Role Play What You're Wearing

[xDarkPisces]

Few and far between are the days when something exciting and life-changing falls in your path. Even rarer are the days when such occurrences involve you directly. For Cornelius, the day had started with a cup of coffee, like always, and an hour-long dip in the community swimming pool. Now he wandered downtown, hair still damp from the cool, chlorinated water, in search of interesting ways to spend his day off.

His outstretched hand remained frozen in midair as his eyes trailed and locked on a strange-looking trio standing nearer to the street. "What have we here?" he pondered aloud as he stepped away from the door and brushed his hair back behind his ear. "A bit of otherworldly oddity, it would seem." He stepped with cautious, though not obviously cautious, manner towards the three, noting that only one seemed to be in distress.

Not being one to avoid confrontation, Cornelius spoke up. "Something wrong here? One doesn't usually draw blade on fellow street-walkers for no reason."  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Blast it all to Tartarus, Falana thought helplessly as a man noticed them and walked up to the group. This was just not her best day on the job.

"I was invisible because I'm dead, and I am a messenger with a message for you," she whispered to the mercenary, before turning to the new man with a smile, using a touch of her new-found energy to hide some of the more fantastical aspects of her appearance -such as her wings.

"Hello, sir," she greeted him in a falsely cheerful voice. "I just startled the man, is all. Everything's fine here, thanks. Yup. Perfect." Even to the stupidest of people she would have reeked of lies, but she couldn't put together a better act, stressed as she was. There was something about this man that... she couldn't put her finger on it.... Focus on the mission.  

[Roland Karloseth]

Roland looked wide-eyed at the newcomer like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. "Damnit... that was careless..." he thought to himself. With that though, he dropped his arms to his sides, blades still in place. "When people appear out of nowhere, it's rather alarming."

"Come to think of it though, I've seen more alarming stuff than this before... Hell, I can do that if I worked hard enough..."  

[xDarkPisces]

Cornelius smiled and nodded, brushing his hair back again out of habit. "I see. Well, it's understandable. But if you want to see alarming..." He broke off as he tilted his head to the right to pop his neck. Instead of a pop, however, his head merely broke free and rolled down his arm, dropping to the ground with a splash and leaving a puddle of water in its place. Then, he stepped into the puddle, drew the water back in, and used it to reform his head with a sort of grotesque, wet, squirting sound.

"...there's alarming for you." He grinned as if he'd just told an amazing joke and was now waiting for the laughter.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

"Hermes, if this is all a big joke you're playing on me, you'd best run like hell when I get back," Falana murmured quietly to the god, thinking of nothing else in do or say in the state of shock she found herself in after the water man's little performance. She heard ringing in her ears.

"I'm too old for this," she said softly, closing her eyes for a moment as the weight of all her years crashed down upon her for a fraction of a second. Sleeeeep, a small, dark voice in the back of her mind coaxed her. Her eyes opened once more without hesitation, however, and the moment passed. "I think maybe all of us should have a little talk. And some drinks. Lots of drinks. You old enough to drink yet, Cadhla?" she asked without looking at the woman. "I think I need to down a bottle of whiskey or two." Falana shoved the scroll she'd been carrying into the mercenary's hands, then looked at the water man... thing. Power slammed into her head, her mind, speaking softly, but the words felt like hot coals searing against her. Hermes was being pretty intense. He's important too, he told her before leaving her. Short message. "You're important too," she relayed simply, looking at the man with eyes that now watered with pain. "Come on. Someone lead the way to the nearest bar."  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

Cadhla stood in shock while they become visible and the dude freaked and pulled the sword on them and the dude with the watery head. Why is life never simple?" "Yeah I'm old enough to drink. Was that a joke?" she asked, helping to hold Falana up. "Come on you big goofs. Where's the nearest bar?"  

[Kalib]

((allow me ))

The nearest bar was a block away and round the corner. It was a dark industrial hole in the wall. It was early and not very full yet.
Kalib was polishing a glass pretty much for effect.
 

[xDarkPisces]

The sky was growing gray with the aging afternoon and the gathering cloud cover. "Ah, the cool tension of the air before a thunderstorm," Cornelius breathed calmly. "I seem to remember a grimy, seedy little place just around the way here. Follow me."

He set off down the street towards an intersection marked by two unreadable street signs. Behind the grime and graffiti paint, it might have read something along the lines of 'Tronti Avenue.' Brushing his hair behind his head, Cornelius paused next to the dilapidated, old sign and waited for his party.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

"It wasn't a joke. I don't remember how old one has to be to drink in this time. In times past you could drink when you were still in the cradle, so I'm always careful to ask," Falana explained to Cadhla, allowing the young woman to keep her steady. It made Falana feel weak, old, and incapable, but at the same time she felt grateful for not having to exert any extra effort. She had the distinct feeling that she'd need that energy to be able to disgest many strange things to come.

The group followed the strange water-man and soon found themselves standing in the entrance of a dark and dingy bar that appeared to not have been cleaned since the day it was built. Peering around, Falana spotted a secluded booth, set in a nook by the bar, but apart from everything else. "That's where we'll sit," she announced, weaving her way over slowly and sitting down with a sigh.

Once everyone joined her and had seated and arranged themselves to their satisfaction, Falana looked everyone in the eye one by one, then nodded. "Right," she said briskly. "Time for introductions. Name, then a little something about yourself, then what is plaguing you most right now. After that, we'll get on with it. I'm Falana. Semi-ghost, and surrogate messenger for the gods," she added quickly and quietly. "What plagues me is my inability to rest in peace."  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

After she had settled herself in the booth and set the hammer at her feet in between her legs and made sure Falana was ok, she spoke next. "Well, as Falana already said, name's Cadhla. I'm a little bit of a loner, try to keep to myself pretty much. What's plaguing me at the moment is how I got dragged into this all."  

[Roland Karloseth]

((sorry guys, computers down. right now I'm trying to post on my wii, so at least theres an effort.))

Roland followed the group to the booth, where he sat and listened to the introductions. when he saw a chance to jump in, he quickly took advantage of it.

"My name's Roland, modern-day mercenary. What's bothering me most right now is the simple fact that I'm bored. I've had a taste of adventure and I want more."  

[Kusaragi]

((Sorry that I have not been here for so long and that I've not been active here when the plot picked back up. I feel that I might have a winner with this avatar, and if it's OK with everyone else I would like to jump in with something along the lines of natural disaster to kickstart your future quest. Let me know what you think and if it's OK to jump in with it.))  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

((Kusa: It's not so much the plot picking back up as a new one starting. xD I think I'd at least like everyone to introduce themselves before you kickstart the adventure, so that they have a bit more of a reason to band together, you know? smile I don't mind you kick starting it, I honestly don't have a plot in mind, I was hoping we'd all slowly fill it in as we went along, so my vote is go for it. smile

Roland: Well I'm glad you're trying, I really appreciate it. ^^ I hope your computer troubles are solved soon. D: ))

Falana looked over Cadhla curiously at her response. "I thought your concern would more likely be that collar," she observed with a raised eyebrow, before turning to listen to Roland. "You likely will be bursting with adventure soon, having drawn the attention of the gods enough for them to send you a message. Unroll the scroll at your own discretion and in your own sweet time, but regardless of whether you open it or not, your life will most likely be far from mundane for a while."

Falana turned her gaze to the water-man, her fingers steepled before her contemplatively as she looked him over. The shine of her eyes, which had been dimming since she began visible, faded completely, showing eyes that were a pure, piercing blue. Much like his own. "As for you, strange one? I've seen many things in my time, but I don't know quite how to place you."  

[xDarkPisces]

((Whew... sorry, guys. Got bogged down with my two-day weekend and whatnot.))

Cornelius flashed a dazzling grin and chuckled lightly. When he spoke, his voice was relaxed and calm, almost cool to the eardrums. "There's not much to know, really. Name's Cornelius. And water is my art, my magic. My very breath." He breathed out with a sigh at the word 'breath,' sending a small puff of vapor into the air. "I've lived in the city my entire life, and I... Well, let's just say I like to show off, shall we?" He nodded as a gesture of punctuation and leaned back in the lumpy booth, clasping his hands together behind his head in a lounging manner.

"A mercenary, you say. I thought those were all but extinct these days, what with Colonel Desantos and his faithful lapdogs out there sweeping the streets 'clean' as he calls it." Cornelius made the cliche quotation pantomime with his fingers and shook his head. "Seems likes nobody knows what's going on these in the world lately. Big black pit with blind, confused rats all running about and..." He trailed off absently, paused for several seconds, not taking his gaze from Roland, and then broke the silence. "...forgive me. Lost in thought..." He closed his eyes.  

[Kusaragi]

((That's the reason that I ask these things, Kerris. It would have been incredibly rude of me to just jump in and change the state of things, and especially with the story in such a state of flux as the beginning. I have another couple avatars that are just as... elemental, as this one and I can pul them out at a later time. I know that if I were to make the grand entrance I wanted it would put me in the "Lead" of this story and I don't think I'm ready to take up that role right now. For now I'll sit back and keep an eye out for a good spot to join.))