As night falls over Jastrey and the woods fill with the sound of chirping animals, the light inside the tavern outlines a winged shadow. On the porch Ripper sits, quiet and still, save the occasional leathery wisp of wing on wing. Blue-white smoke trails in the air from her cigarette in a thin spiral. Initially, her gaze is distant, focused almost entirely upon the reigning view of the sky, lost in thought. And then...
Pale eyes follow the movement of the troops across the road as they change guard and bid goodbye to a messenger headed out of town and, all at once, one corner of her lips begins to slide upward. A stream of smoke bursts out of the corner of her wicked grin, split down the middle by an exposed fang. The tips of claw-like nails scrape along the surface of etched metal, tracing the pattern of thorns that cover the executioner's mask on her hip.
At the outset it seems that her pupils are merely dilating slowly, as if quite happy. The pale blue of her iris becoming thinner and thinner and then vannishing altogether. This doesn't stem the tide of black however, which soon spills over into the whites of her eyes and swallows them whole.
She murmurs quietly to herself, voice almost akin to a purr, words punctuated by smoke.
"Two masks...one a princess, one a witch. Both ridiculous...and painted...and blind. My eyes would fill the empty spaces and bring about a total transformation. Artifice is the true realism. Deceit lives in the flesh and will not show its face to any man. But give us a mask and we will tell you the truth. I could not choose...so...I will wear them both. The witch next to my skin, the princess next to yours. ...Which will you see first?"
Ripper turns her head slightly though, given the pits of wide black that serve her as eyes, it's hard to tell exactly where she's looking. Rather, the town ahead reflects within them, a distorted and shadowed mimicry of itself.
"Ah, Fancy. Pardon the prattling, my mind wanders."
Her lips form a tight line around the cigarette in hand, inhaling the noxious fumes and pluming them outward again. She leans forward, free hand leaving the mask and draping across her shield so that she might lean against it.
"How have you been since the attempted execution? I heard wind of some activity in the mines but I was otherwise disposed"
Akon scrunches up her nose in distaste. "Aye, I've been fine since then. I, of course, am thankful for the towns people for what they did. However, I would have gladly taken the axe over my head if it meant getting rid of this scum." Akon's words are spit from her lips as she juts her chin towards one of the passing soldiers.
"And now we have Uordeq trying to slave people in town, and I damn well won't have it." Akon licks her tongue over her teeth wickedly, her red eyes burning slightly, before she takes a calming breath. "As for the mines...yes, there were shadows pouring from them...some man..some beast...which look all too familiar. Though last I saw such creatures they were very much in the flesh. They reminded me of the fiends of The Pit." Akon pauses at that, keeping her watchful gaze scanning the town.
"We pressed forward and disposed of the banshee that was summoning them. Yet now that gate remains open..a clear path way to the Under Shard. There were engravings...engravings of my kin down there." Her eyes narrow. "Which spoke of a temple, a welcoming king and queen, and an acceptance of slaves...."
As a Akon continues to speak, her lips snarl and she seems disgusted at her own words. "I don't like it...not one bit. I'll need to research what exactly that temple may be...but when you are speaking about Uordeq....temples are never, and I repeat, -never-, a good place to be. But nor is open access to the Under Shard. Some things are better left closed off, yet knowing Jastrey is so close to something so dark and foreboding also unsettles me."
Her red eyes shift, trying to catch glimpses of the passing soldiers, looking for signs of fruits the recent rebelous labors of town.
Ripper's head inclins toward its side just a few degrees, lids lowering while she watches the soldier's tabards flutter. With little ceremony, she taps the tip of her cigarette out against the bottom of one boot, flicking the remains into a nearby bin. The vampire stands, clipping her shield onto a chest strap and then rotating it to rest between her wings.
"A lovely idea for a party has just occurred to me. The sort your people do very well, would you walk with me, please?"
Akon finally looks towards the fey, watching her motions as she taps out the cig. A dark smirk slowly seeps across her lips, amused at the fey's request. She bows her head humbly. "Of course." Placing her hand out to guide the fey away from the tavern she continues. "After you..."
Zanna runs into the tavern looking for Fancy. "Has anyone seen Fancy?" She says loudly hoping someone will know. A man points toward the side tavern door and Zanna nods courteously.
She runs out the side of the tavern and spots Fancy walking off with the Vampire Fae.
"FANCY!!!?" She yells out as she runs towards the newly cured Warlock. She catches up to her and looks her up and down and smiles. "I just heard you were cured. Is it true?" She says jovially.
Zanna smiles towards Fancy as she looks her up and down to be sure she is better. "I'm happy he did. I was getting worried, I was actually seeing a way to rid you of that horrid disease." She says happily. "I'm feeling much better, Thanks." She says as Fancy lifts her chin to get a better look. "That Rhadama and is quite good with her healing, and yes, we shall speak later I need to ask you about a couple things." She looks the Warlock in the eye and then procedes to give her a quick unexpected hug. "Nice seeing you again Fancy." With a nod towards the Fae and Fancy she turns her heel and runs back to the tavern.
Akon smiles with gentle amusement at the excited and jovial greeting, reaching a hand out to place on the girl's shoulder to both steady her and support her. She chuckles a bit and nods, "Aye, tis so. Stiers was kind enough to rid me of it. There were some other complications afterwards which perhaps you can help me with later...but we can speak on those at another time." She reaches her hand from the girl's shoulder to place under her chin, to get a good look at her if the girl let her. " You also seem quite a bit more spirited and of sounder constitution than when I last saw you. I trust you are doing well?"
Akon blinks at the sudden hug, holding her arms akwardly out to the side, not quite around the girl. And before she can make heads or tails of it, the girl has already run off off again. "Well then..." She chuckles slightly, shaking her head in amusement, not quite sure what to make of it. Then she follows in behind the Fae again, walking off towards the woods behind her, a small smile of amusement still plastered along her lips, still letting out a chuckle or two.
Ripper shrugs off any awkwardness heldover from the encounter, through which the fae had been unusually stiff and silent, searching the stars for distraction. Once they've ceased to hear the sounds of the town, she carefully perches herself on a large rock, waving toward another in a wordless offer to sit.
"So then..."
Her voice pauses, head turning and nostrils flaring to scent the air. [Perceive Hidden] Satisfied that nothing of minor skill is hidden nearby, she leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees. Between the tips of her fingers rests the executioner's mask, thumbs caressings its temples.
"I had hoped we could speak on the topic of interrogation..."
Akon looks down to her scared and still freshly slit palm, rubbing a thumb along the rim of the wound. A slightly soft but darkly amused smirk comes across her lips. "Ah....interrogation. Indeed a delicate matter." She glances over to the mask the Fae is holding, remembering it all too well. "It sounds like we need to have a little chat later." She quiets as Atasatch approaches, glancing him over then paying it little mind when she catches the glint of Gorepaw's fang hanging about his scruffy neck. She reaches down and scratches between hs ears briefly before looking along the woods. "Atasatch, we need to gather meat for our towns folk. The soldier's stores are ruined and poisoned, and we need to make sure our own are taken care of. The healer's den has water and liquid stores, but I think it would do well if we gathered a bit of sustenance. I had a dear pieced out in the woods, but I'm sure it is well spoiled by now."
Taklinn walks in from a long day towards town. Seeing the group he walks over and growls at Atasatch "Ye owe me a chain elf! But on the other hand, the fact that yer scrawny frame could break it is impressive enough." he says with a wink to the fae. As his gazes diverts to see Akon, he looks down to his feet, obviously uncomfortable around her. "So ye may have yer uses about, but I still ain't fer trustin ye! Ye got me out of a jam, and I'll not be indebted to anyone, least of all an Urdek!" He tosses a small pouch to Akon and wags a finger in her direction as he bellows, "Now make no mistake, we are square and I'll not be hearin' anything about ye lording a good deed above me head!" He then grunts and moves on towards town grumbling to himself. (OOG money sent)
Akon catches the pouch as it jingles with the sound of gold coins, smirking at the dwarf. She keeps her eyes on him as he starts to depart and rises. "If you two would excuse me." She follows the dwarf in stride, her long gait soon closing the distance between the two.
Ripper watched the approach of the other two with a not-altogether-unusual silence. In fact, when Taklinn's reflection settled into the reflection of oil-like eyes the whole scene gained a bit of colour it hadn't had until that point. Standing from her rock, the vampire reties the mask carefully to her belt and leans forward to look the wolf in the eye.
"Well then...it sounds like I should spend some time hunting. Care to join me o' bearer of fleas? You flush them toward me and I -might- be inclined to find that jar of peanut butter Blondie thought I didn't catch her sneaking inside."
She winks as she straightens up, muscles visibly bulking as she stretches in the moonlight. [Strength 3] Without a second glance, the fae starts off in the direction of the orchard and (hopefully) the deer.
The tavern door creaks open behind the vampire. Akon, hood down, steps gently into the night air, shoulders held back with disciplined rigidity as she takes in a deep breath of the cool breeze. After closing the door quietly behind her, she folds her palms over the hilt of her dagger, watching the passers by. Her accented tone comes across towards the cursed fey, standing beside where she is sitting. "Good evening."