Cast: ABC Convoy (Sky) & CC (Loyal)
TLDR: CC meets the convoy, and he accepts Alistair's offer to give him a lift. Boreas gets a vision of meeting Zain and Himaya. Celeste mentions seeing a silhouette of a guy in the road ahead.
Support Points Earned: 2
December 2, 2017
December 3, 2017
December 5, 2017
December 6, 2017
December 7, 2017
TLDR: CC meets the convoy, and he accepts Alistair's offer to give him a lift. Boreas gets a vision of meeting Zain and Himaya. Celeste mentions seeing a silhouette of a guy in the road ahead.
Support Points Earned: 2
[5:13 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: (continuation of Loyal's mrrp, HWYD 1)
The sounds of wooden wheels on a dirt road and the clip clop of a large horse could be heard. To the riders of the convoy, this was just white noise. They were almost always on the move, so the sound of silence usually took some getting used to.
Out of the corner of her eye, there was a rather medium sized blob in the road ahead. Considering her distance away from it, it was likely fairly large. Squinting, Celeste saw a pair of cat's eyes and a tail from this blob and she immediately knew what she must do.
"Woah, Sunshine, woah! That kitty might need help!" she said, pulling on the reins a little.
Sunshine whinnied before slowing down, almost sounding like he was pouting. He wasn't used to going so slow with Celeste as the driver.
"Perfect job!" she praised cheerfully.
"No, no, 'ey now, what exactly do you have planned?" Alistair piped up.
"Don't worry about it," she answered with an almost mischievious kid's smile. She didn't want another argument.
"Hey there, big fella!" she called out to him once they were in earshot with a wide smile.
"Do you need any help? Are you hurt?" she asked with a tone that sounded reminiscent of a mother asking her child. Or in this case, a crazy lady sweetly talking to a kitty.(edited)
[6:06 PM] Loyal: Kitty? C.C. thinks to himself with a frown, his ears picking up Celeste's voice well before she actually got close enough to stop. Gods above, I step five days out of Mytia and I lose my presence!
The jaguar answers with a low rumble. "You look young enough to be my granddaughter, girl, is that any way to greet a stranger?"(edited)
[6:19 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "hehe, yeah, prolly not, but I couldn't resist," Celeste admitted with a smile.
"Celeste! That doesn't sound like an apology." scolds Alistair.
"Hey, you should know better than anyone that I can't just not stop and talk to cute animals. If anything I'm glad he's the kind to talk back."
"Oh hell with it..." Alistair grumbles to himself before stepping into view of the man, holding on to a wood beam for support.
"I must give my sincerest apologies... Sir," he said a bit hesitatingly before clearing his throat, "For calling herself a maid of sorts, she certainly makes quite the mess for me to tidy..." he says, explaining the situation.
Celeste gives a pouty look and pulls on the reins again, making Sunshine stop completely. This jerks Alistair forward, making him almost lose his balance.
"Stop that," complained the deep voice that belonged to Boreas, who awoke from the jerk.
Alistair made a huff before adjusting his tie and continuing. "...As I'm sure she meant to say: Did you need any assistance with anything? Now that I take a look, you do admittedly look a bit tired, from all the walking I presume?"(edited)
[6:52 PM] Loyal: "I suppose I've known my own share of rambunctious Beorc children." C.C. looks to Alistair, expression softening slightly. "Don't worry overmuch about it. Are you traders? Or travelers?"
Best not to make enemies before I meet with Zain and Cirocco. We are getting closer...
"More than just walking. The ship I was on..." he hesitates for a second.
...There's no reason to tell these people. Not till I know it's safe to.
"...could only get so close to shore. I had to row myself the rest of the way. I would be a disgrace if I let something that simple best me, though!" Looking to determine whether these folk be friend or foe, he decides to turn the questionong over on them. "I can only assume by the fact we've run into each other that this is a road often traveled. Am I wrong?"(edited)
[7:41 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Hey, who do you think you are? I'm not rambunctious and not --" Celeste started, before being cut off.
"Enough, Celeste." he said, shooting her a look, "This man is obviously a guest to us, and we shall treat him as such."
"Don't forget who's the one driving..." she said to herself to with crossed arms.
"Heh, nice burn, Alice..." said Boreas with a simple chuckle.
Alistair breathed deeply, trying to ignore them from him focus. "My apologies, sir. But yes, this does happen to be a oft traveled road. We were just on moving along." Alistair said, omitting the rest of the details for the time being.
"Now as far as introductions go, I am called Alistair. The girl is Celeste, and the cloaked man you may have heard is Boreas. We are just common folk. Travelers, merchants, enchanters... We just go place to place trying to get by. Now, who might I have the pleasure of aquainting?"(edited)
[8:04 PM] Loyal: "Casper," he replies, resting a hand over the chest of his armor. He can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Alistair. As the merchants get used to his voice, those who could may recognize his accent - mostly of Omada as befits his race, but with a hint of the northern islands as well. "C.C. for short. I don't even remember who came up with it, but it's stuck over the years... nice to meet you."
C.C. hefts his weapon, pointing it in the direction he'd been traveling before. "I'm supposed to meet with a group of acquaintances down the road. They've need of my lance, so I'm glad I seem to be on the right track. I'm rather new to... this area. Is there anything I ought to know about when traveling these roads? They look safe enough..."
[8:13 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "The name suits you, kitty." Celeste said softly with a smile. She's lucky Alice didn't hear her.
"Well if they are down the road, we could easily offer you a ride, if you so wish? I know it's... not the most glamorous," he said, referring to the others, "...but it's better than just wondering alone. Even if you are strong enough. We don't consider ourselves fighers, so we rely on each other. We let who's most suited for the task take the reins," Alistair explained.
Boreas looked at the man, without saying a word. He seemed alright with just being a bystander for the most part for this conversation at the moment.
[8:21 PM] Loyal: C.C. clears his throat loudly, snapping a quick glare at the impertinent woman. After a moment, he speaks to Alistair again, stepping closer as he goes.
"If you're willing to offer that, I'd be grateful. I'm certainly not so vain as to refuse such kindness for want of extravagance. If anything I'd be suspicious of a rich-looking carriage driven by people who claimed to be humble traders. It's a good way to get robbed, or a trap of the same make."
"Then again," he shrugs, flexing his wrist, "I could always use more exercise..." He glances at Boreas, trying to size up the man-under-a-cloak. He looked (and sounded) like he was probably the toughest of the three, despite Alistair's claims.(edited)
[8:45 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Ah, well at your ready. Would you appreciate a hand up?" Alistair asked politely, offering a hand to him.
Celeste kept her mouth shut for the time being, after that throat clearing and look C.C. gave her. It seemed for the time being, she was outnumbered, her wildness tamed, yet this likely wouldn't last for much longer.
Boreas squinted his eyes ever so slightly, noticing the Laguz man sizing him up. "Welcome" was all he had decided to say to him, all without batting an eye. Though many wouldn't know it, Boreas would likely win many a staring contest, if he'd bother to enter that is.
[9:29 PM] Loyal: C.C. shakes his head after a few moments, once he's had enough of Boreas. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything aside from a possible case of terminal boredom.
"I'm afraid I might pull you down if you tried!" C.C. chuckles, responding to Alistair. "But the offer is noted." He helps himself onto the wagon instead, trying to find a comfortable spot.
"It is good to get off my feet once in awhile... By the way. What kind of horse is that you have there?"
[9:42 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Yes I do hope you can finally relax, Sir Casper." Alistair responded simply. "Oh, the horse? We've a good and reliable black one, simple as that."
"He's known as a Clydesdale I'll have you know," Celeste answered, finally breaking her silence with a hint of sass. "He's very strong, exactly what we need to pull the caravan and everything in it. If he wasn't bound to pull it, he'd be great out on the battlefield. But he's a sweetheart, even if he doesn't want people to know. I guess that's why those weird people wanted him so much. But we sure got outta there quick, didn't we Sunshine? Yes we did! Yes we did! Such a strong and fast horsie you are." Celeste said, gushing. He responded with a bray, which could only be described as sounding prideful.
[10:03 PM] Loyal: Strong is good. Respectable. And anything less than strong might not have sufficed for my added weight.
"You care a lot about this 'Sunshine,' I take it?" he asks Celeste. He looks to Alistair and then Boreas as she talks about the 'weird people' and her subsequent daring escape, gauging their responses. What was this about weird people?
[10:28 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: Boreas seemed unmoved, but Alistair was slightly annoyed. "I wasn't going to mention them at first, but she went ahead and said it first. They attacked us and we ran. They said they wanted to do... Experiments on him? I shudder thinking of it. I didn't want to frighten you, I hope you can find forgiveness with me"
"I mean those people were weird, but it's not like they could've kept up with my speed! They aren't gonna take Sunshine without going through me!" Celeste exclaimed, now clicking and giving the reins a flick. And with that, off they started again.
"Apparently I was sleeping" Boreas said, about the attack. He was now looking at CC's ring. He noted that he could sense faint movement with it. He sat quietly in contemplation, for now. It intrigued him to say the least.(edited)
[10:38 PM] Loyal: C.C. gives a noncommittal grunt as Alistair explains. "Forgiveness? Come off it. If you're still being pursued, and I were still walking along the road, they'd have just overtaken me! No, there's nothing to forgive there. Though you could do me another kindness by telling me a little more about them. If it's something I or mine need to watch out for, better to be informed..."
C.C. pays little mind to the ring on his finger - it's been guiding him along more or less the same way since he'd started his hike, and the trip on the wagon had changed nothing. Surely he'd be united with them soon enough. He only wondered if this Zain character could also feel the presence of someone approaching.
[10:45 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "I'm sorry, but the only other information I have is that they were... horse fanatics. Almost all of them had one. I just got a weird vibe from them..." Alistair explains, guilty that he couldn't have done more to stop the situation when it happened.
"Nothing to add to that. Spot on, Alice." Celeste chimes in playfully. Alistair just shoots her a look. He hated that nickname.
"The ring." Boreas said, seemingly distracted by it, ignoring the other two, "may I see it?" Boreas asked inquisitively in a monotone deep voice.
[11:00 PM] Loyal: "Were they armed? Organized? Numerous?" C.C. responds quickly, tapping a finger on his leg. He's dealt with no shortage of shoddy reports from his own men, but horse fanatics likely set some kind of record. Grilling for more info was practically a reflex by now. "If they spoke, did they seem like they sounded Rettatese?"
He glances at Boreas from the corner of his eye, pausing to consider the request. He tilts his head questioningly, but makes no other move as yet.
[11:05 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "It was only a rather small group we ran into, but I got a strange feeling -- call it intuition -- that there were more of them. They were only lightly armed. The majority had lances from what I could tell. However, Celeste hightailed it out of there before I could inspect much more. As for how they sounded... I'm afraid I'm not very good with accents and such. We travel a fair amount, so all of Laqueos' dialects blend together for me." Alistair said. He was trying to explain as best he could.
Boreas continues to inspect CC's ring from afar, awaiting the answer to his request patiently.
[11:29 PM] Loyal: "Hm." C.C. shuts his eyes, processing the information, and mutters quietly. "It's something to consider if forced to fight. I could probably take a fair number of them, but without knowing how many there are..."
"It's best that we keep moving, then. My people may have better answers, and... can provide the... numeri..."
......
C.C. eyes Boreas warily. Something about his steady, patient fixation on the Lover's Stone gave him pause, and he found it difficult to ignore him much longer. If only to end the awkward standoff, C.C. extends his arm in the man's direction, but keeps his fist closed. Briskly, he speaks. "This was bequeathed to me by a man of significant import, and the ring is also too important to risk losing. But you may inspect it like this if it will satisfy your curiosity."
[12:44 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Rightfully so," Alistair agreed. "Well, you heard our guest, Celeste."
"Heh, my favorite part! Let's kick up some dust!" Celeste said excitedly, flicking the reins again. Sunshine whinnies excitedly, mirroring Celeste, before dashing off.
There was a jostle within the caravan when Sunshine started moving faster, though the three regular passengers were unphased by this.
Boreas reaches out and places CC's fist into his hands. He eyes the ring carefully, and gracefully touches it with a finger. "Intriguing..." he said. He kept holding his fist with one hand, and reached for something with the other. "It wishes to tell a story..."
He got out a transparent sphere and now placed it on his lab. He closed his eyes and began rubbing it in circular motions, the once-transparent ball was now getting cloudy. It soon showed an icy blue color tinting the clouds.
"I see him... a wolf... icy... and a stone... it pulls like the ring... begging for reunion... I see another one..." he says, the crystal ball now depicting a bright golden light peeking through the clouds.
"...a brother? ...or a cousin? ...just a friend? ... matching ears and tail... brown... but yet... still Beorc? ...he is the light... a light that will guide and protect... we will meet him... down this road..." Boreas said with pauses in between. He was telling his vision he got from the ring.
"I'll look for him!" Celeste responds enthusiastically.
[9:16 PM] Loyal: C.C. looks on with a stony expression as Boreas says sooth, his default response to when he doesn't know what to make of things.
Some kind of fortuneteller, then...?
As the caravan continues to make its way down the road, C.C. speaks again, hoping to at least center himself if not regain a measure of control over the situation. "This ring is magically paired to another charm held by the man I'm supposed to meet. I don't really know how it works, magic isn't my forte. But it will help guide me - and us - to him."
The jaguar wrests his hand free of Boreas's grip, and looks off to the distance. "If it also tells the future, that's news to me."
[7:16 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: Boreas nods at the Laguz's first half of the statement, but shakes his head at the second, without an inkling of a change in emotion. "Not the ring. Future itself." he corrected him simply.
"Well?" Alistair asks, "Did he describe the people you're looking for?" he asked. Although he wanted to not believe in Boreas' fortune tellings, he never knew of a bad reading before, so he had no evidence to the contrary.
"Hehe, if you wanna meet that doggy faster, just tell me the word, Sunshine can go faster..." Celeste offers with a hint of excitement in her fast. She must be some sort of an adreneline junkie.
[7:34 PM] Loyal: "Can you get us there safely, girl?" C.C. asks, his tone a bit sterner as Celeste once again reduces a fellow laguz to his base animal aspect. "I have every reason to make haste, but I've already dealt with one wreck today..."
Almost unconsciously, as if he knows the answer already, C.C. quietly shifts his place where he's sitting to brace for impact, and grips the side of the carriage a little more tightly.
[11:03 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Hehe, if you wanted safety, then you'd want Alice as the driver." Celeste said with a sassy wink. Alistair's muscle twitched under one of his eyes in annoyance.
"But look at me, I have the reins. And I drive a little more... unorthodox than the others."
"That's a vast understatement --" Alistair began to say, now starting to stand up and walk towards Celeste.
"However!" Celeste said, cutting him off, "If it's urgency you're looking for, I'm the gal to get you somewhere in a jiffy!"
"This'll be fun...heh" Boreas said in monotone as he exhaled a simple laugh and grabbed onto the side of the cart in preparation.
Celeste flicked the reins again with her hands and Sunshine knew exactly what to do. He picked up a lot of speed, even more than they were already going. This sends Alistair flying backward to land on his rear end. The road ahead began to have a bit more twists and turns, however instead of going with the flow of them, Celeste steered the caravan to move in a more zig-zag pattern, so she could make the turns faster.
"Woo hoo! Wind in my hair! Full speed ahead, Sunshine!" Celeste called exictedly.(edited)
[7:36 PM] Loyal: "She's always like this I take it?" C.C. asks quietly to Alistair as he helps him back to a comfortable position. "I hope she at least knows to keep an eye open - if you'd approached me like this there is no telling what might have happened..."
As Celeste navigates the reins, C.C. keeps his attention half focused on his Ring, making sure he's not going too far off course from his destination.
[9:31 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "I thank you," Alistair says and nods, both to his help he recieved and to the Laguz's question. "I'm afraid so. Though even if it's a bumpy and a bit freightening ride, this driving has saved us from many an enemy following us. Though if you ask me, she could afford to slow down just a hair..." he said bluntly.
"Ah ah ah," Celeste said mimicking Alice's scolding with a finger wag and a pretenious smile, "you know our policy about backseat driving..."
Sigh "Have you any idea how close we might be to this fellow?" Alistair asked both Boreas and CC, in case either had an answer.
Boreas shrugs with a blank expression, and fixews his gaze toward CC.
[11:20 PM] Loyal: C.C. looks to the ring on his hand, and hmph's. "I don't have a full grip of how this works yet, I'm afraid. How to tell how close we are. But we are getting closer. We haven't strayed off course yet, conveniently - I can only assume they are planning to set up not far off the road themselves..."
He pauses, then realizes what they said.
"Wait, many an enemy? Just what do you people get up to that you've more than horse thieves to deal with?"
[11:16 AM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Well why do you think our caravan is so empty? We've always had trouble with thieves of all sorts. Some are more aggressive than others, of course, but..." Alistair began to explain
"...But~!" Celeste interrupted, "even though Alice is supposed to be our protector, he's not strong enough. We've got a better chance of Sunshine kicking people!" Celeste piped up
"My sword had protected is plenty! Better than just your tiny knives," Alistair argues
"The tool doesn't make the man, it's how he uses it. And you're weak," she says with a tongue sticking out
Boreas chuckles. "If you used magic, you wouldn't have walked into that one..." he says, continuing laughing.
Alistair just blushes with anger painted on his face. "Just focus on the driving, Cel. You'll make Sunshine crash and get hurt if you don't."
"Ah! You're right! I'm so sorry, baby..." Celeste said to the big, tough horse. All of a sudden she seemed more serious about driving with less funny business.
[3:44 PM] Loyal: They bicker like a family, but ... I have a feeling there's something more to them.
C.C. listens along quietly to the sitcom banter unfolding before his eyes, contemplating his observations.
Where does one even get a horse like that? And they all have their martial expertise - maybe not enough to fight their way through everything, but enough they feel confident enough not to hire a permanent guard. And that fortune teller...
"What do you usually trade in, if I may?" he asks simply, to break his silence if nothing else.(edited)
[11:09 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Well, if I understand you correctly, I'm sure you know as much as I do how important money is. We'll take and sell what we can. Buy what we can make a profit from. And by "we" I mean me. The other two usually insist on spending our money rather than saving. For vastly different things, mind you, but the same nevertheless." Alistair said.
[11:36 PM] Loyal: "I suppose that explains why it's so frequently empty then," C.C. chuckles in response. "Can't really imagine what it's like to live like that, I suppose. Most commerce where I come from concerns food or lumber, or other raw materials. We have other people to keep leaves flowing cleanly, so my job mostly strips down to keeping the peace."(edited)
[9:16 AM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Don't forget me..." Boreas finally said, in his usual, gravely voice as usual.
"Oh of course... Boreas also makes a few Leafs from telling fortune, enchanting things, and the like," Alistair said simply
"You didn't day anything about curses..." Boreas added with a creepy smirk barely registering in his face. It was likely the closest he could get to smiling.
"Ew, that creepy stuff gives me the heebie-jeebies..." Celeste said to herself, still driving wildly fast, zipping back and forth on the curvy roads.
[7:00 PM] Loyal: ...definitely out of the ordinary.
"How common are curses, that you make a living off removing them? Not that I'd know, I suppose..."
C.C. leans in some, to keep his stability as the wagon keeps its breakneck pace. His armor shudders and shakes loudly from the vibrations of the cart passing over the road, and he grumbles uncomfortably.
"I feel like we might be getting close, but maybe that's wishful thinking..."
[7:30 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Enchanting is most popular. Then fortunes. Then curses after that, both ways... Though, I wish they weren't the least popular... Sure are the most fun if you ask me," Boreas says with a creepy smile, between a few pauses
"Not all curses are bad though," Alistair interjects. "I'd much rather give people the good ones. Like bestowing good luck and such. Those ones are quite the blessing," Alistair said with a wishful smile.
"Ugh," Boreas said with slight disgust, "good curses are the worst... So draining... You'd understand if you were the one casting everything," Boreas continued to say.
Alistair rolls his eyes.
"Hehe, don't be like that Alice. I wouldn't do the good ones all the time either! Gotta spice it up a little!" Celeste added.(edited)
[7:38 PM] Loyal: "It's all magic to me. I'd leave it to the..." C.C. shrugs, then pauses. A slight grin appears on his face, a hint of a joke only he would get. "...to the birds. Heh."
"I hope you aren't causing trouble for people with these... curses...?"
[7:43 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Haha, I'd have to say I agree. I don't know much about the magic business other than what I can see. And of course not," Alistair assures CC, "We wouldn't."
"...not for free," says Boreas still with his creepy smirk. If he was joking, no one would know.
"We've discussed this, Bo. Don't make it seem like you do any more than harmless ones. Nothing serious and life threatening, I assure you. Pranks if anything." Alistair continued with a host's smile.
"...you don't know my life," Boreas replied simply
"I know plenty!" Alistair retorted.
"...only what I tell you," Boreas said.(edited)
[7:51 PM] Loyal: After hearing of Boreas's proclivities, C.C. begins inspecting his ring rather skeptically, given how much time Boreas had spent casting about it.
[8:11 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: "Hey! There's some guy in the road! He's kinda far, but I still won't have time to stop at this kind of speed!"
"Brace for impact! Try to swerve!"
"If I swerve, we'll risk rolling over and messing everything up!" Celeste tried to explain.
"Cel, be serious, this is a life at stake!"
"MOVE OUTTA THE WAYY!!!" She hollered, ignoring Alistair for her own judgement, now waving her hand to indicate for him to move over.
* * *
Cue Post-Chapter 2 Story here
* * *
After the events of the story, the Convoy, CC, and Himaya go pack to camp. They introduce themselves and get acquainted while Himaya begs Zain to let the Convoy join. Himaya, oblivoius to CC, does not mention him. After letting him have his way, Zain likely decides to meet these people for his final judgement.
[8:13 PM] Best (Crit) Birb | Sky: === RP END ===
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