Dietlinde is the Nicest Vampire (B)

[Kodos]

CAMPAIGN B ARCHIVE 1
CAMPAIGN B ARCHIVE 2

[Regantor]

Irveska hadn't been saying much because she'd apparently been weighing up Septimie's outfit in preperation for a balanced, honest answer. "...I knew the chainmail would work with the weapons..." She gave a small grin now, and fixed the garment's orientation slightly on the much larger woman's chest. "-and I also knew you wouldn't leave them behind. I'm glad if you really like it, because I think it works... and I think it wouldn't kill you to be more of a woman once and a while..."

After the last sentence Irveska briskly turned around to hide the embarrasing sentiment, and then fetched a few added peices of jewelry that had been purchaced earlier and splashed across the bed. Since she was wearing silky gloves again it seemed excessive, but that was Irveska.

"Sorry. I'll stop now. Let's go." She soon remarked, alrough still fastening a heavy, arcane bronze necklace onto herself. It looked like it had been looted in battle from a dwarf king. Her current chipper smile didn't match it at all. "...Know any reasonably big, classy places clustered with lowlives, Mariana? I like those places best, and Septi can smoke inside."

[Kodos]

Mariana shrugged. "Big and classy? No, not really. Most of the fancier places in the city don't like adventurers or people of my, ah, heritage hanging around." She smiled. "But I do know plenty of places with lowlives. They don't mind having me around. It's funny after breaking some fingers people tend not to notice things like my complexion or horns."

"And there's lots of those. There's the Dancing Halfling, the Broken Lute, the Sword and Crown, the Gargoyle's Head, and lots of others." Mariana went on, rattling off the names.

[Regantor]

"Names don't mean much, but that's okay..." Irveska shrugged and handled her own hips idly. She was giving off a cocky smirk that said I only wanted to go to those places to make them uncombfertable. "Perhaps you could just show us your own favorate places, huh? You've certianly already given us your sence of taste."

[zizi]

Septi smiled and nudged Irveska, "We met in ze Dancing Halfling, remember? I spent most of zhat meeting vanting to bite Davleen's fingers off." She tugged at her top absently, considering the names Mariana had rattled off. "Yes, I 'ave been to most of those- I should warn you I am banned from Gargoyle's and the Sword," she shrugged, "fighting, you know?" She grimaced, remembering. "Asshole 'e was- decided to hit on ze ugliest woman in ze place and wouldn't take 'Eef you lay a finger on me I will bite eet off' for an answer. Kept telling me 'e was a 'Dragon slayer' and zhat as such I should be flattered. Backed off vhen I broke 'is tail." She nodded to Mariana, "Tieflings like 'im give you a bad name. Should 'ave killed ze pest." After a pause she added, "I cannot remember what I actually did in ze end to get banned; some'sing to do vith crippling one too many customers, I 'sink."

[Kodos]

Mariana smiled. "If it's any consolation I know who you're talking about. I kicked his ass too." She smiled. "I don't think Tiefling is a thing, though. I'm not - that's not - I'm Human." She floundered. "My parents, whoever they are, were Human. My first crush was a Human boy, first kiss too. I lost my virginity to a Human. Most of the people I know are Human. I'm Human. I just happen to have red skin, horns, and a tail." She shrugged.

***

The Dancing Halfling was loud and rowdy as usual. There was also, as usual, no dancing Halfling, although there was one passed out on the floor by the entrance.

Mariana had ordered something Dwarven for herself. Neither Irveska nor Septie spoke Dwarven, but the name sounded something like the sound two Rock Golems smashing into eachother at great speeds might make. Perhaps it had to do with her Devilish ancestry, or maybe she was just really good at holding her booze, but Mariana didn't seem to react to Dwarven alcohol in the usual non-Dwarven way of instantly vomiting, passing out, dying, or entering a berserker rage and trying to fight buildings.

She'd gotten you all a table. Apparently Mariana just had to look at people to make them leave their table. Happily she sat besides Septie.

Tail wagging happily she smiled at Septie. "So. I'm sure you have all sorts of exciting adventure stories. Tell me one!" She did seem at least a bit happier than usual, maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was being out with friends. "What were you and Irveska here doing before you came here?" Mariana slid a bit closer to Septie on the seat. Her swaying tail seemed to brush against the Barbarian's backside one too many times to be an accident.

[zizi]

Septi looked down at her drink, clasped loosely in a hand, the other supporting her head. "Hmm, no'sing overly interesting. Killing Goblins- deciding zhat killing Goblins vas not so good, met Grila. Mostly following Davleen about as 'e tried to 'elp." She paused, and looked at Irveska, adding in a quieter voice, "Zare vas some'sing very wrong vis ze last place ve visited. I still don't know exactly vhat 'appened zaire." She shook her head and murmered a word to herself in her own dialect, "Viðurstyggð


She didn't know what to do about Mariana's flirting, she'd never had to deal with it before. She tried to smile flirtily, but the effect was more bared teeth than anything so she gave up

[Kodos]

Mariana laughed. "Yeaaaah. What's the deal with Grila anyway? She seems adorable and nice and all, but most people don't go around with Goblin girls trailing after them."

[Regantor]

It was hard to tell if Irveska was either annoyed at being there or just feying superiority as ussual. At any rate, she didn't perticularly seem to remember the drinking hole itself. What she did seem to realise was Mariana's subtle moves on Septimie, but those went unhalted aswell because of her persisting impersonal nature.

Her left hand swilled a glass of not perticularly appitising red wine. Her right hand was unpoilitely hoisting the pack of cigarettes out of the inkstained barbarian woman's pocket, and helping itself to them. "These were too awkward with a mask." Was the basic explination, but a "Thanks hun." was added after a moment's consideration.

"I had some gusty drugs and lounge music in mind, but I guess this place will do..." Irveska spoke to Mariana again, blankly. Clearly not very ammused, and lacking something new and shinny to gaze at, she simply stared off into the distance. "Too bad the men here are more lowlife than ussual, anyway. Could have done with something like that..."

The mental image of Mariana's tail swaying was enough to halt Irveska's hand reaching for Septimie's bicep in combfort, but that didn't destroy the notion that warrented it in the first place. She just shrugged lightly, then took a careful drag of the borrowed cigarette with an upwardly arced hand.

[zizi]

Septi smiled, "She vas, initially, our guide to ze 'bad gobbies'. Ones Viðurstyggð 'imself 'ad corrupted some'ow." After a beat she leant in toward Mariana and spoke quietly in her ear, ostensibly not wanting to be overheard. "Viðurstyggð means Ze Abomination. I do not know vhat 'is business vas, but 'e vas... making trouble."

Cagey perhaps, vast understatement certainly, but Septimïe was only trusting to a point. She hadn't forgotten how uneasy she had felt in the Duke's presence, nor how much Mariana evidently loved him. Nor the fact that she was supposed to be 'accompanying' them for their stay at the city. Alighieri had claimed it was for their safety, but Septimïe felt that whilst that was perhaps a part of it, the likelihood that Mariana wouldn't relay anything of interest to him was non-existent. Besides, if Septimïe was recalling Mariana's reputation correctly (as one cretin had put it "Alighieri's personal hellbitch Tiefling of doom") she was far too formidable to just be on babysitting duty.

Septi shot a sidelong glance at Mariana. Not knowing the name, it had taken a while for Septimïe to lock the connection down, but after seeing the reactions of the other customers she felt embarrassed she hadn't connected Mariana to the fierce, dangerous, terrifying Tiefling known to do various things for the Duke.

Arching an eyebrow as Irveska stole a cigarette Septi took one for herself and lit it, closing her eyes as the silky pleasure of sated cravings spread through her. "I missed zis," she half murmured, "It is good to be 'ome, Septimïe fyrsta fæddur."