[Official NPC]

Raven was a purifier, having worked in Alexandria's sewers for nearly ten years — ever since she left her commune, having successfully completed all of her rituals, at the tender age of twenty-two. She was well-named, long raven-black hair tumbling down her back, with matching blue-black eyes sparkling from between enviously long eyelashes. Like all Nymphs, she was exceptionally pretty, and she took pride in her work.

But she was not prepared for the naga that slithered from a tunnel to her left, its venomous fangs tearing a startled scream from her ruby-red lips that echoed through the Purifiers' domain. She had no chance to summon her companion or her element for aid... and she was not the first of its victims.

[Leonard]

OOC: *This post is taking place on the date and time of the first post.*

---

The Lost had a tendency to wander, but never did he imagine that he would be strolling through the maze like sewer network of his home town. He had spent the last few weeks hitting pubs and the club scene to collect information about a certain rumor. There is talk and hearsay about a naga that is using these sewers as it's hunting grounds. He had heard many variations on the store. His favorite being that someone had purchased a baby naga as a pet, but flushed it down into the sewers when it had grown to large. He had only just recently decided that he had enough information to actually pursue this naga, and had made his way into the stinky depths.

It was not exactly a glamorous adventure, running around among the wastes of the city, looking for a creature that might not exist out of rumors, but he had to start somewhere.

Since he wasn't collecting information right now, and instead was acting on information, he was wearing his mask. He was also wearing dark gray, comfortable traveling clothes that matched the light gray wings folded up behind him. The smile painted on his face was hidden by the small dark mantle wrapped around his shoulders and his long hair was pulled back in a pony tail. His hands and forearms were covered in what was both his only armor and only weapons. They were his specially designed Underground Boxing Gauntlets.

He was thankful he had decided to take his mask along, because it helped block out the stench of the sewers. It still was not pleasant.

The Lost's thoughts were cut short suddenly as a sharp cry rang out in the distance. He turned to the sounds of the cry, stopping dead in his tracks. Because of the echoing, he couldn't be sure where the sound had originated, but from the sound of it, he assumed it was a young girl. The sewers was not a popular hangout for you women. There were only so many reasons why she would be down here. Lost quickly deduced which reason was the most likely and took off in the direction towards the Purifiers' domain.

His well toned and fit body carried it's self through the sewers with ease and grace. His powerful strides propelled him down tunnel after tunnel and easily making sharp turns, while avoiding slipping on the wet sewer walkways. Footwork is important in boxing. Practitioners train to dash into and out of striking range by doing hours and hours of road work. Doing so also gives them the stamina to last all 12 rounds and The Lost was well trained. He had the stamina to carry him from where he was all the way to the Purifiers' domain and back, with out even braking a sweat. However, he didn't need to. As he traveled through the tunnels he gradually began to hear the distinct sound of something large being dragged over the sound of his footsteps.

He made a few more sharp turns, until his effort paid off. There, at the other end of the sewer tunnel he had just turned into, he caught a glimpse of 'something' large turning the corner. From what he saw, it had a large tail and was dragging besides it the body of a small humanoid figure.

He took a moment to catch his breath and steel his nerves. Then he charged forward after the beast.

He turned the corner it had just a few moments before, with his arms up in a loose guarding stance. There he saw it, the rumored 'Naga of the Wastes'. The Lost was not much for stealth, and the footsteps of his heavy boots carried easily in these tunnels. The echoes had altered the predator of the man that had come for it, and it had turned to face The Lost by now. There were no words spoken from The Lost, none were needed. It was clear what would happen next. The two would do battle.

[Maaike]

Maaike probably shouldn't be in Alexshire right now. She'd put feelers out for her standing with the Guard but it was probably best to avoid the city altogether for a while. Except Graeme had word from an old friend that there was trouble in the sewers, and his daughter just happened to be a Purifier.

Maaike hadn't learned yet how to refuse Graeme when he made those eyes at her. It was like facing her five-year-old son when he wanted sugar.

So here she was, knee-deep in sewage once again, with Cailean snuffling behind her. The azani's nose was in the air as he sniffed out whatever was stalking the tunnels, but the sewage was making it tough to track anything. Maaike was just glad she'd thought to bring him, since otherwise it would be her nose pressed to the air, and she really didn't want to smell all this... this... crap with her wolf nose, thank you very much.

As it turned out, they didn't need the azani's nose after all. His head reared up a split second before the scream reached Maaike's own ears, and in one fluid motion, she leaped up into his saddle as he spurted forward.

It would have been easy to get lost in the maze of tunnels without Cailean's nose, eyes and hearing. As it was, Maaike had no clue how to return to where they'd been by the time they got to where they were going, but by then she had other things to worry about.

At first, she didn't see the guy in the mask; she was too busy digging her heels into Cailean's side to make him rear, and shouting for him to attack the naga. She used his momentum to fuel a forward flip that landed her on her feet with a splash, and then ducked low to avoid a swipe of the azani's vicious claws.

When she did see the mask, she almost freaked. In the barely-lit tunnels, it was the creepiest thing she'd ever seen. Her double-take cost her valuable time, and she wasn't able to duck the next blow in time. Her screech was a combination of vicious swearing in Sylvan and a deep well of pain as the naga's claws raked across the back of her shoulder.

[Leonard]

The tension in the air was thick as The Lost stood off against the vicious Naga. It was trying to decide if it should bother with the presence of the tiny man, or if it should just take it's prize to it's nest or wherever it was taking it. It was trying to size him up, to see if he was a threat, but he couldn't bring himself to make the first move.

Before he could work up the courage to do so, someone else beat him to it. Someone, who The Lost could only assume was also hunting the Naga, leaped straight into battle on some kind of mount that he couldn't quite make out in the darkness. He watched as she did battle with the beast, a little relieved. He was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake coming down here. After all, this thing could have killed him, but now that this other person was doing battle with it, he didn't have to fight it anymore.

If you jump into a fight that you're not needed in, then you're just making a nuisance out of yourself. He knew the lesson well. However, at the same time that he was feeling relief, there was a twinge of annoyance. He had come all this way, trudged through this filth, arrived here first, and yet this other person stole his fight from him. Lost hated being fickle, but that's how most mortals were. They hardly know what they want, and just when they decide, their life is already over.

The Lost tended to wander in thought as well. His heart struggled with this indecision in the brief moments that have passed since the woman's first appearance in the scene. Her fearless dive into battle showed her experience, just as his hesitation had shown his lack of it. She skillfully traded blows with the creature until... until she noticed him! He was taken a back slightly as she looked directly at him. Apparently he was just the distraction the Naga needed, as it landed a blow on the young woman warrior. When he saw this happen, all of his indecision and hesitation instantly vanished. Knowing it was his fault that she had become hurt filled him with guilt and a sense of duty.

He jumped down into the sewage and dashed into striking range. He delivered a quick kidney shot to the beast with his left, while not even being sure it had kidneys. The Naga was just about to follow up the attack it had landed on the woman, but The Lost intervened just in time to ruin it's rhythm. It cringed as his steel plated knuckles slammed into the scales of its underbelly. It changed the course of the swing it was preparing to swat Lost away.

He raised up his right arm as a guard as the beast's claws came down on him. He felt the impact of the strike through his gauntlets, but defused most of it by allowing it to push him back. He cut through the foul waters as the beast sent him away. He quickly dug into his stance, having to deal with the questionable footing beneath him, and prepared himself to deal with the beast's next move.

[Maaike]

Maaike wasn't grateful for the masked man's intervention. Seeing him just standing there, her first thought was that he was some idiot kid or an actor down here seeking thrills. (There weren't many actors in Elysia, and she herself had never met one before — although Ashton had taken her to the Espur Globe to watch plays a couple of times, and laughed at how thrilled she'd been by the shows — but they didn't have the greatest of reputations.) It was only when he started fighting back that she began to consider that she might have crossed onto another hunter's turf, and by then it was too late to extricate herself without doing even more damage.

Besides, hunters didn't like to share, and for them, it was a matter of who survived, not who got there first.

“Cailean!” Her shrill whistle commanded the azani to attack just as the masked man was shoved back through the sewage. The huge canine pounced at the naga's back, his powerful jaws clamping around the left side of its throat as his rear claws scrambled for purchase (and a few bonus scratches) on the naga's tail.

Even pinned as it was, the naga was dangerous. Its long tail whipped and slashed through the sewage, forcing her to keep her distance — unlike the masked man, she was completely unarmed and armourless.

Well, not completely, but her ring only worked if she herself was under attack, and she'd left it too long since those nasty claws had raked across her shoulder — and didn't fancy taking another hit, if it could be avoided.

So she'd get the masked man to do her work for her. “Don't just stand there! It's pinned, now's your chance!”

[Leonard]

OOC: Ugh, sorry... I rambled on...

---

BIC:

The Lost grimaced from the pain of receiving the creature's blow, despite the fact that it had landed on his guard and he had defused it's force as much as he could. Regardless, He remained as undaunted as ever. Perhaps it was stubborn pride, maybe he was just blissfully unaware of the real danger he was in, it also could have been the thrill pushing to take more risks, but then again it might have simply been the noble courage in his heart calling out for justice. Whatever it was, he was ready to face off against the formidable beast.

He only hesitated when he heard the woman call out to someone who was unfamiliar to Lost. Everything became clear in the next instinct when the creature she had rode in on pounced down on the best.

'Of course! that's why she had dismounted at the onset of battle,' It had dawned on him that she had the creature surrounded with her partner. He began to wonder if he had jumped in unnecessarily. It hurt his pride as an adventurer, just a bit. If the damsel is not in distress, then was he really needed?

The Lost was snapped out of his thoughts when she called out to him. He looked back to her in surprise, but just for a second. He began to feel a bit silly for what he was thinking as he returned his head to the fight and focused on the Naga's movements. He began to sway just slightly in his place and inch closer. It took him a few precious seconds, but he was able to feel the beast's rhythm by moving his body in the same pace and taking the extra time to do it.

With out a peep escaping his lips, he dashed in again. He had his guard up, with both arms in front side by side, his chin tucked down behind his fists, and his elbows in front of his body. He was leaning forward and keeping low, so his elbows were only a few inches above the water as his powerful legs carried him towards the violently thrashing limbs. His eyes were wide open, peeking out from behind his mask and over his knuckles, watching carefully and predicting the path of the Naga's flailing limbs according to it's rhythm.

He stopped his charge just before reaching the Naga, and started to lean backwards out of his stance, to center his weight over his legs. He dug his feet into the ground below him and then pushed off with all of his might. His wings gave a powerful flap out of instinct, but they probably didn't help much at all.

He did it all in one fluid movement, jumping clear over the Naga's tail just as it came swinging at his legs. As he landed, he folded back his wings and quickly returned to his stance just in time to buckle down low to avoid the claws of the beast. Even while ducking the flailing arm, he took a step forward and afterwards he cleared the rest of the distance. He was finally going to be in striking range.

It had taken all of that just to get there, and he wouldn't have much time to be there. That was the advantage of just a few inches of difference in arm reach, not to mention that tail.

This had to count.

It started as soon as he took his last step forward. He had timed his steps so that this last one would be his left foot taking just a half step forward. His right foot had been dug in and pushed his weight forward over his left. He twisted at the waist, and his abs angled his upper torso. At the same time he pulled his left arm back tighter in his guard, and leaned his head forward into the strike. Punches that come from the back are more powerful than those that come from the chest, and that's what he was trained to throw his shoulder forward with. With his right shoulder being thrust forward as he angled his body, his right arm sprang out from it's guarding position, sending his fist towards the creature, carrying with it the momentum that he had built up with his entire body. On top of it all, the naga was pinned, so he had gravity on his side as he aimed his punch down towards it.

Once again, his entire body moved in one fluid movement, and had executed it in a fragment of a second. It was a special technique with in the style of 'Underground Boxing', and it was known simply as 'Right Straight'. The name was not fancy. It was blunt and powerful. Just like the punch itself.

His fist slammed into the creature's skull, delivering the full impact of the strike. He could tell from the feedback that it landed perfectly, but the Right Straight was not yet over. As soon as it has landed and as quick as it had been sent out, he pulled it back into its guarding position and leaned back into his stance in anticipation of a counter attack. He didn't know the strength of the creature, but he didn't believe it would go down with just one hit, but that's all the time he was afforded. Just as he returned to his stance an awkward blow came down on his guard. It's flailing arm had slammed into him as its head was rocked down into the waters.

[Maaike]

So the guy wasn't as useless as she'd first thought. That was good — less work for her. But Maaike wanted this over quickly. Every second the pair fought meant a greater risk of Cailean being bitten (or the masked man, but Maaike was less concerned for him), or even herself. So as the Anyelos drew its attention and the azani pinned it down, Maaike decided to flank the reptile for a second attack should either the masked Anyeli fail, or the chance opened up.

As a result, she was in the perfect position, when the naga reeled back from the Anyeli's punch, to back-flip over the tail, pivot, and smash her fist into the naga's eye socket. Maybe it was already unconscious when it went down, and maybe her punch didn't have much strength regardless — but she wasn't taking any chances, and it was out cold by the time she straightened up.

“Nice. Where'd you learn that style?” Anyeli were known for their skill with a blade and aerial combat, not for their martial arts. And while Maaike wasn't in the market for a new style, she wouldn't mind adding a few new moves to her Capoeira repertoire...

“Help me get it on Cailean's back.” Haughty as ever, she gripped the naga's two arms and heaved, giving a shrill whistle for Cailean to put himself in a mountable position.

[Leonard]

The Lost caught the woman's actions from the corner of his eyes as he reeled back from the last blow he defended against, though it was mostly a blur to him. He took a moment to catch his breath, not sure that it was over. He relaxed when she began to talk to him, and eased out of his stance slowly.

“Hmm... right up there,” He responded, pointing upwards. He didn't mean literally right above them, but these were the sewers of his home town.

“I met my master right here in Alexshire,” His answer was pretty straight forward. The thrill and shock of the battle and victory had made him forget himself. He probably shouldn't be giving out information about himself while wearing his mask, but thankfully she didn't seem to interested in him.

“You've got some good moves yourself,” He remembered to mention as he did. Her moves were impressive, but he wasn't the type to flip around and such. Plus he was still learning his own style, so picking up a new one was out of the question. Still, he'd remember the tactics and the bravery she had showed him for the rest of his life.

Perhaps he should have been more worried about the idea of the her claiming the Naga's body, but he wasn't. When she asked for his help, he gladly gave it... as best he could. He bent down to help, but the foul waters and slippery scales made I hard to get traction at first. He had to dive down and really get his arms around the lower torso of the creature to lift up his end. All while avoiding the sharper scales and spines. He lifted his end as best he could and tried to keep up with her to get the simple task done. The truth was, he wasn't a hunter. Not at heart at least. He may have been doing the same job, but he wasn't here for the rewards of riches or fame. The idea of saving lives was all the motivation he needed to actually spend his day lurking in a dark and dank sewer. Not to mention, if a naga ate all the water nymphs who were supposed to purify the town's water, it'd probably be hard to get some of those ice smoothies he really enjoys.

“Hey... It's still alive... just knocked out,” He noticed as he got a stable grip on it, and could feel it's breathing.

“Eh heh, I didn't even entertain the idea of bringing it down with out killing it,” The Lost had a real respect for life. Even for a creature that most would dismiss as a monster. That's when he became worried with what she was planning to do with the creature.

“Hmm... you know... I don't know much of this creature, but from what I heard, this isn't it's natural habitat,” He started.

“It also didn't choose to be here,” He continued as he helped carry it's incredible weight. From the angle he was standing to carry it, he was conveniently looking away from the woman, so that only the side of his mask could be seen.

“So what exactly do you plan to do with it, now that you've captured it?” He decided asking her this would be the fastest way to get to his point. He knew that the creature had killed residents of Alexshire, but he did not believe it was evil. It simply acted as such, in order to survive. He was even planning on killing it in battle, in order to survive as well. However, he was thankful that as things turned out, he did not have to.

[Maaike]

He was talkative; Maaike wasn't. She filed his answers away for future use, but mostly focused on getting the Hel away from the stench of the sewers as quickly as possible.

“You've got some good moves yourself.”

“Thanks.” Maaike wasn't the showy type, but capoeira had suited both her lifestyle and her personality. It complimented her free-running skills more than any of the other martial arts she'd considered, and she'd been lucky enough to find a tutor at a time when wanted tutoring — but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the compliment. She worked hard, so it was nice to be appreciated.

All the while, her lips twitched slightly. She'd deliberately chosen the top end of the naga, being the easiest to grip, and left the slippery end to him, figuring as much that whoever got that end would wind up much dirtier. She was surprised he'd taken that end without complaint.

“It's still alive...”

“Mhm-hm.”

“This isn't it's natural habitat.”

“Mhm.”

“It also didn't choose to be here.”

“Mhm.”

“So what exactly do you plan to do with it?”

Her lips twitched again, and as they gave one final heave to settle it on Cailean's back and she shushed the azani (who really didn't like having the reptile so close), Maaike eyed him. “I'm going to sell it.” He would no doubt assume she meant that literally, but she was working against poachers, not for them. “There'll be a reward from the Guild —” meaning the Purifiers “— for cleaning up their sewers, and since they're Nymphs, I can be sure they'll make sure it gets where back to the desert intact.” They were all about the Balance, after all.

“You coming?” It was the only invitation he'd get from her to share the reward, but as she rounded Cailean's flank to lead the way, unable to ride now that his saddle was occupied, she stumbled over something in the waste water. As the water separated and surged, Maaike realised what that "something" was — and immediately lunged forward, bending at the hips to grab hold of the Nyad's wrist and yank her head up out of the sewage.

“Damn. Help me with her!” Even as she made the demand, she was heaving the woman's body up into the azani's saddle, side by side with the reptile that had probably killed her. “There still might be time!” Assuming they could reach a healer in time, and she hadn't drowned in the dirty water or succumbed to the naga's poison already.

[Leonard]

She remained quiet for the most part, until he confronted her. The tension in the air was so thick, The Lost realized that he had preferred to face off against the naga.

He stood up straight after the heavy load they had been carrying had been firmly placed upon her mount. With out a proper grip he had to expend more energy to carry his end. His strength was wasted trying to keep it up awkwardly, and so he was happy to be done with the task. Of course he was now more filthy than he thought he could ever be, but it just wasn't gentlemanly to make a woman go through that alone.

When she first answered him, it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't react to it at all, as if he were expecting the answer. He simply stared at her blankly from behind his smiling, crying mask, with out so much as a hint to what his next move would be.

In truth he was preparing to debate the worth of this creatures life and to offer alternative solutions to where everyone could be happy.

He was even preparing to try to pay her to let him take the naga alive, even though that would probably have cost him all the money he had saved up to live off of. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. When she elaborated on what she meant by that, he felt most of the tension melt away. He was glad he had chosen his words carefully, instead of assuming, right off the bat, that she was going to drain it of its venom and use its skin for paper.

“Ah, I see...” He let out with a sigh of relief upon hearing of her plans. He didn't plan on going with her, because he wasn't in it for the cash, and he was eager to get home and clean the filth off of him. The reward probably would have meant a few more months of food and rent, but he would have paid a year's worth of rent to have a clean bath just one more minute closer.

He had given up on remaining clean when he first jumped down into the waters. Now that he thought about it, it probably would have been better to just have gotten it over with. Navigating the slippery, narrow walkways was slow going and if he had been a little faster, he might have been able to save a life or two.

That's when he was reminded of the 'thing' the creature was dragging. He remembered from the glimpse he caught, that it had looked like a body. As he thought this, and before he could respond to her question, he saw her stumble and begin to struggle. He began to run after her as she began to call out to him.

He reached to try and help her with the Nyad up on the saddle, while trying not to get in the way. She seemed to have the situation in hand.

“Right! We need a healer... to the domain?” he concluded that they probably knew how to take care of their own, but to be honest he didn't know if they had a healer among them. As he asked, he stood clear of the noble beast so he wouldn't be in its way. He wanted to see this through to the end, even if he could do no more for the young water Nymph. He would follow the huntress and her mount where ever they went.

[Maaike]

Unsure what demesne he was talking about, Maaike made a negative sound in the back of her throat. Clucking her tongue, a command for Cailean to retrace his steps to the exit, she splashed after him and elaborated: “There's a healer top-side, about twenty yards from where we came in.” She'd been scanning her surroundings by habit and spotted the healer's emblem on a small sign hanging over the door. Maaike didn't give a damn if it was stationed so close to the sewer entrance from an association with the Purifiers' Guild, or was merely a coincidence. They were just lucky it was so close.

“We can go to the office —” meaning the Guild's headquarters, since she really didn't fancy traipsing back into the sewage just to look for a preoccupied Nymph who probably didn't have any money on her, anyway “— from there.”

Peeling her shirt from her skin by an inch, she pulled a face. “Damn, but I'll be glad for a bath.” It wasn't a conscious effort to fill the silence as they made their way out of the tunnels, but she figured if he'd helped, he didn't deserve the silent treatment.

Shielding her eyes as they broke to the surface, she clicked her tongue again and guided Cailean north toward the clinic. “Any inns around here?” She didn't want to trail Alexandria's filth all the way home. It'd be bad enough carrying it the few blocks over to Timberlake Crescent just to pick up her reward.

[Leonard]

Yet again his inexperience shows itself. “Of course, the city above,” He agreed with her course of action. Making so many mistakes, and yet still being victorious, The Lost was quite lucky. He made a mental note of all his failings, and was becoming excited at the thought of working on solving these issues.

If the nymph survives, then it will be a complete victory. It may have just been his naïve hope, but he felt like she would pull through. Especially with her being in the care of this more experienced adventurer.

“Eh heh, yeah...” Was all he could manage to say in response to her as they made their way out of the sewers. With all that had happened, he had internalized and become focused on the events that were happening around him. The thrill, the fear, the excitement. He reveled in it, soaked it up, but among all of the feelings that were overwhelming him, he felt a twinge of guilt. Risking his precious only life, for excitement seemed wrong, and yet here he was indulging in the ecstasy of a near death encounter. He looked to the woman he might have helped save. Did he really do it for her at all? Did he even help her at all? What if he was just in the way? He looked to the woman who had brought down the beast with him in wonder, but he didn't find any answers, and he didn't think to actually ask these questions to her.

He remained mostly silent as they went about. He ended up following her around a bit as if he was supposed to. She didn't seem to mind much, and even turned to him with a question.

“A place get clean, huh?” He said, trailing off into thought.

“Well we- no... um, ah yeah actually I know a place,” He said after a moment of thought. He had thought to invite her to his apartment since it was closer than any Inns he knew, but then he reminded himself who he was and what he was trying to do. Which of course he wasn't all to sure what was yet. So while wearing the mask of The Lost, he probably shouldn't invite an adventurer to Leonard's apartment.

“Follow me,” He said with a shrug as he began to lead the way. This was his home town, and although he hadn't actually had a need to stay at an Inn, what with him having an apartment and all, he still knew the layout of the city pretty well. He should, with his favorite pastime being wandering around and all about it.

The thrill fading and the question about an Inn had Lost returning to reality. He looked back to her before going to far and turned to face her.

“Ah hah... with all that has happened, it's no wonder I forgot to introduce myself. I call myself 'The Lost',” He said from behind his mask. He always felt odd introducing himself, but continuing a conversation with her and not knowing her name would have been much more awkward.

[Maaike]

Maaike was glad the boy (she assumed it was a boy beneath that mask just because he seemed somewhat naive, or perhaps more dangerous then she could manage) didn't try to fill the silence with incessant chatter like the moron she'd been with the last time she entered Alexandria's sewers. Fighting always shot her through with adrenaline, and that inevitably led to the crash after that left her shaking. She would rather die than let anyone see her vulnerable, so she kept the azani between them as much as possible, without ever losing sight of him.

Naive or not, he had proven himself well enough in a fight, and with Cailean laden with two bodies, Maaike would be on her own if the masked man attacked. She wasn't stupid enough to underestimate her opponents, even as confident as she was in her own abilities.

Glancing at him when he mentioned a place he knew, Maaike raised an eyebrow. His hesitancy made her wonder about this "place" — but first, “Hey, aren't you forgetting something?”

“It's no wonder I forgot to introduce myself.”

Ignoring the fact that his name was as strange as the mask he wore, Maaike clucked her tongue with impatience. That really wasn't what she'd meant. “I could care less who you are. I'm more worried about getting these two sorted first.” Rude, yes — but she wasn't best known for her manners. If he withdrew the offer of "a place to get clean", so be it.

Clicking her tongue again, this time to draw Cailean to a halt, she clutched the Nyad's wrist and started to draw the petite woman down from the saddle. “Help me with her, will you?” And then, once she was in the healer's care, they could head over to Timberlake for their reward.

[Leonard]

OOC: Ah, I misread. I thought you time skipped a bit in your last post and they had already sent the Nymph off and claimed the reward. Oh and sorry, my muse is a bit dead right now. I’m not too good with this joint action thing. You can godmod my character a little to have him help carry the Nymph wherever.

---

BIC:

"Of course, after we take care of our friend here," he said with a nod as he moved to help burden the weight of the knocked out Nymph. Though there wasn't much weight to deal with, as she was quite slender and lean as most of her kind tended to be. The Lost moved quickly but carefully to carry the Nymph, slinging her other arm over his shoulders and slipping one of his arms around her waist.

"Pardon me, ma'am," he whispered under his breath, not that he thought she could hear him. Even if she could, he assumed she would excuse him and trust in his intentions. He began to pull her from where she had been saddled, sure that the woman who hadn't introduced herself would be able to support the Nymph's other side.

When she did he'd be ready to help her carry the Nymph into the clinic.

He wanted to ask her if she’d be alright, but he knew that she was probably wondering the same thing herself. The best thing to do was to keep his mouth shut and keep moving forward. Even if the road ahead is too dark to see the path ahead, all you have to do is remain focused taking one step at a time. That was the way The Lost always looked at situations like this. The uncertainty gnawed at him, but that just gave him more reason to keep trying his best. It was like that when he was staring down the indomitable Naga in the sewers, before, it was like that when he was having trouble scrounging enough cash for groceries last month, and it was like that at this time.

He could only hope for the best, while preparing for the worst, and do what he could.

[Maaike]

Oh, no, oops! Sorry, my bad, I thought it was something to run off.

---

With the Nymph secured, Maaike had stepped outside the healer's clinic and pulled a face. “Blech.” She disliked being dirty. What's more, it was other peoples' filth, something she hadn't really paid attention to while she was down in the sewers but was beginning to regret now that they were drawing so many "ergh" stares.

She wasn't going anywhere until she'd been paid, though, and their next stop took longer than she would have liked. First of all, the guild's administrator tried to question whether the naga had even been in the sewers in the first place, let alone their territory, an argument that lasted until Maaike grabbed the man by the wrist and threatened to drag him down into the yuck for proof. Then, he quibbled over exactly how much the lives of the Purifiers were worth, and that particular argument lasted until she snapped, “Fine. Let's go, kid. Ah, but I don't know anyone who'd want to risk taking a grown naga off our hands. We'd better put it back where we got it from.”

She'd been leaving as she said it, and her hand was on the door knob when the administrator yelled, “Wait!” He still hadn't capitulated to the amount she'd wanted, but she'd snagged a pretty good deal out of it, all things considered.

They were on their way to wherever Mask was taking her when she counted out his share, insisting on a 60/40 ratio since she had "azani expenses to consider".

Maybe her husband's hoarding had rubbed off on her a little.

“So where did you say this place was?” she asked suspiciously.

[Leonard]

He didn't argue about the share difference, as it mattered little to him. As long as he could scrape by, he considered himself being well off, and he wasn't particularly hurting this month. As long as he could pay rent each month, he wasn't really ever hurting. Most of the rest of his money went towards food, which for him was usually a large bill, but if he ever was hurting for money he could just go out and hunt the old fashioned way. Which is what he often ended up doing just for the heck of it anyway.

Aside for those basic needs, he didn't really have much use for money, yet. He had dreams and aspirations like everyone else, but he wasn't in any particular rush to get there.

"Just around the bend, or so..." He answered her question vaguely. He led the way, confident she would follow him. It was the closest place he knew, but it still wasn't close enough. He walked at a brisk pace to get there all the more faster, but didn't quite feel like going into an all out sprint while throwing much and filth every which way, and onto everyone he passed.

The people they passed all gave them looks, but who could blame them really.

“Good day,” He said with cheer in his voice, while giving a polite nod to one young woman who gave him a particularly disgusted look. Again he was thankful for the mask he was wearing, as he was completely mortified. It was all in the name of the greater good, though. So he wouldn't be complaining about it.

“Ma'am,” He gave another nod to an older woman who let out a baffled exclamation. It didn't help any to let it get to him, and though it did, he wouldn't show it.

What should have been less than a ten minute walk felt like an eternity of humiliation.

When he spotted their destination up ahead he couldn't help but call out, “Finally...”

He rushed up ahead to a tiny building pressed tightly in between two other tiny buildings. The only difference between this one and the others was a small sign hanging over the doorway. It had no words in it, just an image that could be understood in most any language no matter what far corner of the world you had come from. It was a simplistic painting of a bed in front of a crescent moon, and it was the sign of an Inn.

He stopped at the door and held it open, turning back towards his companion.

“After you,” he said in a polite tone as he gestured into the Inn. The urgency of his present state of foulness was no excuse for bad manners and he was in the presence of a lady. She still hadn't introduced herself, but he didn't actually tell her his real name either so, he didn't feel like he had the right to pry.

[Maaike]

Maaike didn't have a mask to hide behind, and was no longer the type to even want one. Instead, every disgusted stare earned a snap of her teeth and a growl from the back of her throat — one that was matched by Cailean's. While hers was too weak while she was in her human form, the azani's was enough to force some distance and scare away the stares.

“After you.”

Maaike shook her head slightly. “I'll be in in a sec.” She had to stable Cailean for the night and hose him down first (it wasn't worth paying someone, who would most likely disturb the azani into a violent fit of temper). Besides, she was still more than a little suspicious of the masked man. He hadn't put up any kind of resistance when she insisted on his share being smaller. As far as she was concerned, the only reason hunters chose this profession was for the money, the glory, or from some sense of payback-justice. Even the latter had expenses (like her).

So what was his game?

Fifteen minutes later, Maaike finally entered the inn, dripping wet and chilled to the bone because of it. Cailean's "bath" had taken more time than she'd have liked, and he'd refused to settle in to the stable at first since it was shared between several tasty-looking 'striders. When she did enter, she wasted no time in asking for a room with a bath, and it was only when she was clean, her hair still wet but tied up in a ponytail to keep the drips off her back, that she met up with Lost in the tap room for a meal.

The place seemed cosy, but the patrons all seemed a little rough around the edges: fellow hunters, riff-raff, possibly an off-duty guard or two. Seeing a wall covered in WANTED posters, Maaike wished she'd left her hair down or worn a hat, but could only keep her face turned from the rest of the patrons as much as possible. Aiden Roy had told her she wasn't a priority for the guard, but small-time hunters would probably try to take her in if they spotted her.

Maybe that was what this masked kid wanted, too.

---

I hope it's okay to time-skip like this. Maaike just wouldn't leave Cailean like that.

[Leonard]

The Lost responded with a simple nod as she took her mount out back. He turned towards the counter and strode over.

“I'd like a room please...” he spoke while ignoring the disgusted glare of the innkeeper.

“...and a bath,” he added.

It took some while to get clean, but naturally he finished first as he had only one body to clean.

He had only one change of clothes, which he had to clean after his bath. Thankfully he had the foresight to ask the innkeeper for something. She had provided an old pair of pants that had belonged to her father... for a small fee.

The rags were clearly not worth it, but when it was all said he didn't have much choice.

After he was all clean, he thought about ordering a drink and so he went downstairs to the common room, grabbing his mask before he left his room. He had arrived as The Lost, he should leave as him. The mask was still moist, and uncomfortable, but again he had little choice.

He choose a particularly dark and shaded corner of the bar. After ordering a drink he began to dry his hair with his towel. He felt a bit odd sitting at a bar while wearing only some worn hide pants, a mask, and a towel wrapped around his head, but he was Therian so really he should have felt perfectly comfortable exposing his well toned body.

He stretched out his wings while he looked around to notice no one was paying him much attention. He drapped his towel over his head like a hood to obscure his face as he took off his mask and began drying it. He was feeling rather morbid as he had just seen a rather disturbing wanted poster that. Noticing the lady of the hour step in, he slowly raised his mask to his face once more, his sharp eyes fixed on her from the shadows created by the veil of his make-shift hood.

ooc: This works great for me. By the way I did this whole post on the Wii.

[Maaike]

Wahaha, that's cool.

---

While Maaike was married, she'd been forced to adjust to a Dracovarian menu that was so much more sophisticated than she'd been used to. Since Ashton's death, most of the estate's staff had left and Graeme had taken over most of the cooking, but she'd still missed the truly simple fare. Inns like this were a good place to find that, so she tucked in to her bowl of potato stew with a gusto all the more enthusiastic for being hungry.

Over spoonfuls of thick gravy and chunks of vegetables, Maaike watched The Lost, more than a little suspicious. Anyone who wore a mask indoors was dangerous, and probably more wanted than she was. To her way of thinking, the mask was just asking to be recognised.

Best put some distance between them as soon as possible.

“Are you staying here tonight?” If he was, she wouldn't be. She could do with a nap before heading back to Espur; portal travel was instantaneous, but it'd take about 30 minutes to get to it from here, and then about 40 to get to Greenview from there, and she'd already been tired before they went into the sewers. More than tired, though, she was wary. Staying here, in a den of hunters who'd stop at nothing to take her in, was already risky enough. Doing so with a guy who clearly had issues, and was probably some kind of murderer, was just asking for trouble.

[Leonard]

“Oh no, I've got places to be...” he responded to her while again trying to be vauge. He didn't want her to know he still lived in the area, for certain. He had almost mentioned that his home was not too far away twice now.

He found himself staring at her meal with envy, but had already decided that he'd spent enough here. It'd be cheaper to eat at home. Of course it'd be cheaper to have gotten clean at home, but he doubted he could get past his neighbors discreetly and that could put his secret identity at risk.

He let his drink sit on the counter for similar reasons.

He couldn't help but notice the looks the two of them were getting. Her with the bounty, and him with the mask. He wanted to calmly question her about the bounty, like he questioned her about the naga's fate. He trusted her answer would be as convincing as before. He was just waiting for a tactful way to bring it up.

It would seem he wouldn't get the chance. Several shady types began to rise from their seats. Sure enough as soon as one stood up, the rest rushed to follow, not wanting someone else to claim the reward alone.

“Seems your quite popular tonight,” Lost joked.

The others slowly began to converge on the two, but had't quite surrounded them yet. Though it didn't take a master tactician to see that was their aim. It'd seem that Lost had become guilty by association. He suddenly began to regret leaving his things to dry in his room, including his gauntlets.