ROLEPLAY HQ - carousing-in-bellavay

Welcome To Bella-Vay, A beautiful coastal Town in the middle of a magical world. Whether it's the beautiful lake-front or the stunning tropical flora, Bella-Vay is quite the spectacle to the outside world. Exotic cuisines, beautiful sunsets, the works. It's the kind of town where all manner of beings are attracted too. Perhaps, we'll find you amongst our ranks. Have a wonderful trip if you're visiting, and if you're our residents, remember that we are thankful to have you. (edited)

16:51

Rowan’s Bar: The Drunken Fang

17:10

Xaiden’s Public Occult Library

Faldor Farmstead, Home of Oleric Kadaeif

17:22

Marglowe's Tropical Grove

Dr.Morel's Clock Tower

17:54

17:55

Wylo's Mechanics Workshop

18:26

Wylo's Mechanics Workshop Upstairs Office

Valthos' Shop and Home (edited)

Charlie Marrow’s Home and Workstation

Stars like a ocean of lights blanketed the surroundings of the tropical grove that had already been infested with any number of foreign magics. This grove was home to kind of magical anomaly that could sometimes be spotted making dazzling displays of magic out of the coalescing elementals. Tonight, however, wasn't one of those beautiful starlit nights. It was a purely black one. One where the wind chill would even caught the inhabitants of the Island to shudder and look a different way. In the man's hands, Oleric clutched a sort of dark and inky black book which shifted over unknown letters. Whenever he would look down at it to read it, it would hurt his eyes. It was the sting of Infernal Magics, and one that he knew quite well. After a moment or two the letters finally caught up to his eyes allowing him some brief time to study the commands. Instructions: Draw a Large Circle Circumscribe Two Triangles. One Northwards Facing. The Other Southwards Facing. Anoint the center with candle wax Chant, "Brava, Siggus Calem" Demon will rise from Earth, Let Sit For Seven Minutes then It Shall Serve. Unfortunately, Oleric wasn't the brightest of men. He took a look at the horridly long list of preparatory work and cursed towards the dirt. His hands raised to the air as he set the candle in the middle of the coalescencing powers and horridly repeated the phrase. Unbeknownst to the poor man, the circle was put in place to add a layer of safety to its user of exactly what kind of demon would choose to serve him. Without such a..., safeguard, the Demon would be invited to wreck havoc along the realm. An additional bonus would be to have the power focused and a mere area for the demon to appear in the Material Realm. However, Oleric wasn't looking for the safe way to do the whole pact summoning. He was looking for the fastest. "Are you fucking kidding me? Circle? I can barely sign my name. Circum—what the hell? That's awfully magical talk that's too

14:59

hard for me to process. Where's Nalathor's summoning Infernal Servants for the Magically Challenged? Or Danellero's A Demon In My Pocket, I Can Rock It? Urgh, this is easy. I have a candle...And I can read this somewhat..." "Brava...Siggus....Calem...Brava...Siggus....Calem...Brava...Siggus....Calem...Brava...Siggus....Calem...Brava...Siggus....Calem..."

He was stumbling through a cold, dark world. There was no light, the howling winds were still biting at his unclothed body. He had been released from his last bond, but directly after a moment of great passion. This place...This space between worlds, it was timeless. How long had he been there? Four Days? Four Years? A minute? Without a moment's notice, he began to claw and scratch for any wall. Powerless, as most demons are outside of the material realm and infernal realm. Banishment was really something else. Being stuck in limbo between realms was like rolling a proverbial boulder up an endless hill only for it to be knocked to the bottom everyday. "Sisyphus, you coward! You chose to mock us all and stay in Tartarus where at least you have some kind of light. No, here I lay alone. In my nakedness, afraid of my desires. Abandoned...and Abandoning. She must still be out there, every second...Oh...Oh no, every second I'm gone the worse it'll look. I must...I must mind another pact. I'll do anything to get a pact so that I merely can find her again...Where?.. Is—Is this water? Why? A light. Yes, yes, some dumbass must be opening an unsafe summoning attempt. Mine. Mine. Finally" Marglowe peered at the light and gently tugged himself into it. It was really...,bright. Lord, are those stars? I must be on a mountain. Surely, I'll be able to divine her from here. Soon...,Oh and there's my darkvision...Oh.. Oh please no... Oh gods, not again...Please. He was plummeting from the top of the sky. Marglowe's panicked voice began to drizzle out faintly from his lips. It turned from a series of slurred curse words to a loud scream as the ground approached him faster than he anticipated. "No of course not. Mother never had fucking wings nor did Father. Of course the idiot couldn't of left out just the circle. No they had to fucking stick a candle somewhere and say, 'Fuck that guy.' It's not like he has any 'feelings.' I bet his a normal demon...

14:59

He'll want to kill me' I swear if it's another child asking me to kill Grelod the Kind...No, God, I'm not a..." "Oh fuck...please... Noo... That's too fast, even for me..." "Help. Mother." "AAAAAaaagghhhhh" The caress of the ground was definitely a hard one. His eyes would be half-closed just as he could hear the man smirk and clap eagerly.

"Bravo. Good show, there foul demonic beast—"

"Devil."

"Pact?"

"Depends on the conditions. I'm not a murderer."

"I require a farmhand. A sturdy one, one of devilish intentions would probably do good. Can you handle a hoe?"

"That's my speciality. Especially—hu-oh? What..what're you doing?"

He pats the man's shoulder then lifts him over his side. A broken devil simply would not do especially when the farm work was so tedious come harvesting season. With a proper fireman's carry, he toted the poor unfortunate soulless being towards his hut. Unaware that after pacting, a devil's power to regenerate was reinstated. "Then we have a deal. Pact? Arrangement? You know the terminology, oh Hellacious one."

His raven had returned from a strange port and Valthos couldn't wait to see what was in store. The skyport of Umbrial City was far behind him now with his airship and wares restocked and ready for this new land. The note that had beckoned him to this new place only had a few words and name for a town. Bella-Vay Valthos tried to keep his keen eyes looking into the black night for any peaks that might try and give him a surprise up here high in the falcon roads. He was sure there wasn't any danger but wasn't willing to risk any unnecessary damage to his cargo. Airships were a pain when the days were good but at night it was a completely different vessel. Normally, Valthos would have anchored somewhere near the shore when he had first flown over the coast but his adventurous side got the better of him as he had made his way a little further inland. 'Gods damn the dark here, can't seemed a forsaken bit of rock below.' Just as Valthos was lost in his thoughts there was something in the distance that caught his eye and his ear. He could have sworn a scream of terror echoed in the cloud and in the same moment noticed what he thought looked to be a man draped in purple wings of dust. Trying to be sure of what he saw Valthos rushed to his deck spyglass. Peering through into the distant night he could make out a small figure in a clearing and what looked to be another with him. A sharp crack and splintering of wooden snapped Valthos' attention away from the ground and back to the air. "Oh would you fuck..."

15:53

A large part of the mast landed just next to him with crushing forcing, causing some of the deck to splinter under him. It had been too late, the overgrown tropic canopy that his airship had drifted too close to had shredded his mast and now his shop and home were headed for a hard landing. "Off." Valthos had leapt over the broken wreckage and toward the helm of the ship. Using his magic the best he could, the air around the ship seemed to grow dense and slow the falling. He began to talk outloud to the ravens that had now come out from their roosts, trained to salvage and survive these swells of shit that Valthos had come to know them as. "Sure, go out to the coast and sell a few wares. It will be a fucking sweep, easy money!" He whistled and whipped his hand toward the broken mast, the ravens disassembling as much of the crashing vessel as they could. Annoyingly he noticed one of his companions worried of other things instead of the fast approaching clearing. "DROP THE CORN FOR FUCK SAKE! THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING IF THE SHIP SMASHES TO BITS! BELHORN!" Valthos raged at the foolish bird as the clearing came fully into his view now. With all his magic and might against the helm he braced as the ship slammed into dirt. Splintered shards and debris spread across the beautiful grove. Pulling himself up Valthos realized his vessel was headed straight for the figures he had seen earlier. He cried out trying to warn them "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!! MOVE YOU DAMNED FOOLS!" The sound of the disaster was deafening so his pleas were no use. Straining himself to stand after such an impact Valthos let go of the helm and raised his hands as if invisible reins had appeared. Pulling toward himself with everything he screamed. "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIII....."

15:53

A final sickening crunch as the airship stopped feet from the strange figures who had watched the chaos unfold. Thrown from the deck, a scream could still be heard as Valthos himself was thrown into the grass not far from his ship. "IIIIIIIIIIIITTTT!" Laying in the grass he let out a small groan as he spoke. "Well off Valthos, truly. Never fucking subtle." Staring up into the void of the night he began to chuckle, letting the ravens flutter around the wreckage.

Charlie had simply been spending a night collecting materials for his alchemistry excitements and enjoying the fields. He hadn’t managed to get word back to his friend quiet yet that he’d woken again in the middle of a field, but he would soon surely. It was convenient none the less, since wherever he’d landed had managed to have exactly the kinds of fauna he required. “And a tad of night’s thistle.. wonderful.” He smiled, pausing as he saw a figure in the distance. The clearing wasn’t small, certainly, and it left more than enough room for Olreik to be nothing more than a silhouette. The werewolf’s eyes widened as he saw the thing in the sky open up, jaw dropping as Marglowe fell from the sky. Charlie clutched his bag and began to run towards the two in hopes of catching the falling man. He was more likely to arrive after the fall to a fool with a broken spine, but he could hope. He was panting by the time he got even a few meters off, the demon being dragged away in a fireman’s carry by the time he got into ear shot, only for his attention to be dragged towards the sea. He slowed as his eyes landed on the hulking ship as it drew closer to his form. He changed direction, running as quickly as human legs could carry him in the opposite direction of the vessel. Charlie hardly wanted to be crushed before he could tell his friend where he’d even been. Not to mention, having a chandelier dropped on him had been enough being crushed for him. He tripped, flying face first into the dirt and getting a mouthful of grass and soil, scrambling away as best he could. Slowly as the wreckage settled so did he, sitting up with wide eyes to look at the mess. He stood after a moment, shaking a bit as he walked towards what he only assumed to be a pirate. “C-Certainly not. Lord, man. Are you alright?”

@slasher

️ Clocktowers and their many faces were god for seeing, especially if one managed to get their hands on a good enough telescope. About a year prior Dr. Morel had gotten their hands on an abandoned piece from some old gnome who'd given up his astronomy studies. They remembered the conversation about air ships clogging the night sky, making things hard to track without a proper observatory of some kind. Emilio agreed with the old man, if they'd found anything more hollow than a giant timepiece, they likely would have boarded up an observatory for their own use too. Where that gnome had missed out was the telescope's potential for peoplewatching. A few adjustments, and the hermit could get a good look at which shops were open through the glass of the clock faces, a few items stacked in a convenient spot, and they could circumvent the mechanical hands that would periodically block their view. Errand planning had become a lot easier, and so had studying the fauna that pecked at their not-so-temporary home. While the vantage point was nice, it had plenty more downsides they chose to ignore. There were rumors now that the towerkeeper was merely pretending to be a human doctor, some of the elderly women had used the tale to scare children, far up in the clock above there hid a monster made of eyes that knew their secrets, and that if they did not behave, the whole town would know. But nothing could compare to needing an elevator maintained to not have to walk the numerous flights of stairs that kept them from their amassed sanctuary of bits and bobs. It was a rickety thing, too.

17:02

️ The night had been uneventful, emphasis on had. A large blob of sails and chunks of wood, of cargo not entirely strapped down starts sinking out of the sky, and suddenly things are no longer so peaceful. In all their time here, they had never seen a giant sky boat just fall. It didn't take long for them to pull down their coat, they had even swallowed back the dread of plummeting on the old service elevator to their doom in hopes of arriving on the scene faster. No doubt if anything more grave had transpired social vultures, and other actual scavengers would be on their way soon. The moment the entryway to the clocktower, the door was slammed and bound shut. Backpack strapped to their torso, and pistol at their hip, they began to jog, their destination disasterbound.

@💛Shay-Bae💛

Down into the heart of Bella-Vay, most of the town lay sound asleep. Heavy sleepers and the sound of the crashing waves made the coastal residents hard of hearing, especially when exhausted from a days work. It made midnight snacks easy to come by, however, unfortunately for the DrAccic household, it made actually getting sleep a menace. The supernatural hearing of vampires made every footstep sound like it was in the same room and when a giant Graht-Oak spaceship careens into the ground on the outskirts of town, well... That sounded like The Big One. Xaiden Accic sat straight up in bed and covered his ears with a low groan until the sound of breaking wood ceased. What in the bloody hell!? He opened his bright eyes to look around the room cautiously before getting up and looking out a small window. Dust had begun to rise near the farmland and beings how it was the middle of the night, that was never a good sign. Oleric was an oaf of a man, but no one deserved to have something nefarious happen to their home in the dead of night. Rubbing at his eyes, he lazily made his way out of his room only to see his sister meandering down the hallway in the same fashion. "Gah... I told you to leave the strays at the bar. I don't need to hear your rabble-rousing before dawn... or ever." He kept his eyes to the floor as he slid on his boots and went about readying himself to leave.

The loud resounding crash broke through one of Rowan Drake's vivid dreams and caused her dark eyes to snap wide open. It was one of those dreams where reality feels less real and the mind has to reboot before anything coherent will come to be. At first, she pulled the blankets back over her head, refusing to acknowledge whatever had woken her, but then reality suddenly felt very real. It wasn't something small that made that noise and if she heard it, it was close. Bundling herself up in her blankets, she slunk out of bed and made her way to the kitchen in an attempt to have a cup of coffee before deciding what needed to be done. Oddly, her head was pounding, but not in the way that would cripple her. It was a low thud that if she continued the day as it was, would turn into a bed-ridden headache quickly. Rubbing her temple, she made her way towards the kitchen. It only took a few steps outside of her room before she heard Xaiden's door come open as well though, along with that fucking mouth of his. "Oh, fuck off ingrate." She shuffled passed him without a second look and began making the substance that would give her the strength to not decapitate her family today. She grabbed one cup from the cabinet and turned to see him dressing to leave without a word. "Are you going on an adventure?" Her tone was very matter-of-fact and while she was actively looking at him, her tossed black hair and dark brown eyes made her look more dead than she really was.

"I'm heading over to Oleric's farm. I think that's wh...." He had begun explaining his plan as he finished tying the laces of his final boot when he looked up at Rowan and noticed something... different. There was a small light coming from just beside her face. He tilted his own head as he stared at her, trying to place exactly what it was that he was seeing. "What in the..." He stood up and slowly walked towards her and realized it was the amethyst earring she had been wearing for years. Instead of it's usual dull appearance, it now shone like small beacon. Purple swirls seemed to dance within it and for a moment he could've sworn he heard something. He brought a hand up to brush her hair away from her ear and gave her a bewildered 'hmph'. "I've gotta say, your tips are finally starting to pay off. Who got you that? Maybe we could sell it for a pretty penny when the merchants come into town again. Surely they'd buy that at a high price." He had turned away from her, making his way towards the door as he spoke, only stopping when he had partially opened the door and heard his name being shouted from the kitchen.

She had half a mind to slap him when he approached her, touching hair that she knew full well looked atrocious and in the process, making her colder. She had no idea what he was talking about until every piece of the puzzle slowly clicked for her. The low thud, Xaiden's surprise and talk of selling something. The other thing he could possibly be looking at was an earring he had given her so many years ago and it had never been anything special since he left. As Xaiden turned, she took the earring out and dropped the mug she had just filled to the brim directly on the floor. Her brother had been too busy talking of merchants to hear what had happened and as he opened the door, she shouted at him without peeling her eyes away from the gem. "XAIDEN!..." She had heard him stop, but continued to stare at the earring a bit longer; almost as if seeing ghost in those purple swirls. She traced the gem with her index finger as she felt the pulse of something she thought long since dead. With effort, she pulled her gaze from the trinket and let it slowly land on her brother. "It's him..."

@dabi

It was fairly noisy in Wylo's workshop as the redhead happily bashed a hammer at some nails for another project she was working on. No matter what, you could always hear her tinkering with something whether it be a small object or a huge blimp that needed to be fixed. Not that she minded, it was her favorite thing to tidy things up when they needed some good ol' fashion loving. Her hands though were roughed up with lots of small cuts due to sharp metals and tools, along with her finger tips usually being dyed black from the oil she used to spiffy up any squeaky parts that would she normally loved hearing, but others not as much. She let out a small tweet through her lips as she kept continuing on a part for a carriage, the commissioner wanted something sturdy enough to carry multiple live animals in, specifically the bigger kind of livestock like cows. Wylo took a small nail between her teeth as she shut an eye and tilted her head looking at the work on the wheels. She immediately pushed her feet against the floor and let her chair swerve her over to another desk with more parts and pieces. Wylo immediately dropped everything when out of the corner of her eye she saw something falling in the sky. She excitedly leaped up from the chair she was in and grabbed her toolbox, running out the door and stopping to watch as it kept falling. Once it had crashed, she knew there was going to be lots to do to get it back in the air. "Woohoo! Slow work day ain't so slow afterall!" She cheered, her feathered ears twitching in excitement as she was spinning around in glee before marching her way to the next fixer upper.

@Cast In Stone

Upon hearing the commotion that beset him immediately after the ritual was completed, the large man dropped the broken devil on the group resulting in a large groan. His face was tiresome with a few wrinkles gliding over his brow as the most 'what-in-tarnation' look crossed his face. The upheaved earth before him was something that he hadn't caused. ~~Perhaps, that's what he thought so.~~ Without missing a beat, he looked around and saw Charlie attending the orbiteer from the sky. Without a single moment of hesitation, the man tried to shuffle over the mounds of wreckage or debris that was around him to get closer to the area. His eyes narrowing as he saw the two conversing. After noticing that Valthos was in trouble, he turned to the man with a big smile. "Oleric Kadaeif, pleasure's mine. A stranger in need is a friend, indeed. Pleasure to meet you kind sir. Charlie, right? I know you, I've seen you in town while I deliver the grains, tubers, and hemp. Uhm..., Oc..Occup...Agh, fuck it, no formalities here. Job's a Farmer...Sky-Guy. If you need a home to wreck, mine's already in shambles. I think my guest room...You know what, I'll just make him stay in the barn. Guest room's fine with me." The large man in front of Valthos, extended his hand towards Valthos and left it there for a few moments. His green eyes shot towards Charlie as the slash marks that bore deep around his eye softened with a smile. His poise was that of a warrior moreso than a farmer. Even the stance that he was adopted was eager to throw a punch at any moment. The current straw hat on his head only drew more attention to the heavy leathers that he was wearing under it. "Glad you're around. If I didn't live so far away, I'd come in for a visit. Speaking of which, what're you doing out here? Couldn't you catch some kind of..miasma? Wouldn't want anyone in Bella-Vay getting too hurt, now would we. It's a shame to mar such a beautiful place. I suppose you'd do better with the patch-u

19:50

p work than me. Speaking of which, my friend who will be staying in the barn will need a doctor. He's a frail-little thing. Poor boy couldn't even hand a tiny jaunt from the sky. No offense, stranger [@Skáld]."

Despite being in a massive amount of pain and groaning from being dumped against his will like a sack of unripen potatoes, he shuddered off the myriad of insults as a faint purple glow affixed his gaze. He noted Charlie as someone of particular interest as well as Valthos. Oleric, however, was a scumbag. Always will be a scumbag, he had no couth. At least, in Marglowe's not-so-humble mind. "Hey, Asshole! I'm injured over here. I practically misplaced my spine! Is there anyone more competent than Douglas Dolittle over here. I require medicinal aid. Wortroot and Toadblossom. No they're not poisons to me, I'm quite a different breed if you will. Yes, yes, I understand..Hello? God, Please someone with more brain cells than a Leopard Moth, at least help me sit up. I can't stand looking at the sky, we're fighting right now. And I'm ✨not✨ winning." With the eventual pain from his leg subsiding from the rampant re-growth factor kicking in, he groaned in a jovial way. It hurt like Hell, but at least the pact was thoroughly in place. The man must be a 'man-of-his-word' because had he not been then this would've been a very short tenure on a mortal realm. He scoffed for a moment before offering a prayer to whoever was listening. The grass touching him would be a cold reminder that his job was unfinished. Grass wasn't particularly supposed to be touched at the moment. He was in search of something...no-no-no...Someone very dear to him, and he knew that she was here, in this pitiful town, somewhere.

'Ears ringing...ship and wares almost ruined...body barely held together...Yes that seems a standard.'

Wreckage was scattered all around as Valthos stood and took note of what was left of his airship. The hull seemed mostly solid with only the masts and some of the deck taking most of the real damage. He also noticed the smells in the air of not just one but three bodies around him. Muffled by the ringing in his ears he was sure the one closest to him had asked about being alright. Brushing off the dirt from his overcoat Valthos put his hands together and bowed in response. Speaking a little louder than intended he introduced himself. "I am Valthos Dumas, merchant on the falcon roads! I assure you the wares are still well and good despite the outer appearance of the shop currently!" Seeing that one of the others had stuck out his hand in greeting Valthos nodded and shook it with a laugh. Brutish in his speech from what he could make out over the ringing, Valthos was sure he heard Oleric, the other being Charlie and that he himself was 'Sky Guy'. The other, a man who had been dropped rather unceremoniously was muttering about medical attention and getting away from the larger man. Valthos was sure he hadn't mentioned a name in his tirade. After a moment though he seemed to quiet a bit and went to thinking, all while the others were unaware.

"Well that's one hell of a way to show of your shop and wares eh?" He laughed as he kicked at some of the rubble while still assessing how much damage had been done. A few of the ravens had dragged some blankets from the wreck to snuff out a small fire that appeared. Everything else looked relatively easy to mend even if it would be a few days and the Dragon powder that he was saving hadn't gone off so he counted himself lucky. 'And I though the Gods had fucked me raw with that deal in Umbrial City…' Creaking wood exploded out of the front of the ship as if someone had fired a cannon from below deck. What once was a relatively salvagable wreck now sat with an improvised window underneath the now even more warped masts. Valthos let out a small laugh as he watched more raven swoop in to help stop the escalating scene. Pinching the bridge of his nose he turned to face Oleric. "My friend, Oleric it is? Don't worry about me, I must attend to my shop and home. As you can see I have a company," Valthos gestured to the ravens busily swooping around the now smoking wreckage and continued. "If you do know of any helpful craftsfolk point them to the smoldering airship would you? Oh and Charlie yes? When I have my shop reopened, please do come and visit. As for your injured friend there, I had a crate of poisonous herbs that were meant for a buyer that never collected their goods, you can have it should you find it in the wreck here. Consider it the least I can do since I…set up shop in your grove."

08:23

Valthos quickly looked around at the damage he had done with his landing. Fortunately it didn't look too bad and it would be mostly things he could fix with his magics once he had his privacy. With a smile and a flick of his hand there was a swirl of wind and grass with a small crate seemingly appeared in between Charlie and Oleric. Reaching into his overcoat he then pulled out something rolled in a soft paper and lit it quickly, smiling as the smoke rolled and drifted around him like it was dancing.

@snail demon

Charlie winced as he saw the farmer drop the man, looking worriedly at them both as Oleric made his way over towards him. “That’s right, Charlie Marrow. Good to meet you properly. I don’t know about a home to wreck, but it seems like you’ve got a guy over there in need of some help.” He leaned to the side a bit to try and get another look at Marglowe. Upon closer inspection, Charlie looked a bit more.. haired than he had last time Oleric had seen him. A bit more scruffy around the chin and sideburns, more hair on the arms. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to be noticeable. He laughed a bit at the miasma comment. “Oh no, no. I was just collecting some local flora for some work I’m doing the letters I’m sending my friend, none of them are, erm..” He trailed off as Marglowe shouted. Unfortunately for the devil, Valthos’s abrupt rise from the ground startled him out of his attention to the poor fiend. Again Marrow laughed. It was a sweet sound, reminding those who heard it of breezy summer days and honey glazed sweets. He wasn’t small by any means, nor weak, but the chub that covered his muscle gave him a rounded, sweet and unassuming appearance. “Well I’m glad you’re okay.” Not a pirate then. Got it. His attention perked again at the mention of poisonous herbs, eyes widening. “What kinds? Anything like earner’s thistle? Or wisteria roots?” He watched in amazement as Val created the crate with a single movement of his hand, jaw dropping. “Wow..”

@slasher

️Conversation, there were people here-- Well of course there are people here, you dolt. Ships don't fly themselves. Dr. Morel took a pause to catch their breath as they listened, trying to keep their feet from dragging as they made their way to the scene proper. Better to make it look like they came here from a short distance, than let it be known that their heart was hammering out of their chest from the good run it took to get here. The researcher craned their head until they were properly in earshot, at which point the air felt...wrong. One or more of these people was supernatural. They could have easily chalked it up to all three of them, one of them hairy, and way too friendly to not be a danger, the second a boisterous...pirate? Occupation didn't matter, no matter what he was, it felt wrong and he looked like he could do a number on them. All of them did, save for the one knitting himself back together on the forest floor, rambling in his pain-tied delirium. That one had looked like he had taken quite a fall, a fatal one at that. They shook their head, and assessed the scene a bit more closely Grass that shouldn't have grown at the rate it did, and a gesturing stranger. Their suspicions were confirmed. Be careful, and don't let them think you know something. It's all just guesses. For all you know, it could be magic, Emilio. They stepped forward, clearing their throat, voice still hoarse from spending the day in silence. "I heard the crash outside, and I don't think I've ever seen an airship land like that before. Does anyone here need help?" The journal cradled to their chest pressed closer for a moment, before Morel moved to set it in their bag, their mouth twitched. It hadn't been seen well, but they hoped their meager attempt at a smile had been telegraphed.

@💛Shay-Bae💛

Xaiden walked through the empty, dark streets in shock, trying to piece together the last ten minutes. Even as he dressed in his usual loose fitting white poet-shirt and his black trousers, he contemplated the same thing. Five years of searching, five years of galavanting around the galaxy for a devil who just now decided to show himself? He didn’t mind all the traveling he did, but he knew he was enjoying it more than his sister was. Sure, he had missed the lad as well, but he took the time to enjoy every city, every sunset and every person before they left. Rowan definitely had not. She went stayed in one spot just long enough to sniff out every individual before she packed up her things and left without looking back. The echo of another set of boots against the cobblestone broke him out of his trance as it was an unlikely event given the hour. They didn’t have much walking to go before they hit the city limits, but these footfalls sounded… hurried. He turned around, ready to attack whomever was coming at them so fast, but he instantly relaxed. He recognized the sweet bird as soon as he saw the clanking woman running haphazardly through the streets. He laid a hand on his sisters shoulder and gave her that familiar smile. “It’s okay. It’s just Wylo.” With that, he stopped on the street and waited for her to catch up to them, even as his sister continued on. “Evening, Wylo. What brings you through the city this late at night?” Once she would catch up with him, he would walk with her, a few feet behind Rowan, unless Wylo was much to excited to walk slowly.

Rowan’s face was stoic as she walked next to her brother down the BellaVay streets. She couldn’t bring herself care about what she put on. On top of sleep deprivation, which really didn’t effect vampires too much…, she was also dealing with the fact that everything she had searched for for the last five years was finally within her grasp and every emotion she possessed was battling for the forefront of her mind. She was angry for being abandoned, anxious to see the love of her life again after so long and completely and utterly morose that it had taken him so long to come to her. Did she mean nothing? Was their time spent together just a blip in his lifetime, because it seemed like it was the entirety of hers. She could remember the first year, picking out exactly what outfit he would see her in next, one that would make him rue the day that he left his apron and spatula on that speakeasy stove, but now… Now she could barely find the energy to put on a matching set of clothes. The slight breeze cut right through her loosely tied, red tank top and even more so through her black skirt that nearly dragged on the ground. Her dark eyes were laser focused on the farmstead over the hill until Xaiden put a hand on her shoulder. She heard his words, something about Wylo, but in the moment she neither cared or knew who that was, even though they had talked on many occasions. She gave him a dead stare that told him she hadn’t even noticed someone approaching and continued on her trek. They were almost there and maybe, just maybe that would be enough of a shock to bleed emotion back into her face.

@dabi

Wylo continued on her way, her boots clicking against the concrete as she skipped along the streets. Much to her enjoyment though, she saw two familiar people in front of her and decided it would be nice to have some company on this lovely night. When she realised that Xaiden was waiting for her to catch up, she smiled and immediately rushed over waving her hand aggressively in the air from excitement. "Well, well! What a nice surprise!" Wylo laughed, "I'm actually on my way to that messy situation, I'm sure that's where you two are also headed at such a late time. I brought my toolbox and everything, my belt has all my wrenches and screwdrivers too, along with some nails and whatnot if needed. This seems like fun so I thought I'd make the trip to see if anything needs fixing, which by the sounds and looks of it, it sure did and does." Wylo enjoyed conversations with others, and Xaiden frequently had a nice personality that she could immediately click with and ramble on without issue. Normally she would've greeted Rowan as well more, but from the aura it seemed like now might have not been the time. After a fair amount of walking, there it was, a huge crash and multiple people already gathered. She immediately sped up as she saw the ship and tugged tightly onto Xaiden's sleeve pointing at it excitedly. She let go and continued running towards the crowd, "Wowie! Quite the mess here!"

@Cast In Stone

Bella-Vay although home to quite the diverse cast of characters had seen such ruckus in ages and it was desperately apparently. Now that the scene of the accident—crime? Gah, whatever it may be— was full of the cast of characters, the large boisterous man decided to slink back towards his battered companion. "I'll feed you all the sludge and kibble that you can eat after you do some work for me. I didn't give away part of my field to have to nurse some sick demonic dog roll around in the dirt and complain. What kind of otherworldly being are you anyways if you can't stand a tiny fall. I hope you don't break that easy in the fields." Oleric grunted a bit as he grabbed Marglowe by hem of his collar and dragged the souless man towards the wreckage. "Valthos this is my Serf." He gestured towards Marglowe who was currently taking offense to the last statement as a myriad of huffs and disheartened grunts left his lips. Oleric, himself, could not care any less than to heed his whining. "The hermit left his tower of gears and stone. I don't think I've ever been this close towards you ...Dr...Sir...Duke...Title of some sort... Gah fuck, I'm Oleric. A farmer, I live in a house next to pigs and corn. May I please call you something else than hermit...Crab get some kind of hungry. I adore you house, it's very loud and dark... Full of... mys...myste...gah uhm.., yes! Surprises!" As big-hearted of an oaf as Oleric is, he is still at his core a simpleton. Even during his years on the farmstead, he rare would visit their clocktower, opting to stand in front of it and enjoy the constant stream of ticking. For an observant person, the book next to Oleric's hand is clearly supernatural. Even if it was hashed to the side of his leathers with a rather nice knot.

He groaned as the rough treatment of the great meat-minded buffoon dragged him to the center stage. The devil supposed that it was worthy for a gratitude, until he was called serf. "Serf? Serf? Serf! You ignorant, dust munching pig farmer! I come from a family who's entire existence has done more for our planes than your puny, diminutive mind can understand. Especially since you can barely process this information. Look at the good Doctor there, you've even managed to get them fuming. Although you wouldn't be able to tell because your radar of wisdom happens to be pointing in the 'Fuck off' direction. Go follow it off a cliff." The manners of that loose-lipped simpleton, how dare him insult such a majestic and regal incubus such as himself. It was below him to answer to such. He refused to acknowledge it. Rather, his violet eyes would scan the horizon. Aha! Another person, perhaps a more reasonable one? Oh...Xai—no no no. The familiarity caused something inside of himself to shift eagerly as bones snapped back into place. His spine leveled out and even his neck found itself crunching back into it's former glory. "A familiar face! You look so worn, Xaiden. And my heart surely she still beats? Behind you, a few days without me would've drawn her mad. I'm glad it's been less than a week. And behind you? My, well look at the astonishing lady here herself." As if nothing from his olden life had changed, he dipped down low to bow for Wylo as he awaited the slow pace of Rowan.

(Now @Skáld )

Quite a crowd had gathered in the grove now with Valthos himself letting out a laugh, since the one who had apparently come out of his clocktower home noted that airship usually dock rather differently. 'Normally yes, I would have liked to have found the Skyport first.' He looked to who had asked if any were in need of assistance, the Doctor or Duke, shaking his head that service for himself wasn't necessary. Smirking a little as he tried to listen to Oleric stumble over his thoughts to barely find words. Although a little oafish, Valthos was sure he wouldn’t test the man in a battle of strength for he was sure to lose. The smell of Charlie and his moonlight curse mixed with the scent of other magics also. Hints of sulfur and banishment was there as well which meant a devil of sorts near. Valthos was sure Oleric wasn't overly magical but didn't rule out that the man could be more than he appeared. A light breeze made it harder to pinpoint all the things that were around the wreckage now, so Valthos turned all his attention back to the others. "The pleasure is all mine my new companions."Once more he put his hands together and bowed, though the one that had been introduced as a Serf had gone into another fit about how Oleric was. Making a sharp comment that always had Valthos laugh out loud in front of the poor Oleric, he tried to compose himself once again. He figured out who the devil was, their pride always giving them away. The misnamed Serf had mentioned the Doctor to which he should have put together having looked over the smaller yet built so called "hermit". With all his insults and cheeky words more people had come out to see the crash site, some of who the chagrinned devil seemed to already know. 'At least these ones might drag a name from him.'

12:20

Interrupting his thought, three figures had made their way through the clearing and through the wreckage to the crowd. The scent of blood and fine alcohol drifted around and Valthos wondered if the others knew…Vampyr. He knew he shouldn't be surprised but the smell always caught him off guard. His sense told him there was more than one but he couldn’t be certain if all three were a clan. Burned once for a vampyr, Valthos was now always a little of weary of their intent. "A fine hello and welcome to my shop. As you can see the wares are a little scattered but I assure you they are still quite valued." Bowing to the new arrivals and realizing there was now the company of ladies to keep Valthos used a touch of his magic to bring about a small fire to warm the group. Hopefully none had noticed that the fire had an unnatural green hue. Whistling loudly to some of the ravens that had perched on the masts, the birds then scattered into the ship and returned with a few chairs and more blankets. The stench of the spent Dragon powder hung around and he sighed, letting himself fall into a seat. Blowing a few smoke rings he thought to himself, 'Only you Valthos could wake the whole town, find more magic than you can handle AND a few vampyr while you're at it.'

( @snail demon )

When people began to file into the clearing, Charlie took a slow breath, quietly letting it out as he tried to process all the new people. He wasn’t dull by any means, but the unmedicated ADHD made it a bit difficult to process information sometimes. Okay so— Valthos, not a pirate, has herbs, Oleric, farmer, has the good flour, erm— Marglowe? Demon, maybe anyways— summonable, fell from the sky, hurt. New folks, Dr.. person? Clock tower? “You’re the one in that tower?” Charlie blurted out stupidly, his cheeks flushing when he realized he’d been staring at the poor doctor. It was a bit awkward to listen to Oleric fumble for a title to call them, but it was more awkward to realize he’d probably made about the same first impression. He couldn’t laugh at Oleric, and even if he could’ve, he wouldn’t have wanted to. The farmer seemed sweet, and it wouldn’t do Charlie any good to get on the bad side of the man who’d been apparently sourcing his more cultured meals. His attention turned to Marglowe as the devil burst out in anger, then more interestingly bowed towards even more new folks. They seemed to know each other, and from the demon’s words, they knew each other very well. His eyes rose to the woman Marglowe had lowered himself to, his nose twitching. The two newcomers had a funny smell to them. He did his best to keep his face from scrunching, attempting to smell at the air without being painfully obvious about what he was doing. Charlie had never met a vampyr before, nor ever smelled one, which means he also had no clue about their distaste for his kind. He gave a friendly wave to the two, nodding politely to Wylo, who he’d seen on a few occasions before. This was going to be interesting, definitely.

@slasher

️Dr. Morel felt something crawling up their spine. Someone was getting closer, and quickly--perhaps more than one being. The first hints of the oncoming presence were chittery, far too giddy for its own good, the second half of it a more familiar creeping feeling that had forced their posture to straighten. When they whipped around to see a strange little bird and one...no, two figures approaching in the distance, it clicked in their head that the feelings were intended to be separate. Wylo's voice was spritely, bright enough and loud enough that they could have nearly ignored the blunder from Oleric as she bolted past. Nearly. The clocktower hermit swiveled on their heels as she passed, eyes dead set on the farmer as their nose wrinkled in disgust. "Doctor." They started, making their way closer. a gloved hand twitched as their expression contorted further, a sort of wide eyed ire having been incurred at his blunder. "Dr. Morel. You will address me as such and nothing else unless I grant you it." It had been the first time they had been moved to get into anyone's perceived personal space bubble, possibly even the only time in their years spent here, and it had been to lean in to chastise Oleric. "Your strange little boundaries of man and woman mean nothing to me, and I will not hold to them." A sharp sting met the side of his head as their gloved palm connected with it. He was sure the hands beneath were bony, so the cushioning was a blessing. Their attention passed to the incubus briefly, still knitting himself together. They did not say anything, not yet. Morel had to wonder if the strange looking being was always this loud. If he was truly the farmer's serf, as he said, then the doctor had half a mind to demand Oleric gag him for their peace of mind.

10:39

️ Next their sharp gaze snapped to the hairy man. "I'm the one living in the clocktower." They parroted his choice back to him with a flatness, it was all that was needed to convey their disappointment. "Explain what that means, and choose your words carefully. You have no idea what rumors may be true of the 'thing' in the clocktower." The corner of their mouth twitched, he could feel their eyes move to examine his expression like white-hot spotlights, the affirmation that he should have been ashamed of his first impression bubbled up in his thoughts. Morel's arms folded over their chest, and their expression evened out once more after that outburst. To the approaching Xaiden however, their posture gave away just how miffed they still were, and to tread carefully with his usual nonsense.

@💛Shay-Bae💛

Xaiden laughed and wrapped an arm around Wylo as she excitedly talked of fixing whatever crashed into their town. He laughed with her and just before they crested the hill, he pulled her side into his for a small hug before letting her go. She would take off for the crash site as soon as it was in view and he would approach his sister who had stopped just at the edge of the grove. His bright blue eyes took in the scene around them: A crashed airship, a gaggle of people, a few of them recognizable and a red-haired man addressing him as if he knew him. While the sights certainly threw him off, the smells were much more disarming. Supernatural energy perfumed the area, but two scents stood out to him drastically; the devilish aroma he hadn’t encountered in years and the foul smell of wet dog. His nose crinkled at the latter odor as he looked to Rowan. She was.. just standing there. With a deep breath, but not too deep, he made his way to the center of the grove to inspect the situation more clearly. His stare lingered on the ‘man’ who had bowed to Wylo as she passed, his brows furrowing into a hardened look. He looked completely different than the last time he had seen him, but that was to be expected; at least, from the little he knew about Marglowe. “It’s been much longer than a week, old friend.” He put a hand on Marglowe’s shoulder and squeezed. His expression softened a tad, but more so out of pity for the devil. Averting his gaze from him to the rest of the lot, he gave them all an introductory nod; noticing Dr. Morel seemed to be in no mood for antics. The feeling was mutual as he took steps towards the lot until he landed on Valthos. “Evening, lad. Did you decide to redesign the landscape out of spite or mishandling?” He crossed his arms as he spoke, unknowingly taking his anger out on the foreign merchant. With furrowed brows and laser focus, he stared at the poor man who was lucky to be alive.

Rowan’s dark, empty eyes had been staring at the ground directly in front of her feet for most of the walk until the cobbled stone gave way to grass. She stopped just at the edge before peering up at the demolished grove. Smoke rose into the air while ravens circled around the damaged vessel, seemingly organizing the wreckage. The people around were mostly from BellaVay, save for two and one of them was addressing her and Xaiden. Her exceptional hearing picked up on the words, but her attention was on the putrid smells in the area. There was so much supernatural odor between the lot of them, but the smell of dog made every muscle in her face cringe. She felt Xaiden stop next to her, but paid him no mind as she inspected everyone from afar. The man behind the fire and the red-head that was spouting nonsense were the only two that stuck out as strangers to her, but one of them had to be him. Cautiously, she followed her brother, albeit far behind, and watched him speak to the red-head before the other. ‘Old friend’? She stopped dead in her tracks, arms crossed and eyes locked on him as cold muscles tightened in her chest. Her teeth barred behind closed lips while she fought the urge to act irrationally. Rage, Sorrow and Relief battled behind her eyes for which emotion he would endure first, which emotion had built up the longest in the five years since his disappearance. Slowly, she closed the distance between them and heard the pulsing in her ear get louder. Her stern brows gave way, tears welled in her eyes and a stuttered exhale left her lips as relief washed over her. A hand covered her mouth as she stopped in front of him to stare up at a face she didn’t recognize. The vampire heard and saw nothing going on beside her as she brought the hand that had been covering her mouth to his cheek.

11:55

Is it really you? The thought almost left her lips, but the gemstone in her ear answered for her. He couldn’t have been anyone else. The deep brown in her eyes sharpened as her hand left his cheek only to connect again, this time forceful and with a good amount of white-hot rage behind it.

@dabi

The bird-girl smiled happily when she felt a tight squeeze from Xaiden, she let herself lean into the hug and tightly hugged him back before she ran. Wylo immediately threw herself over to the wreckage and plopped down on the ground next to it, picking up little scraps and pieces and smiling excitedly. "Oo!! This bad boy is absolutely destroyed!" She laughed and picked up another piece that had come from the ship. "HEY! Ship man! You want this tidied up? I can do it! It looks cool! Where'd ya get it? Can I fly it after I fix it? Ooo what's this thing? Oh and that! Oh oh! What's this? This looks so cool!" She rambled as she got up and waltz her way around the wreck. Wylo had begun picking up every little thing she could find whether it had to do with repairing the ship or not, she took all possible items she could carry into her arms especially if they were shiny. She completely ignored the bow she received and kept picking things up one by one, even going so far as to put something in her mouth to carry it easier. Once she finished her little treasure hunt, she looked back towards the group seeing things getting a bit more heated when Rowan put her hand up to the air and landed it smack down on the red-haired man's face. "Mrf!!??" A sound came out of shock as she waddled her way with her arms full trying to see what on earth was happening and why this stranger had pissed Rowan off. Not that it was unusual, Rowan seemed like the type of person to throw someone into tomorrow for specific reasons, so there had to be a good one this time too.

@Cast In Stone

@Skáld

There was a strange moment of silence from the man as Morel chastised him for whatever transgression he had committed against the good doctor. It was strangely respectful for a boisterous man of Oleric's stature, but that's what the chivalry had taught him. Within a moment, as the good doctor's voice calmed down. Oleric, being a man of character and of his word, lowered his head. "Had my words offended you, I would not have spoken. My sincerest apologizes doctor. I am told, I can be offensive and rude. If my words do not deserve you then I will strive to find some that will. As far as the rumors go the—" Whatever had left his lips seemed to require the utmost of concentration as the last one that left his lips was said with a lower, quivering voice. Unfortunately as he was approaching yet another ten point word, the crack of a woman's hand along the face of another stopped him in his boots. He shuddered as if the hand had hit his own cheek and jumped at least two feet back as Wylo's voice chirped out. Oleric proceeded to turn to the approaching visitors. Upon making eye-contact with the bot of them, his eyes narrowed. The squint from his visage unmistakable for distrust. He paced around the side of the debris to head behind them like a noble scout. Ready to observe and if need be assault for a serf is only useful is they are able to work. In a hair's notice, he went from mostly civilized to feral, almost savage looking like a beast afraid of being prey. From then on, there was merely silence from a frightened? Oleric.

His eyes softened as Xaiden recognized him immediately. He knew a new form, thanks to the senile pig-farming dirt-muncher, would cloud some people's recollection. When the most stunning thing in his existence drew near, he felt as if something was drastically wrong. Then out of the lips of the other fanged one, "It’s been much longer than a week, old friend." How long had he wandered aimlessly in that inky darkness? How long had Rowan searched for him? Her hands danced from her lips to his cheek. His mind eased for a moment, 'Long Enough to Remember, I suppose.' Then a crackle of pain hit the side of his cheek. It wouldn't be the first time that he was hit by a woman, but it would be the first time that it made him blush. His eyes curved upwards in a smile. "Longer than a week? Eternity is too long to forget what we share. But if I were a betting man, I'd say it's not long enough to forget if I broke your heart." He stayed her hand after the slap on his cheek as he looked into her eyes. There was a lot there, letting him know where he stood. "It seems like this time, I fell a lot further for you." His eyes turned to the sky before he let out a chuckle. "From your perspective, I probably did deserve that and much more. My contract ran out. I claw and tried, but BIFF. Someone, ~~Suspiciously rhyming Coy~~ forgot to reserve my spot. So I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. How long as it really been? Ten years? A century? A millennium? I never stopped searching, not even for a moment. And look. When I could claw my way back into whatever...pleasant realm this is. I found you. Or rather, fell from the heavens because Old McAsshole there decided that he can't do shapes. Asshole. So I broke every thing. Including your heart. I intend on taking my sweet time to fix it."

Watching the strange woman pass him and continue through the wreckage Valthos shook his head with a smile, the woman collecting things here and there as she went while spouting what seemed to be a thousand questions. Certainly an odd one but she didn’t reek of night stalker so he eased himself a little. ‘Not a whole clan of them at least…’ Valthos had his thought broken when new male onlooker shot out his little quip as to Valthos’ airship. The man had a demeanor of cool sarcasm and pride, his eyes a mix of intent. Giving a quick study of the man, Valthos did his best to hide his loathing and replied. “Ah yes, I’d hate to have scared off any unsuspecting vic…” Valthos heard the cold tone of his own voice and caught himself mid word. “Dinner guests.” His violet eyes danced with a hint of malice in the mystic firelight as he took another breath of smoke a let it seep out from between his grinning lips. Valthos wondered if it was enough to get a rise out of the man, twirling the fingers of his free hand. A slender vine crept over the man’s left foot ready to tighten should he feel the vampyr needed to touch some earth. Striking first if there was no danger could prove to be fatal and as Valthos tried to work out his next move past the sweeping of a leg, the sound of a well placed hand against someone’s face rang out.

13:23

KRCK This had caught the everyone by surprise that even Valthos was a bit stunned. He could she the misnamed Serf was saying something to the other vampyr, speaking plainly enough to see the two had a history. He had to admit she did have a beauty to her, ‘Something about the way…’ Valthos snapped himself out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to his wreck. With all these watching eyes he wouldn’t be able to repair anything just yet but he was sure he could buy some time having some of his broken parts already collected by the odd woman with her giddy disposition. He smiled to her and introduced himself, prodding for a little time. “Fair feathered one, I am Valthos. Merchant and airship of the falcon roads. I see you have quite the eye for collecting things. Please do help yourself to some of the smaller trinkets you find as they will all be written off into the cargo damages.” He winked and continued, “Don’t worry about where they were going. Lots of things get…lost in the clouds.” Valthos blew out some smoke rings, asking then with the rolled ember between his lips, “Would you be so kind as to fix some of those smaller components you have there. Keep all but the hydrocombustor as I do need it for the airship. Everything else is yours if you could do that for me, say how about in three or four days. Leaves me plenty of time to patch up the hull and mix some of the other things. Do we have a deal?” The violet in his eyes had soften considerably now, Valthos almost not worried about the vampyr now. He was still on his guard with the root firmly ready to strike should it prove necessary around the snarky sanguinite’s foot. Hoping it wouldn’t come to blows Valthos blew a flew more smoke rings and whistled once more, this time the ravens disappeared into the forests of the grove. He waited and tried to enjoy the rest of his herb with the vampyr’s stench mixing with other magics still assaulting his senses.

( @snail demon )

The werewolf’s mouth opened in slight shock as he watched the farmer get slapped across the face, quickly closing again as the doctor turned their attention towards him again. “W-Well I mean I haven’t heard all that much, I’ve only been here for a few weeks now, and only been in town proper, or y’know, listening to folks occasionally—“ The words poured from him as he attempted to explain his phrasing. He had only heard a few things, rumors, but he figured none were really true. His face was beet red now from embarrassment, cheeks flushed and warm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t— really, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just thought the place was abandoned, you know, ghost stories.” As the words finally stopped he firmly clamped his mouth shut, aware he’d likely done more harm than good. Seeing the farmer get slapped didnt give him high hopes for his continued lack of having a handprint on his cheek. Meanwhile, he did his best to not give the devil and his friends— ex-friends(?)— too much attention. Privacy was an important matter, even if he was more naturally inclined to being curious. He listened idly to Val and Wylo’s conversation as well. All the stimulation was making his head spin a bit, wondering briefly if he should simply leave before remembering that he still had to finish apologizing to the doctor, and help the pirate sort his stuff. Maybe he should ask the feathered lady if he could help? Or offer Oleric a hand. He seemed to know magic, summoning a devil and all. Maybe he could help Charlie find a way to contact his friend.

@slasher

The harshness to their gaze seemed to properly settle out. They stepped closer to the blond, tilting their head to examine his features a bit closer. Were they trying to gauge what was off about him? Though Xaiden was their companion, they were unwilling to set foot in the emotional drudgery that was the vampires’ reunion with their long gone friend. “Ghost stories, you say? You don’t know what is or isn’t true, do you. I could peel back the skin of my face and be a mass of eyes beneath. What says this visage isn’t stolen?” They took a short step back, and away. Their gaze cast upon the fire, its verdant tint catching on their eyes and warping their still, gray nature with its dancing light. “You said your name was Valthos, right? Did you start this little warming spot?” They did not look the merchant head on as they spoke, in fact they seemed entirely uninterested. The off color of the flame was what kept their gaze. Unless he had access to copper deposits and knew how to burn them, this impromptu setup should have been orange. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it before, though I’ve never been the type to go camping.” Another twitch of the face, the rudimentary attempt at smiling. Their countenance twisted to be in his direction proper as they continued. “Would you show me how you made it?”

@💛Shay-Bae💛

Still standing with his arms crossed and facing Valthos, Xaiden’s attention was momentarily taken by the odd actions of Oleric. He suddenly seemed fearful of not only the anger that resided in Rowan, which was expected, but Wylo as well? He had never met a more kind-hearted woman and Oleric had literally jumped back from her. A single eyebrow raised itself as he watched the man ventured away from the women, but his eyes would dart back to the one who had the gull to be arrogant and glib with him. Dinner guests, eh? With a soft ‘hmm..’, Xaiden stared into the man’s soul as he looked from him to Wylo. He felt his teeth bar and his fingers curl into his arms at Valthos’ horrid attempt at charisma. He opened his mouth to speak when he realized a conversation had been going on next to him between the one who reeked of dog and Dr. Morel. His rage at the sky captain had muted whatever Charlie had to say, but he did catch the familiar tone of ruffled curiosity in Morel’s voice. He gruffed to himself again as his bright gaze shifted slowly from Valthos to Morel. “Dr. Morel. Perhaps now is not the time.” His eyes would go back to Valthos as he continued speaking to Morel. “Do you have anything in your tower that could help this… ill-mannered, walking accident get his ship together? The sooner he leaves, the better.” There was no secrecy in his tone. He spoke loud enough for everyone around him to hear and continued to stare at Valthos unless made to look elsewhere.

No one else in the general vicinity appeared on Rowan’s radar as she stared into the eyes of the man who simply disappeared all those years ago. His hair, his eyes and his build were all different than she remembered, but she would never forget the familiar firm feeling of his hands on her when he grabbed her wrist. She swallowed hard as she listened to his explanation, his side of what he had been through for the last 5 years. It was surreal, listening to a voice that she thought long-since lost use the same words she had replayed in her head over and over. ‘I intend on taking my sweet time to fix it.’ He said. She couldn’t help but shake her head as her dark eyes stared into his. Discarding her anger for a moment, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Tears well in her eyes as she pinned him against her chest and dug her nails into his shoulders. She had finally found him. Letting the tears fall, she stuttered a few inhales and reluctantly released him as she looked up into his eyes once more. “5 years… For 5 years I scoured the realms looking for you, or at least some clue if you were dead. I understand that you couldn’t exactly contact me, and that time hasn’t worn on you like it has for us, however… that doesn’t make the pain go away, or the years of longing and agony.” She paused as she took a step back from him, her eyebrows furrowing in hurt. “I’m glad to see you’re alive, Marglowe.” With that, she tore her eyes from his and ventured over to her brother if he would let her, taking a moment to really look over the wreckage for the first time.

@dabi

Wylo listened to the conversation and blinked while it happened, she was trying to understand what was going on between the two, but she got distracted by another shiny item. Racing towards it to pick it up she stopped to hear someone referring to her, 'oh feathered one'. "Hm?" Wylo mumbled, "Mre? Fixsh yer shwip?" She still had something in her mouth and shook her head spitting it out. "WHOO, okay, now that that's gone... Me? Fix your ship? I'd love to! And I can keep this stuff too right? It looks so cool and funky! I can also keep the thing I spit out right? Right? I licked it, it's mine now. But yeah funky man! I'll fix the ship! Gonna be extra though if you want it done so quick! Hopefully that's not a game changer cause I REALLY wanna see how this bad boy works!" She grinned admiring the sight, oh how she loved big mechanical objects, it made her little heart flutter with joy. "I'm real good at fixing stuff! Ask my best friend Oleric here! He gets me to fix his stuff all the time! It's pretty great!"

@Cast In Stone

There was all sorts of theoretical threats present, but perhaps the most looming for Oleric was the threat of one again being ill-prepared for a situation to occur. It wouldn't been the first time in his life that everything that he had strived so hard to achieve was to be taken away from in a brisk moment, a lapse of judgment, or a singular blind eye. He owed it to the ones that he had lost to prepare for the coming battle. Even if he was usually obnoxious, boastful, and loud Oleric knew that it would be the worst course of action. He had felt remorse seeing Wylo call him a friend. Doubt clouded his mind as he was torn between running towards his farm-shack and staying to chat with quite possibly the only female that seemed tolerable to him. The tumbling sensation as he down the hill before his house felt nice. It reminded him of a time in the woods where a bear had cornered him and he had learned of his gifts. He had tossed it like burlap sack of flour. Its face was between horrid and stupidity. Even know, old Gnaw-Face would roam from town to town escaping the playing child from pelting it around like a bad cat. They were fonder memories, before times were complicated. Before grimaces would be the only thing on the faces of his brethen. He sighed as he opened the pitch black tent and a familiar whisper echoed from within. "The Ladies?" "Hush thing." "You know, you're the only one that can hear me." "I don't want your opinion." "Shame child, you would do well to use those few brain cells left on listening. Supposed it is true. An old dog can't learn new tricks." "Old tricks work well." "Not on new people." "You're impossible." "You love me though." "Don't talk to me ever again." "Take me off...." "No you're coming with me." "Ki—" "Not in the slightest."

As she averted her eyes, maybe for a mere moment, a streak of red blush blanketed, the demon's face. In his eyes, time itself slowed as he caught her hand longingly, albeit with the side of his face. Pain surged through it, if not from the strike then from the remorse that flooded into his veins. Rowan... Everything about her was maddeningly antagonizing. He wanted so bad to call her a barista, but for her it had been so long that perhaps those moments had passed. When he came to in his head, she had already left the words, 'glad you're alive'. "I am sorry. Truly. Of course it won't make it better. I am doing all that I can. Do I really look that different. You seemed to...." His eyes flashed for a moment, his hand writhed in its place. Like a flash of lightning, he stormed towards her from behind, gripping that once rage-filled white hand via her wrist. There was a black almost feathered tinted to his hands as he pulled her towards him. His arm draped over her chest, nestling her in his grasp. He couldn't apologize for five years, not properly not without a touch. The embrace was something bittersweet for him as if at any time she could cancel it. "I can't tell a single year drained from your own being. And do you hear it? My..soul...My heart. Listen...I'm crazy right now." The beating was almost overpowering from the small gem. It thudded and crashed like a tempestuous ocean, begging and howling for her to turn around. It pulled towards him. His ichor running through all the corrupt veins in his body flowed easily towards her. "Don't leave me for another second while I can still be around you."

@Skáld

'Can't even enjoy the last good bit of my herbs...' The thought was crossing Valthos' mind as he let thorns begin to grow on the vine around the sarcastic vampyr's foot. The man had asked the Doctor if he had anything to help get the vessel airborne once more, cutting off the question about the flame Valthos had made. 'A little stroke of luck from the leech it would seem.' Valthos blew some smoke rings and smiled. Turning his attention from the vampyr to the Doctor all while flicking his smoldering herb ends into the green flame. The flame danced and flickered to a more normal hue as it continued to burn, with Valthos hoping it didn't draw too much attention. "Ah, yes it was myself would made the fire. Quite the eye Doctor, as I thought the flames funny myself though it seemed harmless." Before he could continue, Valthos felt a surge in the smells around them. Something powerful was drifting in the air now and definitely not human. His eyes shifted around the group quickly only to noticed that the one who had been struck was now standing and holding the female vampyr. The two seemed to be surrounded by a shimmer of twisted purple and blue and Valthos wondered if he was the only one who could see it. His senses were going crazy and he needed to focus so turning back to the Doctor he asked, "As the ever so kind draugr of a gentleman there so plainly put it, would by chance there be anything within your wares that I could use to fix my ship?" Valthos was sure the Doctor would have a thing or two he would need despite it being at the behest of some blood drinker

@snail demon

The werewolf stood up straighter as the doctor stepped closer, his face flushed a bright red out of some amalgamation of embarrassment and something else a bit odd. If they were curious about what he was they could always just ask. He didn’t mind telling people he was a werewolf if they asked, but he always tried to keep it relatively on the down-low. People were scared of werewolves, and for good reason. They were terrifying a lot the time, especially if you found yourself in the territory of an aggressive group, but Charlie wasn’t like that. “Well, even if it was stolen, wh-who knows? You could be a perfectly nice mass of eyes, after all.” His words slowly quieted as he realized they were looking at the fire, and likely no longer listening. Charlie bit his tongue. At this point he was just confused as to what was going on. He had been apologizing to the doctor, and then there were the two who seemed to be friends but now one was crying over the sky-man, the not-pirate was now speaking with the eyeball mass— or maybe not eyeball mass— and then Wylo was offering fixing? Or was that a minute or two ago? And where had Oleric gone? He turned to look for the man, blinking to himself when he realized he’d gone. The werewolf stood quietly and waited for an opportunity to either offer help or to be asked to help, his eyes unfocusing on the fire as he stood near unnaturally still, save for the slight bouncing of his leg.

@slasher

️ "Is now really not the time? I see it as an ideal opportunity to make friendly conversation, if I'm to be expected to offer my help. Why are you so worried about this man, Xaiden. I didn't take you for the type to fret over strangers." Their eyes shifted the exchange of the word 'leech' from the shipwrecked smoker to Xaiden. They knew it wasn't going to pass over well in the slightest and the impending fallout would be...difficult to deal with. Morel opted out of that conflict, Accic could handle himself fine, and as an outlander themself they didn't want to make a name pissing off other outlanders for no apparent reason. They kept talking as they took a couple of careful steps back, hoping their musing would postpone it long enough for them to get out of whatever theoretical splash zone could come about. "I likely do have things in my dwellings, if one of you would be willing to come with me, and preferably separate, with the other guarding the ship, we could get these reparations jumpstarted, maybe." Another twitch of the face, a brief smile as a shoddy attempt of assurance.

@💛Shay-Bae💛

It didn’t take his vampiric hearing to understand what was going on behind him with Marglowe and Rowan, but amidst the furry he held for the sky-dweller he did manage to miss Oleric’s presence disappear. His crystal eyes were focused on Valthos as he blew his smoke rings with a smug expression that may have even gave Marglowe a run for his contracts. Simply hearing the man speak was cause for eye rolling, agitating him enough that the werewolf’s smell was starting to itch at him as well and then Morel. For someone who was usually level-headed, it was out of character for him to be so enraged, but something about a man who flew with the birds crash landing into his home and immediately trying to make nice didn’t sit right with him. He let Morel finish, taking deep breaths to calm himself as he did so until he was free to speak his mind. “Strangers, I accept, Dr. Morel. It’s men who don’t know their boundaries that make me… uninviting. You should go with them, wastrel.” He knew Morel could handle themselves if something ill came from Valthos’ intentions, however, it did not look like the fallen deck scrubber wanted to leave. “You’re the only one who knows what you need. I suggest you go have a look. Wylo and I will wait patiently by your… ship. Wouldn’t want anyone to steal it.” He grinned that mischievous smirk he was known too well for as he remained standing in the same spot, arms crossed and watching for Valthos’ next move. If he made any move to follow Morel, Xaiden would extend a hand to stop him; halting him by his chest. “Not alone. Take him with you. You are not to be trusted alone while Morel’s back is turned.” Xaiden turned to Charlie and motioned for him to accompany the three back to the clock tower. At least that would get that rancid smell away.

She only managed a few steps before being pulled back to the Devil in an embrace from behind. At his words, she closed her eyes and listened to the gem that now erupted in her ear. The small stud pulsed so aggressively in her lobe that she could feel it in her head, whispering something that made every muscle in her body defy their master. She slowly turned to face him, keeping her eyes closed as she did so. Her dark hair was bundled atop her head while he clothes blew in the breeze. Her hands dug into his biceps with great intensity, shaking from the rage, but holding onto him so tight as if he was going to disappear. She didn’t want to leave him, that wasn’t in her track record. Not with him. She slowly opened those dark chocolate eyes to see the swirls of purple around him. It hadn’t been his face, but it was him. Her eyes filled with tears again as she struggled to believe what was before her and around her, pulling him to her again in a tight embrace. It had been so long that she had forgotten the effect he had, always finding exactly the right words to trip her into his arms once again. As she hugged him, she noticed someone slip off towards the nearby farm house and when she released Marglowe, Morel was leaving as well. She turned to face Xaiden who was staring viciously at the pirate and it was then she noticed the vine at his feet. He hadn’t done anything to shake it loose, which made her believe he didn’t know it was there. She remained in Marglowe’s arms as she watched the sky captain give her brother the same intense stare. “Who brought you here, Marg?” Her eyes didn’t leave Valthos, but she spoke low enough, intending only her devil to hear. She had hoped it wasn’t the pirate. Anyone, but the pirate. However, whomever had the means to summon him and never did would be in for a world of hurt once the issue here was resolved. @dabi

(Skipping Dabi per request. @Cast In Stone, you’re up.)

He stumbled around the brush, gripping his familial long blade that clung easily to his armor. The ornate marking of the wolf on its pommel signified an older, more prominent society that had cast the warrior out. The voice echoing throughout his head mocked him happily as they slide from the top of the crash site down towards the wreckage. There stood the few who were chatting betwixt themselves. 'You haven't killed a thing since your poor accident. Oh Boorish one. What are you going to do? Intimidate with your shifting Eldritch armor, farmer? Or perhaps a dazzling display of a weapon you've long since forgotten how to use.' For the rest of the group, there was a burly man in armor standing around 6'3 ,from the greaves of course. His helmet was plumed with all manners of shadowy resin that seemed to fade in and out of reality. At the comb just under the plumb was a solitary eye that stared the few people here. The aged warrior's voice wore out clear as day, albeit to his own armor. "I was powerful enough to bind phantasm to the metal." The following sentence rang out of the helm as the darkness enveloped the visor and faceplate. 'Anna leBeth was.' With that, he grew silent.

The scene around him faded as he thought about how foreign that he must look to her. Although, it was fairly likely that even in her wildest dreams, she hadn't seen what he really looked like. He was always an avatar, always some that a master desired for. He was always a pale reflection of what he could have been. Even those few moments where he could be himself in all of his otherworldly glory, even then it had to be scaled down. Nascent thoughts like those littered his head as the woman before him gripped a sudden death grip against his own arm. It was comforting to have someone who would search for you. The kind of person who felt so strongly that they'd uproot their normal life in search of a way to find their desires. After all, she could have just forgotten. He returned an arm across her side as he pulled her into his 'wing' letting that familiar warmth bath over her. He watched as the scene fled with the merchant and scientist heading out soon it would be just the few people that had already taken the time to pick his brain. Had it really been so long for them? Had time been so cruel? Of course it had been..., When he could muster a word, he'd tell his companion how he fell from the sky because Oleric was a bumbling oaf. "Ooooh yes. The ever watchful, all-knowing farmer contracted me with a guide to demons written by someone who should've remained a janitor in the wizarding industry. Then the oaf didn't even perform the rite correctly. He did a wrong rite and it sent me quite literally plummeting into Earth. That bumbl....That oaf....That horrid piece of trash who I will now shift throw his field in endless toil unless I can have him release me from service. Gah. I should replace his knee caps with whatever paste the caused mine to turn into. That would show him."

@Skáld

The tense in the air left a sour smell in Valthos' nose as he continued to size up the smart mouthed vampyr. A part of him wanted to drive the thorns into the unsuspecting man's leg but Valthos knew it would only be a physical nuisance to the walking corpse. Letting the smoke cloud around him faintly, he sneered. "The good Doctor has nothing to worry about from me. My wares are a different story so I'd be cautious as to what you feel you need to put your cold fingers on." Tossing away the dead ends of his herb, he straighten his jacket and gave a half bow to the Doctor and one had the canine smell. The creature seemed harmless in the current state but Valthos wasn't sure of the allegiances between these new faces. "I'd be happy to be accompanied by these fine townsfolk. I'll leave my birds to their duty and should any of you need anything just whistle like so," Valthos pursed his lips and let out a high pitch note. "Merely tell the winged friend what you need and soon enough you'll be taken care of. Do be patient with them, some are unfortunately less fond of guests than others." A sly smirk crossed his face as he turned away from the vampyr and others. Crossing his hands behind his back, Valthos made himself ready to head off and hopefully get some of the components he'd need for the airship. @snail demon