Private Lyrwick For the Soulless

[Magnolia]

Trevor's Estate

Trevor's Estate was located within the border of Lyrwick, in Town of Cindershine, a strange town that never let it go from its cloudy and foggy weather, commonly rainy and bringing a humid sensation to the air, that distracted any newcomer enough from the distrusting gazes from cloaked individuals, that always did what they could to hide their identities.

The man, who was just as eccentric as this town, had recently hired @Ran for a peculiar mission. One would generally request for assassination, bounties, looting dungeons or even gathering innocent herbs in a land where danger lingered afoot, making it impossible for normal humans to simply do the gathering themselves.

No, what he needed was...

"A soul." The man said, with a serious gaze.

Magnolia, approaching the beastfolk, gently placed a plate with two warm breads, a small pot of blackberry jelly, and a cup of mint tea. "Here, madam Ran..." She muttered with a head bow, leaning away to not further invade her personal space... And after she was away, Trevor elaborated:

"A niece, precious of a friend of mine, ran away from home and disappeared for three whole days." He started. "It took long, and as soon as things felt hopeless, she returned home seeming almost untouched... At least, for those with a mundane perception." A frown crossed his face. "Anyone with any small hint of knowledge could notice that her eyes lacked the brim that makes her truly alive. And honestly, it would never escape the attention of a capable spirit mage like me." His fist clenched, resting on the table.

Modest? Gone.

"I have traced the potential whereabouts of her soul, but truth be told, something... Or someone that can reap the soul of someone's body without killing them is someone that can't be tackled by any stupid guard this hopeless town has... So for this..." His lips curled into a smirk. "I want you to find it, Ran. The soul, and the bastard devoid of emotions that dared to do this to a young lady." He said, clearly.

"The promised reward for the soul. The double as an extra, for the head of the bastard." He promised.

Magnolia remained quiet, simply watching Ran's expressions, and waiting patiently for her response for the mission presented to her.

 

[Ran]

Traditionally,​

the kind of person who did knife tricks during a meeting was not the kind you trusted. Not with anything of importance, that wouldn't set them ablaze if they tried to make away with it. Nor was the kind of person who stalked the streets with their hood up, shrouded in a cloak, the kind you placed into their hands something as weighty as a person's soul. But perhaps the regal red and silver steel of her heavy-set attire lent her credibility. She looked more like an errant knight than a deft-handed rogue. And perhaps, she was. She would not be sneaking around as she was now. But as she precariously spun a knife around her fingers only half interested in what she understood was quest dialogue from some nothing nobody—the ruse had already begun. It was her tricks that held little of her attention. And everything spoken that held most of it. She had the guise of an armored brute good at stabbing, and the mind of someone who existed in a state of intaking information while barely paying attention. Flicking a pen around during a lecture was a, ah... practiced skill, shall we say. For Tokunaga, a very practiced one. Though it was the opposite there—looking like she was paying attention, when she really wasn't.
For here, though—she didn't look like she cared at all.

When tea is set before her, the Caenis offers a dismissive single-wave of her hand, passing. If there was one thing she didn't trust, it was someone with enough money to afford an estate like this. A soul, though. She'd done a good number of quests before, but this one sounded... Ah, what was it?

Funny.​

But she doesn't let that show. The only thing that appears to pique her interest, is when he offers a doubled pay for the decapitated head of the perpetrator. That brings alongside her narrow eyes a thin, understanding smile. She did not have a trustworthy face. But trustworthy people were boring. Where was the fun in certainty? Picking out secret motivations, knives in backs and whispered lies—it was a game, after all. She might as well play it.

Catching one of her Crux daggers by the blade between her middle and ring knuckles, the mute-haired Caenis offers a peeling back of her ears, leaning forward onto her knees, arms crossed, as if indeed he had only now gotten her attention. An armored brute was what they wanted her to be, she figured. Someone who'd get in, deck the shit out of some dude, pick up something they didn't care to understand, and get out for the promise of a big payout. So, that's what she'd be. Until she walked through the door.

"Sure." replies the Caenis.

Pushing to a stand and slipping one of the many Crux back into its sheath, this one on her chest—Ran plants a hand on her hip, heavy armor shifting with each motion she makes.

"Double for the head." She purses a narrow smile. "Sounds like a deal to me."

Peering at her own hand for a moment, her fingers roll flat, and she offers her palm to the Lander before her. Offering to entertain the fantasy for a moment, and shake on their deal.

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia nodded, understanding that her guest did not wish for the treat, taking it away before backing off from her sight.

Trevor, on another hand, remained with his whole attention to the caenis that only seemed to react at the end of the explanation. So she was motivated by the reward, above anything else. Interesting. The man rubbed his chin, generally intrigued about the Starcalled, and yet, this one time it seemed like he was dealing with a mercenary type.

He didn't mind it, of course. The smirk still grew when the handshake was offered, one that he took firmly.

"Perfect." He said. "Magnolia will escort you to your ride, and will also accompany you during this mission... She will witness and assist you on anything you need during the mission." He explained, then looking at the maid.

"Understood, Magnolia? Please guide this lady to the caravan. You may even be able to accomplish this mission tonight, if you hurry."

Magnolia bowed. "Yes, master." She responded, raising her head as soon as Trevor had left the room, turning to look at the girl, and gesturing for her to follow. "Allow me to bring you to our caravan, madam... As soon as you are ready, that is."

Town of Cindershine - Border of Lyrwick

In the caravan, Magnolia sat patiently on the opposed side of Ran, resting her hands on her lap, and keeping her eyes locked on her for most of part, unless the beastfolk showed a discomfort that forced the maid to look anywhere else aside of her.

Magnolia wasn't personally one to speak much, but at some point, the driver made sure to break this ice for them.

"Y-You wish to get as close as possible to the destination today to go on with the mission tonight, or... Erhm... Sh-Should we wait... Until tomorrow morning?" He asked with a shaky voice.

The maid looked at the man, shaking her head and then glancing at Ran. "This is madam Ran's choice. I'm uncertain of her methods, but I'm certain that her choice will be the best possible for her to conclude the mission as efficiently as possible."

@Ran

 

[Ran]

Traditionally,​

the kind of person who did knife tricks in your caravan was not the kind of person you'd let in your caravan. But once she had offered acknowledgement to the owner of the house and taken her leave with the exact informality she'd strutted in with—once she'd crawled inside the cabin of their carriage—that was exactly what she started to do.
Truly. She could not have looked more like a cutthroat mercenary if she tried.

"Tonight."

says the wolf, offputtingly yellow eyes focused on the way she dances her dagger between her fingers. It's a smaller one this time, not embedded with a gem—one she can properly roll along her fingers, twisting it between them, under and above, in a way almost magical.

"This won't take long."

And as the carriage moves, and as the maid fixes her with a gaze, it's with nothing that she replies. Head rolled to the side, fucking with her knives. Be that dancing them, or slipping one of the larger daggers from one of her larger sheathes to rub its surface with a cloth. How long do they sit in silence for? They both seem good at that. Sitting. Waiting. Until, unprovoked, her eyes flick up to the so-called "Magnolia". To look at her head on. For a wolf she had terribly narrow eyes, not cruel in their nature, but—in an odd way—intelligent. Perhaps more befitting a fox, they were. They, and the remarkably sharp-toothed grin she broke in offering to the maid. Small and thin, that grin was. Numerous and pointed, her teeth were. She had an odd, knowing visage. One best not to think about.

But that smile—it was a concerning sort. For despite all of her apparent composure, the wolf was definitively feral in nature. Despite her regal red and silver steel, hers was an instinctual presence. Indeed—instinctual. For the nearer they drew to their target location, the Caenis peering over a map she'd since occupied herself with, the more it began to exude from her body. There were no troubles with wolves on the way there. Nor indeed, were there any animals at all. And though there was a rolling presence from their carriage, it was not directed at the maid nor the driver nor the beasts that drew it. And it passed them all by with only a faint, far-off discomfort. One her companion across the way, she noticed, showed no signs of feeling.
This was a funny little NPC, wasn't it?

"You like working there?"

the wolf says into the silence, flicking that thin and narrow stare and smile up towards the maid's eyes again. She's a little bit of an accent, actually, easier to tell now that all Magnolia needs to focus on are the words being said to her. British, the sound was. Though the wolf didn't know it yet, the maid might recognize it as such.

"Must be nice shacking up with a noble or whatever, aye? Don't have to worry about much."

Ran leans forward, folding the map into one hand and peering up at the maid's face, arms crossed on her knees.

"Let's make good time, yeah? Get back before you have to tuck him in."

Her grin widens. It is a terrible, pointed sort. Too pleased with herself.
...Is that what she's pleased with?

 

[Magnolia]

"R-Right ma'am!" He shuddered at the way their guest simply played around with a knife, with an unease panging in his throat as he focused on what was in front of him.

Magnolia stared impressed, even if her face didn't show, at the confidence of the girl before her. The way she played with her knife was mesmerizing in a way, but that didn't distract Magnolia, even if she wasn't doing anything in particular aside from watching and making sure that she was ready to receive any order.

Almost like a robot, she just stayed there, unmoving aside from her chest that heaved faintly at every breath, and her eyes that blinked once in a while.

The eventual question, however, brought a reaction from her, in the form of a slight head tilt as she nodded. "Working for my master, and attending those that needs my services are rather satisfying, madam." The following words of the girl, however, colored the cheeks of the maid, even if no muscle of her face moved despite the embarrassment crawling at the statement.

"My apologies, madam Ran, but what you speak of is a big misunderstanding." Magnolia tried to correct her. "Master Trevor is a wonderful man, but our relationship is limited to servant and master. Nothing less, nothing more."

A very faint sigh escaped between her teeth, and she averted her eyes to the windows. They were already on the town's outskirts... Perhaps even further than that. The caravan was moving rather fast, and she wondered if it was because of the path the conversation went to, or if it was the driver becoming anxious because of their guest.

"On another topic, madam. This is a map you have on you?" She questioned. "Could it be that you are traveler, rather than a mercenary?"

@Ran

 

[Ran]

Now, traditionally,​

the kind of person who made sexual implications about your servant-master relationship wasn't the kind you would enjoy sharing a caravan with. But, intentionally or not, that's what she'd done. In reply to her clarifications, the wolf pushes a low and slow chuckle. It was an evil sort of sound. She'd practiced it plenty.

"Have a little fun."

she speaks, offering a slightly more revealing smile—more revealing, of her numerous and sharpened teeth.

"No misunderstanding 'ere, love. I knew your type from the minute I saw you."

She turns her lips sideways. No, that didn't sound right. She throws her hands up in an exaggerated shrug, rolling her head back and closing her eyes. With her lips ajar in a sigh, it's easy to see the real depth of her fangs. Two of the pointed teeth are a touch longer than the others.

"What I'm saying is, it was a joke. I know you aren't shaggin' the guy, or whatever. No need to get your knickers all up in a twist, aye? Laugh a little."

That's better...?

Of all the things Ran did, getting into character was something she'd certainly achieved.

But, the map. Best to move on from that, right? Though, a little flush. How curious. These NPCs were, uncanny. Though none of them quite so uncanny, as this girl. She supposed she'd never had an extended conversation with one before. Or rather, much of a conversation at all. How long had she played this, now?
Offering a little wave of the held map,

"Are they mutually exclusive?"

is what the Caenis says, taking this time to lift her plated other hand, and brush her hood back off of her head. Her ears are short and sharply pointed, perked up on her head attentively—and her hair is, actually, rather long in the back. It disappears into the depths of her cloak, its full length unknown.

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that. What's the fun in only doing one thing? You gotta mix it up."

Ran offers a shrug, and rolls her eyes out the window. Widening them briefly, with the faint, faint sound of something disappearing away into the treeline.

Her words then, were oddly devoid of that crude and cutthroat tone. As she continued to prod the maid's mental faculties, she decided to expose her to a little philosophy. But further than that, something she felt was true.

"Living in a monotonous cycle, every day just another blur. Doesn't matter how neat something is the first time. It'll get boring eventually."

And the eyes she turns to Magnolia, are not narrow. Not sly. They're opened, passive, and markedly intelligent. With her lips thinly pursed and neutral,

"Don't you think so?"

is what she says.

 

[Magnolia]

The chuckle made the rider shudder once again, poor thing, being as usual, at the verge of a heart attack.

Magnolia looked at Ran's narrowed eyes, with the flush becoming fainter, but still lingering at the way she was referred to. "Understood, my apologies for reacting too defensively, madam Ran." Her head bowed slightly. "But it is a relief, to know you have a hearty sense of humor. Many adventurers my master hire are too serious or too grim."

The rider glanced behind his back, looking at Magnolia as if he questioned if a somber girl playing with a knife and chuckling devilishly wasn't grim enough.

When the topic trailed to the aspect of routine. Magnolia paused for a moment, glancing at the road and their destination approaching. "They are not..." She muttered. "And you are correct, madam. A monotone life, despite being preferable by many, is one that is fated to be boring."

Magnolia's eyes then returned to Ran's "Thankfully, I am no ordinary maid. So I have the privilege of meeting and accompanying fate twisting individuals such as you." She couldn't smile, not when her face refused to follow her emotions.

But her eyes narrowed with a faint shimmer reflecting in her empty eyes.

The clouds slowly shifted to an orange and warm hue, particularly the ones aimed at the horizon they were going to. Time was flying, and so was the end of their small travel, with the caravan slowing down.

"Tell me, madam..." Magnolia stood up. "Are you doing this because of the coins, the thrill, both, or something else?" She wondered, curious about her motivations.

@Ran

 

[Ran]

—And, traditionally,​

the sort that made your rider shudder with fear was not the sort you wanted to be driven by your rider. But tradition was what Tokunaga sought to evade, here. A world where, what was normal didn't matter. A world where tradition didn't exist. Somewhere that denied normality, formality, and became decidedly different.

Somewhere that defied, that tradition.​

With a quiet "Hmn?", the Caenis is already halfway out of the carriage, and is currently looking over her shoulder at the maid to her side.

"Why am I doing this?"

She draws a finger to her lip, tapping it for a moment. She didn't necessarily need the money. Not enough, anyway, to risk it on anything bigger than a normal monster hunt or bandit clearout—that being, not enough to do anything more than bare minimum. So with that in mind, the wolf offers a narrow, sharp-toothed smile of a surprisingly genuine and non-malicious nature, and says very simply—

"Because it's fun."

With that, she hops out of the caravan, and starts to keep pace with its slowing speed. She keeps the jog rather easily, and her armor's clinking and shifting doesn't appear to be restricting her much. It was, if the maid was curious enough to look, composed of numerous and very specific gaps for mobility. It would seem she bore no weapons other than the myriad daggers, but pairing that with heavy armor was, to an average person in the modern-day's media, particularly strange.
Though, the maid could fight, too? She wondered how well. There was no way they had NPCs that could fight better than star-whatevers, right? Besides maybe, like, guards or something. Or bosses. Or... Actually, their might be a lot of those. She ponders, eventually slowing to a walk as they arrive at their designated destination. This maid, though? Maybe she was super important, or something. But these Landers were really starting to give her the uncanny creeps.

"How d'you fight?"

says the wolf who draws, for now, one of her daggers. One of the longer ones she has, with enough space to be held with two hands. She holds it as so at her waist, the blade pointing out to her side.

"I'm like a, uh. Let's see. A Tank, I guess."

Would an NPC understand terminology like that? She draws one of her hands away for the moment, and offers into the sky a small cone of flame. Very short range and, by the looks of it, rather hot.

"Depending on how things go,"

She draws that hand to her lips for a moment, before she returns it to the dagger.

"-It might be best to stay a good bit away from me, aye? Can't guarantee your safety. Unless there's some sort of like..."

Friendly fire system. But could she party with a Lander? Could she party at all? She hadn't worked with other people yet, certainly not NPCs, so for the moment she vaguely shrugs. For now, she starts lackadaisically waltzing in the direction she'd been checking on her map, earlier.

 

[Magnolia]

"For fun, hm..." Magnolia nodded, understanding what the other girl meant. At the time she wasn't too different, joining the game and going through it despite all the warnings because it 'was fun', and more importantly, because it made her feel alive.

She didn't comment too much on it, simply accepting the nature of the wolf girl, that felt rather familiar in this aspect.

As Magnolia followed to leave the caravan, the rider called for her.

"Be careful, Maggie. I will be around, so just make the signal if you need." He warned, then glancing at Ran, a bit hesitant to add: "Y-You too, ma'am." Then, he took the reins, moving a bit further form the path he had released them.

Magnolia paused to cast a glance at him, not managing to muster a smile, but at the very least nodding in acknowledgement and following Ran to their destiny...

TITAN SKULL
Falderen, Lyrwick
Minutes before Sunset, Foggy

From afar, after going past a treeline, it wasn't hard to notice through the less dense fog the silhouette of a giant skull with a single large horn curving through its side, and with its jaws open to welcome anyone as if it was a door, guarded by two torches and an eerie aura that made it unsettling even for the calmest minds.

"I am unsure what do you mean for 'tank', madam..." Magnolia said, then casting a glance at the flames the other had erupted out of thin air. "... That's an impressive spell casting. You must be truly talented." She complimented-

"My talents in combat aren't that magical, however. I rely on poisons, certain alchemical tools and a mix of brawling and certain assassination tools, madam." Magnolia explained, calmly tugging her dress, showing a handful of sharp concealed weapons and projectiles, such as needles, darts and daggers, that spread across all her clothes.

"As for staying away from you..." Magnolia glanced at the skull ahead. "I'm uncertain if we will have much space, madam... All indicates this must be an underground hideout."

They still had a considerable distance from that strange structure, enough to be safe from an immediate sight.

@Ran