Nobel Snow
Tenebrae - Wednesday, January 01, 2014, 5:22 PM
The splendor of the technology, bustle and eclectic energy of the city and nation of Alexandria all seem to point towards the towering structures and constant thrum of activity in the Castle District. The Castle District contains the vast majority of the government offices, guild headquartrs, noble quarters and political functions of the city. The very air seems energized with this level of importance. The architecture is pompous and enormous, consisting largely of multi-leveled edifices and great jutting towers and buildings that seem to grow out of the mountains with hanging gardens and brightly colored banners and mana lamps strewn about. Everything seems to be aiming upwards here and pointing towards the freedom of the skies beyond. The grand towers and structures reaching heavenwards and activity in the skies above a constant happening with ships of all sizes from air-cabs to great merchant vessels moving through the Skygates and Griffon Riders moving through their patrols as they pass through and above the many bridges and walkways that connect the towers, buildings and walls.
Ever-easterward stands the fortress-castle of Castellum Alexandrae and a large bulk of both ground and air traffic seems focused in that direction.
Silence covers the city just like the blanket of prestine white snow broken only by the shallow footsteps of a nimble rogue. The street lights reflect in the white all around and gives the street an unusual spooky glow on the overcast night. Renfrey lays on a low wall outside of a large manor house with an unusual brown bag at his feet, arms streched out. Those know don't know him would suspect him of something mischievious and those who do know him... might actually suspect as well.
Snow swirls and blows, as it is wont to do, but the miniture cyclone blowing a clear path along the street is a tad on the unusual side, even for a place like Alexandros. Though few local would give a second thought upon noticing the wizard following along, his shoes needing step only upon cleared stone, and not damp snow. Yes, Mikilos might be abuseing his power just a touch, but isn't that the reason for being a wizard in the first place? Pauseing, the elf quirks a brow at the man upon the wall. "...do I want to know?"
Pristine and white. Pristine and beautiful. ...and covered by the slow tread of a swift. She jangles in the pale light of the noble's district, and lifts large feet...looks down at them.
Snorts.
"Warmth," her rider says. He's dressed as he ever is, in Am'shere's garb and Daeus' markings.
At the sight of the miniature cyclone, she twists her heavy head about and gives her rider a disgusted look, as though to say: see? SEE? My beautimous feet are worthy of such a treatment! So pretty, so pristine! So perfect! My poor toes, my poor...woe. WOE!
Renfrey sits up on his wall, raising his goggles up to his forhead and rubbing his eye. "Do you... know me?" he looks quizically at Mikilos for a while and then lights up "Oh yeah, your that wizardly fellow." before Svarshan's presence perks him up and he holds a hand high to wave. "Hello!" he calls out with a grin as white as the snow under his boots.
Mikilos waves absently, the 'cyclone' dying down to a mere swirl of snow. "Well, one of many, yes. And I know quite a bit. Though I don't know just what you're doing up there. I assume it's nothing for which the Watch needs called, or you'd be more subtle about it. But I'm still curious." Turning focus towards the lizards, the elf grins. "Good evening Brightblade. Hello Pretty Princess."
WOE! Srassha lifts her head towards the stars, as though beseeching them. WOE! She lifts her toes sadly...and on seeing Renfrey's smile, heads his way.
And soon Mikilos and Renfrey are confronted with Sad, Sad Lizard Eyes.
The SADDEST lizard eyes.
And a huge, indelicate and horribly scaly foot being lifted. Pathetically. Trembling.
LOOK. LOOK AT HOW COLD MY DELICATE TOES. LOOK. LOOK HOW I AM MISTREATED.
Her look says it all. That spark of inhuman intelligence.
WOE.
Her rider nods his greetings. ...and has found a drink. From somewhere.
Renfrey grins and nods to Mikilos and Svarshan "I would never do anything that would require the Watch. Wouldn't want to get caught afterall." he says with a wink. "But no really, the weather has been great for business. Old locks either freeze or the key snaps off in midturn. Perhaps I should get my hands on one of those weather-watchacallit spells that would lower the temperature by a few degrees more." he says certainly horrifying at least one of the members of the assembled group. He opens his bag to reveal a pile of old spare parts as evidence.
Mikilos isn't too fond of the idea of colder weather himself. "I'd recomend against it. Such manipulations are frowned upon, at best, and such spells are far from cheap." Turning attention back to Stassha, he smiles, offering a scratch under her chin. "Not the best weather to be out in, eh? What brings you two up to the District at this time of eve?"
Bigger drink. "That is..." Svarshan starts to say 'good' and then stops, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at Renfrey. As she is ignored, Srassha looks away. Pretending nothing had occurred! Pretending--and then. And then.
Words. Words of HORROR.
She looks horrified, towards the rogue and then...towards Mikilos. Beseechingly. I AM A BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS. YOU MUST SAVE ME. And then he...and then he starts to scratch her chin. MOST MAGNIFICENT HERO.
By now, her rider seems to have finished his flask. He gives it a shake, still watching Renfrey thoughtfully. But he was never that talkative.
Renfrey gives Svarshan a quizical look and suddenly his eyes brighten. With a twist of the wrist he produces a similar silver flask from a hidden pockets and tosses it to the Sunblade, granted its only half full. "So what is your mounts name? Never seen anything quite like it... him, her?" seems he is pretty thick when it comes to such things.
Mikilos grins. "Beautiful Princess Srassha. Who has many more well deserved titles, but I havn't been able to quite keep track." Eyeing the Swifts cold cold feet, he ponders a few moments before looking to Svarshan. "Have you tired something like leather slippers? Wouldn't want anything heavy like full boots, but a thin layer of leather, maybe deer hide, could offer a bit of protection from the cobblestones without falling apart after a few steps."
Srassha is ignoring them all. She is oblivious to the world. She is getting her chin scratched. Her giant head is balanced on the tip of Mikilos' thin, scritching finger.
Her rider catches the flask, then... "Sssa." Srassha looks up, then goes back to...
...yes, yes. SLIPPERS. DELICATE SLIPPERS AS BEFIT A PRINCESS. ...scritches...
"SSshe is a princess. A gift. From. ..." and here he gestures towards the sky, but for a moment? His throat seemed to get a little thick. He clears it a few more times, then lifts the flask. There are always more words than he seems able to say.
Renfrey scratches his head "A princess?" somehow the idea of a princess as mount doesn't quite compute. None the less he pulls himself to his feat "In that case good day m'lady" he says with his best formal bow. "So... if I pray enough you think I can get a mount like that?"
Mikilos grins, and shakes his head a little, but shrugs. "I suppose stranger things have happened. But I can't quite see you as becomming a paladin."
At the bow, Srassha looks up. ...she clumsily returns it, and seems to be saying something terrible like: TRIBUTE! I AM PAID TRIBUTE! OH, MOST WONDERFUL OF SUBJECTS! ...her head is extended so Renfrey may scritch it. It is absolutely terrible.
Her rider takes a hefty swig of the flask Renfrey had handed him. Pauses. ...coughs once. "Saaa...that is. That isss...good. Where did you...get it?" He's quiet a while after that, watching the two of them talk. And...eventually, "That. ...isss. Up to. You."
Renfrey takes his turn and scritches Srassha's head as well. "Some gobber down in gobbertown. Claimned he also used it to clean components as well but all I know is that it warms the belly." he says with a wide grin. Mikilos' comment deserves him a look however. "Pff how do you suppose I would ever get through a skylight with armor like that? I'm no paladin but a faster way to travel would be nifty."
Mikilos chuckles, and shrugs. "I don't think the armor is required, just faith and devotion. But I'm not the expert."
Scritch. Scri... Srassha's eyes close. Contentedly. Ahh, tribute, that look says. All of this is very horrible, of course.
Her rider scratches at his own jaw. He's quiet, silent even. And takes another long draught from the flask. Just...thoughtful, and obviously thinking over Renfrey's statement.
Renfrey's tribute stops very suddenly and his hands begin to tremble visibly, almost violently. His eye grow wide as he watches them shake and just like that it goes away as quickly as it started. "Um... you... that wasn't my imagination was it?" he says holding his hands up as if they aren't his. "You may want to stop drinking that." he notes to Svar.
Mikilos blinks slowly, eyeing Renfrey. "...exactly which part are you refering to? The bit where the entire world suddenly magnified, turned purple, and went 'wuum'? That was your imagination. The rest may or may not have been."
The sith narrows his eyes, and pulls the flask away. He looks down at it...sniffs. ...inhales. ... "I do not..." he starts to say. There's confusion in his voice, and then... he looks thoughtfully from it to Renfrey.
Srassha just looks. You know. Heartbroken.
Renfrey looks at Mik and then Svar "No my hands they... just shook. Wierd. Hey don't you paladin's know stuff about things like that? Maybe its all the fresh air here in the noble district..." he quickly stuffs them back in his pockets. "You can keep that, I think I have had enough." he says with a nod to Svarshan.
"My faith. Protectsss me," Svarshan says slowly, as though it were the most simple, most honest thing in the world. He looks down at the flask, then carefully. Recaps it. And ties it to his belt. "We ssshould. Get you and it to the. Hearthguards. Come." He leans down from the saddle, holding his hand out. He gives Mikilos a significant look behind Srassha's neck, that hopefully, Renfrey doesn't notice.
Mikilos nods. "That part wasn't your imagination. Wasn't sure if it was what you ment, or the result of something only you were seeing. But yes, drinking unfamiliar goblinoid chemicals is seldom the best of ideas. Most likely nothing, but best have someone well versed in such things check, just to be certain." The look he returns Svarshan is distinctly more subtle, but that's not exactly a tall hurdle to overcome.
Renfrey accept the help onto the back of the mount "My hands are important you know? Fixing locks gets difficult without them. I.. I am not going to die am I?!"
Panic is setting in.
Another look towards Mikilos. Svarshan hauls Renfrey into the saddle behind him, and... "We are. Going to go very fast. The Hearthguardsss... may want to. Break down the. Ale." He's trusting the wizard can make it there if he wants to. Because, you know. Fingerwaggling.
Mikilos nods, murmuring softly to himself, ready to follow. "I think you'll be fine. Even if it's some kind of poison, which I doubt, the clerics can deal with such things. I suspect if you stop drinking it, you'll be okay. How long have you had that stuff?"
Renfrey is holding on tight to Svarshan but the paladin can clearly feel the rogue's hands shake again. Definitely not voluntary.
Svarshan stills for a moment as he feels that... then, "Ssa. We will. Ssee you there," to Mikilos. He leans down and whispers something to Srassha. Something flattering.
And then the swift's head comes up, her nostrils flare...and she leaps forward, her long legs pumping and eating up the ground.
I AM A PRINCEEESSSSS...!!!
Renfrey holds onto the paladin as well as trembling fingers allow. Suddenly the idea of getting a mount for himself does not seem like such a good idea.
Mikilos waits quietly in the swirl of snow, letting the pair get well ahead before launching foreward with magically enhanced haste. He can't keep this speed up for long, but at this pace, he doesn't have to.