Nice and peaceful, Nabias offers a great place to start your journey or stock up on supplies before heading out to brave the rest of the wilderness out there. They also have Barakka's largest hospital facility to treat all sorts of injuries you could get out there. (+2 Precision)

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A Spot of Trouble [P]

Postby Indigo » 12/12/2013 11:45 PM

The town of Nabias. Peaceful, quiet, or at least not terribly busy this time of day, though of course you get the usual adventurers and other riffraff from the surrounding areas. Whatever you may think of the place, you would most likely agree that it's not the sort of place you would expect a terrible crime to occur.

Today, here, something was amiss.

A shadowy form, hunched up against a door frame, outside a shop closed for the afternoon. Something with big glass windows. Maybe a boutique? It didn't matter, as it wasn't actually the source of the disturbance; it just happened to be conveniently nearby. A few people frowned when they passed, but Rocky ignored them. She was having fun. Sure, huddled in a doorway in a big black coat with a hat's brim pulled low over her eyes was not the most inconspicuous way she could make her observations, but her orders came direct from Mr. Evening, and they said she could employ whatever strategy she wanted.

Her observations, in this case, pertained to an area spanning several blocks in Nabias where the time stream had been destabilized, or something like that. A large-scale temporal anomaly had originally been pegged as the source, but now the folks back at HQ were pretty sure someone was actively manipulating timelines, and had to be stopped. So Rocky had been dispatched to check up on things. Just check up on things, the letter had said. Leave the intervention to the professionals.

Whether she would actually do that remained to be seen.
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Re: A Spot of Trouble [P]

Postby DraconicFlare » 12/13/2013 12:04 AM

Trellefk was itching to hunt. Everyone looked so tasty. Just keep moving, she thought to herself, your just here to go trade some goods at Nabias' market, not to eat people.
But they looked so tasty! she thought wistfully.

The truth was that her hoard was overflowing with random items she found on the people she ate. It could be bejeweled necklaces, to fancy hats, to even something as simple as a beaded bracelet. The thing was that she didn't need money much, just more space so that she's wasn't sleeping on a pile of junk.

Then she noticed some feather-trench-coated person in a doorway.

She wouldn't have noticed them if they hadn't been conspicuously standing in a shadowed doorway, steepling their claws. Also she was glancing around because her never-ending hunger had gotten herself in trouble before in Nabias. But anyway, this person looked suspicious, so she went over to see what they were doing here.
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[2]

Postby Indigo » 12/13/2013 1:34 AM

Ah! Was this a lead? Or perhaps a local come to investigate her lurking? Probably the second one, but why not speculate a little? She grinned with exaggerated crookedness and stepped forward to meet the Serraptor.

"Hello!" she said brightly. "And what might you be about this fine day? The weather is quite lovely, don't you think? Perhaps a bit warm late in the afternoon but this morning it was wonderful, very brisk. If you like that sort of thing, I suppose, and I don't know if you do, being that we've only just met, but I expect I will find out sooner or later." Pause for breath, slight adjustment of accent. "What is it that you might be about today, if you don't mind terribly my asking? You did seem to be walking with quite a purpose just then, and of course you did also look rather purposeful when you came over here, so the only thing that can reasonably be assumed is that you are on very important business! Aren't you? Do tell! It must be very interesting!" She smiled broadly and blinked once or twice, waiting.

It wasn't entirely an act, of course. She found that it was easiest to put on a persona when it was rooted in an aspect of herself, just blown all out of proportion. It was more fun that way anyway, and she had to put less energy into keeping up the facade; energy that, in this case, would be diverted into figuring out just what this stranger wanted from her.

It was entirely possible that the Serraptor had nothing to do with the temporal anomaly, of course. But you never could be sure just by looking. Rocky had heard stories about a girl who was practically a walking temporal anomaly in her own right, who had avoided capture time and again as she sweet-talked her way out of just about every situation using a combination of limited clairvoyance and an innocent face. Since then everyone was supposed to be on their guard at all times, which seemed a little excessive, but hey. It kept her busy.



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[2]

Postby DraconicFlare » 12/13/2013 2:17 AM

"Um..." Trellefk was quite confused. No one ever wanted to talk to her because of her...habits. But here she was, talking to Trellefk, "Well you see, I was walking over just to see what you were doing. Also to ask you if you had any meat I could trade for. I have some nice jewelry here, if you want", she took her best hat out of her pack as she spoke, "Or I could offer my services for you for a time." she grinned sheepishly, "If you have any need of them at the moment."

Trellefk analyzed her as she talked. The Sygriff was an interesting fellow with skull-&-crossboned-wings, black tail with silver swirls and matching bag, and orange plumage. She seemed like she was on some sort of mission. Trellefk thought, Maybe its about the weird things going on. Who knows. I just want to get done with this shopping trip so that I can hunt. "And if you would need my services, I would like to know what you're aiming to do. Actually, I would like to know anyway. If you'd tell me."
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[3]

Postby Indigo » 12/13/2013 2:33 PM

"Me? I'm investigating!" This would be fine, she figured, as long as she didn't outright say what she was investigating. "And I'm afraid I don't have any meat on hand, so I wouldn't be able to trade with you even if I had the time, which I also don't, nor do I have anywhere to put anything you'd trade me." She held out the sides of her coat dramatically, showing off the lack of pockets. "Although that is a lovely hat. But I'd look pretty silly with two hats stacked up on my head, don't you think?"

Rocky's ears perked up at the mention of services. That was pretty ambiguous, of course, but it might refer to something related to the current goings-on. And even if it didn't, it could very well come in handy. "We-ell..." She thought for a moment, drawing out the l to buy herself time. "I don't know exactly what you mean by services, but maybe we can have a little exchange of information, here. See, the thing I'm investigating is a kind of disturbance in time. Trying to see where it comes from, whether I can use it to my advantage, that kind of thing."

This was not exactly untrue. The League, she knew, was a little overly concerned with its own personal gain; she'd worked with that awful stuck-up Tengumi once or twice, gotten so fed up with him she refused to remember his name, and she believed there were probably others like him. But not Mr. Evening. He wouldn't be in charge of such things if he weren't trustworthy. "So what are these services you're offering me?"



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[3]

Postby DraconicFlare » 12/13/2013 9:40 PM

"Well that depends on what services you need. I'm good at finding lost items, sniffing out clues, battling, lots of things. If I knew what you were investigating, I might be able to help you...oh, also, I know that some weird things have been going on, something to do with time anomalies? Anyway, I kind of studied time and the space-time-continuum and rips-in-the-fabric-of-the-universe in college so if you're investigating that, then I could help you." This wasn't completely true, Trellefk did know all that, its just that she kind-of read it from the Sygriff's mind. "Also, if we're going to work together, we should know each others names. Mine's Trellefk, what's yours?" She extended a hand.
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[4]

Postby Indigo » 12/14/2013 4:08 PM

Rocky squinted suspiciously. This Trellefk talked awfully fast, and had a lot of information no one outside of the League and its affiliates ought to know. She'd never heard any non-League personnel talk about "time anomalies", except Tayle's wife, who maybe counted as League personnel anyway, and this stuff about rips in the fabric of the universe...that part was inaccurate, of course, but it was along the lines of some other things Rocky had investigated, and if there was one thing she'd taken away from League training, it was that coincidences were never what they appeared.

Still, she could use the help. It was unlikely any sort of battle would occur--and what an oddly dramatic way of referring to it, but she'd worry about that later--but sniffing out clues was exactly what she'd come to do. As for finding lost items...did timelines count as items? She stifled a giggle and extended a claw.

"Sorry, you're right, I really should've thought of that," she said. "The name's Dove, Oda Dove. Nice to meet ya."



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[4]

Postby DraconicFlare » 12/14/2013 4:41 PM

Trellefk shook her claw and was, again, confused. It was hard to get a proper read on this Oda Dove. She seemed to be hiding something. But what? And another thing. Trellefk couldn't even tell if Oda Dove was her real name or not. Her general aura was very fuzzy, like someone had blurred her thoughts together. "You too. What is it that you are investigating? I mean not to be prying of course, just if I am to help, I thought I ought to know." Again, that feeling of that Oda was hiding something. Hmm. Odd.
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[5]

Postby Indigo » 12/16/2013 3:01 AM

"Like I said, I'm investigating a kind of weird time disturbance thing," Rocky said. Forgetful, or did the Serraptor suspect her of lying? Which she wasn't, of course, since she was looking into just such a thing. it was just the reasons she'd been not entirely honest about, and why would Trellefk care about such a thing? Unless...

"Well," Rocky said, "we're certainly not finding anything out by standing around this shop, are we? Is there somewhere you need to go to take care of your trading things, or shall we start our investigation proper right away? I have a pretty good idea of what we should be doing next, and this observation thingy hasn't been working out so great other than that." She had a decent clue of where she ought to be looking for the source. Something about League magic made her sensitive to changes in the time-space continuum, which was occasionally disorienting and, based on a survey, not the experience of most other Travelers. But it was certainly useful for assignments like this.



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[5]

Postby DraconicFlare » 12/17/2013 11:19 PM

"No, you see, I'm wondering what kind of weird time disturbance thing you are investigating. Whats going on? Also, as for the trading thing, I can trade another time." Trellefk placed the hat back in her pack. Then she realized something. The Sygriff knew something was up. The thought was faint, but there. That little inkling that something weird was going on. "So which way should we go, if I may ask?"
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[6]

Postby Indigo » 12/28/2013 2:47 PM

"Oh, that. Well, you see..." Rocky hesitated. Was this really safe? This could be an agent of the enemy for all she knew! Not that she even knew who the enemy was, it wasn't as if this was a war, but still. But on the other hand, she would have to trust someone eventually, and this Serraptor hardly looked threatening. Or no more threatening than the usual Serraptor, anyway.

She leaned forward. "I need you not to tell anyone about this, all right? But basically, there's a guy around here who's been manipulating timelines, twisting them into things they shouldn't be. Taking out pieces and sticking them onto other timelines and putting events all out of order. As a matter of fact, he may actually be making a new timeline out of some of the bits he's taken. That's what we're trying to stop. Got it?"

After a pause to make sure Trellefk did indeed get it, she continued, "I think it's a few blocks north of here, the disturbance. Shall we go?"



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[6]

Postby DraconicFlare » 12/28/2013 5:45 PM

"I got it. And don't worry, I wont tell. Unless you say I can tell someone; then I will tell them, of course. But if you say I can't..." Trellefk knew she didn't need to explain this but it bought her some time to get a better read on her now that Oda wasn't hiding the details. Because, you see, when you lie or don't tell all of the truth a mental barrier appears. But when the whole truth is told the barrier crumbles and one can poke around more freely. There was still one barrier, though, so she only got to know that Ms. Dove is part of an organization to deal with time stuff, but that's about it. "So, shall we?"
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[7]

Postby Indigo » 01/19/2014 5:49 PM

“Well, yeah. I assumed that was what you meant.” So Trellefk was the type who always felt the need to overexplain herself? Fine, fine. Rocky had met a few people like that, and while she was hardly the most patient person around, she was pretty sure she could handle this. “Indeed we shall.”

She turned and led the way in the direction she’d indicated, following the strangely winding streets that so often seemed to crop up in these areas, hardly checking to see if her new companion was keeping up. The disturbance was clearer now, a feeling in her bones, a kind of distortion. Almost as if she were on the verge of being turned into something else. Perhaps if she got too close she’d be shifted into an ancestor of her species, or something else entirely, an alternate-universe version of herself.

Oh, well. This kind of thing was her job, and she was reasonably sure that one of her superiors could arrange for her to be changed back.



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