Trust. Life. Hope. Home. Four of the many things Shire Despute no longer has. It's been a little over a month after the total obliteration of her race, the ultimate act, and proof, of the prejudice and injustice that is the Council. She still remembers the cold and bitter week it happened, the smell of burning flesh that originated from men, women, and children alike. The systematic sound of air passing between blades as people were dismembered haunted her dreams during the day and at night, with the dread struck face of her former hero etched into the back of her eyelids as the memory of his head being separated from a body that was once his... it was these memories that returned to Shire with vengeance. Horrible would be a high understatement to describe them.
Here she was, once an active member of the Uprising, steadfast and strong... now a shell of her former self, hiding in the neighboring Halfling Slums, unable to return to her home. Shire slumped down against the wall she was leaning on mere moments ago, a wretched growl making it's way to her ears. 'Hungry... again...' she thought. During these times she would usually find a way to avoid consuming the flesh of another race, to prove the Ghouls are just as civilized as any other race, the Angels included. Now? She didn't give a damn. How could she? The only thing she had to do was ensure she wasn't found out. Running a hand through her messy hair, her fingers lingered on her gold and blood red headdress. Yes, the headgear she refused to take off. Shire had to abandon her old clothing from home because of Ghoul stereotype, her kind was easy to tell apart from others simply by the way they conducted themselves. Another low growl formed in her stomach as she bent over, clenching her sides. It hurt. She had to eat, and anything... anyone will do.
As she was forming up plans on ways to feast, the air shifted in temperature and pressure. A delicate and nigh unnoticeable change for all who never paid the Ghouls with Bikaku any heed. Shire watched with high interest as the winged creature landed just a few inches away from where she sat in the alley. It cocked it's head and stared back at her with it's natural curious glee. 'A bird will have to do for now...' she thought, Shire didn't want to risk hunting a Halfling in her current wild state. Her eyes narrowed as the bird unraveled it's wings to take off.
Her vision became tunneled as every fiber of her being focused on her soon to be first meal of the day. It's webbed feet began to remove themselves from the ground. Before it could get it's last talon airborne, she struck. With uncontrolled power, she struck at the animal. She was positive she got it as she felt the bones crush instantly in her hand. The ground around them, however, did not appreciate Shire's actions as it too cracked and tore itself apart from the force of her unholy attack. The walls around her shook and the alley Shire was in echoed with noise, a low boom that could be heard by anyone nearby.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath, immediately retracting her hands from the epicenter of the devastating attack, and rubbing them on her plain navy blue shirt. She stared at the bloody mess that was once a bird, surrounded by broken earth. Shire knew she went overboard... but she was starving. Using her Rinkaku to take out a bird could possibly be defined as overkill, and will surely bring attention to her, meaning she had to move quickly. Taking the bloody mess in her hands once more, she opened her mouth and bit down, blood dripping from her chin as she delighted in the taste the flesh gave her. It won't fill her up, but it's enough for now. However, her meal would be interrupted by the inevitable attention her actions brung; the shadow of a devilishly tall man approached her. She couldn't see much, but from what she could see, if conflict were to arise, she was at a major disadvantage. Quickly coming up with a cover story as to why her face was previously enveloped in the carcass of a bird, and why the ally looked like Vampires had a drunk party, she slowly stood to her feet, her reddish brown eyes now focused on the stranger.
Shire attempted to move her lips to form words, but nothing would come out. Of course. Cursing herself, she prepared for whatever was about to happen.
[attr="class","sbox"] Alcohol-induced warmth left him, replaced by ice coursing through his veins. The crate he had on his shoulder crashed to the ground behind him. In his stupor, he'd let it slip. Several unfinished platemail prototypes clanged against the cobblestone, their impact hardly cushioned by the snapped wooden planks. Sweat beaded on his silver brows. The halfling, a full foot taller than the individual before him, had frozen up. But Kwai Tze-keung knew better than to waste precious time freezing.
Kwai whipped his cloak forward, hoping it hadn't lost its magickal properties through its long disuse. Landing in front of the woman, the golden fur bristled as it contacted the ground and sparkled gently. Turning the corner of a ruined slum block, several Halfling labourers and a couple of Council followers appeared, with the labourers carrying similar crates. Most of them had several rope supports aiding them in carrying the crates in their arms. Kwai dropped to the ground, gathering up the shattered crate. "Sorry! It slipped." he shouted behind him. "Should've used the ropes, old man. Keep pace. You know where to go. Don't do it again!" barked one of the Council staff. "Verily." he replied, nodding and keeping his head down. They marched ahead at a breakneck pace, luckily.
Ineffectively collecting wooden fragments and armour pieces until they'd passed beyond view, the halfling snatched his cloak off the ground. "Sorry about that. I wasn't sure that cloak still worked. It's supposed to observe... No, that's not it. Obscure. Obscure the area ahead of it. Camouflage, that's it. I didn't mean to scare you. You've probably had a rougher go of things than most, eh?"
Kwai donned his cloak again and scooted closer. "Do you have a place to go?" In case she was eyeing the remnants of the crate he'd been tasked with carrying, Kwai brushed off any concerns, saying, "They made the mistake of paying me in advance, I'll just leave it. If you want one, you're welcome to it but I think they're sized for Elves."
The semi-sated ghoul didn't move as she watched a box of some sort fall to the ground from the man's possession. Shire was entirely unfamiliar with the customs and workflow of the Halfling area, despite now being in it for around a day or two, as a result the contents or authority this man could have was unbenownced to her. She wasted no time taking in the tall figure in front of her: tall, a large build... buzzed? The scent of alcohol lingered on him. 'It should make escaping or winning any conflict that would arise easier, fighting a drunk opponent,' she thought to herself, still unsure of if he was friend or foe.
For just a moment the man stood still, making Shire uneasy despite already making up her mind to respond to any aggression, and not start it. Especially with a halfling, the only race in the broken world she respected to a degree. After the momentary pause in action, Shire took a step back and raised her hands in a defensive manner, the halfling dropping a sort of cloak in front of her. Confused as it buzzed with magick, what came next caused the lonesome ghoul's anxiety to peak: she heard someone approaching. A group of people. Was this a trap? If it was, she was ready for it, regardless of her current condition. Council members, with boxes similar to the man's shattered one in their possession. She felt the lower end of her spine ease, magick emitting from there as the epicenter and spreading throughout her body. Shire highly doubted they could take on her Rinkaku while off guard... but sure enough, as the neared, the tall halfling dropped to the ground, interacting with them... the former oblivious to her standing in front of them, as well as the state of the alley. Looking down, Shire suspected it was the magick coming from the cloak that was responsible.
Her suspicion was confirmed as the man spoke to her. "A cloak of camouflage... that's a very useful thing to have," she remarked. Useful indeed, oh the ways that could have been used during the Purge. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she lowered her guard, standing normally in front of the halfling. This man was no threat, as far as she could tell. If he protected her from the Council shits, she had reason to believe he wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize her being here. For now. "It's fine, I was just startled... and yeah. You could say that."
The man drew closer to Shire, herself unmoving, but on a more passive guard. Remembering she still had her Rinkaku ready, she calmed herself down. She didn't want anymore people arriving because they felt an unnatural surge of magick. Sighing as he asked if she had somewhere to go, she shook her head solemnly. "I'm an orphan," she lied, "I usually stay in these dark alleyways, as well as the ones closer to the Regal Club." Her story was already made. If he didn't know already she was a Ghoul, her cover would be as a Halfling. Something easy to pull off. If he did know, Shire would make sure to remain silent as to not confirm nor deny it.
She extended her hand towards the tall man. "My name's Shire. Shire Despute. Thanks for what you did earlier."
[attr="class","sbox"] "An orphan? Join the club. Aye, there seems to be no shortage of us, in any era I've had the displeasure of suffering through." Kwai's rugged visage bore a sentimental streak. He stood up slowly, checking his corners as he rose. "I'd heard of you. I wasn't quite sure what to believe. But to be here yet, no better testament to your resolve. Unfortunate as the trials may be." He believed his words to be wretched understatements but Kwai hoped to avoid simply saying things she already knew to be true of this world.
He stroked his grey moustache in contemplation. "The Regal Club... Hm, dangerous place. But not because of the living. Though last I heard the place had been properly exorcised recently." Along with that, he'd also heard of the public execution of the supposed Ghoul Uprising mastermind that had occurred a few weeks ago. Kwai wondered if she'd heard of it as well.
"Honoured to meet you, Shire Despute. I am Kwai Tze-keung, at your service. Last of the Charlotte's Dragoons Armoured Regiment." His grizzled hand shook hers gently. Thoughts of that dreadful night nearly a month ago slowly welled up but Kwai managed to block most of them out. Perhaps he could truly help, here and now. "No need to thank me yet. Staying out here for much longer won't do you many favours. Between the 'clean-up' sweeps and other Council efforts, it's not safe for you here. If you're in need of a place to lay low, I may know of a few options." He stretched his neck and considered the atmosphere. "I, I understand any apprehension you may have, though. One of the first rules, really, is holding a healthy level of mistrust, isn't it?"
So this halfling was an orphan... seemingly one who's been through a lot. Not as much as her of course, but still, Shire kept an open mind. She put a hand on her hip as the man told her what he knew of her. "What did you hear exactly? Is the name Shire Despute known in these areas too?" If it was true and she could be recognized by name alone, she wondered if the same was true of her appearance. Nevertheless, she had no intentions on leaving. Not when she'd found a potential ally.
While she knew the club was dangerous, she didn't expect to hear the danger came from things that weren't living. She shook her head and said nothing in response besides her own signature catchphrase 'Understood'. Shire had no desire to bring up past events regarding the Uprising and Purge. She held back her desire to express herself, Mason hasn't yet left her memory.
"Kwai... Tze-keung? That's a nice name. I never heard of any Armored Regiment... is that something of the Council's? Nevermind." Not wanting to pester into things that weren't her business, especially now when she couldn't take action on it, Shire considered her options. She saw Kwai seeming working with the Council seemingly, however he was kind enough to protect her from those very people not too long ago. Shire didn't trust anyone nowadays... but...
"Yeah... a place to stay would be great." She nodded as she said this, taking a step closer towards Kwai. She didn't really have a choice but to trust him, him being a Halfling easing Shire's uneasiness a great deal. For now she'll put herself at the mercy of the clearly magickly adept man. A sudden feeling overcame her, a feeling of tiredness and fatigue. She might have worked herself far too much, and her Rinkaku wasn't doing it's job. Lightly groaning, she leaned against Kwai's figure to steady herself. "When do we leave? Like you said, it isn't safe here..."
Living in a dystopian society, seven mystic races are trapped due to their own selfishness. Tensions rise between the races and the different social classes, leading up to the constant struggle for power, with no end in sight.
News
4/11 - With the Ghoul Purge complete, Pavane's fear shifts from the goddesses towards the Council. Check out the aftermath here to get an understanding of the current situation in the plot.
MYSTICAL SOULS belongs to YUMEKUI, DYLZOE AND LUNARIS. This is an original plot created by staff members.. The skin "Midnight Madness" was created by Dorothia. This includes Board Mod, Mini-Profile Mod and such. Thread list was made by Kagney. User Profile mod was made by Pharaoh Leap. Graphics belong to their rightful owner. Plagiarism is not appreciated and will not be tolerated.
