Private ✪ Finweald Gremlin & Furious

[Warden]

The Markets of Finweald

"Wait, Stooop!"
Clank clank clank clank!
The metal tapping repeateadly against the floor, lightning crawling all over the magia's arms and legs, faint sparks as she pushed her systems to the limit. The terrain turned favourable long ago, and yet she started to get lethargic from all the running she's been doing, and the far louder source she's chasing after, with quite the delay given the difference in speed, would let people sort of picture the situation by themselves, so long as they got out of the way from the roaring horses that push a wagon, with it's contents on it's back long spilled as juice, fish and provisions all scatter across it's storage, painting the west side of Finweald with it's stench, and manning it...

*Funny goblin noises*

"Out of the way everyone!" Warden cried out, gritting her teeth as she took a quick turn over an alley. Chasing it by it's tail was a fool's errand. Instead, she took the pursuit up to the skies, jumping across opposite walls to boost herself high above until she ended on the rooftops. Tracking down the goblin wasn't a problem, not with all the screams from lady and man alike, most likely almost ran over by the green pest.

Leaping from building to building until she caught sight of her target, having chosen to cut short it's path to gain the advantage, Warden leaped down to the wagon, her full weight shaking the goblin on it's seat as the magia stood back up, triumphant and ready to grasp the fearful intruder who knew it's life would come to an end, until...

The wagon went straight against the wall once the reins were let go of and the supports finally broke from the horses, leaving the cart to it's fate as gravity did it's thing and momentum alone carried them to their demise, that lead to a puff of smoke, splintered wood and loose oak wheels, practically torn apart from their spots.

And with one groaning magia over the floor, covered on dirt, bruises and a dumbfounded look on her face as she tried to come back to her senses.

@Celine Veilleux

 

[Celine Veilleux]

What had started as a cozy day at the markets in Finweald was interrupted by a turn of events that caused shouting and clamoring. Not one to follow a crowd, usually, Celine still listened to the shouting to get out of the way, narrowly missed by the wagon that was being manned by a goblin. Gritting her teeth, she wanted to make sure the horses would be okay and raced after them, holy aura already activating.

It didn't take all that long to catch up, arriving on the scene panting lightly. The horses were fine, the girl was alive but hurt, and the goblin was alive. Not bad, all things considered. Glowing with holy power, she called forth her divine might and smote the goblin where he lay, finishing him off before turning her power to heal to the girl.

"You alright?" She said, kneeling down to check on her with a worried expression. Even though she'd just healed her, she might still be banged up and dazed.

@Warden

 

[Warden]

Divine wrath was swiftly dispatched, and in it's wake left only but ashes of a poor goblin, perhaps the cleanest of deaths, or simply a most civilized way to execute that far surpasses the guillotine. Not odorless, yet sulphur is a far better alternative to a rotting carcass, the smite alone startled the equine duo, who took a fair distance despite both work beasts knowing well aware the danger had long passed, but animals ran on instincts, not logic. Who could blame them if they were more than ready to gallop away?

"You alright?"

A heavenly voice greeted with a little groan out of her lips, double vision blurring out the view for a moment as her body restarted itself, quite literally for the magia, the stings are no more upon reddened skin from the impact.

"A-angel?" With a drunkard's voice, Warden lifted her eyes to meet up with Celine's, her head buzzing as if afflicted by a hangover. She shook her head off, the little horn like protusions discharging energy to one another like a tesla coil "Haha, you look like a person I know." An awkward reply given so casually despite how seconds after her eyes widened. Yup, she knew this woman, or at least it seemed like... Miss Veilleux? "Aah! Wait," Gauntlets against the floor, already trying to help herself back up to her feet, keeping her head low to avoid the embarassment before clearing her throat, practiced words ringing fresh in her mind "Ehem, I'm fine. Sorry about that, public transport ain't the same nowdays." She smiled, having taken on a much more eloquent sort of voice, composed and level-headed compared to the sunshines and rainbows she spilled about earlier.

"Did you see a goblin around here though, miss? Kinda have a few words for him." Warden explained, bright eyes ceaselessly checking on her surroundings, only to find pink faces. Some frowns, but mostly understanding townspeople given they all saw what just happened with their very own eyes. That, and the broken wagon, devoid of it's rider, and a pile of ashes.

@Celine Veilleux

 

[Celine Veilleux]

"A-angel?" Celine smiled warmly, shaking her head in response,

"Not quite." She was a little surprised, though, to learn that she looked like someone this girl knew. Maybe they knew each other? It would be much easier to say so, then, you would think. But Celine did not recognize the girl's appearance from anywhere, much less anyone she'd met in game.

Maybe someone from the real world? The idea made her uneasy. If this girl did know her, she didn't like knowledge of such a caliber being one-sided.

"Glad you're alright. As for your driver, well...I'm afraid he's been turned to ash. You were a little busy so I went ahead and took care of him. Speaking of, though, you're a little banged up. I'm going to heal you now so stay still a moment, okay?" She softly commanded, taking each of the girl's wrist and turning her arms to inspect for bruises, touching anywhere she could find one and muttering healing words like soft prayers.

@Warden

 

[Warden]

"A-ah." Apparently this lady wasn't an angel. Despite initial disappointment, it made sense, since the character creation never gave her the option to make one in the first place.

"Glad you're alright. As for your driver, well...I'm afraid he's been turned to ash,"
"Huh. But I don't see any fire around here, how?" She could swear her nose or eyes didn't lie to her whatsoever. Gaze averted from Celine, irises clicking like a camera's lenses, yet no radar nor heat vision could pick up any heat signals around them. Things don't just turn into ash out of nowhere.

A cold ran down her spine once given an order. Miss Veilleux had always been the assertive sort at the library, but not the mean sort of assertive, more like a sort of authority. Given her job is to hush noisy teens, it checks out. Her hands, however, recoiled before the woman could take a grasp of them.

"One second!" Half apologetic about it, it felt wrong to just go against her out of a sudden. But she had good reasons in mind! Her gauntlets soon begun to de-attach themselves, turning into smaller plates, the pieces quite literally folding into one another as gears and cogs spun counter-clockwise and crawled through her jacket as if adding an extra layer over the fabrics, until her bare hands were put in display, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, where Celine could notice the cybernetic lines crossing over her skin. "All good." She concluded, offering her hands over to the woman once again to let her pray as she wills.

"You are not a npc, right?" She paused, eyes going west. "Sorrynothat'srude. I mean, are you a player? I never seen anyone with healing magic before. Granted I haven't been playing for long but, yeah." She so wanted to fidget with her hair right now, that usually helps her think what to say instead of just saying the first coming to mind. "I'm Warden, The Knight of Thorns. Nice to meet you miss..?"

@Celine Veilleux

 

[Celine Veilleux]

"I smote him." Briefly, she turned on her holy aura, giving her all the more reason to be called an angel even though she really wasn't. Still, it was nice to be referred to as such, especially since her build was based around the idea. She was very matter of fact about the ordeal, as if there was little else to do with a goblin.

As she took the girl's hands, she had to wait for her to undo her gauntlets, which made her smile softly as she took the soft hands in her own, muttering healing words over any found bruises or cuts. When done, she shook her head in response to the girl's question, smirking, "Not an NPC, no. I'm a player. I haven't been playing all that long, either." She'd had the game a while but couldn't afford to get on all that often.

"Warden, nice to meet you. I am Celine Veilleux. Librarian by day, valkyrie or angel by night, depending on my mood." A dry smirk belied any seriousness to the statement, but she really did like the idea of being a valkyrie.

"Come, let's get out of the road and let the town get this mess cleaned up." She offered her hand to the girl to take so that she could stand, if she wasn't already.

 

[Warden]

A celestial body would be an accurate description for Lady Veilleux right now, something to save for this edition of her adventure once she publishes it. The woman's divinity was as much of a weapon as it is a blessing. Good thing she ended on the latter's side of the spectrum.

Proof enough by how easily her bruised arms were left unblemished. Warden blinked twice to this, given it's implications. "Woah, didn't thought anyone could heal a Magia like that. You are pretty good, miss, how much I owe you?" She asked, natural for her to do so, and without an ounce of distrust in her voice. 'If you are good at something, never do it for free' words out of her father's mouth and a quote well drilled in her mind. Specially given this is a player and not some Lawful Good alignment NPC or part of a quest.

'I knew it!' Her mind shouted, awestruck just as much by confirmation as with Celine's own statement, spreading her lips into a smile as Warden just giggled to herself. "Well it's daytime, so you already broke your rule, miss Veilleux. I'm glad though, I don't have any healing skills myself. Should have picked some when I could..." She scratched at the back of her head. Oopsie.

"Come, let's get out of the road and let the town get this mess cleaned up."

A hand came her way, one she gladly took hold of to hop back up to her feet. "We can't just leave the horses there though. Somebody could steal them. What you say if we take them back to their owner? He should be around the entrance to the city by now I reckon." She nodded, leaning back just to give a smug little smirk back at the blonde. "Or are angels afraid of riding on horseback..? I can teach you if you want." Flavouring that question as a tease, with Warden nudging them both towards both horses, with a facade of confidence in order to impress: Riding horses? Easy for the mighty Knight of Thorns but of course! Hopefully that is.

@Celine Veilleux

 

[Celine Veilleux]

"You owe me nothing at all." She waved away the prospect of being paid for such a service, "I am happy to help those in need, and it costs me nothing but a little energy that can be easily replenished." Her voice soft and comforting, truly befitting a librarian as much as a perfect mother. You could almost link her voice to the smell of warm cookies, or the feeling of being wrapped up in blankets on a cold winter day.

"Right you are, silly me." She smirked, enjoying the bright giggle of Warden at her contradiction, "Well, that's why you find balance in your party. I am a healer for several parties that need one. Doesn't seem like a popular class choice, but I am happy to be in high demand." That meant she could offer her services for money with a little bit of an easier justification, all things considered.

"Good point." She replied simply, starting to guide a horse back towards the way it came from, laughing at the prospect of being taught or worse, being afraid, "I was the horse girl back at school." And for good reason, being the quiet girl who read in her free time and took care of the family's horses when she was home. She jumped and landed on the saddle, waiting for Warden to do the same so that they could ride back through town together.

"You remind me of someone." She said, hoping to broach the topic simply, "I'm not certain who, but you seem familiar somewhat."

 

[Warden]

Warden smiled to such unsuspecting answer, despite how she should have known this to be the case from the start. Celine had been nothing but nice to acquaintances and herself whenever she spent time in the library, granted she didn't cause a ruckus, which hardly happened.

"Right you are, silly me."
"Silly you." She repeated with a smirk of her own. "I wouldn't know about healers and what's on demand though, I haven't met many players. I mean, everyone looks and sounds like a player, right? It's kind of scary." Warden huffed. "But does that mean you are pretty popular? Wow, that's-" She caught herself right there and then as her voice shifted noticeably. To escape the awkward situation, she coughed, awkwardly so, clearing her throat in the process.

The self-proclaimed angel horse girl then proceeded to give clear proof, with how naturally she jumped onto the saddle, and Warden followed suit. Clumsy, but she made it up with strength to lift herself into position. "Sounds nice, if it means what I think it means and you spent a lot of time around horses. I'm used to hunting on horseback, but this body is uhh, a bit too strong and weird I guess?. Just started playing a few days ago, never been one to games before."

As they started their trip down the paved roads though, her blood turned ice and every hair on her pigtails springed up as if forced by gravity to do so:

"You remind me of someone."
'oh-oh.'
"Uhhh, I never seen you before, miss Veilleux." She retorted, pursing her lips together.
"I'm not certain who, but you seem familiar somewhat."
"I mean, I'm the knight of thorns, maybe you heard of me before." But in hindsight, she's new to the game, so how did she have a title already?! Oh dear, good thing her bangs hide the panic sweatbeads, and the road took priority over looking at the librarian-valkyrie in the eye.

@Celine Veilleux

 

[Celine Veilleux]

"I wouldn't say I'm all that popular, but I suppose I do get a good bit more attention than I do back at the library." She seemed contemplative for a moment, looking up to the sky. It was easy to see why, with such natural beauty and a kind spirit, but she didn't quite understand it herself. In her own reflection of herself, she still saw an awkward, quiet girl nosing her way through dozens of books at a time and never having time for much else.

"Funny enough, I didn't really touch games before this, myself. I've only been at it a few months now, but there is something so charming about this game that makes me want to play more." She responded, then added, "My family had a ranch that included a stable, so I spent plenty of time around horses. Had little plastic toy horses, a new pair of riding boots every year, the whole nine." She seemed to be happy remembering those times, even if she was shaking her head somewhat. She'd definitely grown since then, but it was hard to see sometimes. Even now, she was loving being on the horse riding through town.

Her eyes locked to her new companion, though, when the idea that she might seem familiar came up, "No, I've definitely never heard of you before. It's just one of those feelings, you know? Maybe it's nothing." Maybe.

It wasn't too long of a ride before they were arriving and delivering two horses without a cart to a man who was near panicking, freaking out over the fact that he had just lost plenty in investments due to a goblin. Did they have insurance in this world? Celine certainly hoped so. Delivering the horse with an apologetic face, her and Warden eventually turned away, "You seem interesting, anyway. Care to join me for a while and travel together?"

@Warden

 

[Warden]

"A librarian? Well I really like reading so, guess we were just fated to meet huh?" Hindsight slapped her on the face just as she revealed more than she should have, unconciously speaking without a care like that.

Despite it, she just kept watching the lady gaze upon the skies, something about it was so captivating, and it all rooted down to the natural elegance with which she did so, like a woman on a painting, perfectly set up to inspire awe on any watcher.

As they rode down the markets of Finweald, Warden listened intently at the librarian giving more insight on her past, on a lifetime of memories that got her smiling given how she could relate to it to a certain extent. "It's super fun for a game. It's like a second life to experience without any of the issues that come with that." She paused, yelping momentarily as her eyes darted anywhere but Celine at that point. "That's kinda weird to say, but I mean it kind of feels like that?" Picking up on her bravado of earlier and with reins at hand, Warden made a point to take the lead, given she had more or less an accurate idea of where the old rancher was at. "My dad used to take me out to hunt. Old fashioned man, loved the idea of hunting and riding and doing both at once. It's super hard to think at one point people shot bows at horseback, you know?" A certain passion on her voice awakened at the fond memories that clicked at that moment.

"No, I've definitely never heard of you before. It's just one of those feelings, you know? Maybe it's nothing."
"Wha- That's preposterous!" She objected. How could she NOT know of the Knight of Thorns?! "Well I'll show you who the Knight of Thorns is and refresh your memory, ma'am." Determinination as bright as a hundred suns.

"You seem interesting, anyway. Care to join me for a while and travel together?"

The question caught her off-guard just as Warden bowed down to the poor man, grateful regardless of the pain that struck his features and that half smile of his: a cart is one thing, losing both horses another, at least he got half of the deal back, and he departed no sooner than that once giving his thanks to the pair.

"You should add me to your friendlist, if you want to. Would make it easier to keep in contact later." She rushed to it, to the first opportunity to make a new friend, playing it cool for once, and giving a glance off to the roads, to the walls and the gigantic entrance that lead to the capital they just exited, and the vast forest and landscape opening towards them to the south, the pigtailed girl locked eyes back with Celine once again. "Where to? I know there's plenty of nice hotspots around here we can go to. There's this lake where you can stargaze at any time of the day, I think. It's better at night though."

@Celine Veilleux

 

[Celine Veilleux]

"I guess so." Again, through a soft smile. She always had a contented air about her, seemingly easy to please.

"Right, I get what you mean. It's a life we're more willing to lose and also one that is lower stakes. At least, on the surface. Things are never quite that simple once you look below water level." Then Warden talked about her father, and he reminded Celine of her own father.

"Sounds like my own father, to some degree. Big rugged guy, really a teddy bear. Speaking of, I need to go visit my family soon." She mused, "But yea, it's really interesting to know just how skilled the people of the past were when it came to things that mattered. There is still skill like that today, of course, but it doesn't seem to matter as much." She shrugged.

Celine giggled again at the show of confidence and the annoyance that Warden showed at not being heard of, "Can't wait." She teased lightly, tone dripping with amusement.

At the prompt of adding each other as friends, she hesitated with the menu for a moment as she thought about how to do that, eventually finding it and sending a friend request to the other girl. She looked up with amusement once more as Warden suggested stargazing as an idea,

"Stargazing? That's a little...intimate. Not that I'm against it. How about you show me around? I would be honored to have the Knight of Thorns as a tour guide, and I'll be in your hands." Sounded like she'd like that, if her intuition was correct.