Road to Nowhere RP Thread

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Deep within the snow capped mountains, a type of magic waits to be unleashed upon any unsuspecting souls who dare cross its path. It summons demons and transports its victims so far away that they might never return to their homes. It is ancient as well. It was there even before a village appeared, cradled down into the valley of the mountain, just beyond its reach. But the magic calls to those who will listen.

"Who- wha- what?" Captain Louis Gutarland sat up abruptly, sending the gull who had been sitting on his chest cawing and flying away in indignation. He looked around blearily through the fog of sleep. He could have sworn he heard something. Nevertheless! There was much to do on his ship- wait. His ship? He stood up quickly and gaped at the sight before him. Common people walked across the square, going about their own business and vendors loudly bartered with customers. This was most certainly NOT his ship. Enraged, the captain yelled to the sky, "This is mutiny!"

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Caspar loitered around the entrance of the Inn he had been staying at for the last week or so. He had almost given up his search for a phoenix to hunt for himself, but he still made a point to train everyday to keep up from getting too lazy. In due time, he would leave this town like he had many others and search for what was his. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to leave. Something about this place made him want to stay just a little longer. "I'll be gone by tomorrow," He'd tell the innkeeper who would just shake his head and didn't bother asking for the key to his room. He scowled at his feet and shrugged his cloak tighter around his cold body. It had gotten much colder than what it was like when he first arrived. It was much colder than what he would ever get used to.

Homesick, freezing, and no phoenixes in sight.... Why was he still here?

The wind had picked up, bringing with it the sharp sent of oncoming snow. Eve shifted slightly, leaning her head back against the building. It was a nice, cozy nook, sheltered between two adjoining buildings near the edge of town.
A soft, warm nose poked into her neck, the silky feeling of fur brushing against her cheek.
"Well Ina, something is stirring in this little town, and not just the coming snow." She stroked the silken strands of fur, comforted by the warm little bundle as she listened to the hustle and bustle of the village around her.

"This....is a miserable town," Marin decided, looking around her at the chilly village full of chilly people going about their chilly ways. Oh well -- the chill had only set in in the last hour or so, meaning it had been a lot warmer when she first arrived -- but that didn't change the fact that nobody, absolutely nobody was interested in a half-elf mage who was over a century old and who was willing to put on a show for the enjoyment of the mundane crowds. No one wanted to see mysticism or fire. (Not that she would attempt fire here, anyway. The weather was far to cool.) Everyone was too....reasonable. "Bloody reason," Marin cursed under her breath. "Takes the mystique out of everything." The mystique, and also her profit.

Slowly, the wind built and swirled, bright crystals of snow spiraling into the village, the messengers of a coming storm. Dark, steel blue peaks vanished behind wisps of thick cloud cover as it lumbered in, heavy set with the snow it was ready to unleash.
From what looked like a looming fog, two figures appeared. One was tall and oddly lumpy here and there, while the other was squatter, wider and somehow more menacing. As they stumbled closer, the figures grew distinct and were identified, more or less. The shorter figure became the front end of a tiger, its thick orange and black pelt sprinkled with a powdered-sugar dusting of snow, huge paws padding heavily if silently on the cold ground. However, the taller figure looked more odd if nothing else. It seemed to be made up of one big coat with lots of pockets and each one bulged with something, while on top of it all, over the rim of a tightly wound scarf, was a top hat and what looked like a braid poking out from under the back of brim, pulled almost horizontally forward by the wind.
The tiger and the... Person were soon in the village and stopped before the door of the inn. A long-fingered, slightly blue hand reached up, shaking, to pull down the edge of the scarf, revealing a thin, mustached and unshaven face with a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles, behind which stared a pair of big brown eyes. The young man stared up at the sign.
"The Inn." Adam read. He glanced at Apollo, who looked back lazily. "At least they're precise. Come on." He set a hand on the broad head, just between the rounded ears, and walked to the door, pushing it open. A few of the people inside hurriedly backed away as man and beast strolled inside, steaming slightly in the stuffy warmth.

Content. That was the word she would use for this village if she had to choose just one. The people here were content with the lives they lived, happy to stay in the sheltered valley under the majestic peaks. But what made them content? Why were they so happy to stay put, doing the same things day in and day out, with rarely anything to break the normal, day to day business?
This was the question that wove its way through Eve's thoughts as she stirred from her sheltered retreat, moving further into town where the wind did not cut quite so hard. They were friendly enough, she'd found that out, but it was more of a friendliness of civility than it was of genuine warmhearted kindness. Of course, perhaps it was just because she was a stranger, maybe it took time for them to warm up to outsiders.
The door of a nearby building swung open, followed by the rapid steps of one who was obviously hurrying away from something, and yet attempting to appear as though they were in no kind of haste at all.
"Ah, The Inn," Eve smiled as they passed by, "Someone new must have wafted in with the wind." Ina yipped softly, scampering over to sniff along the bottom of the door, returning moments later, dancing across the ground with his slim, delicate black feet. "With an animal companion as well, that must have thrown them into a tizzy."
Ina found their new shelter behind the Inn. The small stable positioned behind the building was hardly big enough for more than three mounts, and, perhaps a handful of chickens. But it had a wonderfully warm, fragrant pile of hay in the corner, just inside the door.
"Well done Ina, we'll stay the night and leave in the morning, unless of course the weather turns worse." Nestling into the crackling pile of hay Eve pulled her cloak tighter about her and attempted to catch a quick nap. Perhaps sleep would help dampen the stirrings she had been feeling for the past couple days. If Ina could speak he would say it was her 'roaming itch' starting up again, but they both knew it was something deeper than that. Much deeper.

Adam sighed and went up to the bar of the Inn, Apollo at his side. The bartender had frozen as the young man approached and now forced himself to smile. It looked more like a spasm of the facial muscles.
"I... How would... Um..."
"Hello, I was wondering if you have boarding available for the night?" Adam said. His voice was warm and smooth, his tone crisp but friendly and it startled the older man behind the counter.
"Ah, well, um... Yes, I s'pose so..." He said uncertainly.
"Splendid!" Adam said, smiling brightly. "I'll take one."
"And... Your, er, companion?" The innkeeper eyed Apollo as the tiger sat beside the boy, glancing around lazily. The man twitched as the beast glanced at him.
"What about him?" Adam said, blinking innocently.
"Would he be wanting a stall?"
Silence fell. The barkeep suddenly realized how stupid that question had been and swallowed as Adam leveled a flat, cold look at him from over his glasses.
"As I said, one room please." He said slowly.
"Right... Three coppers please." The man said hoarsely. Adam blinked, and then rubbed his face.
"I'm afraid I only have pence." He said and rummaged around in a pocket. "Here's three pence I suppose." He set down the coins. The other man nodded as he glanced at them. Coinage was coinage and he'd seen stranger before.
"This way, erm, sir." He said and pushed out from behind the bar after a scrawny individual took his place to watch the counter. Up the stairs they went and soon he returned alone. Several moments later, Adam was stepping back down, divulged of his bulky coat in favor of his usual brown morning coat. His top hat was gone, his hair loosened and cleaned up, his glasses straightened. His shoes were shined to a warm brown glow and he looked much too smart for the place.
He waltzed to the bar, smoothly avoiding a bar maid as she walked by, gaping at him.
"Inn keep, I'll have a sherry and whatever's best on the menu. I'm starving. Oh, and some meat for my friend." He said, rubbing Apollo between the ears. Soon he sat by the fire, his legs neatly folded one over the other, his coat over the back of his seat, enjoying a small mug of rough wine and a plate of pork, potatoes and some slightly wilted greens. He didn't mind though, he'd had worse. Beside him, Apollo stretched on the floor, enjoying some ham bones and a pile of cuttings from a large platter. For such a big cat he was quite dainty. His huge frame circled the chair that Adam reclined in, the long tail contentedly curling occasionally.

[Quick post before bed; will be back tomorrow!]

Seth whistled to himself as he strolled down the road. He'd been in town for just over a few days now, just playing music and earning what he could to move along to his next destination. Or at least, that's how it usually was. There was something about this town... It was nice enough, sure, but somewhere in his gut Seth knew that wasn't why he liked it.

Turning the corner back around to the inn, he recognized the shock of red hair that belonged to the guy standing around the door. Seth had seen it before in passing - they had been staying at the same place, after all. He shivered, distracted as a cold breeze blew by. "Hope there's still seats by the fire," he muttered. If not, he could probably charm someone into letting him join them.

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"It's cold," The Watcher grumbled in his raspy, gravelly voice, trailing along beside Eden. His eyes were narrowed against the bitter chill. "Can't we go inside?"
"It's not that bad," Eden said. She hugged her cloak tighter around her even as she told him this. "We'll go back in a minute. I don't want to be in the house when Mom tries to cook."
"Yes, it's a miracle she hasn't managed to burn the place down yet," Watcher said dryly. Eden really couldn't say anything to disagree.

"Inn," Marin mumbled through chattering teeth. She'd finally found it, thank everything there was to thank. She stretched out a shaking hand and gave the heavy door a hefty shove. Cold air gusted in with her as she stepped over the threshold and into the blessed warmth of the orange-lit building, where, it appeared, several other people had already gathered. "A plate of eggs and toast and bacon and...and hot coffee," she said to the innkeeper. "However much that is." It was nowhere near morning, the traditional time for breakfast food, but what the hey. Marin was hungry. She stood by the bar until she paid and received her food, and then went to find the nicest, warmest spot by the fire that was not yet taken.

Laust crunched through the leaves, his cloak blowing out behind him. The wind ruffled through his short black hair as he walked. Each step brought him closer to the town ahead. Simple place, if he remembered correctly. They named themselves Town. He chuckled and continued along, ignoring all the large animals that crossed the path. Eventually, he got into Town, where he was given a warm welcome of almost being thrown out by an elf hate group. Rediculous people. They became the towns newest statues, and he pocketed his ice seal. Eventually, he came to the Inn and walked inside to see a tiger eating by the fire. Not the strangest thing he'd seen, but deffinatly something the elf hadn't expected to see here. Laust shrugged, then went to the bar to order a mug of dwarf spirits and spiced meats and potatoes. He sat near the man who was next to the tiger and watched them while eating, not drinking the spirits yet.

Birdo, Master of Darkness and Occasional Dispair, looked down on the people in the Inn from his place above the mantal place. He hadn't moved in hours, and would probably be mistaken for a hunting trophy. Not that anyone would be able to hunt down Birdo, Master of Darkness and Occasional Dispair.

Mutiny?! Ha! He would show them. He didn't need his old crew to be a captain. He would simply find a new and better crew. Surely someone in this town would recognize his wiseness and overall competence as a sea captain. He pulled his hat down on his head and marched through the town. A man of his caliber was able to pick out a member of his crew by one look. That's all it would take. That's all he needed. He looked around in the town square with a wild look in his eye. An Inn? Of course! He had found his first mate at an Inn- that is, his ex-first mate. He headed for the Inn with a mad glint in his eye and a slightly maniacal smile.

He would assemble his new crew whether they wanted it or not.

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Caspar nodded politely to the other inn patron. He couldn't remember his name, but he had seen him enough times to be acquainted with him. He was about to say something to him when a familiar face passed through the door. He briefly remembered running away with her and escaping to a forest in an unknown world- but he shook his head. Silva was leagues away and it simply wasn't possibly they could meet here in this town.

He turned back to- Seth, was it? with a grin. "Lovely day we're having," he said sarcastically.

Adam finished and sat back, sighing, the wine in hand. He was content for now. At least he was, until he felt someones eyes on him. He looked up over his glasses and saw a boy. No, not a human boy... An Elf. He spotted the spirits beside the individual and raised his own glass to him in a friendly way, before sipping a little.
He nearly choked but tried to not make a fuss. Still, his eyes popped slightly. The stuff was so dry his mouth felt like sand, not to mention the bitter snag of it on his tongue. It felt as though he'd swallowed hot coals in liquid form, bitter, fiery and horrible. He hurriedly set it down and put a fist to his mouth for a second, forcing his muscles to swallow. It hurt on the way down, a tightly packed mouthful of the worst wine he'd had in...ever. It plopped in his stomach like a stone and he winced as his throat sprang back into its normal shape after forcing the awful stuff down.
Ignoring the Elf now and still recovering from his debacle, he decided to get down to business. From the inside of his coat he pulled out a small notebook, a pen hanging from it by a string. The spine was made up of gears and levers and Adam pressed one of the tiny pegs. The book flipped open in his hand and rifled through its pages to a specific spot. Picking up his pen, he began to write.
Day Three. Weather's beastly and still no indication of where the Hell I am. I don't know how long this is going to continue, and I doubt I'll find any sort of communication back home here. It's a rinky-dink little place that has a rustic charm, but certainly isn't much for the progress of science. I think I just drank poison - should become evident shortly. Then again I heard another...man ask for it and he drank it with no problems...
He glanced around and saw said man passed out in a corner, his mug still half full of the ghastly brew.
Mostly. At any rate this is the best place I could come up with on short notice. Will try to contact Master Brown from school again when Apollo is not around. He still has some scorch marks on his left ear and he's not too happy with the idea of me trying again right now.
As he wrote, he reached over with his free hand and gently stroked Apollo's large head. The big cat purred, adding to the tremors already in the floorboards. However, his attention was only partly on his companion. The rest was aimed in two directions, one at the fox by the strange girl, and the other at the mantel piece. He didn't trust the bird that was sitting there. Slowly, his tail twitched as he followed Birdo's progress.

Laust watched the man choke on his drink and chuckled slightly. "What's the matter, never had elven spirits before?" he asked, finnally opening the flask of dwarven brew. The pungent aroma filled the air as he took a sip, the liquid setting his throat on fire as it went down. He smiled and set the flask back down, going back to the potatos and meat.

Birdo watched the tiger out of the cornor of his eye.

((Bump?))

Catcher wrapped his cloak tigher around his body, nudging Baal onwards with a slight squeeze of the knee. The ebony stallion snorted, a large puff of breath emerging from his nostrils. Both horse an rider were shivering now. They had been forcing their way through this dreadful blizzar for hours now, seemling making no progress at all. All around him was vast blanket of nothingness, the only thing keeping him from leading the stallion headfirst into a tree was a little thing he liked to call intuition. Ball whinnied softly, his pace picking up along with the animal's spirits. Catcher smiled, though it looked more like a grimace. He couldn't smile propperly when he couldn't feel his lips, now could he? Soon, structures of the first civilzation they had incountered in weeks began to emerge from the white, along with a sign advertizing an inn that he almost ran into. Lovely. The Teifling dismounted, told Baal that the stabled were out back, and rushed into the lodge, sighing in relief as he stepped inside.

Seth glanced up as the other boy spoke. "Oh yeah. It's been marvelous out here," he chuckled. Obviously it wasn't, but like he'd been thinking about, there was something about it that was making him stay. "I've seen you around in the inn. I'm Seth." He stuck out a hand. "What are you around these parts for?"

Eden and the Watcher came up on the inn. She glanced at him, and he back at her - they seemed to be thinking the same thing: that it was warmer there, and would be an interesting place to pass the time. She carefully pushed open the door and the two walked inside (well, Eden walked, Watcher glided), glancing about her with shyness and mild curiosity.

The door of the stable blew open with a bang, startling Eve out of the uneasy sleep she had finally slipped into. Ina stiffened beside her, black tipped ears cocked toward the puffs of snow that began to blow in.
Eve heard the heavy, solid footsteps of a big horse, most likely a stallion, enter the structure. The door, however remained open, telling Eve that a rider was not present.
Slipping from her corner she eased around behind the horse and pulled the door closed. Edging against the wall she made her way toward the horse's shoulder, murmuring in soothing tones.
"Easy boy, you must be cold," Her fingers brushed lightly against the leather of a saddle, sensing the trembling of the magnificent animal beneath it. She ran gentle fingers up his neck, prepared to leap back in case he should decide she wasn't acceptable.

((OOC: Sorry Flipr I meant to reply to Marin!))

Adam finally finished and flipped his notebook shut with a click. Tucking it away in his coat again, he sat forward and considered Laust.
"That is no Elven Spirits," he said. "That is the roughest wine I've ever encountered, and there's something mixed in it to cover the bad quality with..." He rubbed his throat reflectively. "Minor pain. You're welcome to it." He picked up the mug and set it on a table closer to the other, nudging it closer, before sitting up again.
He did look around when Marin entered and considered the woman with a raised eyebrow. She looked road-rough and ready, but something about her... His sixth magi sense send a small shiver through his left ear and he shook his head slightly, rubbing at it and looking away from her. His eyes fixed back on the fire as he considered his next plan of actin, fingers steepled in front of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Apollo was still eyeing Birdo, but part of his attention ha been averted by the figures coming in. Up he got and stretched, making some of the other patrons hurry out of the way, before turning and seeing Catcher, Eden and Watcher. When he saw Watcher his fur rose in slight discontent. He was used to magic, but not in the spiritual sense.
Adam, sensing his companions distress, looked over at the ruffled pelt and twisted around to have a look, his glasses slipping down his nose.
"Amazing..." He mumbled, watching the horned man and the spectre. The girl also caught his eye and he hurriedly sat back down and tried not to look quite so... Long and spaghetti-like. Apollo relaxed enough to notice the boy's discomfort and nearly snorted with disgust. Instead he went over and put his front paws over the right armrest, making the chair creak. There was a long lick and Adam gasped, frozen, as Apollo began to groom him. His hair stuck out and his glasses were sent into his lap as the tiger fondly groomed the cub human, while Adam meanwhile tried to push him off.
"Shove off!" He hissed, his refinement gone. "Get off, Apollo, you great furry arse! I swear, get off me now! AH!" He yelped as Apollo put a paw over his chest, effectively pinning him, to finish his grooming job.
When he was finished and curled up on the floor again, Adam's collar was popped, his eyes just as popping and his hair a mess. Hurriedly he smoothed it down, not catching a few stray strands, and shot a nasty look at Apollo as he tried to straighten his cuffs (also undone) and his vest. His watch had fallen out of his pocket and he tucked it back away, muttering about tigers.

Laust chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's elven spirits for ya," he said, downing another swallow of dwarf spirits. He started laughing out loud when the tiger attempted to groom the man, failing miserably.

Birdo, Master of Darkness and Occasional Disspair, finally made his move and flew down to Laust's shoulder. "So, what was that about?" the raven squaked.

Baal's muscles tensed slightly under to touch of the girl. He had been trained to never let anyone except Master Catcher and Assyria handle him. But her touch was so soft and caring, the horse could help but take a liking to her. He wickered softly, nudging her cheek with his large, velvet muzzle. He shook some snow from his mane, sending slatters of the cold crystals all over the place. He stamped his foot one, a show of respect, and edged closer to the kind human.

As she devoured her plate of hot, comforting breakfast food, a sound caught Marin's ear. Or more specifically, a voice. One voice in particular she hadn't thought she would hear again, at least not here. Silva was....how far away, exactly? Of course Marin moved around a lot, and she supposed it could be true that Caspar's particular profession required him to as well, but still. That they would end up in the same inn together was utterly unexpected. She took a huge bite of bacon and a gulp of blessedly hot coffee, feeling the heat of the meal become absorbed into her body; blood, bones, and nervous system; as she contemplated this strange turn of events.

Also, the man with the tiger (a freaking enormous tiger) had been staring at her just a few moments ago. as if things couldn't get any weirder.