[Piper]

[d=crimson]((OOC:[/d] Tagging Lani, Elias and Lucas.[d=crimson]))[/d]

The warmth of Fawn's body curled up against her hip was a blessing as Piper, reigns in hand, nervously steered the rented cart around a bend in the river. This was her first day on the road, her first trip ever into the "wilds" of Elysia all alone, and her first attempt to drive a cart. Naturally, she was nervous as heck.

Fortunately, she'd taken the time to ask the Espurian stabler's opinion. He'd convinced her to rent a landstrider instead of a horse or pony, saying they were friendlier and easier to handle. It cost extra but he'd also picked out a taroch that already knew the route well and that could pretty much drive itself - a big plus for someone who'd never even ridden in a cart before, let alone steered one.

She probably should have just hired the taroch and ridden it, but her last riding venture hadn't ended so well for her thighs and the saddles for landstriders looked... unnerving. The stabler had assured her they were safe and far more comfortable than horse saddles but she'd lost her nerve. Besides, she wasn't sure exactly how many gems she could get hold of in Kyriake; depending on just how "reasonable" their prices were, she'd try to stock up plenty so she didn't have to make this trip again any time soon. Plus, she'd heard that a weaver up there was making some spectacular silks that she'd like to try for her bears (perhaps a new line of geisha bears or something?), so it wouldn't hurt to have the extra space.

So far, so good. She was actually starting to enjoy the ride. The seat wasn't luxurious but she'd had the forethought to buy a couple of cushions that made the ride that much more comfortable, along with a soft fleece that was draped over her stockinged legs to keep them warm (though she hadn't thought to wear her only pair of jeans). Comet certainly seemed to like it, anyway. Along with her suitcase, which she'd bought especially for the trip, he was sitting in the back of the cart with his tongue lolling out and acting for all the world like a king sitting on his throne.

Except her carefully laid-out plan scheduling rest-stops in the villages along the way seemed to have a kink in it; it was already getting dark and there wasn't a building in sight.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elias]

It was long due for Elias to take a short “break” from his usual hangs within Elysia. Local guards were getting used to his face, and the words “jail time” had actually cropped up in his mind. When asking around for nice places to hunker down and hide in for days at a time, Elias heard whispers of a town that focused itself on mining precious and shiny gems. For extra protection, Elias had garbed himself in a somewhat heavier outfit, involving a somewhat larger hood and a bandana covering his mouth. When Elias set out upon the road, he was unable to sway any kind of transportation, and therefore, he’d have to pay for that by robbing every passerby he saw.

As Elias began the long trek, making sure to have emptied his satchel in order to make plenty of room for all things he might steal and collect along the way. Unfortunately, Elias had no control over his only companion, an incorrigible ruby ring with feathery wings. Xanth had cursed him quite recently, and while the ring wasn’t very dangerous or ominous, it was a nuisance the likes of which Elias had never known. However, Elias was able to move past it in favor of robbing a figure riding a landstrider-guided cart. There appeared to be a dog in the cart, but Elias didn’t bother with it.

Having hidden behind a small rock formation, Elias waited with baited breath until the cart neared his hiding place. At the opportune moment, Elias leaped out onto the road, and clenched his fists in a most menacing way. Without any kind of knife, Elias could only threaten beatings and head-locks.

“You there! Hand over your goods, and your xanthos, and you may escape with your life!”

Elias was quite satisfied with the threat, but there was something strikingly familiar about the woman he was attempting to rob. Whether he’d seen her before, or robbed her house some time ago Elias couldn’t pinpoint, but none of that matter. In a few minutes, Elias would be a few xanthos richer.

[Piper]

She should have paid better attention to the stabler's words of caution, but she still tended to think like an American, where road trips across the country didn't often lead to trouble. It didn't help with her thinking that her only trip beyond city limits in the past year, horse-riding with Cal to Danurai, had been largely uneventful.

She hadn't come completely unprepared, though. Under the blanket, strapped to her thighs, were her two daggers - for what good they'd do her. Mostly, she relied on her pets; Comet, in particular, could be almost vicious.

With what tiny part of her brain considered the danger utterly convinced she was protected (she never would have left Espur otherwise), the sudden appearance of a masked bandit took her completely by surprise.

She yelped as the landstrider stopped dead, and squeaked as her momentum jerked her back in her seat. Eyes wide, she stared at the masked man, her brain slow to catch up with what her eyes were telling it. And then, as she realised what she was seeing, she burst into a fit of giggles.

Maybe it was hysteria - it was just her luck to be robbed not even a day out of the city! - but it just didn't seem real and a part of her was convinced this was some kind of practical joke. Her pets weren't so complacent, though, disturbed by the sudden jolt. Fawn sat up on the seat beside Piper, fur bristling and her tail sticking up. There was a rustle from the cart behind them as Comet tensed, his black and white head popping up over the front seat to see what was going on.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elias]

Both dogs reared their heads, and Elias immediately recalled what about this woman was so familiar. Never did he forget the face of an animal that threatened to kill him, and those two dogs were the same mutts that had threatened him just days ago. However, Elias was confident that she couldn’t recognize him, and that was all that mattered. It was time for this adventurous thief to show the giggling shop-keep what kind of mistake she was making, giggling derisively at him like that.

“Relinquish your goods! And your coins, IMMEDIATELY! Or do you wish to see your MUTTS turned into a stew!?”

Yet again, Elias realized that most of his posturing made little sense without a knife. Elias had to move and pose himself carefully, pointing and balling his fists as he threatened. If he wasn’t careful, however, his voice and stench would cause the woman to point him out, and so his plans would lie in ruins. For just a single moment, Elias vaguely feared that he wouldn’t actually be receiving all the goods that the clerk possessed. Nevertheless, he pressed on, trying to make himself seem bigger than he actually was. Having foreboding and demonic wings at this juncture might have helped a great deal.

“There’s no law out here—nobody to protect you! If you die here, nobody’ll be the wiser!”

[Lani]

Lani had been enjoying the trip so far. Erasmus had come with her, and he made a good companion. Of course he had to be pursuaded to join her trip, but seeing him loose the bet had made it twice as worth it. The pack on her back was around thirty pounds, maybe thirty five. It was making her joints hurt a little, but she was confident she could get used to it easily, plus, it felt nice to have the ache from a workout.

Humming to herself, she walked up the hill at a leisurly pace, a mix between skipping and walking. Her cheeks where slightly flushed, and she heard voices ahead. Pushing a low-lying branch to the side, she saw Piper and a man. "Hello Piper!" She called cheerfully, walking up to greet her personally, when she noticed who the man was; and what he was saying.

She would recognize Stinky Man anywhere after that incident with Bubbles, and him threatening fellow Canines was unacceptable. Eyes narrowing at him, she growled a little. Eyes on him, she asked Piper: "This guy giving you trouble? I know him."

(ooc: just mentioning he agreed to come. let me know if this qualifys as pre-godmod please. Permission from Danny to mention Erasmus.)

[Erasmus]

Erasmus’s luck had been abysmal lately. A few days earlier he had managed to stub his toe, lose his (empty) wallet and get himself signed up for some insufferable trip all in the space of one afternoon, having taken up a bet with Lani over a game of Poker that stated the winner of the final hand of the game would be able to pick a fun, wholesome activity that the both of them would undertake. Erasmus’s hand was, in his mind, excellent and so he cockily agreed, laying down his flush believing that a night spent watching old martial arts movies with beer and complete control over the television for a single, wonderful night in which Lani would not be allowed anywhere near the remote.

The loser was doomed to clean dishes for a week.

Of course, she matched his flush with a royal flush and now here he was, lugging his own pack (which was considerably heavier than Lani’s as she had elected him to carry much of the camping equipment), knowing that not even returning to their flat would offer respite, considering the amount of washing up he would have to do when they got home.

Erasmus watched Lani go ahead, talking to someone who... was that Piper? Erasmus blinked, wiping his brow as he then laid eyes on someone talking to her... however coming closer and hearing the tone of his voice, coupled with Piper’s terrified expression.

Setting down what he had packed, Erasmus strolled over, flexing his lean physique as he came walked up to the would-be thief, cracking his knuckles. Grinning, Erasmus bared his fangs as he waited for Elias to notice him.

“Sorry, but she’s with me.” he said, clenching his fists.

To substantiate the threats promised by his pose, Erasmus decided to impose his dominance the good old fashioned way; physical violence. Pulling his fist back, Erasmus sent one of the best right hooks he could muster aimed squarely at Elias’ jaw.

((OOC: GM permission from Elias.))

[Piper]

Piper sobered instantly at the sound of him threatening her beloved pets. Forced to realise he was serious, she squeaked and stared at him, eyes wide with fear. The smell had reached her nostrils, too, making it difficult to keep a straight face or even to think. And still she didn't recognise him.

She wanted to tell him not to be ridiculous, that she was as protected as a person could get with her loyal companions. She'd visited Xanth specifically to ask that her pets be granted the ability to protect her, because she was terrified of something - just like this! - from happening again. So what happened the first time she was really put to the test?

She chickened out. She had no idea of knowing if the thief was armed, or if he had powers that could overwhelm Comet's shield. She'd rather give up every penny she owned than risk the lives of her pets. So much for never being defenceless ever again!

Stupid, stupid stupid!

She was weighing her options, terrified the bandit would attack if she didn't hurry when two people approached.

“This guy giving you trouble? I know him.”

Piper had barely begun to process this, confused about how the girl could recognise someone whose face was masked by a bandana, when the man attacked. Piper leaped to her feet, a motion that set the cart rocking so that she was forced to grab at the back of the seat so she wouldn't fall over. Her blanket slid off and Fawn shot upright too, whining uncomfortably. Disturbed by the sudden back-and-forth motion of the cart and the violence, Comet set to growling as his front paws came up in an effort to climb over into the driver's seat, instead getting stuck part way.

It took her a second to recognise her rescuers, Erasmus in particular, and her jaw dropped. His ragged, torn wings made so much sense to her in that moment, as did the tattiness of his clothes the first time they met; there was something completely comfortable in the way he moved when he lashed out, like the movement was utterly familiar to him. It made her wonder how many times he'd hit someone.

Doing her best to leap forward, out of the cart, without tripping over Fawn or landing flat on her face on the dirt road, Piper shrieked. “Erasmus, no!” Anyone willing to stop a cart and threaten murder had to be dangerous somehow, and she was terrified the masked thief was about to do something horrific to the vampire.

To Lani, whose face finally connected with a memory and a name from one of her order forms, she yelled desperately, “Stop him!”

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elias]

Everything was going smoothly—the clerk was almost at the breaking point, which was a good place to be for anybody that Elias planned to victimize. While both of her mutts seemed prepared to strike, they stayed within the confines of the strider-driven cart; another point in Elias’ favor.

However, Elias couldn’t just leap into the cart and begin stealing. A voice froze him in place, and as Elias turned to face the source, tension shot through his spine. This woman had accosted him once before, and Elias had only been trying to steal a measly wallet back then.

Prepared to give her an earful of rhetoric, Elias thrusted an angry finger in Lani’s direction. Elias hated the feeling of having a victory stolen right from within his grasp, especially when he was nearing the end of an old vendetta. As Elias affixed his gaze and rage upon Lani, he became oblivious to the brawler coming his way.

“You! I won’t stand for this! You’ll—UNFF!”

A fist knocked Elias onto his back, as well as sending his mask flying off. Elias scooped the hood off of his head, and got a better look at the man that had struck him. There were far too many threats in the area, and while Elias knew to flee, he was obligated to return the strike.

Of the few possessions he had, Elias hadn’t sold his dignity just yet. Tossing up his legs, Elias threw them back down in order to leverage himself onto his feet, and used the momentum to throw his body at the brawler’s chest.

A successful tackle was all he needed, for Elias quickly regained his footing yet again and dove into a respectable distance from the lot of them. Before leaving, Elias pointed at the lot of them with an accusing finger.

“You think you’ve saved yourselves!? You think you’ve won!? You’ll regret this—you’ll ALL regret this!”

Pausing, Elias shifted his focus onto Piper, this time with a definite seething rage in his eyes. For this, he knew that he would find and make her suffer for real.

“Especially YOU”

Having finished his tirade, Elias immediately absconded as quickly as his legs could take him. Tonight, he was going to steal something very big, from somebody very important. While he couldn’t promise an exact house, or an exact person, Elias swore to find immediate retribution in the form of ornate furniture.

[Lani]

As Piper shrieked something about stopping Erasmus, she tried to grab the womans hand in an attempt to calm her down. "Piper! Its okay, he's all talk. I've handled him on my own, and Erasmus is much stronger than I'am." Okay, so that was a lie, she'd had Bubbles last time, as well as Ruari; but if it helped calm down Piper then she would do her best.

She almost rolled her eyes at Erasmus's cocky comment, but was strangly used to it by now. After the first time she helped him take somebody down (That Anyeli scumbag.) She'd figured it would take awhile to get used to helping in a fight, but with Bubbles, and Era, she had more fights than in the first eighteen years of her life all in the few months she'd been in Elysia.

As the thief gave his speech, Lani glared at him. This guy was either really stupid or had no social skills. Or both. Turning back to Piper, she asked: "Hey you okay?" Then, to Erasmus, it was a question if he'd agree, and Piper it was a request: "We could walk you to your town to make sure he doesnt come back. Where you headed too?" Talking as light as if discussing the weather.

[Erasmus]

Wheezing as his opponent opted to throw his entire body into a tackle, Erasmus tensed his neck as he hit the ground in an effort to prevent the back of his head from hitting the floor. Pulling himself to his feet, he watched Elias engage in the classic manoeuvre of the tactical withdrawal. Erasmus was certain his blow had hurt a lot more than Elias’.

Ah, the loudmouths. All bark and no bite, they would often wish to have the last word, even if they’d just been punched in the face, and it seemed Elias was no exception, swearing revenge as he ran off with his tail between his legs. Of course Erasmus was going to let him go, scumbags like Elias were plentiful and annoying, and posed little threat to Erasmus. If he opted to go after the people Erasmus considered under his care? Well Erasmus had contemplated murder before... time would tell how real a threat Elias’ words were. Retrieving his pack, Erasmus took a few steps to Piper, tilting his head as he looked down at her for confirmation she was alright after her encounter. 

[Piper]

Piper paused at the edge of the cart seat when Lani grabbed her hand, wondering if what she'd said was true. Had she been panicking over nothing? The demon certainly had gone down easy enough, but that acrobatic manoeuvre to put him back on his feet only worried her more.

She was gunned to action when the thief tackled Erasmus, scrambling - with absolutely no dignity - down from her seat in an effort to block the pair before the Zanaryan could hurt Erasmus. She halted again when Elias spouted off his threats, her eyes widening when she realised she recognised him. It was - it was that guy who'd tried to pawn a ring at her store in lieu of cash!

The threat he made directly against her couldn't be more terrifying. He knew where she worked! He could find her at any time and it would be like Kaida and the Viper Group all over again. Oh, God, what had she done? She should have just handed over her money and... and...

“Hey you okay?”

Piper stood there, staring after the thief, her eyes huge in her head as the horror of the situation dawned on her. She was aware of Erasmus approaching, and of Lani saying something, and swallowed nervously. For a second, she couldn't move, couldn't speak, as her mind whirred. How was she supposed to deal with this? Clearly she'd done the right thing in refusing to accept the ring as payment; if it hadn't been obvious before from the thief's insistence that the ring was stolen, then it made sense now that he'd tried robbing her. She wished she had called local law enforcement now; maybe they could have caught him and saved her from this scare. But she couldn't go back to her shop knowing there was every chance some thieving demon was going to burst in and kill her at any second.

And was it her imagination, or had there been something buzzing around his head the whole time he'd been robbing her? She was too busy being robbed before to register the sight of it, and now he was gone she couldn't be sure she'd seen it in the first place, but she'd swear she'd seen a winged ring flapping around his head.

“I've lost my marbles. That's it. I've gone completely nutso. Whacked out. Off my rocker.” Slowly lifting her eyes to look at Erasmus and Lani, her expression dull, Piper continued. “I've gone round the bend, absolutely stark raving mad. I'm - I'm seeing... I'm hallucinating, seeing things.” She nodded; her head felt like it wasn't attached to her neck anymore, and she couldn't be sure she'd actually stopped nodding because it felt like her head was still wobbling. There was a dull roaring in her ears, too; if either of them said anything, she couldn't hear it.

She giggled a little. “He knows where I work, you know.” This was said in a conspiratorial whisper, like the whole thing was a secret. She sobered in the next instant as she repeated herself. “He knows where I work.”

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality