[Game Thread] Chapter Five: Everything Changes

[SpatulaOdoom]

Once this is over you can sit on me all you like. For now there's little details to take care of. Fate of the world and all that bother.
Morgan Wainraith is a tall man, a few inches under six and a half feet with a Think a youngish Jim Carreylanky build. He's obviously of Halvan stock, but with skin a shade lighter than most southerners. His messy jet black hair with a a fringe of beard and thin whiskers gives his head something of a leonine appearance. His large dark hazel eyes are sharp and expressive, and at the moment sparkle with certain vibrancy.

Most of his clothing is plain and forgettable, the sort of plain pants and shirt a low powered merchant or an artisan might wear after work. Except, that is, for a black silk vest with embroidered dragons cavorting on the front and a long black weathercloak, currently tucked back and out of the way. His belt holds a profusion of pouches and a trio of short rods hang at his hip where another might wear weapons.

He stands close to a tall drow woman, at one point in the conversation touching her back as if to reassure himself I'm tempted to go full on “annoying new couple,” just to bug everyone.she's still there.

”Lucien, glad to see you. Technically means “what avails it?” but can basically be taken as “What's going on?”What boots it?”
He nods at the other unknowns.

[DiabolicalGenius]

Humility mood was still poor after having discussed the Coverts, with Léon still asking questions of Didina on the subject while the drow Child mulled over her conflicted emotions. She was finally distracted from her ruminations when her sharp ears picked up the sounds of several sets of feet approaching the entrance to the throne-room, and she turned to look a moment before the guards opened the doors to let the them in. As the new arrivals entered and got a look at her, they would see the slight tension in the parts of the drow's face that they could see, with her arms crossed in front of her lower-body. She had read the situation already, the lack of threat in the atmosphere and the fact that they guards ushered them through readily letting her know that everyone was as it should be, and she takes no defensive stance. While dressed in the usual mismatched garb typical of the Children, one would note that she was wearing a battered set of goggles-come-spectacles over her eyes holding opaque, ruby-coloured lenses, covering her eyes from view. The smoky grey cloak that seemed to fade into the background was swept back with the hood lowered and her short swords and sheathed behind her waist in a crossed fashion that made it easy for her to simply reach back and draw them. Her snowy white hair, roughly cut off at the nape was held back with a band of cloth and a bracelet of beaten silver worn on her upper-arm caught the eye when there was so little other decoration to be seen on her.

She glances other the man and the woman who entered with measuring looks, but her gaze is more firmly captured by the tall drow woman, showing rather more personal interest. The other two had yet to introduce themselves, but she didn't take offence since it seemed they belonged here while she and her companion were the guests in this place. It wasn't unreasonable to expect them to introduce themselves first. Though she couldn't help quirking a brow at the man's markedly intimate behaviour with the drow, if the woman was who she suspected she was. Ignoring that for the moment, she took a step forward and spoke, looking more at the drow lady than the other two.

"I am Teaches Humility of the First-Born Tal'gos, usually called Humilty."

She paused for a moment before glancing at the human woman and clarifying.

"We are Children in the Dark, and I've never met another drow in my life until now."

True, since she didn't count Invidia as a drow, or anything but the monstrous fiend he was. No need to bring that up there of course, or ever if she could avoid it.

[Blue]

That sort of answered her question.
The quarter-answer itself was interesting though, as it suggested that she was some kind of orphan who never met her parents. Not something terribly uncommon amongst the Children, she'd guess.

"Well met, Teaches Humility of the First-Born Tal'gos."
That didn't feel awkward at all - Hopefully she wouldn't have to speak to her often. She could just call her Humility but she didn't know her well enough to skip directly to nicknames.
Nevh slowly shifted her glance unto Lucien, the other Elernan and finally unto Didina.
She wouldn't mask her impatience but had no intention of being unnecessarily rude, so she went for the short smile and sort of empathetic-straight-to-the-point approach.
"I imagine we've all had a pretty long day. Why are we here?"
She suddenly thought it might be nice to add some good-natured circumstantial humour.
"The suspense is killing me."

[Battlechaser]

Noticing that Humility had turned her attention to the door, Léon followed here example curious what the cat would drag in now. When the guards opened the door, a rather mixed ensemble was ushered inside. Immediately Léon started to study them, looking for obvious weaknesses, something that could give him and edge should the need arise.

Rudaa. Definitely combat trained. Probably some other powers. Them Rudaa are big on the whole nature's wrath thing. She looks tired. Surreptitiously he studied Nevh and then shifted his attention to who he assumed to be Morgan Wrainwright.

Beanpole. Studious type. Would not have lasted long in the slums. The spy's eyes shifted to the wands. Caster. Strike when he's not prepared or otherwise entertained. Léon gave Zilira an appreciative look.

And there's the most dangerous one. All Léon's instincts told him If you mess with her, you're worse off then dead. His respect for Morgan increased. The spy chuckled I've a soft spot for the addled of mind.

When the ambassador started to show her impatience he introduced himself. "The name's Léon. I'm with him." He pointed at Lucién.

[Blue]

Soldiers and mere armed units seldom introduced themselves... the Child presenting herself was understandable given her culture but the Elernan doing so, especially given that it was uncalled for, gave her the impression that they wouldn't going to be off her hair anytime soon. These guys had some job to do that involved them otherwise they'd just stay in the background and try look competent instead of putting themselves forward so bluntly.

"Hi."
She nodded at the Elernan to at least give the impression that she somewhat cared about his name - which would be practical if her instinct was correct, but the one whom had news to bring was the Sword in the Dark so she gave a look around to see if he was coming in.
She had a question or two for Lucien but those were very low in the priority list.

[SpatulaOdoom]

Morgan gives the two a smile and quick head bob of a bow.
”I am Morgan Wainraith, Archmage of Halva and Seer. Pleasure to meet you.” He offers Léon his hand but refrains from doing the same with the Children, remembering that the gesture had confused the Children more than anything back on the shadow plane. He gestures at Nevh. ”And the lady who's forgotten to introduce herself is Nevh of the Ruudan House Yesterwind ambassador of both Quall and the Rudaa.” He leans forward to say in a clearly audible stage whisper. ”Not very diplomatic if you ask me, but there you have it.”
Humility's interest in Zilira is obvious from the start, but Morgan makes no comment, allowing Zilira to make her own introductions. Instead he does a quick comparison of the two. He'd never met another drow before either, although Zilira was technically only half drow.

[Blue]

She frowned, then returned to a placid face. Her voice flat.
"I did not forget. I simply do not introduce myself to every stranger I meet merely because they speak to me. I have a lot on my mind right now and more work to do than ever. If we can keep it short and skip all the snarky remarks that'd be great."

She hadn't given him the permission to introduce her, nor did he have any authority over her to have the right to it. She was furious, but the emotion was highly impractical for the while and so she tried to bottle it up.

[SpatulaOdoom]

”Apparently she's also a bit testy at the moment, so take care lest you loose a finger.”
It had been meant as a bit of teasing, but apparently not been taken as such. None the less it would take more than that to deflate Morgan's mood at the moment.

[Blue]

She took a long look at Morgan, then a shorter one at Zilira. Unimpressed and highly disappointed with his lack of sensibility. Sighed.
"Alright. You kids have fun. Sorry but I don't have time to play."
Good thing it was just news. She could get the message later if it actual concerned her. It wasn't like she had any real binding engagement anymore now that the initial investigation was over.

She turned her back, and went out to join up with Mrith outside, ignoring any calls to keep her in.
After excusing herself to her sister for the wait, she'd teleport them to send the call for her debriefing and hastily get to her domain to assemble every supply she might need for the long period of isolation and hiding that would follow. Once her preparations would be complete, she'd take a short pause to appreciate the peace of her home, knowing it was perhaps the last time she would see it.

That done, she'd hurry and proceed to debrief the situation to the Quall's united council, the members of the Circle of Storm that would be absent and to her mother, awaiting instructions before preparing for the second part of the meeting.

[Battlechaser]

At Nehv's spitiful remark Léon kept his cool - outwardly. Who does that bitch think she is? The thief shook Morgan's hand. "Nice to meet you." He looked at Nehv as if to say See, that's how they do it. And then the Ruda sped out of the room, sniding away.

Léon looked questioningly at Morgan "Does she always act like she's got a bur up her ass?"

[SpatulaOdoom]

Originally Posted by Battlechaser

"Does she always act like she's got a bur up her ass?"

Morgan returns Léon's solid handshake and shrugs. "She can be a bit prickly at times." The mage's generally happy demeanor is marred by a brief frown. "The truth is she's currently contemplating her death and the complete and utter destruction of her immortal soul, so try to forgive her a little rudeness. It's this whole Macguffin that time forgot and fate of the world in the balance thing. I'm sure you'll hear all about it the moment the meeting is over if you haven't already."
Morgan sighs and gives a small shrug. All he could do is express his opinion and hope that the people that actually decided such things found it worth listening to. After that it would be beyond his hands.
"So do I get to know what this little get together is about, or do I have to wait until the king arrives?"

[DiabolicalGenius]

Humility had properly given her name upon the arrival of the persons unknown, not certain if they had business together or had been called to the throne-room for other reasons. When the woman greeted her back without making the effort to give her own name in return, and seemed not to have any intention of doing so, the Child was a little uncertain of the best way to respond. Such behaviour might be taken as rude back among the Clans, or even insulting. Implying that you didn't trust the other with your identity or didn't feel they were someone worth sharing it with. Certainly, everyone back where she came from gave their name the same way upon a first meeting as a matter of course. It was a custom so intrinsic to their culture that she didn't know how she was supposed to respond when someone ignored it. As a result she stood their with her head cocked to one side for a moment, still waiting for the proper response when the human male introduced himself instead as the seer that Didina had been speaking about a moment ago, and introduced the woman as well. An action which also confused her, since the custom also went that a person always gave their name themselves. It was only natural, as one's name was given to them by their Swordbrothers and sisters, a gift that they then had the role of sharing with others themselves. In her mind Morgan was being rude himself by giving what wasn't his to give and she understood when Nevh was piqued by it and would have taken her side in the issue from that point. But her sympathy evaporated at the woman's reaction to the man's thoughtless but good-natured teasing.

Her expression hardened at the woman's comment that she didn't have the time to give her name to 'every stranger I meet merely because they speak to me' and then promptly turned her back on them and then walked out of the room after refusing to give her name after she herself had given hers, and without a word of apology for her arrogant and insulting behaviour. Watching the woman leave, for a brief moment that old hubris reared up in vitriolic fury and she felt a compelling desire to go right after the woman and knock some manners into her with her bare hands. For a moment she found herself seriously considering it before her discipline and training kicked in and reflexively stifled the impulse that would lead down that old slippery slope to vainglory. Oh, but it would have felt so good to land just one good punch square on her insufferable chin and knock her flat on her back. She had spent years forging a will of iron for herself, but even that couldn't stop her from clenching a fist and gritting her teeth with ire. Finally she forced her muscled to relax and put herself back into a neutral expression and then hissed coldly.

"Good riddance."

She couldn't help adding an extra critique.

"She called us kids? Someone acting like such a spoilt brat would never be trusted to hold a sword back where we come from."

She had gotten the worst impression of Nevh, and would probably view the woman with cold antipathy from now on, unless she got a proper apology and enough courtesy to make up for it. Which from what she had just seen, was a very unlikely prospect. Giving one last glare to the way she had left, she finally turned back to Morgan.

"Well met Morgan Wainraith, though I'm afraid you probably will have to wait. We came here with The Sword and were asked to wait until he could present us to the King and presumably you as well. Léon's business is his own."

She indicated the female Child of the Dark with her when she said 'we', and with Léon he hadn't told them why he was here and she hadn't pried. There were so many other distractions with the building shaking and all. She gave him an arch look and added.

"We've been waiting all this time while you finished your conference. Surely you can stand here with us for a minute or two until your King and our God can join us? Though I'll admit that it was already too much for some......"

She had worked hard to learn patience and care, to change herself from how she was in her youth. But being patient was different from not taking offence where offence had been earned. She saw no reason to smile and pretend it never happened, and if that made her undiplomatic in the diplomatic situation, then Aheka would have to get over it somehow.

[Makenshi]

After Humility introduces herself, the other Child does so too. "And I am Last Whisper of the First-born In'ira, more often known as Whisper." Like Humility, Whisper held herself in a manner that made it clear she was a fighter, however instead of swords she had a pair of long daggers at her side and was wearing what appeared to be a chainshirt under her mismatched and patched clothes. She too seems caught off guard by Nevh's outright refusal to introduce herself.

The tall, grey-eyed Drow woman seemed more amused than concerned about Nevh's departure before finally introducing herself. "I'm Zilira, the Spider in the Dark." She rather obviously gropes Morgan's rear. "And hands off the seer. I don't share."

Didina and Misa seem highly amused by the Drow's actions, while Lucien looks somewhat baffled.

Whisper gives a playful pout. "That's a shame. I'll have to look elsewhere for a Ahekan 'roll' then." She glances towards the other two men currently in the room with a lecherous look that makes Lucien look equally uncomfortable and confused. It was difficult to say if she was joking or not since they didn't know anything about the humour of the Children in the Dark.

~MTWC

[SpatulaOdoom]

Originally Posted by Humility

"We've been waiting all this time while you finished your conference. Surely you can stand here with us for a minute or two until your King and our God can join us? Though I'll admit that it was already too much for some......"

"Of course I can. I was just looking for an avenue to strike up a conversation." Admittedly Morgan did have some important things to attend, like un-ruffling the feathers of a certain high priest and having a look at Aldamil's dagger or arranging his little seance with Xander's remains, but none of them seemed like they couldn't wait- Morgan's thoughts are interrupted when Zilira squeezes his rump.
"Heynow." He shoots Zilira a mock dirty look. "Hopefully we can find something before she decides to drag me off to the nearest broom closet." He mutters something else under his breath about being more than just a piece of meat while he fishes Zilira's holy symbol out of his vest pocket. He hangs it around his neck, the symbol resting visibly on his chest. "There. Territory thoroughly marked. Happy?"

Morgan looks between the two pairs. Two Children and two Elern soldiers, at least he was assuming this Leon was a soldier and part of Prince Thrane's clique. And Di and Misa. The first thought he'd had was that the Children were part of that little exchange that had been mentioned. Children getting a taste of life on the Prime Material and looking for a place they could start up a community. But if so, what would the Elernens have to do with that? With an internal shrug Morgan dismisses that line of thought.

Ok so then what mutual ground could the lot of them have as a topic of discussion while they wait?

[Battlechaser]

Apparantly Nehv had succeeded in pissing of the Drow, but when Morgan said something about destruction Léon peaked his ears. "What do you mean with giving up her immortal soul? Why would anyone in their right mind want to do that? Adn to answer your question: I go were Marcell needs me to go." He chuckled. "Although that might not always be where he wants me to be."

Returning Whispers' lechourous look with a raised eyebrow Léon guffawed when Zilira cupped a feel with her pet seer. "Are you always that possessive, ... Ehm, how do I adress you? I have no experience with gods and now I meet two in a few hours." And I sure as hell don't want to meet the more evil bent.