3rd Shadow | [Action]

[iridescentillusion]

[Action; Private to Sakura]

[Is that tapping at the window? It sure is. There happen to be two familiar crows sitting at the window sill - one with red eyes and the other with blue - and they're both carrying something in their beaks. The pair are carrying a set of morganite earrings for Sakura - one in each of their beaks - and they spent a long time hunting down just where Sakura lived to give them to her. They had to repay her for her kindness for when she fed them at the auction venue, after all.]


[Action; Any of the cities]

[Where Liam had told Weiss that he'd be keeping an eye out for a certain criminal, he was actually lying through his teeth. He had no intention of hunting anyone, although the thoughts of seeking the man out to aid him had crossed his mind. Perhaps he felt sorry for a man that had a bounty placed on his head instantly, who knows.

In the meantime, he was still disinterested in any of the happenings around him in the cities, and spent his time as normal. He could be found in any number of bars or shady establishments, cheating people out of their money by card sharking as usual - be it by casual cheating or by mixing his illusions into play. He had to make up for giving Athrun 5,000 red bills at the auction, after all. Just in case he would ever actually need that money. So, amidst his streak of making people incredibly unhappy, Liam can be found ending yet another game of poker after laying down his hand.]

Royal Flush. You lose again.


[Action; Everglade - Night]

[Everglade always was the best place to be at night, and Cipher certainly didn't discriminate who he happened to decide to slay that night for energy, be it human or monster. Although he did tend to target monsters more, if only for the additional energy that some of them carried. Should anyone be out this night, they may have the feeling of being watched as Cipher stalked those passing through from the rooftops in the guise of Liam- or, perhaps they may happen upon a more gruesome sight as Cipher, in the form of a black winged beast, would descend on an unlucky creature to be the meal of the night. He won't attack any pendant carriers, but everything else was free game to him.

Did we say Everglade was the best place to be at night? By that we of course meant it was the worst place.]

Comments

Action

[spitfireprincess]

[Sakura almost jumps when she hears the tapping and she has to shoo Pikachu and her kitten from the room before opening the window the for the birds to hope inside. As promised she has a small blow of blueberries for the two birds.]

It's good to see you both.

[She smiles brightly before catching sight of the earings.]

This is for me?

[Sakura holds out her palm as the two crows drop the earings. Her emerald eye brighten at the sight of the beautiful pieces.]

This is amazing. Thank you both.

[iridescentillusion]

[Nadir squawks, looking quite proud of himself after her reaction to the earrings. He does see the blueberries and hops a bit excitedly. Best girl.

Zenith, meanwhile, is more subdued in his reactions but does appear equally proud that she likes the earrings. Even if Cipher had to be the one to pick them out because Zenith and Nadir couldn't agree on a set to get.]

[spitfireprincess]

[Sakura smiles and while they eat she moves to her mirror to put on the earings. It takes a moment before she returns to the window, the small jewels glinting in the moonlight.]

What do you two think?

[iridescentillusion]

[Both of the crows nod with a caw of approval, Nadir even hopping in place again. They look great on her, and the two are quite pleased that she likes them.

Nadir stops hopping and looks down at the blueberries, plucking one into his beak and tossing it into the air. He opened his beak wide to catch it, only for Zenith to snatch it out of the air and eat it, causing Nadir to squawk in annoyance. Dammit, Zenith, he wanted to impress Sakura with his trick!]

[spitfireprincess]

[Sakura smiles at the pair.]

Be nice Zenith.

[Though she doesn't enjoy watching the two birds. She holds up a single finger to them as she continues.]

Do you two want to know a secret? I'm looking for my wings. [Except it isn't much of a secret considering she's told others about it.]

[iridescentillusion]

[Nadir looks like he scoffs at Zenith, because ha ha you got yelled at.

The two birds do look at Sakura curiously then, both of them tilting their heads inquisitively. It certainly has them curious, because a girl who lost her wings? What could that mean?

It's something Cipher himself would be certainly curious about as well.]

[spitfireprincess]

[Sakura notices their curious gaze and nods before continuing.]

I don't remember what they look like because when my feathers scattered by memories did too. Fai said I have magic too, I just need to remember it.

[She likes talking about herself with the two birds.]

Sometimes I wonder... what it's like.

[azaleafae]

[Azalea had wanted to explore Everglade at night for some time now, to see what kinds of beasts were lurking. Now that she has her clan to fall back on, she decides to bring a few of them for safety.]

[Naturally, she brought Qubine, the clan leader. He needed to know about this world if he was going to lead the clan effectively while they were stuck here.]

[Next was the Shadow dragon, Sabori, the largest of the group. Everglade has always reminded Azalea of the Shadow element, and so she wanted Sabori's opinion of it.]

[Finally, Azalea brought the Light dragon, Amadeus, to serve as an extra healer, and to counter the Shadow element.]

[Together, the dragons explored the city from the rooftops for a little while, before going to the ground to get a closer look.]

[iridescentillusion]

[If there was anything that Cipher hadn't expected on this night, it was seeing a group of dragons in the Everglade. Hell, dragons are the last thing he expects to see in general. He stayed upon his rooftop perch and watched the group carefully, studying each of their appearances. He recognized Azalea easily, but he'd never seen the others before. Sabori in particular was the one that reminded him the most of the former dragons of Celveryia, but Qubine and Amadeus certainly piqued his curiousity based on their appearances alone. And Amadeus did kind of stick out like a sore thumb with those bright colors in such a dark city.

His eyes narrowed, choosing to not make himself known yet. He would do so if he was noticed, if only because he doesn't exactly want to cross a group of dragons and make them angry.]

[azaleafae]

[For the moment, the dragons are unaware of Cipher watching them, as they proceed to converse among themselves.]

What do you think, Sabori? [Azalea asks.]

[Sabori glances around.] This would certainly be Shadowbinder territory...if she were here.

[Amadeus scratches his head.] Are you certain the deities don't exist here?

[Azalea responds.] I'm positive. I've never seen them, and no one else in this world seems to have heard of them either.

[Sabori nods.] There are definitely things lurking around here, in any case.

[Amadeus waves his talon in front of his face.] This place reeks of death.

[Qubine lets out a sigh.] Probably the prey that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the dead of night. Keep your guard up, everyone.

[The dragons move forward to explore the city some more, keeping an eye out for any potential predators.]

[iridescentillusion]

That stench may rise from more than just the prey.

[He decides to make himself known and leaps down from the rooftop, landing perfectly on the road below. He keeps a relaxed posture, to show he was no threat to the group of dragons.]

Creatures of the night can be amongst the legions of the dead themselves, brought back by some wretched force beyond our comprehension.

[He bows his head slightly.]

Forgive my eavesdropping. I could not help but be intrigued by the sight of dragons.

[azaleafae]

[The dragons beam at the figure who landed in front of them. They don't see him as a threat just yet. There's only one of him, so he should be easy to take out if necessary.]

The last time anything came back from the dead in our world, it was from a plague. [Amadeus recalls the incident back home.]

[Azalea studies him carefully, trying to find something familiar about the person.] That voice...have we met before?

[iridescentillusion]

[He would be amused at the assumption that he would be easy to take out if he was aware of it. Instead, he simply keeps the relaxed posture, and keeping his hands visible to the group so it doesn't appear that he's about to try anything.]

A plague? Surely one of a magical nature? I could not imagine such a thing stemming from natural causes.

[He is surprised and intrigued by the thought, but when in doubt, he always assume necromancy. He turns his attention to Azalea then, looking mildly perplexed on the surface. The fact she was able to recognize Liam's voice from the distorted voice of Cipher... he was impressed. She was clearly observant. Time to put on an act.]

I'm sorry, I do not believe we've met. I feel like I'd remember an encounter with a dragon.

Action; Leaving a place~

[greenmagick]

[Terra hasn't seen Cipher since the auction and she doesn't know what to think considering how the bid had ended. She still feels a little bit awkward about it and seeing the man walk from a bar makes her pause, a question hovering on the tip of her tongue.]

Liam?

[Her voice is soft as she calls him over.]

Are you busy?

[iridescentillusion]

[Liam lifts his head in surprise, tucking his trusty deck of cards away into his jacket's inner pocket.]

Oh, Miss Branford.

[He gives a slight smile and approaches her, standing nearby. He might have his guard up a little, just on the off chance any rowdy gamblers come out to harass either of them. Which he doubts, lest they want to face the consequences.]

I'm merely wondering to different establishments across the cities, but I'm not busy. Is there something on your mind?

[greenmagick]

I wanted to ask about the auction.

[She has no idea why she feels so nervous.]

I wondered... Why did you help Athrun?

[iridescentillusion]

[Well, that depends. Did she want the truth about him solely wanting to one up the Guardian, or does he make yet another lie? Naturally, the answer is option B.]

The man seemed genuinely distraught and concerned for your well being. I am unfamiliar with the other men that were present, but I guess I could feel more of an air of sincerity around Zala. I apologize, should I not have aided?

[Of course, he had a feeling all three men were protective of Terra in their own right. Especially from that look he got from Ronan during it, which certainly amused him.

A look of concern comes to his face then. He does notice how nervous she seems, and his first guess would be because of the area they're in.]

Would you like to discuss this elsewhere? You seem uncomfortable.

[greenmagick]

[Terra glances around and then shakes her head.]

We can... [It isn't this area that's making her uncomfortable.]

I knew everyone who bid on me. Ronan is my roommate and works at the flower shop. Fai I met the first time I was here so I suppose I've known him for years. Athrun... he's helped me with a lot of different things.

[She hasn't had any particularly strong feels towards any of them.]

[iridescentillusion]

[Hm. Perhaps it's not the area getting to her then. Still, he should take her away from here anyway, before some angry drunk gambler that he cheated comes out. He gives her a faint smile, gesturing to his side.]

Why don't we stop by a café? It would be more comfortable there.

[He is curious as to why Terra is telling him all this. Beneath the surface, he's glad for it, in his own heinous way. Naturally, he'll play everything off as concern for her.]

That explains the look I received from one of them. Ronan, was it? But they must all be protective of you if they went against each other.

[He frowns a bit.]

Why is it you're telling me this? Is there something troubling you about it?

Card sharking action

[maybeitsmaybelline]

[Color Roman curious; he's been watching for a while. Not obtrusively, but close enough to realize that there's some kind of foul play going on. Most people would disengage at that point, but then again, most people aren't crime lords who are short on minions.

As soon as the previous sucker has vacated his seat, Roman takes his place.]

Got time for another game?

[iridescentillusion]

[Liam looked up at Roman calmly, but a smirk comes to his face. He was right again- his actions drawing like-minded criminals. And this one was the one he wanted to lure.]

I always do.

[He halved his deck of cards, spreading the half in his hand out with a flick of his wrist, offering the cards to Roman with the faces down towards the table.]

Take a card, and if you guess the suit correctly, we'll play the game of your choice.

[maybeitsmaybelline]

[Oooh, Roman knows that look. Mostly because he sees it in the mirror every day. He's got half a mind to wipe that smirk off his pretty little face, but the other half finds it almost endearing. He'll have to wait and see if that arrogance is warranted.

He keeps eye contact as he reaches for the cards and gets a firm grip on one of them. Can't have Cipher swapping them around on him after he's picked a suit.]

Feels like spades.

[He pulls it out and flips it over.]

[iridescentillusion]

[Oh, Roman, he'd love to see you try. He stares at Roman unblinking, his hand not moving in the slightest as the man took hold of the card. Either way, he intended on letting Roman have this one, whether it meant creating an illusion or not. He was going to draw out this game with Roman for sure.

His eyebrows lift slightly, feigning mild surprise. He didn't need to make it appear to be a suit it wasn't - the card Roman drew was the ace of spades.]

My my, you're the first man I've encountered tonight to have that kind of luck. I'm already impressed.

[He says that dryly and almost mocking as he puts the rest of the cards back into the deck.]

Looks like the game is your call. What'll it be then?

[maybeitsmaybelline]

[Of course it was the ace of spades. Roman uses up all his good luck on things that don't matter, then Lady Luck dropkicks him when it really counts. Ah well, such is life.

He spreads his palms and flashes him a shit-eating grin.]

I'd be flattered if your previous opponents weren't a bunch of chumps.

[Not that he was implying foul play! Why, he would never.]

You seem pretty fond of poker, so I'll stick with that.

[iridescentillusion]

I did hope to encounter an actually competent player sometime tonight.

[He sneers.]

We'll have to see if you're actually that player.

[He does have an idea of what Roman's implying - after all, it takes one to know one, so Cipher plans to take a different approach this time. He doesn't need the cards for him to cheat, so he places the deck in front of Roman and rests his chin in his palm, a smug look on his face.]

Perhaps you would be so kind as to deal then?

[That's right, Roman. He's giving you the advantage here. Or the opening to cheat. Either one. He's probably challenging Roman with it.]