eyes, his appearance starts to change. His hair starts to grow until it is about shoulder length and it turns white. His skin turns a bit more pale, not enough to make him look sick, but to look like he doesn't spend much time outside and makes himself look a lot older. Lastly he makes his body look older as well. When he is done, Jericho looks like an old wise man standing in front of RD.

"It has been awhile since I have had to use illusion magic so I am not sure how long I can stay like this. I didn't change my voice since I am just showing you this."

Jericho then quickly changes back to himself and waits to see what RD has to say.

Much like the air, Jack was frozen still as his mind processed what was happening. There a massive feeling of nausea in his stomach as the beast was ripped open, as various parts were ripped out and chopped up. Seeing blood and cuts were normal to Jack, but starring at squishy slimy internal organs reminded him of how his entire clan puked out their insides as they were wiped out by plague. Jack was far too distracted to bother glancing at Jericho's magic, until he heard the word Cerberus. While not a fan of magic, Jack had always been obsessed with mythology ever since he was a boy hearing such tales from his father. Jack finally came to his senses as Frazil finished freezing the meat, same way the ancients would preserve food. Jack hastily followed Jericho and Richard into the room, hearing a small portion of their conversation as he entered.

"uh J-jericho...I see you two are having a rather heated discussion here, and I do apologize for interrupting but I just have one question. I'm finding it extremely difficult to assume that this wolf was once a part of Cerberus, but pretending it actually was, why in the name of all that is holy, unholy, and....everything in general does it look as though you were planning on eating it, and I was trying to refrain from asking, but but who is this 'badass' and how is she involved in any of this currently unraveling mayhem?"

Sharpe looks up to find Frazil taking up what looks to be her natural defense against something sudden like Jericho's flash. He lifts his eyebrows, not so much in awe or surprised as much as seeing the potential.

"Nifty, Maybe you can do that with other people. And in any case, I hope you don't take offense but I'm asking for the purposes of threat analysis, I intend to report this information back to my superiors... once I feel like returning."

He reaches into his coat and discretely takes out his heavy pistol, unloading the magazine and clearing the chamber. Wary of prying eyes, he looks around to make sure he doesn't spook anyone and he holds it out to her at his side.

"Do you have any weapons of similar operation to this?" He says to her.

Airgetlam shields herself with her cloak and shakes her head back and forth while repeatedly blinking, trying to get rid of the effects of the incandescence. She decides against chastising Jericho, as well it seems the job has been done for her. She walks up over to Frazil and Sharpe as they recover as well and looks down.

"Hey, I'm probably not going to be of much use here, so I'm going to go off and see if i can make some cash for myself, I've been eying something for a bit and I want to see how much pay i can accumulate. If you'll need me I'll be checking out the bounty board."

Having made known her absence she turns and struts off to the marketplace.

Frazil looks warily at Sharpe, ignoring the handgun. Threat assessment? Not to be rude, but I don't intend to be interrogated about my world as though I were an insurgent, so why don't you put your pistol back in your pants and go play with the others? She makes a shooing motion with her hand as though to sweep him off towards RD.


The use of her power in an unfamiliar way seems to have given her a hell of a headache. Frazil rubs her temples and announces to whoever is still around I think I sprained something in my head. I'm going back inside to lie down. Sorry. She steps inside, and looks around then takes a spot in the corner of the main room. Using her backpack for a pillow, she closes her eyes and hopes the headache is short term. The ones she had when she discovered her powers lasted for weeks, and that was -with- the drugs.


((I will be out of town for a week, if it comes back around to Frazil, skip her.))

RD chuckles lightly at the irony of Jericho's choice in illusion, but covers it nicely. "Illusion Magic eh?" He crosses his arms and strokes his chin in thought, "Hm, yeah we might be able to work something out with that. Unfortunate you didn't retain any slight of hand though, i was hoping we'd be able to slip the bauble offa er' in the confusion... Meh, no matter. Might still be able to pull it off, just might be a bit tougher. Still, i would prefer if we don't make too much of a splash here. I mean sure there's a lot of... anomalies... in this area, but at least we have a safe-house. People aren't outside with torches and pitchforks looking to have us dragged through the streets. I'm sure even you can agree its nice to not be on the run, even if its just for a lil' while. Even if your rep is trashed everywhere else, its not here... Not yet."

"Anyway that fact you can make yourself a good illusion solves one problem, but what about your spell? Can it be used as a projectile or  are we just going to have to deal with you being immobile as you use it? While you're at it, tell me whether or not your illusions can work on other people, or objects..."

He continues his inquiry, missing Air and Jian as they head off towards the bounty boards and casually glossing over what Jericho has mentioned about the soultrap in his possession. Richard didn't know much about it, and personally would be happy to be rid of it; so he had no intent of trusting a 'spirit' that had nothing to lose... and too much to gain.

As he awaits Atrium's answers he turns his attention to Jack who entered the room in the interim. Richard listens to what he has to say and can't help but chuckle, remembering that Jericho had asked him to 'cut the beast like [he] would a wolf in order to serve it'.

"No worries, there was no way we were eating that. We have more than enough food in the house, and this being a creature that possessed abilities suggesting control over the elements and/or magic, i wouldn't recommend eating it. I assume Jericho here merely wanted the flesh sectioned off so he could study individual parts, he merely worded it oddly."

RD shrugs, seeing as it was all moot anyway, the remains had been flash frozen before he could cut it more finely, so any further study of the wolf's physiology would have to wait until it thawed again.

"As for 'lil' miss BadAss'... Its merely what we're calling the girl we got a glimpse of back at the bounty boards when we first met. The one with the large rifle strapped to her back." Richard then turns and gestures towards the sleeping Clarent, "Good news? We seemingly know what we need to help Clarent. Bad News? Its in the possession of 'Miss BadAss' and she doesn't seem to want to part with it peacefully. So the mayhem you're seeing here is Jericho essentially asking me to come up with a way to get it." RD ceases his gesture and sighs a bit heavily, shrugging as he does so. "I'm not sure if this is in anyway connected to the rest of the absurdities in this area, but apparently if we aren't able to get this trinket back to Clarent... her life is in danger."

He relaxes and pauses for a moment so that Jack can process what was said, then continues; pointing offhandedly towards Jack as he refers to him. "This brings me to a question though, Jack. What do you know of weaponry? More specifically do you know anything about the weapon she was carrying? Like its make or model? or any guesses even? Anythings fine, honestly. Doesn't even have to be about her weapon for what i'm planning..." Richard folds his arms again and turns away from Jack as if he had answered his own question, wrapped in thought again for a second before turning towards the man once more and asking, "Would you like to have a role in this Op. Jack?"

Jack took a moment to sift through his memories, and from the cluster of photographs in his mind, he reached for the one of the mysterious girl. Jack recalled how almost everyone around her was eyeing the rifle, drooling with envy over it. He paced back and forth as he began to visualize the internals of the gun, almost as if he was unscrewing it bolt by bolt with his mind

"Anyone who was there when we first saw her could easily tell you it was old world technology. What they couldn't explain is who it works. By the design it was most likely gas operated. Now, I'm sure to the point that I could bet my father's grave on the clip capacity being 6 per clip. As for the caliber, massive. Snipers at that time were designed to shred through kevlar armor, kevlar being a material that was as strong as iron, but flexible as leather. Knowing that is the easiest way of deducing that it can surely rip though flesh along with any body armor you intend to place over it. But the weapon is never the only factor, there's always the person. If I design a custom tailor made weapon as elegant as that rifle, it would look threatening, but it wouldn't result in much blood shed if I handed it to the local drunk and told him to storm the king's palace, now would it. I'm normally terrible when it comes to reading people, but I don't think that's a necessary skill to have to know that that girl is far to young to be a bounty hunter. The fact that she managed to stay alive this long must be a monument to her talent. Perhaps she is worthy of this 'little miss badass' title you have bestowed upon her. All this means that we have a dangerous weapon being held by a dangerous young lady who won't care much for us if she catches us stealing from her. The most basic of conclusions that can be made is that this op of yours is...well...dangerous, so my only question is how can I be of help."

Jack normally wasn't this confident, his speech usually littered with stutters and trembles, but he felt right at home discussing weapons designs having worked with them for years. He boasted a confidence almost as if he thought he could disassemble 'lil miss badass' rifle with it pointed at him at point blank with nothing but a screw driver before she could even pull the trigger.

When Jack walks into room unannounced, Jericho had just canceled the spell and he is returning to what he normally looks like. He frowns as he looks at the man, then turns back to RD.

"This man seems to have a real problem with respecting privacies...Doesn't he?"He says in a tone that shows how annoyed he is with Jack. He then turns and continues talking to RD.

"Yes, after I make the ball of light, I can throw it like a rock...or a grenade would be more accurate. Keep in mind, that if I throw it as bright as I could and toss it so it stops in her face. It would permanently blind her, I would rather not do that. So it can't be too bright."

He then turns to face Jack and listens to what the man has to say before responding.

"I could care less if you believe what I said or not, but you weren't in that field fighting the flaming wolf. It makes sense that it was a part of the great Cerberus. Not only that but a person that has been around longer then any of us put together told me so, and I am believing what she says." Jericho stops for a moment to see if Jack has anything else to say, then continues.

"As for how I worded it, I made my instruction clear so that anyone could of been able to cut it. If I gave the demotions of how big I wanted the pieces, no one would be able to cut it for me."

The moment Rd and Jack starts talking about guns, he turns and checks up on Clarent.

Jack and RD begin to discuss the details of the girl in question while Atrium decides to check up on Clarent. She seems to be in a more natural sleep, which is surprising considering the info that he had found deep inside of Doc's mind. He figures she probably has a day or two, maybe even three, before her condition becomes a lot worse. And perhaps another few days after until her condition becomes critical. Relieved he continues his basic check up and decides that the girl is just fine, for now.

With Frazil gone for a nap, Sharpe retreats in to the house himself, to find Hitomi sleeping, huddled up in the corner and clutching the white cat that always seems to be lurking about the house.
Air and Jian have meanwhile left for the southern markets ahead of time, with there maybe being little under an hour left before they close down for the night.

Atrium returns his attention to Jack and RD just in time for RD to notice the sun beginning to set on the horizon, giving them just enough time to get to the markets with around half an hour to spare, in-case they are early, or late.

Play with the others she said, as though he were a child. She has a temper, and it seems she has been the recipient of what she thought was an interrogation before. Perhaps in the future, the useage of martial terminology would be unwise. She is likely an agent of an organization, but not one of warfare. Perhaps she is a peacekeeper instead.

Either way, she indeed recognized his weapon, so they must have devices of similar operation where she comes from. It is also like that her world's governments and official bodies are similar to their own.

He walks inside and walks over to Hitomi and lightly pets her head, then walks into the back room where he last trained. He takes off his coat and lays it aside, and slowly unsheathes his sword, holding it with both hands in a ready stand before him, the blade's edge at a forty-five degree angle with the ground, roughly. With conviction and Vigor, He makes tight, controlled slashes in front of him with the sword, imagining the lines of blood they would make in the bodies of his enemies. He keeps with these basic strikes, as that is all he needs for now. He does not suspect a very specialized swordsman to be residing in town - those would more likely be to the north. As he slashes at his non-existent foes, he thinks of what he will pursue tomorrow. There's the Tisperry investigation, though that might be a bit over his head for now, lest he present himself as a new target. There is the bounty board again, where they can make some coin, ammunition is always welcome, especially for his new sidearm. Either way, its another day trying to make sense of what's to come of the city, and what lies rotting beneath it.

Richard grins a little, stifling a chuckle as Jericho remarks on Jack's blatant disregard of closed doors as Jack seems to sift through his memories for an image of the girl in question. "Actually i'm not looking to blind her either, so that's perfect. It would be great if no one receives any injuries at all during this altercation, that's the secondary goal."

He shrugs towards Jack as Jericho states a few facts about the creature they had recently dissected, how he came by the info, and his trust in both the data and its source. RD then turns to jack as the man begins to relate his own knowledge on the 'cannon' lil' miss badass possessed, nodding at the relevant info regarding not only its threat value, but the miss carrying it as well.

"Hm. Good to know... As for your part in this plan, basically you and i are gonna start a bit of a distraction centering on this girl while Jericho discretely drops the bomb, then we need to quickly and carefully get her necklace off and hand it to Jericho so he can make a clean escape. Essentially. Its a mere rough of the plan, which is why i said a small group would be nice. There are of course going to be complications, it basically involves one group being a distraction and sticking around to continue as a distraction even after the heist is completed, meanwhile another person and/or group makes away with the prize. The fun part of course will be all in the presentation, i'm thinking making a big stink over her weapon would be best. We don't know much about it and i doubt others know as much as you seem to, Jack. So we draw everyone's attention to it, and this should work."

Richard pauses to allow the plan to sink in as he turns his attention to Jericho, and by extension, the window. He notes twilight beginning to fall and frowns slightly, not much time, they needed to get going soon so that they'd make it on time. Sure they'd have about a half hour to spare, but that could also be ample time to get a better grasp of the setting, maybe make a few preparations. They'd need every advantage they had to make this work.

While Jack was normally a man of reason and logic, his reason for not believing Jericho was purely sentimental. Jack remembered fond memories as his younger self would lie under bed sheets while his father told awe inspiring of the mighty and heroic Cerberus. The notion that Cerberus was killable was as painful to Jack as hearing Santa Clause isn't real for the very first time. He then barely hears as Jericho murmurs how annoyed he is by Jack's intrusion. Jack tried his hardest to ignore it but let off a subtle twitch of humiliation. It was only now becoming apparent that the reason Jack was constantly being so invasive was because he was far too over attached to everyone along with what everyone was doing. Jack put on a brave face. This wasn't the time for whimpering. Richard, son of a well respected client, was in need of his service.

"This plan seems like it will work just fine. A rifle like hers has no burst or rapid fire functions, which means it will be much safer if she tries to shoot aimlessly while blinded. However one of us should disarm her to avoid the slim chance she hits one of us by pure chance...but..."

Jack began to imagine the horrid image of wrestling a weak child. How was a girl this young a bounty hunter.

"are you completely positive we have to go through with all this? By that, I mean do you have 100% confirmation that this is the only way to retrieve the necklace from her rather than just talking to her and convincing her to give it to us? We're all in agreement that we want to cause this girl the least amount of harm possible, right?"

Jericho is happy to see that the young girl is holding up well but he is sure that her health is going to start plummeting soon seeing how she has been away from the Soultrap for so long. He turns to look out the window and lightly growls to himself. This day is almost over and he had done little of what he has wanted to do. He turns when he hears Jack asking some questions.

"There is no way someone is going to give up a Soultrap so freely. They are a pain to make and very pricey once they are made. The fact that she thinks she got a deal out of it is going to make her grip on it even tighter. Though I do wonder...why did she want a Soultrap? A person doesn't normal just want one just for having one. I wonder what she is planning on using it for..." Jericho rubs his chin as he thinks for a moment, the shakes his head. " It doesn't matter. We should get going if we want to do this."

As they walk out of the room, he shuts the door behind him. He then puts a ward on the door to let him know if it opens while they are gone. He really doesn't want to get the Soultrap and find out that the girl has run away again. As he walks down the stairs, he hears some movement in one of the other rooms and walks over. He sees Sharpe practicing with his sword.

"Sir Sharpe, we are about to head out and go to the bounty board so we can get the Soultrap. Will you be joining us or are you staying here and looking after the house and the young girl?"

Sharpe makes another slash with his sword in front of himself, a diagonal one, then follows up with a horizontal cut. He stops, and glances to his side without turning any part of his body.

"So you are going to simply take it from her?" He asks. What he had in mind originally did not entail this at all.

"I think I shall not go. I want no part in a theft. I thought we could get the gold back to her in exchange for the trap... but now it seems that will not happen, your minds are decided and set up this path."

He sheaths his sword and looks back at him.

"My heart does not see this as the right way, but if it is the only way, we will do it. I just do not know if I can bear being present. I thank you for the consideration, however, but this weighs upon my honor. Who knows, I might end up ridding this town of the trash below in the sewers myself. That was my hope. Please relay that to Rich." He elaborates.

Having figured out everything and and decided that it was time to head over to the markets, the group splits, with Frazil and Sharpe staying at the house. The rest of the group gets ready and heads out, making their way through the High-Class District to catch up with Air and Jian at the big militia tent.

As they leave, the white cat that usually lurks around the house jumps off the table and watches them leave before laying in a corner and sleeping.