characters: Arshes Nei, Vale
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Arshes Nei
Arshes Nei is sitting, shoulders slightly hunched and snow still melting off her cloak, at the bar. Vale steps in from the raging storm, shaking the snow from his cloak as he scans the room, his eyes pause on Arshes, he arches an eyebrow briefly before stepping farther into the room. Arshes Nei straightens slightly at the sound of the door opening, pausing a long moment before turning to glance over her shoulder. Her expression is empty of emotion, yet you catch the faint flicker of hope as it dies in her eyes... she'd obviously been hoping for someone else. Vale pulls the hood of his cloak down, and makes his way to the bar. his voice rasps softly, "Bartender, a drink, and make it fast." Arshes Nei sips at her own drink silently as the bartender hustles off to get you your drink. Her eyes travel over you, gathering what little information she can about you with a simple glance.
Vale
Vale leans against the bar, the melting snow on his cloak forming a small puddle around his feet, he seems slightly distracted by something. He releases the clasp on his cloak, and slings it across the bar, his crimson plate mail armor gleaming softly in the dim light of the bar. With a frown, he turns to look at you, his right eyebrow arching slightly, "You there, I would speak to you...." Arshes Nei straightens on her stool again, one hand curved loosely around her cup. The other falls past her hip to idly brush the sheathe of the massive sword that hangs across her back. Along both her wrists, going up her lower arms are twisted designs that could almost look like writing. Tattoos. Her voice, when she speaks, is quiet but hard, "Wha' business hae ya wi' me?" Vale shakes his head at you, and rasps softly, "I have no business with you, lass, simply a question..." he doesn't seem overly pleased with the situation. Arshes Nei relaxes, the nearly imperceptible tension of her position easing off considerably, though the wariness in her icy eyes remains. In silence, she waits, watching and judging. Vale drums his fingers on the bar top, he shakes his head, and sighs, "Answer me this, lass, where am I? What city is this?" Arshes Nei arches a brow ever so slightly, then raises her cup to her lips to take a quick sip. Followed by a dry chuckle, "New, 're ya? Arcana. Ellyrhiel." Vale frowns at you, and takes a drink from his whiskey, "Arcana? Ellyrhiel? What continent is this? Blasted storm, I knew it was unnatural..." Arshes Nei shakes her head, the twitch of her lips perhaps the hint of a strange twisted smile, "Elfling. Th' Mists go' ya." Vale growls softly at you, his eyes flashing with malevolent anger, he hisses softly, "What did you just call me?" Arshes Nei snorts softly, totally unfazed by your apparent anger. With a flick of her wrist, she motions at your cup, "Hae another sip. Ya seem t' need it. You are 'n elf, aren't ya?" Following her own suggestion, she takes another swallow of her drink. Vale takes a drink of his whiskey and smiles grimly, "By birth only..." Arshes Nei mphs, eyeing you thoughtfully though she offers no immediate response. After a bit, however, she says, "So. Th' Mists dragged ya 'ere... from a war, p'raps?" Her voice gains an edge of sarcasm, "'Re d'ya normally wear armor like tha' e'ryday?" Vale smiles faintly at you, and chuckles softly, a sadistic gleam in his eyes, "Aye...a war...removing filth from my country....As for wearing my armor, yes, I do wear it at all times...Its not safe you see, I'm not well liked by my people...or my race." Arshes Nei's response is offhand, "Yer 'people' dinnae seem t' like many things 't'all. Bastards, most o' em." Resting both her tattooed forearms along the bar, she idly turns her cup between her fingers, "'N I cannae imagine tha' wearin' tha' stuff alla time is comfortable." Vale snorts loudly, and nods as he moves closer to you, "Indeed they are bastards, the lot of them...Hence the reason I was removing them from my country." he tsks softly, "Forgive my manners," he extends a hand to you, "I am Lord Vale Woodshadow, of Ferrithia." Arshes Nei's eyes flicker with a series of emotions, ranging from wariness to curiosity to annoyance, the tension moving up a notch as you step closer. But, after a mere moment she does extend a delicate looking hand to grasp yours... revealing an astonishingly strong and slightly calloused grip. "Lord, 're ya? ... yer in Arcana now. Best t' keep tha' in mind." Her hesitation is obvious, but she finally continues, "'M Ash." Vale nods to you, his smiles growing at the deceptively strong hand shake, "Indeed...Who are the powers here? Because I may need to `speak' with them..." his hand goes to the hilt of his longsword.. Arshes Nei sits back on her chair again, a strange smile curving her lips upwards... the expression a bit odd on her face. One of her hands snakes up to grasp the jade pendant hanging from her neck. "Th' commonly acknowledge 's th' King, o'course. Bu'... M'Lord 'n the other Two're the real Powers." Vale says, "Guilds, run things here then?" Arshes Nei shakes her head, then pauses, "P'raps th' Guilds do exist. Tho 've ne'er seen any sign. Nae, I speak o' th' Gods." Vale waves a hand as if to dismiss the gods, "Aye, gods are all well and good, but they do very little with the mortals...They are too busy with their own things...Its mortals who carve a world, not gods..." Arshes Nei's responding grin is rather feral, her eyes glittering like ice-crystals at high noon, "Yet... m'Lord gifted me no' only wi' this..." she lets go of the pendant, brushing a fingertip over it, "bu' this..." and that said, she raises a tattooed arm to touch the sword hilt that rests in easy reach above her shoulder. "M'lord chooses when 'n where 'E will visit, but 'E is no' absent." Vale shakes his head slowly at you, "What does your god stand for?" Arshes Nei fairly purrs, "M'Lord 's called th' God o' Chaos..." Vale quirks a brow at you, his eyes flashing with a sadistic gleam, "So...where is the chaos? The strife? The pain, the suffering?" Arshes Nei snorts softly, "No' all chaos is tha', y'know. M'Lord works in mysterious ways. 'E saved me fro' mine. 'N th' next 'E shall leave t' burn, most likely." Vale shakes his head, "Chaos is supposed to be...well, chaos! Lunatics running around, raising hades...That is chaos, the opposite of order....Come now, you must know what chaos is...." Arshes Nei's expression regains it's former neutrality. Emotionless, though her eyes retain a faint spark, "M'Lord is somewha' .... subdued since th' War." Vale mutters softly, "A subdued god...." he taps his fingers on the bar again, and leans close to you, "How would you like to bring your gods attention to you?" Arshes Nei mmphs softly, "m'Lord 's wi' me a' all times..." ... but she studies you with a faint trace of intrigue. [Arshes Nei] Vale shakes his head, "No no..." He frowns again, "Bah,...Describe Chaos to me...not the god, but the word." Arshes Nei shrugs, pushing her glass towards the bartender, "Chaos 's th' absence o' Order." Vale nods, motioning for you to continue. "Indeed." Arshes Nei mhs, "Chaos 's th' randomized. Th' unexpected event tha' occurs t' disrupt th' ordinary. Chaos 's th' unbelievable bit o' luck 'nd th' agonizingly unexpected downfall." Vale holds up a hand, "The unexpected event that occurs to disrupt the ordinary.....That is exactly right, and again I ask, where is the Chaos? Your god is the GOD of Chaos, it is his job, or the job of his worshipers, to cause chaos...What causes more chaos than a rampage through a small village? or through a Church to another deity?" Arshes Nei smiles wolfishly, sure she has you here. Leaning a bit closer, she keeps her voice to a conspiratorial level, "'N so I 'ave, of sorts. -Th'- Church... since there is only one openly acknowledged." Vale chuckles softly, "But why stop at one? Why not spread out, wreak havoc on this kingdom, wreak havoc in the name of the God of Chaos. He deserves as much....He is, after all, your god, the one who protects you..." Arshes Nei claims her refilled cup and takes a long gulp. Then she looks you over, a bit more thoroughly this time, and once more treads on what seemed dangerous ground the first time, "Mmh, f'r 'n elf, ya intrigue me." Vale snorts, "As I said, I'm only an Elf by birth...One should not be judged by ones appearance." He shakes his head slightly, "Doing so can bring about unexpected consequences. Arshes Nei chuckles, "th' way o' chaos, isn't it? 'unexpected consequences'..." Vale laughs, "Very true..." Arshes Nei runs a finger across one of the commonly occurring symbols amidst the tattoos on her forearms. Her face clears of all emotion once more, an unconscious habit developed to protect herself perhaps. Vale taps his chin, looking almost regal, except for the blood red battle scarred armor that he wears, "Are there any others out there who feel as you do?" You say, "I dinnae know. There 're others who follow m'Lord, o' course, bu' fer their own reasons 'm sure." Vale nods slightly, "Well, that's not much help now is it? Though, I s'pose it is fitting for worshipers of the god of Chaos...wouldn't you say?" Arshes Nei nods wordlessly, sipping at her cup. She fingers the pendant around her neck, running her fingertip over the star-symbol carved into the jade. Vale cracks his knuckles as he glances around, "Obviously you know my feelings...So I must ask, where can I go to find out about your god, perhaps I can assist him..." Arshes Nei locks her eyes on your face with a sudden intense gaze, "D'ya truly wish it?" Vale nods to you as he stares into your eyes, looking for something, "What reason would I have to lie to you?" Darkness flickers in Ash's eyes for a moment, as she murmurs, "Wha' reason d'ya 'ave t' want t' tell th' truth? 'F ya love chaos as ya claim... then th' lie c'ld simply come 'cause ya saught chaos. Bu' therein lies th' paradox, does 't not?" She repeats herself, "D'ya truely wish t' speak wi' 'Im?" [Arshes Nei] Vale laughs again, "Look at me, lass, what do you see?" Arshes Nei seems very serious, "I see an elf 'n a stranger t' this land who knows not o' the ways o' 'ere... who may not know wha' 'e asks for... 'n of whom 'e asks. Bu' I see a man who c'ld p'raps get more 'n 'e expected, 'n find it pleasantly surprisin'." Vale shrugs to you, "Perhaps you see true...but then again, perhaps your eyes deceive you...such is the work of Chaos..." Arshes Nei's voice is soft but intense as she repeats herself, "D'ya wish t' speak wi' 'im?" Vale leans back against the bar, still watching you, "Yes...though not right now...I must first explore this land, to see what...fun I can find." Arshes Nei closes her eyes for a long moment before releasing the pendant at her throat and drawing in a breath of quite some length. Vale quirks a brow at you, "Is something wrong, lass?" Arshes Nei reclaims her cup and takes a sip, in no hurry to respond to your question. Her attention seems to be....elsewhere for a bit. Then she turns to you, "nothin' 's wrong. Far from it." Vale shrugs at you, "As you wish, lass, as you wish..." he pause a moment as a though runs through his head, and then he smiles. Arshes Nei idly watches you over her cup, much more relaxed now than when you first met her earlier. Vale chuckles softly and leans close to you, whispering, "Chaos awaits you, but I'm not talking about your god..." he falter briefly, this close to you, but he regain himself and moves away from your he picks up his cloak and slings it over his shoulders, turning to the door. "Remember my words, Ash...Remember your feelings..." he hesitate a moment, as if waiting for something. Arshes Nei's lips quirk in the faintest of wry smiles as you rise, "Careful where th' blizzard takes ya this time, Woodshadow." Vale laughs loudly as he flips up the hood of his cloak, turning back to you, he says, "Oh, I have no fear where the storm will take me," he locks his eyes on you, "The gods will is what brought me here, and there is much to be done before I can leave....if I even choose to leave." Soft laughter threads through the inn. 'You cannot leave, lest the Mists take you again, newcomer....' Vale spins around, his longsword all by springing into his hand, he lowers to a battle stance, a coiled snake, ready to strike. "Show yourself...." Again, only the soft laughter. Arshes Nei chuckles dryly under her breath, her icy gaze watching your actions. She raises her voice slightly, "P'raps the gods are closer than ya think..." Vale sheathes his longsword again, and frowns slightly, "Perhaps they are, child of death, perhaps they are..." Arshes Nei tilts her head slightly to one side, then shakes it, "nae. I am no follower of Mortis..." Vale nods to you, "Oh...I never said you were...but death does cause Chaos...as does life..." (remotely) Asmodeus *a dry voice in the back of your thoughts, definitely Asmo's* "Fools, fools, I am forever destined to attract fools..." Arshes Nei's eyes go slightly unfocused as she murmurs (seemingly to herself), "M'Lord! Forgive me! And... 'E has no' yet 'ad the pleasure o' thy presence...." Vale turns back to you, and frowns slightly, "You keep speaking to yourself, lass, and people may think you insane.." Arshes Nei grasps the pendant at her throat again, frowning at you as her eyes refocus on your face, "'N sh'ld I care wha' they think? When m'Lord speaks t' me, I listen." Vale stalks towards you, his face livid, "Should you care what they think? Yes, you should! You represent your god, do you not?" his eyes smolder softly as he stares at you, "If I saw someone babbling in the streets, do you think I would care to worship a god who drives his minions insane?" he shakes his head and growls, "You would call that service and loyalty to your god?" Arshes Nei snorts softly, her own eyes sparking with a hint of anger in response to yours, "'N d'ya believe m'Lord requires me t' find worshippers f'r him? Ya yerself seemed willin' enuf without my encouragement. Tha' I do represent my god, bu' 'E is a god of Chaos, after all. Dinnae expect 'im t' require the 'usual methods'..." Vale stands there, fuming, "You just don't get it, do you?" He shakes his head, and turns to walk out the door, "You disappoint me, Ash...you disappoint me..." Arshes Nei rises from her stool to hiss angrily after you, "'N why sh'ld I wish th' approval o' a strange elflin' who dinnae even know th' name o' this land. One who saught -me- out t' ask! One who tries t' shake my faith 'n th' god who ha' done more f'r me than ya ever will!" Vale raises his hand as if to backhand you, he clenches his fist, visibly trying to stop himself "I feel an almost uncontrollable desire to slap some sense into you, Girl." he shakes his head, his body trembling slightly, "But I don't know what good it would do...Other than maybe to make you think before you speak." Arshes Nei rises to her full height, tho it is nearly a foot shorter than you. Her eyes glitter, shards of steel locked within ice. The response is more a snarl than actual speech... though strangely the words are more carefully pronounced, "Then, elfling, you should leave this room before this 'girl' decides to draw her sword and teach -you- to treat a woman with more respect." Her feral smile is an open challenge, "... 't seems yer already tremblin' wi' fear, tho." They exit to the courtyard. Vale's eyes flash with anger, "Foolish girl, a lesson it is!" And he lashes out with his left hand, to backhand you, while his right hand reaches for the hilt of his longsword. Vale draws his ornate long sword and lowers into a fighting crouch in one smooth motion, he seems to float across the ground as he moves towards you, he hisses softly, "You dare challenge Chaos incarnate!" His sword lashes out in a rapid succession of blows, attempting to circumvent your guard, you notice however, that he is angling his blade so that he only catches you with the flat of the weapon. Arshes Nei does more to dodge and deflect the attacks than to actually take the full brunt of the blow. Her broadsword carves twisting curves through the raging storm as she dances on light feet. Backing up as she moves, just barely escaping one or two hard strikes, she growls under her breath, "Ya 're nae worthy t' kiss m'Lord's feet, let alone bear 'Is name." However, she is so hard pressed at first that she has little time to launch an attack of her own. Vale presses the attack, his blade flashing out faster with each successive swing, "Bear his name? I wouldn't bear his name, I am what I am, his name or not!" He growls and he pushes forward, "I am one of the four, I am War, and war is Chaos!" The last is said with a growl, and a spray of spittle. Arshes Nei turns abruptly, not managing to escape a numbing blow to her off-shoulder as she twists away from the attack and dashes several steps to one side... becoming a slim dark shadow amidst the snowfall. Facing you again, her breath rasps in the cold air... rapid and uneven, though her eyes glitter like frozen sapphires. There... she waits, repositioned to accept a fresh attack from you. Vale rests his longsword on his shoulder as he slowly circles towards you, his eyes darting from side to side as he slowly closes the distance, "This is foolish, girl, you know you cannot win this fight." His soft laughter echoes hollowly through the storm. Arshes Nei's voice is a bit rough, the cold air beginning to get to her, "Ya f'rget th' idea o' Chaos, elflin'. A bit o' well placed Chaos c'ld prove ya wrong." She bears her teeth in a violent grin, falling into a slight crouch and turning to face you as you circle... sword always at the ready. Vale shrugs his shoulder, causing his blade to whip forward, "Indeed, as you said earlier, maybe the next time, chaos won't save someone...think you might be that someone?" He follows his blade forward, with three quick steps, his eyes gleaming, a maniacal grin on his face, "Mayhap Chaos will end my life...Mayhap not.." Arshes Nei raises her blade swiftly to deflect any blow that comes too close and takes another step back, "Aye, I c'ld fall. Bu' as I said... so c'ld you." The longer you wait to press your attack, the more of a chance she has to catch her breath, slow her pulse a bit... she steps back again, giving more ground, but recovering slowly as well. Vale seems in no hurry as he slowly walks towards you, "You are young yet, unpolished...a diamond in the rough as it were..." and then he springs into action, jumping the distance between the two of you, again lashing out with a vicious array of attacks, though he does not seem to be moving nearly as fast as he was earlier. Arshes Nei . o O ( ... unpolished, hmmph.... certainly unencumbered by armor. ) Arshes Nei deflects, and deflects again. The vibrations caused by your sword striking hers rattle through her arms, and she grits her teeth, but determination fails her not. With your motions slowed, she has an instance here and there to try attacks of her own, now. Her blows are not, however, with the flat of her blade. Of course... you're wearing armor... so... it'll take a well-placed hit to actually do any sort of damage. Vale seems to throw caution to the wind as he completely ignores your attacks, the clang of your blade against his armor echoing through the courtyard, he throws himself at you, possibly attempting to grapple you. Arshes Nei, caught off guard, suddenly finds you too close to let her swing her weapon. But she hesitates a moment too long to cast it aside, and by that point you've bulled into her. The sword drops from her hand as her breath is knocked from her lungs. Vale reaches down and pulls a dagger from his belt, placing it against your throat, "It would seem that Chaos has failed you little girl." He frowns slightly as he presses the tip of the dagger to your neck, just starting to draw blood. Arshes Nei tilts her head back, baring her throat a bit more, her breathing strained, icy eyes closed and snowflakes rapidly gathering in her hair... A small drop of blood forms where your dagger is pressed to her skin... and slowly slides down the side of her throat. Silent except for her breathing. Vale starts laughing softly and rolls off of you, he lays flat on his back staring up into the swirling snow, slowly his laughter fades, "For a moment, I almost felt young again, Ash...I must say, you have made me very happy today...Today you live, Ash...because you made me remember..." Arshes Nei lies in the swiftly gathering snow, her eyes still closed as she works to catch her breath. After a bit, her eyes flutter open dazedly and she reaches a tattooed arm up to wipe at the tiny trail of drying blood on her neck. She attempts to speak... then clears her throat and tries again, muttering ruefully, "... well, ya've given me a share o' mem'ries too, in the form o' bruised ribs." Vale rolls up onto his arm, staring at you, "Tell me, Ash, why do you hate me so much? Because I made you question your faith?" He pauses a moment, just watching you. Arshes Nei grimaces, scrubbing an arm across her eyes in an effort to clear the snow from her lashes. She growls, "Yer an elf. 'N a 'lord'... 'n a man." With a gut-deep groan, she attempts to sit up, "'n yes... f'r one brief instant, ya made me wonder 'f m'Lord was weak." Vale shakes his head and chuckles, "I may be an elf, by birth, and I was a lord...as for your god, I never said he was weak...You just did though...And if you were so sure of your faith, nothing I could ever say could make you question it...Do not blame me for your doubts...I should not be on the receiving end of your hate because of that..." Arshes Nei watches you through your words, her eyes glinting with steadily darker emotions. When you finish, she silently scrabbles through the fallen snow to find her dropped sword. Using it as leverage, she pushes herself unsteadily to her feet, her face turned away from you. Vale sits up slowly and sighs, "Ash...again, you point your anger at me...I never told you to forsake your god...I told you to simply increase your gods activity..." He stands up and replaces his weapons in their sheathes.. With some effort, and quite a bit of apparent pain (... a mumbled curse about the possibility of cracked ribs), Ash replaces her own broadsword in its sheath. Then she again probes her ribs with her fingertips, occupying herself so she need not look at you, though she must be at least hearing you. [Arshes Nei] Vale pulls the hood of his cloak up , "I only tried to help you further your gods realm...If you decide you wish to do so, you can find me at the Kings Blessing..." He turns then and slowly walks towards the street. Arshes Nei straightens again, speaking to your back as you walk away, her voice muffled slightly by the snowfall, "There's nothin' else i want bu' t' increase m'Lord's realm. To swell 'Is followin'." Vale shrugs as he steps into the street, "So, perhaps we do have more in common than you first thought..." And with that, he is swallowed by the swirling snow.
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