Private Tales Being Rambled At

[Visha Sofka]

So there's this hospital in Alliria. Called Metisa's Commune of Grace and Healing. Not too big, not too small, not too full either--not a whole lot of the sick or injured, nor even travelers or street-dwellers who were just looking for a place to stay the night.

And it was quiet.

Or.

It was quiet.

"...not even all that bad! That's what I told the other guys, but did they listen, noooo. Just like you're not listening. I can walk, you know. I'm just not because imabitlazy--SHUT UP! You didn't hear that, I didn't say anything. Yeah that's right. CARRY ME! Do your job! What are you, a monk or something? Oh, you are a monk, my apologies. Nice haircut, idiot! Metisa's Commune of Grace and Bowl-Cuts, is that what the sign out front said? Well it should!"

The curtains which were drawn in such a way so as to enclose two separate beds in a "room" fluttered, and in came a monk and a nun carrying the loud pyromancer on a litter. They set the litter down on the empty bed and Visha rolled off of it and onto the bed proper. As the monk and nun were (hastily) preparing to leave, the nun looked at the occupant of the other bed and said sheepishly, "I am so sorry."

And then they left.

Visha immediately flung her attention onto the occupant of the other bed. The right side of her body, her clothes and skin, were charred and blackened haphazardly. Curiously, all of her hair was still there, orange as it was and definitely not burned off or smattered with soot or ash.

"Can you BELIEVE this!? Oh, dur, just because there was a little fire let's blame the PYROMANCER! Honestly! The nerve! Like I don't know how to stop a fire if I really wanted to stop one. I wasn't even doing anything. IIIII~~ was just minding my own business, my own absolutely non-fire-related business, see, and I was just as surprised as EVERYBODY ELSE!"

Visha flopped over onto her side to face the other bed's occupant. Said in a voice that was inexplicably twofold quieter and calmer than just a second ago, "Hi. I'm Visha. So how'd you end up here at this rinky-dink hospital? No, wait. I'll guess. Can I guess? I'm gonna guess."

Someone is going to have an eventful stay at the Commune of Grace and Healing.

Spoiler: Quick Write

So I'm trying out using the "quick write" tag for this thread. Essentially, I think the tag would be good for indicating threads that are meant to be short. Little stories, quick RPs that don't necessarily have to go for long. I think "quick writes" would be good for test-driving new characters, odd or quirky situations, little bits of character building, seeing how well two characters get along, establishing an acquaintance between two characters that could be built upon later in other threads, and small slice-of-life events and everyday moments (not every thread has to be epic). That's the intent, and I want to see how it works. Join me and let's see.

 

[Urchin]

Damn, and Urchin was having such a lovely nap too. Looked like somebody else had other plans. Oh well, probably for the best. He should get the hell out of this hospital as soon as he could and get his way back to the Raven Club where he could get himself some real healing! That said, his leg was bloody killing him and he wasn't much looking forward to hobbling his way through the streets. Lucky bitch. If only a nice monk and helpful nun would offer to carry him.

Turning over to the noisy girl in the bed beside him, Urchin said the first thing that popped into his head. "Oh wow, yer hair's even redder than mine." Hair this shade was a rare find in Alliria, save on dwarves... Maybe the girl was part dwarf. She certainly had the height for it. Only an inch taller than himself. Though Urchin was still growing... Or, at least, he liked to think he was.

"Can you BELIEVE this!? Oh, dur, just because there was a little fire let's blame the PYROMANCER!

"Oh, wait, yer a pyromancer?" the boy declared excitedly. He had always been fascinated by magic and everything magic related. "Like, you can shoot fire outta yer 'ands an' stuff? How's it work? Can ya turn yer finger into a lighter an' stuff? It summin' ya learn, or are ya just born with it?" Sure, he'd known the girl for all of five seconds, but Urchin liked her! She was chatty and extremely interesting. Just the sort of stranger he liked to meet.

"Hi. I'm Visha. So how'd you end up here at this rinky-dink hospital? No, wait. I'll guess. Can I guess? I'm gonna guess."

"Well, I managed ta get... Oh, ya wanna guess?" he asked excitedly. "Go ahead then. Bet you'll get it straight away." The cuts, scrapes and bruises all over his body and the rather nasty, swollen black eye made it all quite obvious.

 

[Visha Sofka]

Visha took on a mock sage air of her former professors at the College. "Allow me but a moment to ponder..."

A tap on a chin with a finger. A studious glance up and down the fellow redhead, taking stock of his particular condition. A long and drawn out hmmmmmmm. Then she said in that some faux-sage tone, "I must confer with my colleagues!"

She rolled over onto her back. Held her hands over her chest and made a tent out of her fingers, drumming the tips of them together, and, funnily enough, looking at her ten digits as if they were the aforementioned colleagues. Then she rolled back over, crispy-side up, and declared to Urchin, "AH HA! I knew it! You, my friend, had an itch! Oh yes, an itch you couldn't scratch! Not in public, oooohhh noooooo, but what would all the prudes think of you? But Alliria's so damn crowded! What's an itchy boy to do! Hey, hey, hey, shh, don't worry, I won't tell! Our little secret! YOU RAN! THAT'S WHAT YOU DID! You ran like anybody with an itchy bum would run! BUT WHY IS EVERY ALLEY CRAWLING WITH STAR-CROSSED LOVERS NOW?? Smooch somewhere else, can't a redhead get some privacy to scratch his red-hot tush?? Now it's really bad! You're running and running and FUCK where did these stairs come from? And you're tumbling down those stairs and one of them punches you in the eye and that's how you got here I nailed it didn't I?"

She grinned. Supremely satisfied.

Then blinked. As if struck by an epiphany.

"Hey, did you say something about pyromancy?"

Urchin

 

[Urchin]

The young woman then went off on a strange tangent that began with Urchin raising an eyebrow in confusion and ended in him bursting out into hysterical laughter.

"No, no, no, stop!" he begged with a hand pushed down on his aching side. "It 'urts ta laugh! Stop it!" After taking a few deep breaths and rubbing tears of laughter from his eyes, the lad sat himself up and shook his head in exasperation. "Yer weird," he told the girl. "I like ya!" A very easy decision to make. Weird people were fun. Urchin liked fun. "An' sure, let's go with that... In fact, let's say I saw some loose change on the stairs an' when I leant down ta pick it up, the stairs gave me a real disproportionate beatin' considerin' there weren't even enough coin on them stairs ta buy myself a back scratcher for my itch." In other words, a rather irritable stranger had caught the boy with his hands in his coin purse and taken exception.

"Now lemme do you!" he demanded, even though she had already given a vague explanation of what exactly she was doing there. "Like all the best sophisticated folk, you was smokin' yerself a nice pipe o' hemp. But when ya dropped the match in the trash heap, some o' the rubbish caught fire. Now, bein' a responsible type o' person, ya didn't wanna leave a fire burnin' in the middle o' the alley, so ya decided ta blow the fire out, like a candle... Didn't work. So ya figured, maybe yer breath weren't enough ta blow out such a big fire. Ya needed summin' stronger... Like a bellows! That'd blow it out, right? So ya fetched the bellows from the inn an started tryin' ta blow the fire out with that. Weirdly enough, didn't work. So ya decided ta throw some shit on it ta try an' smother the flames. Shit like cotton cloths an' dry wood an' coal... But fer some reason none o' that worked. Fire only got bigger. So, then ya did the most sensible thing ya could an' figured you'd douse the flames with water. Couldn't find no water, but in the tavern kitchen, they had a big ol' vat o' olive oil. That shoulda worked, right? Who'd 'ave thought that fires could be so temperamental?"

"Hey, did you say something about pyromancy?"

"I did!" Urchin answered excitedly. "Can ya show me 'ow it works? Can ya do some now?" Of course, using fire magic in the middle of a hospital probably wasn't the brightest idea, but what did he care? It was magic! Magic was cool.

 

[Visha Sofka]

Yer weird.

"No you're weird!"

Boom. Got 'em. And Visha grinned. Hey this wasn't so bad, being cooped up in some goblin-sized hospital for something she ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T DO. Chatting with the fellow redhead, it was like mingling with the other delinquents back at the College.

"An' sure, let's go with that... In fact, let's say I saw some loose change on the stairs an' when I leant down ta pick it up, the stairs gave me a real disproportionate beatin' considerin' there weren't even enough coin on them stairs ta buy myself a back scratcher for my itch."

Visha made fists and triumphantly rocked her arms inward. "Yes! I got a B minus!"

Now lemme do you!

"Yeah! Yeah! Guessguessguess! I fucking love guessing games!"

And our intrepid redhead (not me, the other one!) laid out his best guess. Visha stroked her chin as she listened. Only a moment after he finished did her eyes alight with intense vindication and she shouted, "EXACTLY! THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT'S HAPPENED TO ME!"

But now. Oh yes now. Now was the time for some little sweet nothings. The best sort of talk: whispering about fire. Fires you weren't supposed to set. Fires that did whatever they wanted. Bad fires that were oh so good.

Visha ran her teeth along her bottom lip and glanced around conspiratorially. Then back to Urchin, squinting slyly as she said, "I cooouuulllddd...but let me ask you something first."

Little puffs of flame sprouted from her eyebrows, there and gone in the same moment. And her grin was absolutely fanatical even as her tone was (by some miracle) restrained.

"Have you...oh I don't know...heard of Great Maho? Maho Sparhawk? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?"

Urchin

 

[Urchin]

"EXACTLY! THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT'S HAPPENED TO ME!"

"Bloody fires," Urchin sarcastically complained. "Dun they know that water an oil is practically the same thin'? Both wet anyways. Should work the same, right? But you try tellin' that ta yer kitchen stove an' NOOOOO. Oil ain't good enough fer 'em. Then they get all uppity an' throw a bloody tantrum 'bout it." What a strange little conversation they were having.

"Shut up!" Another patron of the hospital yelled after apparently being woken up by the pair's enthusiastic little chat. "I'm trying to sleep, you little brats!"

"'Ow rude," Urchin whispered under his breath at the interruption. "What's 'e think this is, a bloody library?" Urchin then took the opportunity to rather immaturely stick his tongue out at their little heckler, but he had turned away by that point, so there was little in the way of retaliation.

Regardless, it seemed that Vasha was telling secrets now, so they both lowered their voices anyway.

"Have you...oh I don't know...heard of Great Maho? Maho Sparhawk? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?"

"Uh..." the lad mumbled awkwardly. Now, he could either stroke the girl's ego and insist that he had indeed heard of that very, extremely, exceptionally famous person, at the risk of being called out when he couldn't name a single fact about the individual he'd supposedly heard so much about. Best to play it safe. "Nah, but in all fairness, I ain't really 'eard much 'bout nobody 'round 'ere. Sure there's loads o' memos singin' 'er praises on the local notice board, but I can't read none of it, so I'm left all in the dark. Tell me 'bout 'er? She a real famous, legendary an' beautiful pyromancer adventurer what all the bards are singin' 'bout or summin'?" Well, he at least assumed it was a woman, since why would Visha be bragging about the Great Maho unless she was someone rather close to home?

 

[Visha Sofka]

Visha's eyes darted left and right when one of their fellow patrons yelled out from beyond the curtains. She took to her conspiratorial whispering handily enough. "Yeah! Libraries are tinderboxes, so what's his problem?"

Ooohhhh, so redhaired patchy-pants didn't know who GREAT MAHO was. Even said that he was a she, which made Visha hold a hand to her mouth and giggle. As Visha overheard a wise but drunk man once say, there were some lessons to be learned today!

She whispered back, starry-eyed just talking about it, "Legendary pyromancer indeed! The greatest who ever lived!" She sat up then, a bit of ash from her crispy side sprinkling down on the bed, and glanced around. Mostly for show, but mostly not for show. Both at the same time. She lay back down. "But don't say that too loud. There's COLLEGE LOSERS--"

She clapped her hands over her mouth. Brows arched and eyes wide as if she were holding back laughter upon hearing the punchline of a hilarious joke.

Back down to quiet, quiet, shh. "--College losers everywhere. And they don't like him. Because they're stupid and jealous and don't understand his greatness!"

And then, out of nowhere, a question, "Hey, do you like sunny-side-up eggs?"

Urchin

 

[Urchin]

"--College losers everywhere. And they don't like him. Because they're stupid and jealous and don't understand his greatness!"

"Oh, my mistake. Guess 'e ain't no she." And here Urchin was thinking that the girl was going to spend the next couple of hours bragging about herself. "Who was 'e then? Seems like 'e's real important to ya, so I take it ya knew 'im personal? Did 'e teach ya 'ow ta... You know... Set stuff on fire an' shit?" That's essentially what pyromancers did, right?

Watching the ash fall from the girl as she moved around, Urchin couldn't help but feel a little concerned. "Hey, dun that 'urt none?" he asked, pointing to the charred and crispy side of the poor girl. "Does fire not 'urt pyromancers or summin'? Ain't sure 'ow it works, but it looks pretty painful ta me. Hey, if ya like, I got an 'ealer friend what can fix ya up proper. 'Ell of a lot better than this place anyways. Gonna go see 'er myself once I got my leg all wrapped up. She's real nice, you'll like 'er." Well, he assumed so anyway. Everyone likes her. She was a sweet heart.

And then, out of nowhere, a question, "Hey, do you like sunny-side-up eggs?"

"Fuck yeah!" the lad declared happily, a little too enthusiastic about the prospect of eggs. "They're the best kind! Ma' always used ta put two in a little pan, then use a slice o' bacon ta make a smiley face."

 

[Visha Sofka]

...so I take it ya knew 'im personal?

"I wish! Don't tease me like that!"

If only! But he did teach her a little something-something. Not directly (oh she would've loved that, stop-stop-stop, that's teasing!), but just by his example. Just by seeing him! Seeing what he could do, what pyromancy could be. He sent a message to the College of Elbion, alright! Teach them to betray him! Oh, how she wished she could've been there when Maho ascended to GODHOOD. Secondhand stories weren't GOOD ENOUGH. But it's okay, okay? Because that was her life's whole mission now: ascend to godhood in just the same way as Great Maho. And you know what she needed to do that? Power.

Hey, dun that 'urt none?

Visha hugged herself, pinched her eyes shut, bared her teeth and squeaked, "I'm-actually-in-crippling-pain."

Just as quickly as she had bunched up in "pain," she stopped. Anybody's guess if she was telling the truth or not.

"A 'ealer friend, you say. I like friends. I LOVE FRIENDS!" Visha slapped a hand over her mouth and rolled her eyes in the general direction the earlier shout from the irritated patron had come from. "Yeah. I'll go. But only if she doesn't have a bowl-cut."

And then.

Ha, ha.

The answer pertaining to the eggs.

Again, Visha glanced around as if she and Urchin were joining together in a conspiracy to overthrow the Allirian Council. "No peeking!" And then she winked. Rolled over to her other side so her back was to Urchin. She was fumbling around with her damaged shirt, her arm doing something and her hand going somewhere, but it wasn't entirely clear what or where. And she was whistling. Casually. Aha, came the hushed syllables of success. She fixed up whatever needed fixing, and then rolled back over.

And she had two chicken eggs in her hand.

"Look what I poached, haha! Not a crack on them. I kept 'em cushioned, and no one even knew! Probably best if you don't ask where I got these. Butyoucanguessifyouwannaguessidunnoijustlikeguessinggames, doot-do-do."

She grinned.

Urchin

 

[Urchin]

"I wish! Don't tease me like that!"

She didn't? Well, that was a surprise. "Oh, okay... What 'e do?" the lad asked curiously. For the girl to be this obsessed with a man she'd never even met, Urchin assumed that he must've done something particularly impressive.

"I'm-actually-in-crippling-pain."

"Ah, fuck. I'm real sorry," Urchin said sympathetically. "I should'a realized, but you was acting so 'appy before, I didn't..." Oh... Nevermind, she was back to normal again. If a woman like this could ever be described as normal.

"A 'ealer friend, you say. I like friends. I LOVE FRIENDS!"

"Oh yeah, you'll love 'er. She's real nice!" Urchin told the girl enthusiastically. "Trust me, she's friends with everyone, 'cos she's so nice ta everyone. 'Er fella can be a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes, but 'es alright really. So long as you dun break nuthin' in 'is club. 'E dun like that." Though considering present company, perhaps Urchin should be a bit more worried about Visha burning the place to the ground.

"Yeah. I'll go. But only if she doesn't have a bowl-cut."

"Nah, she got this long white 'air with braids in it. Is real pretty. An' a much nicer bedside manner than these miserable sods." At that moment, one of the other patients tried to shush the pair again. "You shh!" Urchin retorted, before turning back to Visha in time to see her extremely bizarre little trick.

"Where the fuck did ya..." Who the hell carried eggs around on their person? And how did she carry them around like that without them cracking? ... Oh well, what the fuck. Breakfast was sorted!

"Look what I poached, haha! Not a crack on them. I kept 'em cushioned, and no one even knew! Probably best if you don't ask where I got these. Butyoucanguessifyouwannaguessidunnoijustlikeguessinggames, doot-do-do."

"Uh, okay..." Urchin responded, trying to think of the most bizarre response possible. "Hey, I know! Yer secret is that ya ain't really no girl, yer a boy in disguise... An' them ain't really tits, ya just keep a bunch o' eggs stuffed under yer shirt for whenever ya got an egg related emergency."

 

[Visha Sofka]

"You shh!" Visha, in a coincidence of timing worthy of someone saying the word jinx, called out simultaneously with Urchin to the other irritated patient in the hospital. She grinned when she realized it, met eyes with Urchin, and her shoulders hunched up as she giggled mischievously.

And then Urchin gave his guess, and a flash of surprise struck Visha's expression, eyes wide and brows high and mouth open for a second.

"Now that's a good one! Ahhh, how'd you know that I'm a master of disguise? Dashing! Like a rogue!" With her free hand Visha touched her chest and gave it a small shake, saying, "I call this the chicken coop. No one's the wiser! Except you. Oops. Hey should I get a mask? No, no, no, don't answer that!"

There were bigger problems to worry about.

Visha looked wistfully to the two eggs she held in her hand. Said, "We're gonna need a pan to cook these eggs."

She sat up then. Grimacing as she did so, and then doing everything to shove that grimace away and pretending like it was nothing. "And besides that pan, this hospital sucks. Where's your friend at, hmm? I'm gonna unbraid her hair and then we're gonna have a race to see who can braid it back up faster! Oh, and we're gonna get healed up or something, I suppose."

Urchin

 

[Urchin]

"You shh!"

Much like the both of them making the comment at exactly the same time, the pair both made eye contact and started laughing at the same time too. Looked like Urchin had found himself a new best friend... Well, second best friend anyway. Nobody could take Charity's place.

"Now that's a good one! Ahhh, how'd you know that I'm a master of disguise? Dashing! Like a rogue!"

"Well, it's a good disguise! An' nah, ya dun need no mask. Yer a real pretty boy, so ya pull it off well. What ya do when an egg cracks though? Tell everyone yer lactatin' or somethin'?" This little joke was getting highly inappropriate, but Urchin had never quite gotten round to learning the important lesson that he didn't have to physically blurt out every single thought that popped into his little head.

"And besides that pan, this hospital sucks. Where's your friend at, hmm? I'm gonna unbraid her hair and then we're gonna have a race to see who can braid it back up faster! Oh, and we're gonna get healed up or something, I suppose."

"Place is called the Raven Club," he told Visha happily. "'Bout a twenty minute walk away... Fer you anyway, Fer me it'll probably take a couple o' hours. Mind if I use ya as a crutch while I 'obble along?" That would certainly make the journey a lot faster and less painful. "They 'ave pans. Pans aplenty! An' how's about we both take half of Miss Eile's hair an' do 'er some nice cornrows? Am sure Mr Isak will be thrilled," Urchin suggested sarcastically... That said, Eilerias was so beautiful that she could probably pull off any hairstyle from beehive to bald. Some nice cornrows probably wouldn't do her a disservice. "We can thread ribbons and beads inta 'em!" Urchin suddenly thought to himself excitedly... Poor Eile. It looked like she wasn't going to get any say in the matter.

 

[Visha Sofka]

What ya do when an egg cracks though? Tell everyone yer lactatin' or somethin'?

"Anybody asks, I tell 'em to back the hell up next time they gotta sneeze! And wipe your damn nose, nasty! When they're doing that, whoosh, I vanish!"

Now it was on to the real deal. Ditching this dumb Commune and checking out this Raven Club place. Maybe there wouldn't be too many miserly monks and prudish nuns there--and no shushers either! She hated shushers! Don't talk so loud, how about you don't listen so loud, how about that, hmm? Anyway, these burns weren't going to heal themselves and her clothes were in an awful lopsided state of disrepair, ooohhh nooo, what was she going to do?

She always did have a hard time remembering to throw on a Flame Ward before starting a bonfire--at least she remembered to get one cast on her hair this time though!

"I'll have you know that I MOONLIGHT as a crutch! Come here!" Visha, with some difficulty, got herself to stand up and off of the bed. Ah, damn it, why'd she have to lose her staff--again!? It'd make for a great walking stick right now. "Here. Not on the side that's well-done. You're gonna take your steak rare and you're gonna LIKE IT."

Visha extended out her hand. Grinned.

"And we're gonna savage Miss Eile's hair. We're gonna make her and Mr. Isak swap hair-dos!"

A quick licking of her lips.

"And get these eggs cooked up too, whew, I'm starving."

All that was left? Walking out while a bunch of those monks and nuns pestered them with protests of "Nooo," and "Don't" and "That's irresponsible." Haha! Joke's on them. Wasn't the first time Visha heard all those before, and, if she had to guess (andshelovedtoguess!), then it wasn't the first time for redhead patchy-pants either.

Urchin

 

[Urchin]

"Anybody asks, I tell 'em to back the hell up next time they gotta sneeze! And wipe your damn nose, nasty! When they're doing that, whoosh, I vanish!"

How immature was Urchin that he was actually crying tears of laughter at this ridiculous conversation? He definitely needed to hang around this girl more. She was more fun than a circus!

"I'll have you know that I MOONLIGHT as a crutch! Come here!"

"Perfect!" Urchin declared, slowly shifting into an upright position, moaning and groaning in pain with every movement before finally pushing himself up to his feet and half hopping, half hobbling over to Visha, putting his arm around her companionly to support the weight of his injured leg. "Will be like one of 'em three legged races," the lad thought out loud. "... Only, we ain't tryin' ta win this race! We're tryin' ta lose, by goin' as slowly as possible," he quickly rectified his statement, concerned that the hyperactive Visha would hear the word "race" and take off at a sprint.

"And we're gonna savage Miss Eile's hair. We're gonna make her and Mr. Isak swap hair-dos!"

"Oh sweet Gods, that's the best idea!" Urchin declared, enthusiastically. "We can braid Isak's hair! He's a pretty guy. Reckon it'll suit 'im good. E'll look like a beautiful princess!" Isak may object... Unless Eilerias insisted. That guy would do anything for her. Hell, he'd probably let them do his make up, wear a pretty pink dress and dance the cha-cha if Eilerias asked him to. They were adorable like that.

"And get these eggs cooked up too, whew, I'm starving."

"Let's go!" Urchin agreed readily. "... Oh, an' I'm Urchin by the way." The boy had a bad habit of forgetting to introduce himself to new friends. He really had to stop doing that.

As the pair hobbled out of the hospital, Urchin tried to reassure the staff they they were going to see another healer and that they'd both be fine, while Visha just shooed them out of the way like an out of control carriage in the street. Any weight the boy accidentally put on his bad leg hurt like hell and Urchin kept having to remind Visha to slow down whenever she got overexcited at the prospect of sunny-side up eggs. But eventually they made it.

"Ogden!" Urchin called as soon as they opened the door, knowing that the dwarf was always behind the bar and would likely be the first familiar face he saw. "Is Miss Eile home? I gone an' got m'self all fucked up again." Poor Eilerias. The time and effort she had to spend patching Urchin up after his little misadventures.

Eilerias
Charity Briarthorne

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias looked nervous, glancing between her hand of cards and the cards laid out on one of the tables in the Raven Club. "So what's up with you and Honey?" The corners of her lips twitched into a smile as she brought up a moment Charity probably didn't think she saw back during one of the fights in the warehouse.

The flustered look on Charity's face gave Eilerias an opportunity to abuse her shadows and glance at Charity's card's through their eyes.

"Ha ha! I win!" She cheered, swiping the gold coins towards her side of the table. "Don't be so glum, the less fortunate will be delighted to hear of your generosity when I use my winnings to feed them." She pocketed the coin as she heard the door fling open, followed by Ogden and Urchin calling for her.

"Over here!" She waved her arm up high, hoping the lad would be able to see her through the crowd of regulars. Fortunately, Ogden was able to provide her location to Urchin so he could make his way over.

She looked him over, and then his friend. "Oh dear, what happened this time?" She tilted her head to the side, waiting for an answer from either Urchin or the stranger before she agreed to heal them. "One would think you're made of eggshells. You're so...delicate...Like a flower!" She laughed. "Charity, you must know what condition he's got. Don't the two of you live together? Surely he's got some disease where he's made of dust or something. This isn't normal!"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity looked at her cards smugly. As long as Eilerias kept playing the way she had been, Charity had this hand in the bag.

"So what's up with you and Honey?"

"Wh-What do you mean? Nothing is up with her and I!" Charity's smug expression instantly morphed into one of shock and nervousness. "We're just r-really good f-friends, that's all! D-Definitely nothing worth t-telling Mother about!" she stammered.

"Ha ha! I win!" She cheered, swiping the gold coins towards her side of the table. "Don't be so glum, the less fortunate will be delighted to hear of your generosity when I use my winnings to feed them."

Charity's usual annoyed look returned to her face as her sister began raking in the coins. "Damn it Eile! You little... Has Urchin been teaching you his tricks again? I'm gonna kick that little bastard's ass when I get home!" Further threats were put on hold as Urchin burst into the club supported by a young woman. Well... speak of the devil...

"Sup kid! Looks like ya found yourself another girlfriend. Ooh! And a cute one at that!" Charity said teasingly. "How many's that just this week? Six? Seven?" She put an arm over the back of the chair, giving the girl a friendly smile. "Don't get too attached to the rascal. He'll be on to the next girl before you know it!" Charity winked at her playfully, before turning back to Urchin. "The fuck happened to you this time? Twist your ankle chasing after another pretty girl?"

"One would think you're made of eggshells. You're so...delicate...Like a flower!" She laughed. "Charity, you must know what condition he's got. Don't the two of you live together? Surely he's got some disease where he's made of dust or something. This isn't normal!"

"Yeah. Sure. I know what's wrong with him." Charity cleared her throat and did her best to impersonate a snobby physician. "He's not made of dust. You see Madam, the poor boy has merely come down with a case of what we like to call "being a dumbass". Its very common ailment for boys. Especially boys his age. Unfortunately, there is no known cure, and we can only hope that he grows out of it over time!" Charity leaned back with a smirk.

"C'mon Angel! Just heal the poor boy and his lady friend already. I'm sure they have some very important business to attend to!"

Visha Sofka
Urchin
Eilerias

 

[Eilerias]

"Yeah sure, I believe you." She winked, speaking quietly as Charity panicked. Everyone always assumed Eilerias was an airhead, no one ever gave her credit for how observant she was. "I'm not going to tell mother anything....but if there is something..." She paused. "It didn't go well when I was the one in your shoes. Mother would level a town if her favorite child was hiding things from her after promising not to."

"And no, Urchin didn't teach me anything! I'm just very good at card games." Her eyes had hints of purple, a consequence from using her shadows. "I learned all on my own."

She laughed as Charity gave Urchin some playful banter before standing up and making her way over to the pair. "She's a little...charred...but you're right, she is cute!" She extended a hand for a moment before putting it back down, worried handshakes may cause this poor girl pain. "I'm Eilerias, Urchin's personal healer it seems."

She looked over the girl before laying her hands upon her, allowing the soft golden glow to flow into her and for her pain to flow into Eilerias. Thankfully, Isak's friend Khet had finally managed to create some concoction that minimized her side effects, so she was able to heal with less worry. "I don't mean to intrude, but how did you manage to do this to yourself?" She asked curiously, "I do apologize, I can only heal. I can't clean clothes. You're taller than me, but you're welcome to take some of my old clothes. They don't fit me anymore, so I have no use for 'em. Hey Isak!" She summoned him over to the group, away from a conversation he was dragged into by a rather intoxicated regular. "Are all of my old clothes still stowed away in one of the extra rooms?"

She moved her attention to Urchin, enjoying Charity's impersonation. "Indeed, he does appear to have a most severe case of the 'dumbass', I do agree!" She smacked him on the arm. "Seriously, what did you get yourself into this time? You're here every other night. It can't be safe for either of us to be fighting whatever gods want you to suffer." Of course, she wouldn't let him suffer long before she began healing him as well. The only benefit of baby Lavelle seem to be its affect on amplifying her magic, allowing her to heal much faster than before.

"I'm not letting you leave without telling me what happened this time. You need to be more careful." Her voice was stern as she began to lecture him. "I might even begin keeping a list of all your injuries and how you obtained them at this point."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

"I just think the club owes me some money, yea? I was cheated!"

The drunkard flapped his arms about as he tried to explain his point, blurping right at Isak's face, much to his disgust. Isak stood some considerable inches taller than him, and he gazed down on him with utter disinterest as the patron sought to take back some of the money that he had 'lost'. In truth, Isak knew nothing about that, save that coins were always conveniently missing whenever Charity was around with her usual games, and accompanied by Eilerias and her less than conventional tactics to her games as well.

"And how is that my concern?" He spoke, coldly and blunt, eager to just kick out that problematic man and be done with it. He was growing tired of hearing about the lesser concerns of all the people that thought they were robbed of their coin at the games, even if he knew that there was something fishy about it - and even supported it.

It helped keep the money flowing, so to speak. There was no profit in fair business.

Just as he took a step forward in intimidation, the man cowered even further and was perhaps saved by the lovely voice of his wife, calling to him from the distance of her table, being shared with Charity and some other friendly patrons. Isak hadn't even noticed the scuffy arrival of Urchin and some new face, and it had been of no surprise to see him wounded or in trouble, yet again.

With a glare towards one of his guards, he left the patron in his hands, certain to be kicked out of the club without his money and even more shame added to his pockets as Isak swiftly made his way towards the rest of the group, eerily standing just behind Urchin and his friend, towering above them as Eilerias healed their injuries.

"Careful, Urchin. You'll bring in the ravens. I hear they're a bad omen." He joked, although as dark as possible given the raspness of his voice and the serious look on his face. Not long after, he looked towards Eilerias, thinking about her previous question. With the ongoing renovations of the club, it had been a bit hard to keep track of all the old things stored in some of the spare rooms, but at least he had his reliable mercenaries to do the dirty work of searching for it.

"I'll send someone to look for them." He said, already signaling to a couple of his guards and putting them to the task.

"Now, what kind of nightmarish troubles are pursuing you this time?"

 

[Visha Sofka]

And then they were at the Raven Club. For a busted redhead and a burnt redhead, they got there like they had six legs, let alone three! Six legs, yeah, like a mutant horse who had entered five different ass-kicking contests. And that was Visha's spirit animal, as it so happened! Those monks and nuns had nothing on it.

Big place, this Club. Had barrels of brew everywhere--hanging over the bar, from the second floor banisters. This would have looked GREAT if Geladryx and his horde had made it all the way to Alliria and set the place on FIRE! Not that that was out the question, fires were always waiting to be started, of course, of course, says the six-legged horse.

Here came a couple people. A little girl (shh, don't tell anyone that Visha was shorter than this one by an inch) and a littler girl. SHIT. Which one was Eiler-wadooble-whatsit? SHIT AGAIN, it was the littler one, not the one with the shorter hair.

Visha looked to Urchin. "How are we supposed to bur--BRAID! I said braid! All of that hair!"

Charity. That was her name, Eilerias tattled on her and Visha HEARD IT. Charity, then, spoke to Urchin.

...Looks like ya found yourself another girlfriend. Ooh! And a cute one at that!

"No! YOU'RE CUTE! Ha! Take that! Consider your career OVER! How do you like me now??" And Visha grinned.

Then came the healing. Eilerias had put her hands on Visha, some glow was happening, and Visha felt less like the right side of her body was dying. "AH HA! Is that what that looks like!? I'm going to write that down in my 'notes.''"

Oh, and an offer of clothes (casually skipping over telling Eilerias how she had done this to herself, whistle whistle, huh, what was that). Talk about bittersweet. Well, second chance to get it right this time!

"They don't fit you, but they can fight me! That's right, I said it, and I meant it! I'll beat those clothes into submission!" And then to Urchin, "Stay here, dumbass! Don't blame me, blame them! Alsoyoureintrouble."

Visha glanced left.

Then right.

And announced proudly, "I don't know where that room is!"

Nevermind. It was fine. Some guy with a frog in his throat was going to send someone to look for them. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE ME, HE SAID IT. And so he did, signaling some other guys to go and do the work. Visha wanted to (literally) light a fire under their asses. Not to make them hurry up, but just because.

The guy--Isak--said then: Now, what kind of nightmarish troubles are pursuing you this time?

Visha immediately pointed to Urchin. Said flatly. "He did it."

Urchin Eilerias Charity Briarthorne Isak Lavelle

 

[Urchin]

"Oh dear, what happened this time?"

"I picked a fight with a flight o' stairs an' my friend 'ere tried ta put out a fire with cookin' oil," Urchin replied, deciding to go with the stories that they made up as apposed to what actually happened. The stories were more fun anyway. "I ain't got much more than bruises an' scrapes, but I reckon I gone an' twisted my ankle. Leg 'urts summin' fierce... Kiss it better for me, Eile?" the lad asked, with an eyelash flutter and a cute little pouty face.

"One would think you're made of eggshells. You're so...delicate...Like a flower!"

"I ain't no delicate flower," Urchin adamantly objected. "I'm a big, strong, manly flower... What kinda manly flowers is there? Venus flytrap! That's what I is. The most hard core flower of all! ... But yeah, I do bruise pretty easy. Is why I need my lovely, beautiful friend ta take care o' me. I mean, what ever would ya do with all that free time if ya didn't 'ave ta patch me up every five minutes?"

"Sup kid! Looks like ya found yourself another girlfriend. Ooh! And a cute one at that!"

Sweet Gods above, could the boy not make eye contact with a girl without his friends accusing him of sitting in a tree and K-I-S-S-I-N-G? "Ya really think I'm so fickle, Charity?" he asked with a mock tone of offence. "My 'eart couldn't never be led astray, ya know I only got eyes fer Miss Eile! Just gotta save up enough gold ta retire to our tropical island paradise, then I'm gonna beat up Mr Isak an' we'll run away together. Dun ya worry none, Miss Eile, our plan's all comin' together nicely!" He imagined that Eilerias would appreciate the joke... Hopefully Isak wouldn't overhear it though. He might not find it so amusing.

"The fuck happened to you this time? Twist your ankle chasing after another pretty girl?"

"I dun chase after pretty girls, Charity! Ya know that. The ladies just throw 'emselves at me. Can't really blame 'em, ya know. It ain't their fault. I'm just irresistible is all. They can't 'elp 'emselves. Poor things."

"He's not made of dust. You see Madam, the poor boy has merely come down with a case of what we like to call "being a dumbass". Its very common ailment for boys. Especially boys his age. Unfortunately, there is no known cure, and we can only hope that he grows out of it over time!"

"I'll 'ave ya know that my ass is 'ighly intelligent, thank you very much!" But it was too late. It seemed that "Dumbass" would be his name for the remainder of the evening... Oh well. He'd had worse.

"I do apologize, I can only heal. I can't clean clothes. You're taller than me, but you're welcome to take some of my old clothes. They don't fit me anymore, so I have no use for 'em.

"Ya got anythin' besides yer old, white priest robes?" Urchin asked hopefully. "I says we throw every colour ya got on Vasha an' turn 'er inta a human rainbow!" Perhaps he was getting a bit overexcited, but the boy couldn't help himself. Visha's enthusiasm was contagious.

"I'm not letting you leave without telling me what happened this time. You need to be more careful."

Well, it seemed that the getting into a fight with a flight of stairs story wasn't going to fly. Looked like he'd have to fess up. "I got beat up," he confessed sadly. "By these three big, nasty guys. Can ya imagine? Three big solid guys like that pickin' on a poor little mite like me? An' I weren't doin' nuthin'. Just strollin' along, mindin' my own business. Definitely didn't try ta swipe their purses or nuthin'. Completely unprovoked. Can ya imagine?"

"Careful, Urchin. You'll bring in the ravens. I hear they're a bad omen."

Urchin jumped a little when he heard the voice coming for above, but smiled when he looked up and saw that it was just Isak. How'd he always sneak up on him like that. "I ain't dead yet, boss!" Urchin objected. "An' no nightmarish troubles this time, unless ya count my friend Visha over 'ere. You guys'll love 'er. She brought eggs."

"No! YOU'RE CUTE! Ha! Take that! Consider your career OVER! How do you like me now??"

Well, it looked like his new friend was getting along swimmingly with his pre-existing friends. "Ladies, ladies, ya both adorable!" he insisted. "But dun reckon none of you will be 'alf as cute as Mr Isak once Visha an' me are done with 'is 'air. We got plans, Mr Isak! Big plans!" Urchin warned him in time to give him a sporting chance to run.

"They don't fit you, but they can fight me! That's right, I said it, and I meant it! I'll beat those clothes into submission!" And then to Urchin, "Stay here, dumbass! Don't blame me, blame them! Alsoyoureintrouble."

... What the heck just happened? ... Oh well.

 

[Eilerias]

"Yeah, mhm, I'm sure." She raised an eyebrow as Urchin gave them the strange story of how the two sustained their injuries. "Fair enough though, you do give me something to do seeing as Isak won't let me work in the church. It does get quite boring and lonely without anything to do or anyone to heal."

She blushed as Urchin shamelessly flirted with her in front of everyone. "Don't worry my dear, I've been saving up for months! We only need a little bit more and then we can get out of here!" She joked along with the boy. "But I think we should keep this secret, we don't want the others finding out or they might try to stop us from going to a beautiful tropical paradise!"

Eilerias chuckled at the girl's commentary. "There's no need to fight them, they'll just be a little short on you. That's all! One of the men will bring something out for you." She turned to Urchin.

"Don't worry, I own more clothes than what you usually see me in. Isak sort of went on a buying spree after he asked me to stay here with him. I did ask him not to, but do appreciate that he was thinking of me and things that I might look less frumpy in." She noticed one of the men already carrying some of her less modest clothing. "Really, you're free to take what you like. It's yours." She insisted. "There's rooms upstairs you can change in, any one is fine."

She turned her attention back to Urchin once more. "She....brought....eggs?" She tilted her head, trying to figure out if that was some sort of code between Urchin and the new girl. "Oh...well, we have plenty of pans I suppose... WAIT!"

"What do you mean done with his hair? Surely you arent going to ruin it! Sure, its gotten a little shaggy, but its nice I think. I mean I like it."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak took a quick look of everyone on the table, trying his best to hide the tiniest of smiles beneath his usual stoic demeanor. Not that he would ever admit it, especially openly, but seeing most of them reunited at the club, in more happier and less chaotic times, brought quite a bit of joy to Isak.

Eilerias would probably be the only one to notice that, as she knew him so well that he couldn't hide behind his mask of indifference anymore.

As she spoke, he recalled the night he surprised her with all the expensive clothes Isak had bought for her. She was adamant about not accepting all those gifts, claiming that the people of the city could use that money instead of her, but thankfully, Isak insisted enough that she ended up accepting. "You look even more beautiful in those dresses, Eile. Maybe I should go on another buying spree soon." He said, ever so casually.

Lavelle now glanced over to Urchin, noticing how startled he had been by his surprising arrival, so suddenly and unnanounced. "Also, I overheard some most curious plans, Urchin..." He trailed off, his fierce gaze set on the young boy as the priestess relieved his pain and tended to the clothes that were just arriving, as Isak had requested. "I would advise caution, though. There's been some rumours of more bodies floating on the Shallows in the mornings."

It was merely a joke, although Isak wasn't well known for his sense of humor, most of it incredibly dark at times. He put his gloved hand on the kid's shoulder before smirking, clearly amused. Isak was still grateful for all the help that Urchin had provided to him and Eilerias after the news of her pregnancy, always aiding her with his strange street concoctions that helped ease some of its side effects.

He had come to see that kid more as a friend lately, and Urchin surely had his uses, as they always shared information about the ongoings on the lowly streets of the Outer City and the Shallows.

Isak was taken back from his thoughts as the group seemingly plotted to do something with his... hair. Eilerias' words surprised him, prompting the young businessman to pass his hand over it. It did seem quite shaggy, but it flattered him that even then, she liked how it looked, his pale cheeks blushing slightly before Isak awkwardly cleared his throat, unable to hide his happiness over her gentle words.

And also, how disturbed he looked at the insanely strange plans of Urchin and his new friend, who seemed to be even crazier than him. Where did he kept finding those people?

"You and your 'big' plans again, Urchin... You might just burn down this entire city before I get the chance to do so."

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Yeah sure, I believe you." She winked, speaking quietly as Charity panicked. Everyone always assumed Eilerias was an airhead, no one ever gave her credit for how observant she was. "I'm not going to tell mother anything....but if there is something..." She paused. "It didn't go well when I was the one in your shoes. Mother would level a town if her favorite child was hiding things from her after promising not to."

"N-No... I'm serious! We're just really close friends!" Charity insisted. "I don't even think she feels the same way about me. Doesn't really seem that way at least..." she grumbled. "Anyway, what happened at the party was a one time thing." She sighed and looked her sister in the eye. "But I promise you that I'll tell Mother right away if it somehow becomes serious. We don't need a repeat of what happened at the reunion."

"Indeed, he does appear to have a most severe case of the 'dumbass', I do agree!" She smacked him on the arm. "Seriously, what did you get yourself into this time? You're here every other night. It can't be safe for either of us to be fighting whatever gods want you to suffer."

A hundred different possibilities ran through Charity's mind. Urchin could've tripped and fallen, got hurt on a job from his other boss, or just did something stupid. Although it was more than likely that he tried one of Charity's tricks and got himself caught. And... Yep. There it was.

"Dumbass..." Charity spat with disappointment. "I taught you better than that. What the hell were you thinking trying to steal from three people at once? You needed a partner or at least be able to fight all three at once. Gonna have to find you a babysitter if this keeps happening..."

"No! YOU'RE CUTE! Ha! Take that! Consider your career OVER! How do you like me now??" And Visha grinned.

A light blush tinted Charity's cheeks. She wasn't use to people calling her cute. Even if it was in a playful, joking way. "I like you just fine! Any friend of Urchin's is a friend of mine! Though I'm kinda jealous of how he always get the ladies but never wants to share." Charity grinned.

"Ladies, ladies, ya both adorable!" he insisted. "But dun reckon none of you will be 'alf as cute as Mr Isak once Visha an' me are done with 'is 'air. We got plans, Mr Isak! Big plans!"

Her eyes lit up at the mention of doing something to Isak's hair. Charity was never one to turn down a chance to mess with him. "Oh! Let me help too!" she exclaimed excitedly.

 

[Visha Sofka]

And there they came. Some clothes, carried by some divvies. Also, Urchin was right--white wasn't Visha's color. Shade? Color or shade? Shut up and slap an art teacher, it didn't matter! Point was, Visha liked bright colors. A human rainbow! OF FIRE! People would sometimes ask her, hey, if you like fire so much, why don't you wear more red or orange? And she'd be like, ha, that's funny, I never heard a pile of ashes talk before!

I like you just fine!, said Charity, who had survived the obliteration of her career.

"Damn it!"

As the clothes were still incoming, Mr. Isak started to become aware of the situation involving his hair. Or Eilerias's hair. Or both of their heads of hair. Visha was losing count. Honestly if counting involved more numbers than "one, two, boom," she wasn't interested. Yeah, her arithmetic teacher in the College did hate her. JOIN THE F&$KING CLUB, MISTER AMBERSAND.

"Wait, what? Hair? Who said anything about hair? I'm hungry and I don't know what time it is! That's fine, eggs can't read clocks. Ever wonder why only dwarves make clocks and literally no one else cares? Hey those clothes look nice. See, nobody said anything about hair. I gotta go!"

Visha elbowed Urchin in the side in the most conspicuous way possible and sauntered forward, failed at whistling, snatched a whole bundle of the offered clothes, and started to march toward the stairs to the second floor. Wow, that healing was something else--didn't feel like she was halfway into a charred grave anymore. What a shame that would have been! Going out without leaving a MAGNIFICENT FLAME in her wake like Great Maho.

"I'm taking whichever room I like, because Eilerias said so!" Visha called out to...no one in particular, as she climbed up the stairs.

Once at the top, she leaned slightly over the banister and called back down. "And no peeking!" This, of course, was punctuated by a devilish grin.

Visha, not too choosy (alrightalittlechoosy) found a room and unnecessarily kicked open the door and entered and shut the door behind herself. Almost completely. It was left a little ajar with just a tiny crack. On the other side of the door, Visha was...clearly talking to herself.

Who knew what the hell else was going on in there.

Urchin Eilerias Isak Lavelle Charity Briarthorne

 

[Urchin]

"Fair enough though, you do give me something to do seeing as Isak won't let me work in the church. It does get quite boring and lonely without anything to do or anyone to heal."

"Ya miss ya church?" Urchin asked curiously, sounding slightly surprised. "Well, I dun like 'em. Pushin' all their dumb rules on ya when yer just a kid an' too young ta understand what yer even talkin' 'bout. I dun reckon it's right. Yer much better than 'em stuffy old priests anyway. Ya got a real good 'eart on ya, an' that dun come outta bein' all judgemental an' tellin' other folk 'ow ta live their lives." Yes, Urchin had some rather strong opinions on Eilerias's church that she probably wouldn't appreciate, but then Eilerias was a saint in his eyes, and he had a problem with anyone who didn't agree... Still, the church had taught Eilerias how to use her healing powers. He couldn't fault them for that. "Thank you!" the boy cheered happily, stretching his leg back and forth after Eilerias had healed it.

"Don't worry my dear, I've been saving up for months! We only need a little bit more and then we can get out of here!"

"Perfect!" the lad declared happily. "Ya think our tropical island will 'ave turtles? I 'ope it 'as turtles. I ain't never seen a turtle before. Wanna save up a little more ta make sure we get one with turtles? Oh, an' dolphins! Dolphins what let ya ride on their backs like 'orses an' rescue folks from sharks. I want one o' them." Well, it looked like Urchin had all the important things planned out for their little escape. What could possibly go wrong? ... Oh yeah, Isak.

"Also, I overheard some most curious plans, Urchin..."

"Dun try ta stop us, Isak!" Urchin warned him. "Ain't nuthin' what can stand in the way of true love. If ya come after us, we'll fight ya off with our army of turtles!" It was only right to give the man a fair warning after all. Just imagine his terror when an army of freshly hatched baby turtles came charging at him down the beach! It would be a massacre!

"What do you mean done with his hair? Surely you arent going to ruin it! Sure, its gotten a little shaggy, but its nice I think. I mean I like it."

"Oh! Let me help too!"

Wait, what? Hair? Who said anything about hair? I'm hungry and I don't know what time it is!

"Oh," the lad mumbled, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Well, my friend 'ere came up with the wonderful plan ta switch 'airstyles on ya an' give Isak some pretty braids, but I reckon she forgot. Shame, I reckon he'd look drop dead gorgeous with one of 'em little crown braids. Maybe some flowers fer decorations. What ya think, Miss Eile?" the lad asked curiously... Poor Isak. The crap he had to put up with since Urchin and Charity came into his life.

I taught you better than that. What the hell were you thinking trying to steal from three people at once? You needed a partner or at least be able to fight all three at once. Gonna have to find you a babysitter if this keeps happening..."

"I know, I know," the lad replied, sounding rather ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry Charity, but I got so much better since ya started teachin' me tricks, an' these guys were so drunk an' stupid, I thought I could get away with it. Honest, I can't believe I managed ta get myself caught by them clowns. Pitiful is what it is. I'll be smarted from now on, Charity, I swear!" Whether or not he would keep that promise was yet to be seen.

"I like you just fine! Any friend of Urchin's is a friend of mine! Though I'm kinda jealous of how he always get the ladies but never wants to share."

"See, I knew you'd love 'er! Ain't she great?" Urchin asked as Visha disappeared upstairs with all her clothes. Obviously bat shit insane, but all the best people were. "Ya guys got any bacon?" he asked of Eilerias and Isak. "I wanna do two eggs in a little pan ta make the eyes an' then use bacon ta turn it inta a smiley face, like 'ow my Ma used ta make it... But now Visha's ran off with the eggs. Wonder where she got 'em from... Oh well."