Subject: Chapter 1: Preparations 1,796 views

[Black_Hawk]

Rayne looks over at Bloodgaze as she allows herself to be swept away by the crowd. Shrugging her shoulders, she follows the crowd, keeping her hand on her chain so as to not have it whisked away by an anxious crowd person and her eyes on Bloodgaze's location.

[Racer Xonclar]

As you make it down one of the side streets, everyone is standing still. Some are talking amongst themselves, but most are standing silent and attentive. The woman that yelled for you two to follow stands next to one of the building catching her breath, a hand rested on the edge of the building as she intently waits for...something.

[Shiv]

Waiting for a short second for Rayne to catch up. Bloodgazes hand suddenly snakes out and grabs the surprised redhead by the collar of her chain shirt and then practically drags her through the throng, the link between them making sure neither gets lost. Making her way over to the woman who spoke to them before, Bloodgaze lets go as they reach the building where she is recuperating.

"So, whats'is all about?" she asks casualy.

[Black_Hawk]

Adjusting her armor and clothing after being tugged along by her barbarian friend, she looks over at Bloodgaze and, with a bit of an unseen glare, turns to the person to whom Bloodgaze is inquiring.

"Quite."

[Racer Xonclar]

The hand she had resting against the building is pulled away and held up to Bloodgaze, a single index finger, "Wait..."

The crowd as a whole is very quiet, anticipating something, and in just a few moments, a long, single note alarm is sounded. Everyone clamored together in side streets lets out a held breath and begins shuffling back to what they were doing.

The woman turns to look at you both as she straightens her hair, "I'm guessing you two are more for the tournament. A few times throughout the year, the city sounds that alarm to drill us on how quickly we can clear the Promenade. It's so if the city was under attack, the Purple Dragons can amass in force and move from the Palace with ease. The second alarm just tells us it was indeed a drill."

Smiling a little apologetically, "Apologies if it scared you. Only makes sense they would drill now with all the new people in the city for the tournament."

[Shiv]

Bloodgaze shrugs. "I guess. Would've been interesting with a real attack though, but attackin' during the tourney would be pretty stupid I guess." she muses, tapping a finger against her lips. "Anyway, we were headin' to the dock yeh?", she asks as she turns to Rayne. "Sine it seems like there's no danger to be had here", she adds with a vicious, if half joking, grin.

[Black_Hawk]

"Yes, let us continue on," Rayne says, shrugging her shoulders and heading back the way they came to continue onward, "Though i would not count out the possibility of something interesting happening. One never knows what lurks around the next bend."

Glancing back over her shoulder, Rayne gives Bloodgaze a bit of a grin. "I'm sure you know that by now though."

[Shiv]

Bloodgaze stares into space....


...for a looooooong time.

...

...

Suddenly Ryanes words seem to work their way through to the woman, who snaps out of her momentary lethargy and looks over to the redhead. "Wait wuh'?" she manages, a bit stupidly. "Oh, yeah right. Sorry, I was just...thinking about something", she adds.

Meandering back into the -again busy- street, she throws a glance to make sure Rayne is following beside her, before setting out again. A long, dried, dead blade of grass seems to have materialized from out of nowhere (maybe she bent over and picked it up?) between her lips and she slowly chews the husk as she walks, talking out of the unoccupied corner of her mouth.

"So, yeah as you were sayin'. I've seem my share of battle, and my share of surprises. But ya' know, tha'ss the way it's supposed to be yeh? I mean, if you don't walk down some strange roads now an' again, you'll never find anything new", as if to underline her words, Bloodgaze sweeps into a small alley, cutting a shortcut between the buildings. The two women now in shade from the hot midday sun.

"Like this one time up north. Me an' the others, the bloodletters, we were hunting these Orcs ya'? Led by some Mage in red robes, some order from out east as I understood it.", she says off-handedly. "Anyway, we'd been lookin' for their camp for quite some time, but orcs get really good at hiding their tracks when someone bright enough to remind them to do it is around. He was a smart bugger that mage. But then -then- I got this idea yeah? That if you want to surprise someone who's smarter than you, and is one step ahead all the time, do somethin' really, really stupid. Instead of something smart, since you're not, -smart that is-. Something they jus' can't anticipate, because they'd never expect ya' to try something like it. Anyway, we ended up leaving the trail. Just headed into the foothills o' the mountains on a whim, since there was no way he'd expect us to do that. Me and the others hiked across the mountains for like a week before we even found signs of any kind of intelligent races. An' that's something, considering a lot o' orcs, ogres, elves, and all that stuff live around that area." Another twist, another turn, and the pair swing into another busy street, cross it, and head into the mazelike alleys again. Bloodgazes walking confidently forward, even though she seems to pay little heed to the path she's picking.

The blade of grass switches sides on her mouth, expertly displaced by her rolling lips.

"So we come upon this trail yeh? A big heavy thing that was made by some trolls, or maybe some really smelly ogres. I mean more smelly than the usual ones anyway. We sort of knew the orcs had some allies, so we followed it, since it was a pretty good shot. I mean the plan had worked ya' know? We were so far into the mountains that the mage didn't think about coverin' his tracks no more."

Her voice lowers in pitch, clearly getting into her story, and she continues with a whisper. "So we come in at night -or actually late evening- just as the sun is goin' down. We see this camp spread out below us, big one, at least thirty orcs. And mind you we didn't bring a big party, there was only six of us. In the middle we see this big bonfire, and some sort o' totem pole to appease their spirits with, and we're thinking, "The mage is prolly hiding down in the big tent next to it". Our contract was only for the mage, so we didn't need to get any other kills. An' getting yourself killed in a stupid skirmish is bad for your health right? So we sent in....whathisface....Runty...", her tone rises, questioning herself, she clearly has no idea what the persons name was, "...to see if we could get some sleeping powder in the orcs food, make it a bit easier on us once we decided to attack..."

Bloodgaze stops her tale, her eyes shifting around with a conspiratory look, a sly grin opening across her face. Her gaze wanders across the narrow tenements, the high walls and the packed dirt ground.

"Wait....where the heck are we?", she asks.

[Black_Hawk]

Interrupted from looking off into space and listening to the tale told by the barbarian, she shakes her head glances around, and then lookes at Bloodgaze.

"I was under the impression that you knew where we were headed."

Looking around at her surroundings again, tensing up as she does so, she still has no clue in the remotest sense of the word. Reaching up to adjust her pack, an observer would notice the shifting of various images as tattoos and images play about her skin, moving at various speeds over what bare skin is showing. Rayne glances down at her arm, noticing it, and, with a deep breath, quiets her tattoos agitated movement, causing them to sluice back to places under her clothing.

Popping a grin back up to Bloodgaze, she goes back to her previous speech.

"No idea whatsoever where we are? I don't like being stuck in parts of cities that may be too unfriendly, though it is something I can stand when necessary."

[Shiv]

"Uh...yeah. Well I sorta' thought I knew. I was cutting a quicker path...and then I was tellin' the story....and now we're here. Sorry 'bout that, I got a bit caught up in the telling it seems", Bloodgaze intones apologetically. But then grins and adds, "If you're worried about being mugged. Be safe, I've yet to meet a man capable of handlin' me. And I've met a few."

Taking a brief second to unclasp the sword from her back, Bloodgaze re-fastens it to her hip. "I don't really want to cut someone up for spare change. But I guess it's better to be ready, yeah?", she intones. "So where to now? We've walked the unknown path, so any way is equally good."

[Black_Hawk]

"Hmmm....." Rayne says looking up the alleyway.

"That dark and foreboding corridor looks promising!" Rayne says this with a bit of a laugh.

"Actually, since we have no clue as to where we are, I vote we turn left at the next branch and see where that takes us."

Adjusting her pack before checking the coil of her weapon, she readies and sets of on the path, for once leading the way instead of tagging along. I guess it is time for a change of pace regarding where we are going.

"I have no idea where we are going, but lets not be too late getting there, lets go." Rayne glances once over her shoulder before turning back ahead, relatively sure that the barbarian will follow.

Setting off down the alley, she intends to travel a bit and take a leftward branch should an opportunity present itself.

[Shiv]

Bloodgaze merely shrugs and happily follows along.

[Racer Xonclar]

Somehow, after two women's aimless wanderings, you find yourselves in the "bad" part of Suzail. The buildings are obviously cheaper construction and missing many of the decadent embellishments of the buildings seen before. Admittedly these buildings would still pass as fine structures in any other city, certainly any smaller village...but are sub-par for Suzail and all it's splendor.

Not many people are wandering these streets; the occasional homeowner watching you warily from their balcony. Two or three women are walking around in notably more provocative clothing, though they seem to be meandering more than one would expect; walking almost in circuits. The Promenade is completely gone from sight and much of its noise is hidden as well.

You both notice a drunken man turn the corner and start walking down the alley towards you, trying to keep his balance. After a moment of him walking though, Bloodgaze starts getting the impression that his drunkenness is being skillfully faked.

[Black_Hawk]

Nudging Bloodgaze with her elbow, Rayne bends her head toward bloodgaze, whispering so that only she can here. "What are the odds that a drunk man stumbles down this particular alley at this time of day? Granted, anytime is a good time to drink for some people, but i find it suspicious."

Rayne looks the man over as he approaches, tucking her thumbs in her belt to either side, her right hand ready to grasp and draw her chain at a moments notice, though her pace slows a bit, waiting to see what Bloodgaze, and the apparent drunk, do.

[Shiv]

"Hah, I'd be surprised if he's half as drunk as he pretends", Bloodgaze answers in a low, snide tone and nods towards the stranger, her eyes never leaving him. "No point in gettin' violent though. He's probably just too stupid to know what he's getting himself into."

Lowering her hand and resting it calmly the pommel of her sword, Bloodgazes's fingers openly undo the white silk peace-knot keeping the sword from being drawn. An obvious statement, a warning, to anyone watching that she'd be ready to draw steel should need arise, and an obvious threat. Her posture is still as relaxed and languid as always, she's clearly not expecting a confrontation. "Now let's see if our friend is ready to take it all the way", she thinks quietly, before raising her voice.

"Hullo there friend! Us two lovely ladies seem to have lost our path in this 'ere fine city. Ya' don't happen to know the way to the docks by any chance?"