March Catch-All [OTA]

[ofsilverflame]

WHO: Chris Lightfellow, and others. Open!
⚔️️ WHAT: Chris continues to struggle to learn magic, does some questing, and decides to learn more of the myths and legends of Camelot.
🕒 WHEN: Throughout March
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot, Red Springs, and the Archivist's Home
⚠️ WARNINGS: None that I can think of

Training

In the training yard, there's a WHOMP sound, like accompanies an outburst of fire, a brief cry, followed by a clanging noise, of metal hitting stone. Going to investigate, you find Chris a short ways away from an entirely unburnt training dummy where her familiar, the Holly Elf (just call her Holly) sits on top of its head, head in hands, watching boredly. The Silver Maiden of Zexen is clutching her right hand to her breastplate, a few feet away, a gauntlet lies discarded. What you can see of her hand suggests it's been burnt; the skin is red and angry-looking. Chris' expression is pained, but looks more frustrated with herself than anything else.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn. Agh." She sees you approaching and attempts to wave you off. "Ah, forgive me, I didn't mean to cause an alarm." She'd been trying to replicate a Flaming Arrows spell, or something similar and..obviously it hadn't worked out.

"I thought fire magic was supposed to be your entire deal. Isn't that why you've got that funny little tattoo on your hand?" Holly observes, kicking her legs against the face of the dummy.

Chris shoots her an annoyed glance. "That's not helpful, Holly." Back to you, she tries to assuage any concerns you have. "Don't worry, I've had worse in my time. It's not quite as painful as it looks." That may be, but a healer might still be advised. Or at least an icepack.

A Bit of Thief-Taking (RUN SNAGGLEFOOT RUN)
This was more familiar to her. This was something Chris knew she was capable of. Thief-taking wasn't normally in the purview of the Zexen Knights, and certainly not their commander, but a nation founded on mercantile and run by merchants and traders tended to take an especially dim view of thievery. Besides, it felt closer to the duties Chris was normally used to than all this magic nonsense. Especially when the thief was so incompetent to let his destination be known.

Said thief is now currently backing out of the stables as Chris comes out of them, hand on her sword, but not having drawn the weapon yet. "Hand over the stolen merchandise and submit yourself to arrest, Mr. Miffen." She says sternly. "This farce has gone on quite long enough, wouldn't you agree?"

Snagglefoot Miffen balks, and his eyes noticeable look down the street. "Don't do something you'll regret, Mr. Miffen." Chris warns. "It will go more poorly for you if you run."

"Not as poorly as it will for you love in all them clanking armour bits." He points out with a cheeky grin, and then books it.

"He's running!" Chris calls after him. "Cut him off!" Hopefully the assistance she positioned at the end of the street while she cut him off at the stables is keeping their ears open. She starts after him, but he was right about one thing; in all her armour Chris isn't exactly mobile right now.

Myths of Camelot
Chris is wary of coming this close to the Forest of the Fisher King. She doesn't know much about the place other than it sits at the edges of the Land of Rot, and that everyone has been advised not to go too far in. Fortunately, her destination is on the edges of the forest, so she doesn't expect too much trouble. Still, she would go with company if at all possible.

Chris gives the steamcar the Archivist calls home the once over as she and whatever company decided to tag along with her approach. "Strange choice of domicile." She notes. "I gather the actual archive is below ground." Her familiar, the Holly Elf is perched sitting on one of her pauldrons (Chris has long since given up trying to shoo her away) and already looks bored.

"Oh boy, hours trapped underground in a dusty old library so you can read a few myths and legends. This is fun for you?"

Chris closes her eyes and sighs. "Holly, please. You're welcome to stay out here or return to Camelot if you like."

"All that way by myself? No thank you! My wings get tired." She grumbles some more, but doesn't move off the pauldron.

"Well then, do you suppose we knock, or can we just let ourselves in? I don't wish to be rude."

Comments

[ofsilverflame]

"Ah shite!" Snagglefoot stumbles backwards, attempts to awkwardly turn and dart back the way he came (possibly hoping he can simply dance around Chris) but it's too late. Chris, is there, albeit a bit out of breath, but more pertinently, has her sword out of it's scabbard, and pointed directly at him. His hands immediately go up; Chris' sword is a simple, plain affair, but well-made and very sharp.

"I told you it would go more poorly for you if you ran, Miffen." She tells him sternly, before looking over his shoulder to her partner. "Kratos, please relieve him of his spoils, if you'd be so kind. You'll stay nice and still, won't you, Snagglefoot?"

"Kiss my arse." He sneers, but the insult is an empty one. He's watching the tip of the sword, and while he doesn't look happy, he is remaining nice and still.

[worldsokayestdad]

Kratos comes up behind Snagglefoot and clamps his hand on his shoulder, squeezing painfully after Snagglefoot snaps back at Chris with a shitty insult. It's a warning, talk to her like that again, and Kratos will pop this arm right out of it's socket. Once he's sure he's sent that message, he relieves the man of his pouch of stolen gems.

"Turn out your pockets."

Just in case ol' Snaggs here got clever and tried to stash some of the gems elsewhere.

[ofsilverflame]

The message is well-received. "Nnnggh! All right, all right! Message received." He snaps, but almost instantly deflates. Between Kratos' grip and the very focused staredown Chris is giving him, what's left of his will to fight dissolves. For her part, she shakes off the petty insult easily. She's heard far worse in the heat of battle.

His hands go meekly to his pockets and he does as instructed, turning them out revealing only bits of lint, and some string. Chris watches the detritus fall to the ground dispassionately. "Very good. Now, start walking. I trust I don't have to repeat myself about the running part." She gets a non-committal grunt from Snagglefoot, who has apparently realized the value of keeping his mouth shut.

Holly should still be waiting with the wagon outside of town. Then it should be an easy trip back to Camelot and a cell for the thief. "Thank you, Kratos. Not bad for a day's work." Chris says, seeming more relaxed than during their first encounter. "Camelot has a watch, yes? This wasn't exactly the purview of my knights back home, but it might be worth looking into here." She will need money after all, without access to her family holdings and coffers back in Zexen.

[worldsokayestdad]

After how overly complicated pretty much everything Kratos has ever done has been, having a relatively easy job like this is a welcome change of pace. He eases his grip on Snagglefoot's shoulder since he's decided to cooperate, eventually letting go completely. Should he try to run, Kratos probably won't hesitate to set his ass on fire.

Kratos nods in reply to Chris' thanks. "I was a knight once myself, long ago," says the guy that doesn't even look like he's in his thirties yet, but hey, "I may look into the watch here myself. As long as we
re stuck here, I suppose we may as well help out where we can."

[ofsilverflame]

A blast of fire accompanied by a swift strike to the head from Chris' mailed fist to knock him out. He'd wake up with singed trousers and a massive headache. He might be dumb, but he has decent survival instincts, which may be why despite Kratos' relaxed grip he doesn't appear to contemplate running.

"Were you?" That perks Chris' attention. Yeah, Kratos looks young, but Chris is already knight-captain of her force at 21. What is age to a JRPG character? "I'm pleased we have that in common. You were in service to a nation?" Hopefully he reported to people better than she did (though if the Council thought she wasn't going to be pushing for a seat at the table following the Fire Bringer War, they were in for a rude awakening.)

"Much my thoughts as well. I dislike remaining idle." She's always been one of those people who doesn't relax very well, at least not for very long. She always has to be doing something productive. "Helping keep the peace seems as good a job as any."

[worldsokayestdad]

Snaggs better not assume that just because the two of them are having a conversation that they're not paying attention. Kratos has his eyes firmly on him, and Chris seems like the sort who would certainly be on top of things as well.

He hesitates to answer for just a moment, but ultimately decides that there's probably no harm in talking about his past. It's not like anyone here knows anything about his world, after all, save for one or two people that actually came from there.

"The nation that I served was called Tehte’alla. After experimenting in some unrelated areas in my youth, I joined the knighthood, and rose to the rank of captain." He doesn't recall what his exact age was when these events took place, but it hardly matters at this point. "I'm hoping that the king here is more... agreeable than the one I served before."

[ofsilverflame]

Oh, despite her seemingly-relaxed posture, the moment Snagglefoot decides to try something, Chris will be on him. No one takes her by surprise anymore. Not after Karaya.

"Captain, eh? We have that in common as well." Chris notes. Though it's possible he was one knight-captain among many, and not the captain of his order. "Though I was only recently confirmed to the post." A battlefield promotion made permanent by the order of Zexen's rulers. And speaking of rulers, when the topic of King Arthur is broached, she side-eyes Kratos, wondering just what he means by King Arthur being more "reasonable".

She offers her own take on the situation. "Serving unworthy masters that you are nevertheless sworn to can be a difficult burden, and I understand it well." Knowing that will need some clarification, she provides it. "Zexen was founded by merchants, and its ruling body is a council of the wealthiest." She makes no effort to hide the disdain that drips from every word. There's no need to mince words here, a world away from the shamelessly opulent Council Hall of Vinay del Zexay. She expects Kratos understands. "They are merchants first, and politicians occasionally second, more concerned with protecting their trade franchises and pointless displays of power than governance. So far, I don't see any sign that this Arthur fellow prioritizes his coinpurse over the good of his people, or the crisis we're currently facing, if that is of any assurance to you."

It's a low bar to clear, but she's relieved of it after her dealings with the likes of Lowma and his ilk.

[worldsokayestdad]

Oh yeah, Kratos understands well enough, and he offers a nod while he listens.

"There's a reason that people say that money is the root of all evil. It wasn't as much of an issue where I served, my disagreements with the king stemmed from his unwillingness to listen to certain people based solely on the circumstances of their birth. Considering the fact that every one of us comes from a different world and background, I like to think that Arthur is more prepared to treat everyone equally."

So far he has no reason to believe otherwise, so that's a plus.

[ofsilverflame]

"Oh, the Council is just as guilty of that as well." Chris snorts derisively. A discourtesy that extended even to their own children, or the illegitimate ones at least, if Lowma's treatment of Thomas had been any indication. "I had to learn quickly to work around the Council to ensure any proper work got done." She sighs heavily. "I truly don't understand how my predecessor put up with it for so long."

They're nearing the edge of the Springs now, and the wagon Chris procured for transport. Hopefully Holly had kept a good watch. "If the man is serious about combating this crisis we're faced with, I should hope so." She replies. "Still, I'd feel better to see the man in person first. It's easier to judge a man's character when he's right in front of you."

Approaching the wagon, Chris rubs the bridge of her nose tiredly. There's the guard she left to make sure no one messed about with their wagon, her familiar Holly...passed out asleep, balanced on the rim of the cart. "A fine guardsman indeed." She frowns. "Holly! Up and at it. We're back."

"What, huh—oh it's you guys." The Elf goes from asleep to airborne in half a second. "You got the guy? Took you long enough!"

"You were supposed to stay awake. We weren't even gone that long." Chris tells her sternly. "Oh, never mind it now. Up you go, Mr. Miffen. Kratos, will you ride in the back and make sure he behaves? I shall get us underway." With luck, they can be back in Camelot before nightfall, and have Snagglefoot put away in time for dinner.

[worldsokayestdad]

"I agree. Perhaps we'll be presented with an opportunity to meet him in person in the near future."

But, they can worry about that after they've taken care of this guy. Kratos is not impressed with the little elf familiar, but keeps his thoughts to himself. After all, his familiar has fucked off somewhere and apparently isn't helping at all. Birds, am I right.

When asked to ride with the prisoner, Kratos turns to Chris and gives her a little nod. "As you wish." He makes sure the man is secured before hopping into the back with him and looking as intimidating as possible. This doesn't take much effort, Kratos has chronic resting bitch face.

[ofsilverflame]

With Snagglefoot and Kratos secure in the back, Chris pulls herself onto the driver's seat of the cart. With a command she kicks the waiting horses into a forward trot, pulling it onto the road, turning it towards Camelot.

She glances up at the sky. The sun is starting to hang a bit low in the sky. "Not to worry, Mr. Miffen. We shall have you safely into your cell by supper, I should think." She says jovially.

Not a bad start to things all told.