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Post by Basil on Jun 30, 2010 21:29:30 GMT 7
A system of dark, narrow alleyways—more or less the ideal area for shady goings on. Longtime residents of Tipperary have no trouble navigating through these alleys, though it wouldn't in the best interests of outsiders to wander these darkened streets—who knows what could be lurking around the next corner?
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Post by Elindë on Jan 23, 2012 17:17:30 GMT 7
(here comes I)
Wylofain swallowed the lump in his throat and concentrated on not looking anxious. Even in just jeans, shirt and casual black jacket he felt overdressed for this part of the Realm. Subconsciously, he pulled the brim of his black hat down over his eyes, then remembered why it was sitting high on his forehead and pushed it upwards again. The Elf was mentally kicking himself; he could replay the conversation he'd had in the woods several miles out from the main town:
"I hear there are good shops in Tipperary."
"That area's rougher than sandpaper; do not go there for love nor money."
But here he was. And now he was lost. He pulled himself up to his full height which made him feel slightly better - he'd grown a few inches since his last visit to the Realm, and those few inches made him feel a tiny bit more confident.
"Don't trust anyone, and don't let anyone know you're scared."
Lovai settled his epression and kept on walking.
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Post by Basil on Jan 23, 2012 18:46:53 GMT 7
Head bobbing to the beat of the music channeled through his headphones, Rucran continued skating down the dark alley. His eyes were trained ahead with a confidence that indicated to the local hooligans that he was armed. So far so good, he made it through half the alley and he would be out of there soon. He can’t wait to be home. Even though he ended earlier than average, he’d still prefer to be home before six. Now was well after seven.
“I have to find a better way to work,” the half-elf thought.
A growl from his stomach caused him to curse lightly. He had forgotten to shop before his shift. Now he’d have to make an additional stop on the way home. Amelia was never known to be generous to her neighbors.
Pizza? Chinese? More junk food? A mini internal debate raged inside his head as the male nurse continued on his way. He passed what he sworn was lost stranger. A second or two passed before he braked and skated backwards towards the unfamiliar muse.
“I’ve never seen you in this part of town before.” He commented cheerfully as he removed his earphones.
He hung the headphones around his neck. The music was still blaring from it, was barely audible. He straightened the bomber jacket he was wearing over his t-shirt. His jeans were crumpled and frayed at the knees. Not the best outfit in his wardrobe, but it was the easiest to maintain given his crazy work schedule.
“Looking for someone or somewhere?”
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Post by Elindë on Jan 23, 2012 19:13:58 GMT 7
Lovai blinked as the rollerskater turned back to talk to him. Was it that obvious that he was lost? His heart sank despite the thought of rescue, but as the stranger skated up to him he turned his attention to his new companion.
The first thing he noticed was the other's strange hairstyle; tight cornrows pulled white hair against his scalp and the green looked eerie in the fading light. The second thing he noticed, while trying not to laugh at the first, was his pointed ears - not as pointed as Lovai's own but getting there. He felt he should know this strange person, though if he asked him if he was who Lovai thought he was and it turned out he wasn't it would put Lovai in an awkward position. But then the stranger seemed cheery and not the kind of person who would take offence at being mistaken for someone else.
So, carefully controlling his expression, Lovai asked, "Are you Rucran, by any chance?"
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Post by Κομμα on Jan 23, 2012 19:14:18 GMT 7
(*tiptoes in* *hopes no one minds* >.>)
Hiding behind a couple of trash bins, Karimi shivered slightly. Perhaps hide-and-seek hadn't been quite as fun an idea as she thought. If she could have found Janx, she would have gone straight back and apologized for running off. She could still hear him in a panic, but his thoughts were dimming as he grew further off the mark in his search. The only good people for what seemed like miles were right in the same alley as her, only a few paces down, and she could hear them talking; but with what she could hear of the other people in this area, she was too afraid to come out.
The eight-year-old shifted a little, wrapping her arms around her knees and letting her rather bushy green hair fall in front of her face. Clung in one hand was a beaten old tan tricorne. Never more in her life since they had been separated, had she wished the original owner of that hat would appear and take her back home.
She shifted again, and one of her feet hit the trashcan nearest her; the metal gave off a slight clang that froze her shivering immediately.
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Post by Basil on Jan 23, 2012 19:34:10 GMT 7
(*glomps Comma* x3 Np)
Rucran observed the stranger awhile and noted that he was amused by his ears. The half-elf’s face split into a smile, despite doing a slight double take at the sound of his name. He doubted he had met the young boy before. He held out his hand.
“Speaking. You are?”
He stiffened when he heard the one of the trashcans topple over. Dang. That can’t be good. He dropped his hand and reached into his pocket. His hand curled around the gun he borrowed from Amelia.
"Mind waiting?” He asked quietly. He hoped that the new muse didn’t mind his rudeness. Newcomers were often unaware just now dangerous this place can be despite the warnings. They were usually unarmed and that was a bad start.
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Post by Elindë on Jan 23, 2012 19:44:25 GMT 7
(-waves at Comma- and sorry for the clunkiness of this post >.<)
"Lovai," the Elf said before the bins toppled. His eyes widened as Rucran produced a gun and approaced the bins. Somehow Lovai didn't sense a strong threat, but he was glad he'd put his light-weight pistol in the inside pocket of his jacket before entering this area. Because of the loose cut of his jacket, and the heavy phone balancing it on the other side, it was perfectly hidden, and despite this turn of events Lovai wanted it to remain so. So he stepped back slightly and let Rucran deal with the problem; he seemed to know what he was doing.
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Post by Κομμα on Jan 23, 2012 20:01:28 GMT 7
(*waves* ^^ It's fine. Mine are bound to be a bit clunky until I get used to RPing again...)
Both men had guns; that was enough to scare Karimi. Hunkering a bit further behind the toppled trashcans, she quietly drew a wooden sword from the cloth belt around her shorts--it wouldn't do much, but if she could startle them enough she might be able to escape in the confusion. If it had worked with the mountain bandits before, it could work here as well. Still, if their thoughts were any indication, they were only being cautious themselves; but she had heard from her grandpa that anyone that carried a gun was dangerous. Janx carried a gun everywhere, and he was definitely dangerous. He wasn't any danger to her specifically, but he was dangerous to say the least.
Karimi was too little for a gun or a real sword, and was a bit scared of them anyway, so she would just have to make due with the element of surprise. She waited quietly for one of the men to come closer, her hand gripping the play-sword tightly enough to get a few splinters.
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Post by Basil on Jan 23, 2012 20:19:47 GMT 7
Rucran could have sworn he heard something moving backwards. He hoped it was a rat, but he knew it wasn't. He has yet to see a rat the size of a cat here. And that says a lot considering how big they can get. No one seemed to be standing up. He frowned and crouched a little lower, careful not to let his knees come into contact with the resulting mess that split from the overturned rubbish bin. A few braided strands fell over his eyes.
"A-anyone there?"
It was now almost too dark to see. He squinted slightly trying not to care about the braids as he tried to make out what exactly was hiding in the shadows. It was smaller than most young thugs in the area and yet much bigger than a rat. It didn't seem like a young wolf nor a werewolf either.
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Post by Elindë on Jan 23, 2012 20:30:54 GMT 7
Lovai shuffled up behind him, still with no real intent of handling his weapon. He sighed inwardly at Rucran's stammer, but stopped himself from saying anything aloud.
As the darkness swirled around the alley, Lovai left Ruc's side for a few moments and came back holding a lit oil lamp. He lifted it above the crouching Elf's head so it illuminatd part of the area behind the bins, but though it threw some of the brickwork into bright light, where the shadows remained they seemed even darker than before.
"Show yourself," he said to the creature still in shadows, "we mean you no harm."
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Post by Κομμα on Jan 23, 2012 20:47:17 GMT 7
One of the men had crouched next to the trashcans, and Karimi gulped almost audibly. It was now or never; whether they meant harm or not, they were strangers, and she was most certainly not supposed to talk to strangers; hopefully she could get away from them without doing so.
Gathering up all the courage she had, she let out a yell and lunged at the man, waving her toy sword about, and made an attempt to leap onto his shoulder.
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Post by Basil on Jan 23, 2012 21:07:02 GMT 7
Rucran turned to Lovai and gave the younger muse a slight nod to thank him. He turned back to peer into the darker corners. He could hear breathing. Nervous-like. He was about to reach down with his free hand when all of a sudden someone yelled. His mind barely began to registered what happened when he felt something hard hit his head and broke with a loud snap. At the same moment, a loud bang came from his pocket.
The poor half-elf yelped. He flailed around blindly as white specks swam before his eyes, his ears filled with a strange ringing. Shortly after, he lost his balance and fell into the puddle that formed around the upturned bin. Water splashed everywhere.
Muttering slightly, Rucran withdrew the hand he kept in his gun pocket and began counting his fingers. He checked to make sure that every digit was in tact. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"All fingers are accounted for," he said briskly.
He blinked a little then laughed. He didn't expect to slip into work mode so readily. He must be a workaholic in the making. He sincerely hoped not. He picked himself up and looked around for that furry green thing that attacked him.
"So what exactly are you?" He asked turning in the general direction he guessed his assailant went.
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Post by Κομμα on Jan 24, 2012 13:10:57 GMT 7
Karimi fell in surprise when the gun went off in the man's pocket and scampered backwards on her hands and feet into the cold brick wall opposite the trashcans, her green eyes widened in fear. She watched from the shadows here as he counted off his fingers; in turn, she looked down at her sword, and pouted a little; it was broken, almost in half, the other half of the fake wooden blade laying at the feet of the man. She checked her other hand as well, and paled.
She had dropped her hat behind the bins. How could she run away now?
The man she had jumped on turned in her direction now, and she froze--but his mind had eased already, it seemed, and he was no longer cautious nor hostile in the least. Karimi frowned and glanced between the two men; they had funny ears like that mean blue-haired man, but they still didn't seem nearly as mean.
"So what exactly are you?" she heard the man she had jumped inquire of her.
Karimi frowned. They weren't bad, but they were still strangers. She kept silent, and shook her head, though she was unsure of whether or not she could be seen in the corner she had now taken cover in. Her eyes returned to the bins behind which her daddy's hat lay. She was going to have to find some way to get over to it.
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Post by Elindë on Jan 24, 2012 15:42:52 GMT 7
Lovai started when Rucran went flying and looked at the small person who had toppled him with a new respect.
"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," he suggested when she still refused to answer, "Or maybe she doesn't understand us?" He didn't know what other ways they could try, though, and didn't want to leave her on her own; now he had company he was willing to admit to himself just how scared he had been on his own. "Well," he said, eventually, we've definitely scared her now."
He smiled at the girl, trying to put her at ease, "Are you waiting for anyone, bach?'
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Post by Κομμα on Jan 24, 2012 16:39:10 GMT 7
Another question.... Perhaps she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but there wasn't any other way out of this situation that she could think of. For a brief moment she remained still, thinking, and then Karimi nodded slowly in response.
"Kinda," she said quietly, putting her hands together behind her back and toeing the rugged pavement tentatively. "I was s'pose to be playing hide-n-seek with Janx, but I can't hear him anymore. He's too far away."
Her eyes found their way up to the men again, and she listened intently until she caught their names among a few more idle thoughts; the one with the strange hair was Rucran, the other Lovai. She frowned at them. "This is that Tippy-place isn't it? I thought it was for bad people. You're not bad people."
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