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No title.
(2013-09-08 - 2013-09-13)
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Arthur Drover The camp has had time to breathe. The undead no longer hammer it with much regularity, and Avira's skillful management has steered the local beasts into predictable, divertible "herds". The path is becoming better simply because so many people have walked down it! The walls of the camp are better palisades, sanded by bored guards, carved with initials, hearts, and murals of good scenes from recent battles. The eternal tureen of soup is in place, and the tents are more complex. Behind the tents, a wooden structure made from felled trees found in the grove that exploded during the dragon battle is being knocked up. It is a broad platform. In the middle of it is a red, glowing circle dappled with steel inlay. Arthur's tools are nearby - he promised the women a competent hot soaking bath, and he aims to deliver.

The synthesist is positioned in the middle of the camp. He is armed with bow over his shoulder, belt knife and silver flute in place. His archer's gloves are getting worn, soon to be replaced. Arthur operates by thinking of his day in terms of a series of tasks. He tries to keep this number under five, because he's been sat down both by his business partner and his wife regarding overwork. Today he has done three things. Moments ago, he recalibrated the safety system on the trap tent and the rocky cave nearby which hides the majority of their research. He checked on his apprentices, who have managed to handle all the camp's forgework including perfecting the runestone repairs now that Drover has done the majority of it.

And third - he is standing outside The Lab. A structure made for Oriane's use in studying the undead, it is mostly a heavy silk cloth tent over a wooden frame. It is positioned across from a slightly nicer set of quarters - wood instead of tents. Oriane's dwelling is in there, and he'd made sure it was big enough to contain her habitual opulence. The tent is silk over wood, - however, the wood is consecrated, the walls are reinforced with magical wards that take regular recharging from Maira, Paulo, or another competent magical practitioner.

Repairs are being done where boulders were thrown, and the ground is being purified against future undead assault. But it is all tenuous. There is some directing intelligence, some powerful thing which might seek to contemptuously sweep them all aside. And they need answers, they need a defense. It is all like a sandcastle, though an ever more beautiful and livable one - thanks to the work of the dozens of devoted officers and a hundred camp followers who drift in and out.

Visitors are welcome, some referred by friends, some by employees. On six foot high wooden stage is a canvas covered shape, the size of a large carriage with a strange bulge on top. The Badb, their new vessel, waiting for launch day.
Raine Arland Admittedly, Raine Arland had no intention to visit this camp initially. That is to say; it wasn't on his radar. He was busy explorting the Golmore Jungle, following up on a lead based on local rumors. There was talk of a magical being whose feats reminded him of one of the Five Apostles...

But despite a previous day's worth of exploring and searching, the young man had come up painfully short. There was no Apostle to be found anywhere. All that greeted him were monsters, heartless, more monsters, and more heartless. Oh and trees. Lots of trees.

"Well, this totally hasn't been a total waste of time." The black clad young man muttered sarcastically to himself. "Note to self; don't go eagerly running off to chase just any old rumor. Chances are, it's a flop." Just like this one had been!

A sigh was given then as Raine plopped down onto a fallen log, taking a rest from all his fruitless exploring. What was he going to do now?

It was at that point that a voice echoed out in his mind.

'You need to try harder, kid. The Five Apostles aren't going to just reveal themselves to you.'

Raine's brow twitched at the voice and he shot back. "Yeah, because I didn't know that already. You're such a biiiiiig help, you useless scrap of metal!" And the sarcasm just kept on flowing.

'Watch it, kid. This 'useless scrap of metal' has saved your sorry behind more times than you're probably capable of counting.'

Rolling his eyes at that, Raine looked off then and took notice of what seemed to be the beginnings of a camp. "...? Someone else out here?" Deciding to have a closer look, the young man stood and began to approach the grounds...
Rapunzel For the last few weeks, Rapunzel has been drifting from place to place. Her decision to escape the confines of the tall tower in the forest, despite the warnings of her mother, continues to be a solid one in her mind. Already she's been to the ocean and felt the sensation of sand between her toes and the smelt of salt in the air. She's ridden a great boat made of iron across the sea to foreign lands and met people of different cultures, marveling at the feats of engineering and creativty that reside within their cities.

But despite all of this, the wandering runaway has seen but a fraction of what lies beyond the horizon. The chance for her to find the source of the mysterious floating lights in the sky has long since passed, at least for this year, so with no greater purpose to guide her travels, Rapunzel has taken to letting her curiousity lead the way. Today that curiosity has landed her in a forest.

Rapunzel pauses, her bare feet sinking into the loose soil and fallen leaves that form a soft carpet at the base of the great trees surrounding her. Her head swivels around as she tries to make some sort of sense out of the landmarks she's been taking account of but the bewildered expression on her pretty face makes it quite obvious that she's not having much success.

"Was it... this way? Or... was it over there?"

The hard edge of her cast-iron skillet is rubbed against her temple thoughtfully, the trusty implement of culinary and martial reknown always close at hand. A ruffling in her hair gives way to a small scaley face as Pascal rouses from his nap, huge chameleon eyes blinking the last of his fatigue away. Upon finding himself in a deep forest the little lizard lights up with delight, leaping onto a nearby branch where he proceeds to skitter about in search of a meal.

"Hey, don't wander off too far!"

Rapunzel glances backwards at the ever-present locks of her incredibly long hair, the golden length providing the only real indication of which way she's come from in this maze of trees. She gives a slightly nervous chuckle and turns back to the path ahead.

"Well... nothing to do but press forward, I suppose. There's bound to be somebody out here," she says out loud, trying not to sound like she's merely doing so to convince herself.
Oriane Guado Oriane Guado lethargically pulls one operating glove off and then the other. Both gloves are casually left next to where her examining tools are. The Guado wastes no time in replacing the surgical gloves with a pair of long baby-blue gloves to protect her complexion from the harsh jungle sun. Another inadequate session was performed with one of the specimens and Oriane felt that she had gleaned no worthwile knowledge from it. How disappointing. Perhaps she will need to begin performing her examinations on live specimens next. Better results would surely follow.

The green haired woman takes a leather bound journal and pen before stepping outside the research tent to where Arthur was loitering. Green eyes flicker over to the man to see just what he was doing. Perhaps loitering was not the correct term as the synergist seemed to be tinkering with something. Oriane strides confidently forward with her tome and pen still in tow. "How astonishing and welcome to find someone else hard at work," greets the green-eyed Guado as she approaches. "I fear I have been in the company of my 'divine' peers for too long that I am even the slightest bit impressed to see an artisan performing his craft without being reminded of their responsibilites. I trust this has something to do with the requests from earlier?" She supposes to Arthur. Oriane's guards are nowhere to be seen for once. It is almost as if they vanished into thin air.

The approaching Raine can't be quite noticed from Oriane's position deep within the camp as neither could Rapunzel's. Hopefully, the camp's guards are more attentive at such things than the researcher. One can always hope for basic competence being displayed by others.
Arthur Drover The camp guards shouldn't fire on any human who doesn't look to be a shambling zombie, and would be mortified if they did. But wanderers in the jungle are apparently many today, and that at least means there should be company. Drover smirks at Oriane's trademark snarky and incisive commentary. "Yes. I am considering how to get you a more intelligent kind of dead creature, without "killing" it. I've done all the work we need done on the ship for now, so our problems take priority, m'lady. The facilities are rudimentary. Any further needs? I think I will put in a hatch in the roof. We have flying partners. They can help lower the creature into a sealing circle. Do you have a means to keep the beast under wraps while you ply your craft?"

As always, he is blunt when discussing the business end of things, but his voice is efficient and he walks forward while speaking.

He pulls needle and thread from a belt pouch, and begins sizing up a patch on one of the seemingly superfluous tent flaps.

"Your facility shares a wall with our infirmary quite on purpose, but we wouldn't want anyone stumbling into the wrong one."

His smile is not entirely kind, but his fingers pluck deftly as the black thread lashed to the needle dances in and out of the cloth.

The weight hangs less heavily on his shoulders than at their last meeting, and the renewed energy shows.
Raine Arland Passing the guards with a quick glance, Raine offered a two fingered salute and a grin as he entered the camp. "Wow. Is this a camp? Or a research facility...?" He mumbled to himself after, lowering his arm back down to his side. "Armed guards and all...sheesh." He took the chance to look to and fro as he stepped further into the camp grounds.

"Looks like they're building something? But what...? Hmn..." Raine mused lightly to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Eventually however, he spotted the forms of Oriane and Arthur further in. "Aha, they don't look like the usual armed thugs. Let's have a look." And thus, the black clad young man changed his course and moved to approach.

"Yooo!" Was his call to get their attention as he got closer. "Could either of you tell me what exactly's going on here? It looks like I walked into some top secret research grounds." A pause then as he glanced about in mock suspicion. "I'm not gonna get shot for knowing about this place, am I?"

Couldn't end it without a sarcastic quip of course.
Rapunzel Bravely forging ahead into the unknown, Rapunzel spends the next half an hour pretending like the completely monotanous landscape of towering tree trunks doesn't bother her. Each is easily as big around as her tower and stretches up so far that she can't even see where their branches turn into the canopy of leaves that blocks out all but the faintest traces of sunlight. That doesn't stop her from trying, ofcourse, being the hopeless optimist that she is.

Pascal returns to his perch on her shoulder a few minutes into the trek, looking a little fuller and a great deal more satisfied. The presence of her childhood friend's familiar weight relaxes her a little but the ominous gloom and lack of any signs of life cast a pall over what might normally be a fun little jaunt through the woods. Ofcourse, if she had any clue what lurked beyond in the jungle, she'd probably have been running as fast as her short legs could carry her towards what she suspected was the entrance to this place.

Surprisingly, the girl makes it as far as the outer edges of the camp before trouble strikes. Seeing the pallisade jutting upwards from the underbrush causes her spirit to soar immediately - people must live here! She and Pascal share a look of silent relief and Rapunzel takes off at a run towards the camp, only to be pulled short a few steps later.

"Ow! Hey!" Her hair goes taut, clearly caught on something. Turning to see the cause, she is forced to squint in the faint light, her golden tresses vanishing into the shadows beyond. Muttering softly to herself, Rapunzel stalks back the way she came to untangle the burdensome locks from whatever rock or branch they have caught on but before she can make it very far the sound of a low groan emenates from the darkness.

Rapunzel stops short, a sharp intake of breath puncuating her surprise. Overcome by a sudden sense of panic, she tugs harshly on her hair and slowly begins to reel its expansive length in and in the process reveals the source of both her troubles. A pair of dessicated zombies shamble into a patch of light, their hands gripped firmly in the girl's hair. Her face contorts into a mask of surprise and horror upon seeing the walking corpses and she tugs even more frantically.

"No! Let go!"
Oriane Guado Oriane opens her research journal and begins scribbling down a few precursory notes on the next step to take. She nods her head astutely towards Arthur when he asks if she was competent enough to handle the specimen once it was handed off to her. ""Of course. I may not even require something as elaborate as a magical seal. Physical restraints may alone suffice." The contemplating Guado pauses for a brief moment. "Perhaps the removal of all superfluous limbs would assist in the containment of the subject. Two? No, it would be preferable to remove all four to prevent the undead specimen's escape should the restraints fail." This revelation is quickly written down into her journal. Oriane, herself, smiles now. There was nothing like a proper discussion of proper surgical procedures.

The female Guado very much does not look like an armed thug. She is dressed head to toe in light blue and white finery that seems to be similar to what most nobility would wear while travelling by chocobo and she also seems to be quite unarmed. Oriane purses her lips together as she takes in Raine's appearance and greeting from afar. She opens her mouth as if to unleash her next barb when she hears something off into the distance. Her pointed ears twitch as the sound registers and a bored look washes over her face. "I hear the sound of someone in distress nearby. Perhaps you could make yourself useful and tend to that? It would seem awfully negligent to discuss the faculties of this camp whilst a fellow visitor like yourself is attacked by something no doubt awful and deadly."

Oriane turns promptly towards the research tent and snaps her fingers loudly. She then clears her throat loudly a moment later. From the shadowy depths of the Lab, two armored warrior men eventually come forth and begin approaching. "As I am feeling charitable, you may use these two should you feel your skills inadequate in investigating that noise by yourself." Again, Oriane smiles once more.
Arthur Drover Raine brings brief pause, but the answer is snappy. "Well, if you'll sign a paper verifying you know about this camp, I promise we could shoot you for knowing, certainly. Absent conclusive evidence, we're unable to do so and any shooting would be wholly unjustified."

Arthur doesn't look away from the cloth, the older man's face remains pointing in the one direction despite the newcomer. He answers Oriane's inquiry: "Ah, I didn't know if you needed the limbs. I can dissect only half as well as you, but that is well enough. I don't want to hack such a creature open and risk contamination, so I will use a hot enough implement to seal the ichor in."

His answer then projects, in an amused voice: "If we wanted to be secret, we'd have a larger perimeter. This is just about extending the safety net far enough and having some traps set out."

His fingers keep working, and it is only when he has been going for five minutes that the synthesist looks up properly.

The words "Live In Gratitude That They Were" are sewn in black thread. He smiles in appraisal of the quick needlework, turning attention then to the newcomer. "Hullo, lad. You're welcome in the camp, but any conflicts wait outside 'til you're off the premises. You put in an hour's labour any time in a day, you're welcome to food. As long as you don't ask Chef Farnsworth where he gets his supplies. We'll give you a pack for the road if you want to volunteer for a bigger role. Don't think about taking the money and running, you'll feel bad about it." Indoctrination complete as if he were ticking off points, he carries on: "'m Drover, and my companion is Lady Oriane." Who then interjects her timely warning and offers her guards to the cause.

This far into the bustle of the camp, his old ears don't hear the girl's cry until Oriane's keen senses note it. But a canny sentry or two might be apt to do so, and if they set up the alarm that would be enough to alert those in the interior as to the exact location.

Arthur does not volunteer to run off and save anyone. He famously does not run or hurry. But he sets up a sharp, brief whistle and points his hand toward the wall, which signals the guards from the nearest walls to rotate toward the source of the commotion and look for it. Rapunzel would find some aid coming, as long as she kept the noise up - but the older man can't stop an impetuous youth from playing the hero if he rushes to do so.
Raine Arland "Ahahahahaa, good one, old man." The black haired youth replied, grinning in amusement. What he probably didn't realize was that it wasn't a joke. But there was hardly any time to revel in the unintentional humor as a cry of distress could be heard further out. ".....Eh-?" Raine squinted upon being summarily recruited to investigate the cries of distress in the distance.

Why did he always end up getting dragged into this stuff? "Ah, sheesh. Fine, fine! I'll handle it." Shrugging then, the young man turned away, both arms held forward. "You can keep your bodyguards too. Whatever's out there, they're not going to lay a hand on me."

Sounding pretty confident in himself, a black void formed in one of his hands, the handle of a sword sliding out. He grasped it with his other hand and drew it from the void fully, revealing a long, black sword covered in a plethora of spikes at the hilt. "I'll be back in a few." Said pretty casually, Raine ran off, joining the guards that had already set out.

Eventually they found their way to Rapunzel's location. What drew his eye immediately was the hair. ...All that hair. ...ALL THAT HAIR. "Seriously?" Muttering incredulously, the sight was enough to give the boy pause. But the shambling zombies soon snapped him out of his surprise. "Oh right, right! Hold on hair lady! C'mon guys, let's clean up here!"

Without wastingg anymore time, Raine dove into the fray, lashing out with his sword radiating dark energy in conjunction with the guards from the camp, working together to be rid of the threat sooner rather than later.
Rapunzel The tug-of-war match strangely seems to be going in Rapunzel's favor. Despite the unnatural strength of the undead corpses, she slowly draws her hair inwards, letting it fall to the ground in a big pile behind her. This presents a new problem - the zombie's aren't letting go and every time that she tugs the hideous monsters draw closer and closer.

Fortunately, she doesn't end up having to resort to fending them off with her frying pan, which actually tends to prove rather effective at such things. The reassuring call from behind causes the girl to turn and glance over her shoulder, a bright smile breaking out on her face as she sees the guards rushing to her aid.

"Hey! Over here," she shouts, waving one hand in the air frantically. Upon seeing the dark blade, however, Rapunzel's expression turns worried yet again and she ducks instinctively as the energy starts flying. "H-hey! Watch the hair!"

One of the zombies takes the attack in the chest and staggers backwards, momentarily stunned. With a real threat to draw its attention, the remaining corpse loosens its grip and a well-timed tug from Rapunzel finally yanks it clear. Gathering up her veritable mountain of golden locks, all the while keeping her head down just in case, the girl quickly heads for the protection of the camp, trusting that her rescuers know what they're doing.

Upon making the safety of the perimeter, she flops down in a heap on the hair. Pascal quickly appears from somewhere, a tiny leaf clutched in his prehensile tail which he proceeds to fan her with from atop her head.
Oriane Guado "Previous encounters have already proven that the undead can survive even after the removal of their appendages. I need not cement those findings any further for there are new hypotheses to test," murmurs Oriane as she closes her research journal once more after finishing her note there. The talk of dissection and Oriane's expertise on the subject matter draws a succinct nod from the Guado. "Very well. I can perform the vivisections personally as I have no fear of contamination for I am very...thorough when it comes to my research."

Normally, it is a Guado's smell that is their most powerful sense. The stench from nearby lab makes discerning individual undead a tad difficult for Oriane. Sounds suchs as Rapunzel's entreatment for aid are to be relied on instead in this instance. The gravitas of the youthful swordsman was not unexpected. The Priestess smiles dourly to herself when Raine leaps off to join the guards in the chase. My, my. That did not take much convinving at all. She shoots the older Arthur a knowing look before retaining that slightly unnerving smile on her face. "That takes care of that."

Rapunzel's entry into the camp proper with Pascal causes Oriane to glance her way. Hmm. How interesting. Was that perhaps another member of the nobility come to this infernal jungle? It is only now that Oriane realizes that her guards were still hovering annoying close to her person. She makes a dismissive gesture towards them and the unneeded guards wander off back towards the Lab.
Arthur Drover Drover weaves his way toward the gate in the wall, inviting Oriane to join him with a mirthful let's-see gesture, but he needn't bother. She is as apt for the impromptu street theater the camp so often provides as he is. His failure to rush to the rescue is replaced by more practical concerns. The artisan's movement is leisurely, precise, and he swoops up a few simple wooden three-legged seats on his way by. These are dropped near the girl, but in the shade of an overhang while he gives her time to recuperate. "Tea, lads!", goes up along with a clap of his hands. "And for yourselves too. Latemeal and a guard change are in order. Scour the perimeter, someone isn't doing their job! Avira will be on your hides if any more get this close!"

Arthur gives the hero with the dark blade time to finish his work and greet the young lady first, not stepping up to make any introduction.

He is using this opportunity to hang to the side and take in the scene - let the young, boisterous lad set to being the hero. Frying pan, lizard, girl with a lot of hair - details cataloged for deduction later.

Tea is delivered by young men who do not run. They amble, but their immaculate white outfits with gold trim mark them as Arthur's apprentices. If asked why he dressed forgehands in white uniforms, he would be the first to call it "good practice". The overall quality of tea in the camp has improved since Oriane's discerning palate arrived, and what is set next to Rapunzel where she lies catching her breath is probably one of the finest cups of restorative hot drink to be mixed up in the Golmore Jungle in some time.

Arthur drops a seat - low, wooden, but comfortable if one sits with folded legs - for Oriane should she choose to take it. He takes one himself, never one to pass up the opportunity to rest.

A cup of tea is presented to Oriane with a flourish by a slightly (more than slightly) fearful steward. "Take your time, girl, but take a drink." His voice is gentler than usual, Rapunzel occupying the right age range to evoke a certain sympathy from the family man.

The guards beyond the wall don't acquit themselves like Raine does. Their movements are cautious. Where he might cut zombies low, the camp guards tend to scatter holy water on the ground, wait for zombies to walk across it, then use long pikes to puncture their heads while they are burning. It is drilled as if they've done it a hundred times, calculated to reduce injuries - and it demonstrates how they are probably scientists or problem solvers more than they are fighters.
Raine Arland With the undead made quick work of, Raine shook his head as he made his way back to camp with the rest of the guards that had set out to look. "Well that was kind of boring..." He muttered to himself as he brought up the rear, allowing the others to enter the camp grounds first. As he walked, a voice in his mind echoed out again.

'Boring? Heh, so what? You mean you like getting pummeled?' He could hear a chuckle emanate before the voice spoke up again. 'In that case, maybe you'd be better challenging that six armed girl to another fight. Since it went so well last time, huh? Huuuuh?'

That comment drew a twitch of the brow from the black clad youth as he set about dispersing his sword, shoving it back into the void it came from. "Yeah, do me a favor. Never mention that ever again. I can still feel the bruises where she punched me."

That was mostly an exaggeration, but his opinion on the matter was made painfully clear.

That aside though, he took the time then to dole out some 'good work' and 'nice moves' to some other guards as he passed before nearing Rapunzel. "Sooooo...." Raine began, eyeing her, then her hair, and then Pascal, then back to her. "...Care to explain why you're in the middle of a jungle with..."

Another glance, this time at her frying pan. "...undead on your tail, no travel companions(save for that reptile), and...a frying pan?" A tilt of the head was given then, brow raising in incredulity.

"... Is that supposed to be a /weapon/?"
Rapunzel To her credit, Rapunzel seems to regain her composure rather quickly, partly thanks to the cup of tea which she takes without a fuss. After downing the contents of the entire cup in one lengthy gulp, the slender girl pushes herself up onto the thoughtfully provided chair and finally takes stock of her new surroundings.

The camp, which she now sees is rather heavily defended, is unlike anything that she has come across yet. Her mind quickly flashes through the plethora of information gleaned from the many books she's read over the years and she surmises that this must be a fort or outpost of some sort. Obviously, the presence of those creatures must be the reason for the fortifications. This only makes the appearance of the dapper young apprentices and the priestess even more out of place.

Clearing her throat, Rapunzel puts on her bright winning smile and tries to look confident. "Um... well, you see... Iiiiii... was taking a walk? Through the forest there, obviously, just minding my own business you know."

Raine's commentary causes her to look somewhat upset and she crosses her arms. "Hey, how was I supposed to know this place was crawling with those... those /things/? And I'll have you know Pascal is a chameleon and a great help."

She picks up the frying pan and pokes it suddenly into Raine's face, stopping just a few inches short of smashing him in the nose. "Don't underestimate me. I know how to use this," she says seriously and both she and Pascal squint at the warrior, trying to look menacing.
Oriane Guado Oriane whistles now to call her guards back to her side and hands off her journal and pen to them. But before the tome leaves her possession, she places a hand over it and utters a few choice words. The closed research journal now crackles with latent energy as Oriane allows her guards to escort it back to her tent.

She then goes forth to join Arthur in watching the newcomer and the guards perform their rescue. Her casual stride hints that she too is quite content with letting the youth and the eager handle this. Oriane gladly takes the wooden chair and crosses her legs smoothly. She offers a brief nod of appreciation for the gesture and soon finds that the tea has arrived as well. There was nothing like a little tea after a dissection.

Oriane's ears twitch again as she strains slightly to hear the conversation between Rapunzel and Raine. She cannot help but interject, "You ventured forth into an undead infested woods with a frying pan as your sole defense?" The Guado laughs to herself before raising her teacup up. "Say what you want, but one must at least call you brave for doing that?" Her voice is a bit patronizing, but she is atleast smiling. "And well done on the rescue. I daresay that you have already proven to be more useful than my guards," directs the Guado to Raine.
Arthur Drover Arthur looks to Oriane with a faint smirk, making the barest "tsk" noise at her apparently condescending chide to the young lady. "Yes, good job, lad." He seconds the priestess in applauding Raine's swordplay and quick reflexes." A long sip of tea precedes Arthur clearing his throat. "Lad, as my lady wife would be the first to tell you, a frying pan can be an ever-present aid in times of trouble." This is said with reference to Rapunzel wagging the pan in Raine's face, and hopefully to derail a train of thought ending with the boy rubbing his lumps.

"Now, miss, begging yer pardon and thanking you for a wee bit of excitement in our afternoon, welcome to the camp. There are dangers in these woods - we are doing our best to reduce them, but if you need escorting out of here, please ask one of the experienced trail hands to help you. We'll answer any questions and supply you with a meal at least. Though if you want to stay on, you'll need to chip in. If you have some destination in mind, the mercenary group VALKYRI has quite a few conscientious young ladies who can engineer discreet transportation. I offer you all this information not to overload ye, but as prelude to asking if we can be of help to a weary traveler. We have beds and a new bath if you need them, though I apologize for the half finished state."

Giving her time to process, Arthur considers and adds something toward Raine: "Hey lad, where did you get your weapon?"
Raine Arland "Whoa, whooooooa there" Raine intoned as Rapunzel threatened him with the frying pan, raising his hands in a placating motion. "I have to ask though; when you say you know how to use that, do you mean you know how to make a mean omelette? Or did you mean bashing people's brains in?" The question is followed by a wry smile, clearly patronizing the girl. He could tell by the way she handled the cooking implement that she'd likely put someone down with it, but the opportunity to make a jab was too great to ignore.

Oriane's comment drew Raine's attention after and he gave the Gaudo a casual salute. "Why thanks. I always do my best to please." That was a total lie by the way. "Well, in either case, the situation's over and done with, so that said-" He went and got himself a cup of tea, having a sip before continuing to speak. "What's your name?" The black haired youth directed towards Rapunzel "Or should I just call you Hair Lady?"

And then a grin followed that question before his eyes found themselves over to Oriane and Arthur. "You two as well. Who are you and what's going on here? --If you don't mind me asking."
Rapunzel Rapunzel withdraws her frying pan, spinning it about on a finger by the small hole at the end of its handle with a smug look on her face that is mirrored by her tiny companion.

"Both," she states confidently. "Would you like a demonstration?"

As if on cue, the whirling iron skillet shifts its rotation and clangs with a painful ring against the side of her head. The girl winces and rubs her face, glaring at the cooking implement as if to put the blame on it. "Ouch... gotta figure out how to stop doing that..."

Seeing a convenient escape from the embarrasment of the situation, Rapunzel turns towards Arthur and listens to his lengthy spiel about the nature of the woods and its occupants. She rubs the back of her head with the frying pan and considers the situation.

"Well, I hadn't intended to stick around but since you're asking... I suppose I don't have anything better to do for now. Oh, I'm Rapunzel by the way." She directs a frown at Raine. The girl holds out her hand and the tiny lizard skitters down from his perch into it. "And this is Pascal."
Oriane Guado Tea still in hand, Oriane uncrosses her legs and stands back up to her full height. She looks between both of the quirky newcomers with a sly smirk and uses her non tea-holding hand to gesture to herself. "A...pleasure....to meet you both.You may address me as Lady Oriane." One last sip of tea is taken before she leaves the cup with Arthur's steward. "As much as I would love to dawdle and idly chat, there are now a few new specimens for the lab and must return to my work." She offers a slight wave of her gloved hand to Arthur, Raine, and Rapunzel. "No rest for the wicked as they say." And with that, Lady Oriane departs to oversee the reclamation of the undead that Raine disposed of.
Arthur Drover Arthur smiles broadly, wrinkles crinkling his face. He extends both hands - the cup of tea momentarily set aside - one toward the girl's hand and thus the lizard atop it, and the other in Raine's general direction. This may result in the awkward construction of shaking one of her fingers and the lizard's tiny hand as well as Raine's more conventional offered handshake, but the gesture is there nonetheless.

"Arthur Drover - a humble tinker. And this is Lady Oriane Guado, a special researcher here at Camp Pair Dadeni." A gesture toward the eminent Guado priestess as she leaves follows. "Good hunting, m'Lady." He calls in her direction, watching the Guado extricate herself with grace.

Attention returns to the two nercomers: "You're welcome to our protection as a port in a storm. If you have any special skills, either of you, we're glad to hear about them so we can arrange an exchange or two. It can be dangerous here, but rewarding. We're learning new things every day. I can entertain questions, too, gives me an excuse not to build the rest of the baths until later on. What we're doing here is building gummi ships. And fighting off those monsters you two just encountered, as best we can. They've been riled up and we're a bit worried they might hurt the locals."
Raine Arland "Raine Arland. Just another guy with a story wandering the worlds." He introduced himself, nodding to Rapunzel first before looking to Oriane and Arthur, shaking the latter's hand when offered. "Nice to meet you two then, Oriane, Arthur. Oh and Hair Lady." He totally did that on purpose. He listened to the explanation offered after and hrmed to himself.

"Gummi Ships, huh...? I've only heard vaguely about them." And frankly, the subject did kind of interest him. "I think I'll stick around for a bit then. See what I can learn. As for my skills, I'm pretty much your run of the mill swordsman. I can manipulate some dark energy, yadda, yadda-" He explained quite poorly, making jazzhands to dismiss it all away.

"I guess I can join the guards in fighting while I'm here. Probably the best I can do to be useful!"
Rapunzel Rapunzel grins and wiggles her pinky when Arthur attempts to shake it, Pascal putting his tiny claw on top as well. Her good humor melts away at Raine's attempt to be obnoxious, pegging him with an unimpressed stare. "Uh huh."

Ignoring the young man, she instead returns her focus to the camp, pacing casually in a circle around the small group of chairs that have been laid out, her hair slowly being wound around in a shadow of her path. Even after making three complete rotations there still seems to be quite a bit left in the golden mound where she dropped it on the floor.

"Never heard of them," she says cheerfully in response to the bit about Gummi ships. "But then there's still a great deal I've yet to learn about. As for my skills..." The girl holds up her free hand and ticks off each item on a finger as she goes. " Well, I can cook and sew and make candles and wash clothes and sweep the floors and... well, lots of things! Except fighting. I can take care of myself but I'm no soldier."

She neglects to mention her /other/ talent. Best to keep that a secret as long as she can. That's one teaching that her mother made very clear.
Arthur Drover "Well that's great. If you want to learn anything new, like about gummi ships, this is the place." Arthur gestures to his forge - a network of heat-convecting walls and complex drop forging equipment alongside crucibles fitted with magical gear. The whole thing has a big circle of blue chalk around it to protect the surrounding air. Another expansive gesture indicates the cooking turreen and mess station. "Any of your skills would be useful, and we'll pay you in barter or coin if you need it. There is a market going on now and then in the nearby settlements. Any of that would be useful, those are good skills." An eye turns to Raine. "Having a guard who can fight like that would be useful. We don't have many who stick around these days. Any kind of magical power is really useful in keeping this place safe. Lucky day, and we're glad to have you"

Rising slowly, he stretches somewhat sore muscles and spends a moment getting his bearings.

"Not much call for sweeping, but a good cook will be of some considerable use. If you think of any special items either of you need in pay, don't hesitate to notify me. Armor, arms, potions, circlets, crowns, rings, amulets, cloaks, shirts, boots, staves - if we can't make it, we'll find out how."

A wink at the end of his sales pitch as Arthur packs up some equipment from a nearby table and prepares to set out. "Pleasure to meet you both."

 
This scene contained 24 poses. The players who were present were: Rapunzel, Oriane Guado, Raine Arland, Arthur Drover