Quite The Entrance [Open]
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
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Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#1


















Adam was chasing down a particularly tricksy noble caravan. They had been swerving and speeding for the last ten minutes, clearly having seen him while they were turning their overly-gilded horse cart back at the crossroads. It was clear what he was, with his black clothes, guns and large black horse (Flash, his long time companion). It was why he usually tried to have the element of surprise, but this time he'd had bad luck.

With a sigh of annoyance as they yet again turned a corner, he fired a warning shot into the sky. The sound caused the driver to look back and Adam made the universal symbol for 'pull over' in his world - middle finger right up. For some reason, the driver returned it.

He was about to ride around them, try to get to the side with all of Flash's speed, but then -- he felt a noticeable change as suddenly Flash's hooves were no longer making contact with the ground, but nothing. For a moment it was like they were suspended, held on a thin string between the reality he knew and the one he was about to know; then he fell. "Whoa whoa whoa, what the fuc-" Adam began to say, before everything around him disappeared.

It didn't take long for surroundings to reappear around him, but it wasn't the lonely street he'd been chasing Sir PissySnob down, but a bar. Usually Adam would have been quite glad to land in a bar, but not when he was literally going to land in it; he slammed down hard into a wooden table and knocked a mug careening to the floor, his feet staying up rather undignified in the air as he tried to recover, too shocked to move them.

"Holy fuck, what the--I--" He tried to sit up, looking about with clear confusion on his face.

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
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Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#2
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
Eventful days or no, some basic needs still demanded attention. Like food, and drink. Retreating back to the Rathskellar with her head full of the conversation she'd held with Jigano, she found herself a table in the now less crowded room and gratefully accepted a portion of the rations everyone had helped to gather. Pushing back the pale hair, she considered lingering for a while even after the Long Night had passed. No doubt the proprietor could use a hand in cleaning up the place once everyone had returned home, and there was the matter of repaying the kindness after being allowed to shelter here.

Lost in quiet contemplation, Maea reached for her drink when from absolutely nowhere a bit something fell from the ceiling and slammed into the table. The mug was sent flying, as was her food, and with a startled yelp the short girl scrambled up and away from her seat. Thoughts of monsters, demons and all the terrors of the night flashed through her mind. The first instinct was to run, the second to close her eyes... but she reined in both and instead forced herself to breathe in. Deeply. Then Maea looked at the thing that lay sprawled on the table, half expecting tentacles or glistening teeth or both. She looked...  

And paused.

It wad a person. How almost disappointingly normal.

"A-Are you... alright?"
she asked, voice shaking slightly.

It was the only thing she could think of.

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#3


















"Ooouuugh." Adam said, the tumble of sounds coming from his mouth as he raised a hand to his forehead and tried to make the bar stop spinning. Turned out lifting his head had been a bad idea, from the way it felt like the table beneath him was tipping back and forth. Was he drunk? He was probably drunk.

A shaky voice cut through his nausea and he looked at the person who's table he'd ruined. She was quite striking, almost like a ghost, and for a moment Adam wondered if she was a hallucination. But no, she stayed there even when he shut his eyes tight and reopened them, so she was probably real.

"Uh...hey. Yeah. I think? Yeah." He mentally checked all of his areas: arms, still whole, legs, still there, torso, still hot, dic- well, he'd check that one privately later. "Um...sorry about your...dinner. Adam tried to jump off of the table, frowning as he picked various scraps of vegetables from his pants. The bar staff weren't looking too pleased with him, but seemed content to let him work it out himself, so he looked back to his accidental victim.

"Adam Pikely, famous highwayman and notorious flirt. You've likely heard of me. You are?"

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
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Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#4
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
Maea squinted at the man, straining her eyes to pick out the details of his features. At this distance even she could make out a handsome face of dark hues, remarkably young and even more remarkably unphased by the dramatic entrance. She was quite amazed at the lack of panic be displayed, as if this was not the strangest thing to ever happen to him. And, she reminded herself, it very well might not be. Even though it was the first time she ever saw an Outlander arrive, there was no telling what he might have lived before... in his own world. A highwayman... what was that? The part about being a flirt was ignored.

"Uhm, good. That's... good." Gods, help her! How did you even handle a situation like this? Jigano might have known. He was one too, was he not? An outlander. No doubt the lorekeeper would have been perfectly at ease with picking the man up and dusting him off while explaining what happened, where this person har ended up, what kind of nightmare be har landed himself in. But Jigano was not here, and Maea was left to deal with it as best she could.

"It's fine, don't worry about it" she mumbled, not entirely truthful as the spilled food sent a pang of deeply ingrained shame down her gut. What a terrible waste... [
b]"Sorry, but I've not... To be honest, I would be more surprised if anyone did know anything at all about you. Where... where are you from?" {/b}

Quite forgetting to introduce herself back, the pale eyed girl wished someone would step in to help her. A quick glance around the room brought forth no volonteers however; indeed, the few patrons around seemed quite content with letting her handle it.

Typical.

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#5


















Well, she didn't know him. Disappointing, but sadly normal for Adam despite his bold introduction. He finished dusting himself off and tried to fruitlessly neaten up the table and food, but quickly gave up when it was clear he'd done more damage than he could casually fix in ten seconds.

Where was he from? Seemed kind of a conversational question to be asking when he'd just smashed onto a table. He'd been expecting why the fuck are you in my dinner? Or you absolute dashing devil, I don't care that you sat on my broccoli, kiss me! But at least he had a good answer for where he was from.

"Ah, no where in particular. Some lil shitty village out in the mountains. But really I'm from the roads, you know. Grew up in the inns and beds of strangers." He thought this line sounded wonderfully humble and charming both at the same time, the perfect introduction to who he was trying to be.

He leaned up against the remains of the table. "So...you got a name or not? And uh...what pub is this? I don't...recognise it. Could just be cos I wasn't really here last time I was here, if you get my drift."

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#6
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
The girl did not smile. Probably his wit and charm was impressive, and no doubt she should be laughing and snapping something clever back in a casual banter. But Maea was not really that sort of person, and even if she had been, her thoughts were really too caught up in the matter of how to break it to this man with the agile tongue that he was not likely to ever see another tavern again.

"Sorry... I'm Maea. Maea Valair. And this is the Rathskellar... the only tavern in the Hollowed Grounds. For all I know, it might even be the only tavern in all of Caido."

Perhaps being blunt was the way to go, really. Break it quickly, and hope he had a strong heart and a sound mind... though Maea would not blame him if he doubted her.

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#7


















"Maea. Right." He said,  committing the name to memory. Adam tried to remember every face and name he met so he could always make a friendly impression,  make people amazed that yes,  he,  the great Adam Pikely, remembered them. Luckily, this woman had a very recognisable face.

The rest of what she was saying didn't truly sink in. "Wow, then Caido sounds shit." What kind if place only had one drinking hole? "....No offence." He added, too late.

"How do I go about getting out of here, then? Not that you aren't fucking amazing company and all, but I got horses to find and Lords to steal from. "

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#8
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
"None taken."

One observation that was on point, at least. Indeed, Caido was not pleasant. It was not nice or comfortable or forgiving, and the lack of establishments was really the most minor of its flaws. Of course, Maea had only the Hollowed Grounds to judge from, and it was quite possible that the rest of the world had more going for it.... But that was neither here nor there, as the rest of the world was very inaccessible. For all intents and purposes, it didn't exist other than as a promised land of milk and honey, a daydream to work towards and hope for.

She felt a pang of regret for Adam as she met his gaze, that he would have to be confined among the rest of them from now on. He seemed like a restless person to her, and they never fared well within the bubble.

"You can't" she told him. "Well, the door to the tavern is there" she pointed towards the exit that led up to the Temple and ultimately would leave him out onto the square before the Sparkbird's perch. "But it's really not a good time to leave. It's the Long Night, not very safe... And you won't be able to go back. No one ever goes back to where they came from."  She spoke with a finality in her voice, that the gentle expression could not soften.

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#9


















"...No one...goes back?" He repeated, his brow creasing as he stared at her. What did she mean by that? Was there someone waiting to shoot him outside the door? Or...oh no. A thought occurred and his whole face curled into a cringe. "This isn't...like...Hell, right? Am I dead? What did I even die of? I was just riding..."

When Adam thought about it, he supposed that he did remember Flash's hooves hitting nothing just before he blacked out; had that been a fall? A crash? Had he gone skidding down the road and just forgotten it because it was too awful?

The horror went from his face as he looked about again though and then spoke casually with his hands on his hips. "...I mean. If this is Hell, it looks pretty alright." At least they had booze and as far as he could see, no devils with pitchforks.

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#10
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
The girl held her hands out and shrugged. Who knew, perhaps this was a hell of sorts?

"Maybe. I don't know. But people die here too, so I don't think you're dead. I'm not, at least." This was getting complicated really quickly, and though Maea tried to keep herself calm and help Adam, the felt the beginnings of a headache form behind her eyes.

Deciding that the outlander would not likely jump at her, she reclaimed her chair and sat down, wistful as she started to clean up the spilled food from the table, a great deal more thoroughly than Adam had. It was tempting to just eat it anyway, and if she were alone in her own home she would have, but with so many people watching the girl restrained herself and merely replaced it into the bowl.

"It must be confusing, to ens up somewhere without knowing how or why" she mumbled, glancing up at him every once in a while. "You probably have questions. If you want to, I can try to answer them. Or take you to someone better suited for it..."

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#11


















She didn't know if it was Hell, which made Adam think it was pretty much probably definitely Hell. Or maybe some kinda purgatory. Alive people weren't unsure about whether or not they were tortured souls.

Maea relaxed and sat down, and Adam moved to sit as well, immediately leaning back to tip the chair onto it's back legs, his long frame making it look almost comically small. "I mean. I am pretty goddamn confused, but it's nothing that hasn't happened before. I've been stinking drunk and ended up three towns over. I'll work this out the same way. Just hope I didn't sleep with anyone I didn't mean to.." It had happened, several times, that he'd been approached by someone declaring their love to him years after an encounter he had long since forgotten. It was always awkward.

"I'd uh, buy you a replacement for that..." He pointed at her ruined meal. "But I don't have much cash on me. Haven't been at work for a little while." He did have a few coins in the bottom of his bag, but those were for his own emergencies.

"Did you show up here like this?"

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#12
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
She wasn't sure that temporary memory loss and being transported to another world could really be made equal, but the general lack of panic was a good thing so Maea did not question it. On the other hand, what he revealed of his lifestyle previously was rather more troubling. A thief, a scoundrel and drifter who drank too much and indulged in indiscreet behavior... The adjustment would not go down easy here, of that she was sure.

"What is 'cash'? No need to worry about the food, I will be alright. I will make it up to the proprietor at some other point... I already planned to do so, it is not a problem."

Resting her chin in the palm of a hand, the girl considered the man that had been dumped on her, quite literally, and shook her head in denial of the question.

'I was born here. My family lives a way off into the Outskirts, close to the woodlands. It is cramped though, and my brother have three children to feed so I came here over LongNight instead. Not that it's any less crowded here" she added, looking about the room. And still it was nothing compared to before the Spark Bird had arrived.

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#13


















"..W..What is cash?!" Adam repeated back at her, his head tilting in absolute confusion. It didn't even occur to him that the world he was now in didn't have money; how could it not? Instead he was sure Maea was somehow so unworldly, had dropped out of a tree last week or something, that she didn't understand the very simple concept of currency.

Yet she had apparently been born here. She really was very odd indeed.

"I don't know what Longnight is, or um...the Outskirts, but I get being crowded." Adam said, scrambling for something to relate with her on. Growing up in the halls of inns or the busy room where children of prostitutes stayed at the brothel, there had never been much space. He'd been known to wander as a teenager just to find some space.

"Can you show the way outta here? I'll go uh...bother someone else about the...uh. Everything." Maea was beginning to confuse him and he felt he would be better off finding things out himself.

adam
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough and this is what you get
Sad and angry... can't learn how to behave
Still won't know how in the darkness of the grave
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,023 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#14
Maea
Big dreamers shoot for open skies
The look on her face when he asked for the exit was telling. She did not think it a good idea, not before he had actually begun to believe her and take this seriously. But Maea could not - would not - keep the man if he really wanted to go, so she stood and made her way through the press of bodies towards the door.

"This door will lead you up the stairs and into the Temple. Up there you will find a shrine, an infirmary... and a door that leads outside. There is a giant bird with feathers of fire sitting on a perch outside. Don't harm it. Don't leave the light. Once the sun rises again, you can go where you wish, but... stay away from the Spire, and don't try to cross the barrier. You will die if you get too close to either."

There was more he should know, so much more she ought to tell him... But perhaps he would be alright if he just obeyed those rules. For now they might be enough. Longnight was almost over, after all. How much trouble could a man really get himself into in a day or two?

♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦


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