Pax RP

"It works for now... and I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me..."

Markus still found the idea leaving a vile taste in his mouth, but he didn't want to speak of it again. This Dravlin was going to be trouble, but Markus was breaking his own rules. He was a merc, he couldn't let his feelings get the better of him. It's how he lost his hand, it's how he lost his closest family and it was how he lost the most important person in the whole wide world.
"Just shut your mouth, and let him get on with his dark magic."

Markus walked over to Swix, and helped her collect firewood. He noted her inspection of the beast, and thought little of it. Probably just inspecting her handy work, or making sense of what happened. He didn't much care. Something was bugging him, something about his current company was getting under his skin. Maybe it was something about the dark powers they dabbled with, or even controlled.

"So" Markus enquired. "How do you two know each other, if you don't mind me asking?"

Swix stood up, lots of wood from the broken tree cradled in her arms, and gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Who, Dravlin?" she asked, apparently unnecessarily as she then shook her head "We don't. I only met him about ten minutes before you showed up-and he seemed to know about this world, that's why I asked if he knew you. I only arrived here around, oh, twenty minutes before that"

She turned and resumed picking up pieces of the wood, although it was more her using it as an excuse to think. "By the way... I don't trust him. And that's not just 'cause I've only just met him. What he wanted to do would've meant he could drain you of your life by healing other people without your knowledge or consent afterwards. He'd've just had to keep a bit of blood back"
Oddly, a slight bit of venom came through at the last part. Clearly the woman had a big issue with people having unrestricted access to others lives. "I don't trust you either" she said in a far less venomous, more matter-of-fact way, since she'd come upon the subject of trust. She might like Dravlin, and she even kinda liked Markus at this point-even despite the honourability. But liking and trusting were two different things. The merc had earned a little at this stage though-just a little "and I wouldn't expect you to trust me. Fine lot we three are gonna make, being in camp together."

"So" she said, standing up again "how long have you been here anyway?"

((Looks like your little group is experiencing some tensions, I do believe this would be a good time for my character to make an appearance))

For a mere second the light that had previously been fading exploded with a flash of brilliance as the celestial winds ripped yet another being from the realm they had previously been occupying into the new one.

The radiance dissipated as quickly as it had come, accompanying a thump upon the hard forest floor.

The unfortunate person whom had been the subject of the bizarre celestial transport, upon finding herself suspended in the air reacted immediately, once gravity took hold the thirty five year old female hit the land feet first.

Her first name was Laur, a woman to whom survival was of the highest importance. Laur rested a hand upon a side of her head as her peculiar genetic ability kicked in, uncomfortably inundating her mind with new information concerning the power of the realms residents. There were two... no, three, beings close by. Two stood out from the noise of the very life that surrounded them, whilst the third barely registered. It felt like something she had been in constant contact with all of her life. A human. This particular species appeared to get around more than any Laur had previously encountered.

As the uncomfortable feeling began to fade the mutant retrieved her handgun from the leather hip holster she had the fortune to be sporting when the winds blew her in. Laur held the weapon with the respect one would accord a dear old, reliable friend. The once reluctant mutant had the deadly barrel pointed towards the darkening sky, thus keeping in readiness for trouble whilst not presenting an imminent threat to sapient creatures.

Laur scanned the flora with brilliant blue eyes whilst tentatively taking steps towards the nearby group, brushing a lone strand of deep brown hair from them when a stirring breeze teased it from the band responsible for holding her long hair in a ponytail. Laur had no clue where she was or what manner of danger awaited her in this unknown world, so she wasn't willing to risk leaving much to cruel fate at this particular stage.

"Good evening." Dravlin said, bowing deeply to the new arrival; almost looking like a puppet doing so. Still bent over, Dravlin started talking. "No doubt you're experiencing some amount of confusion, so I will answer any questions you have, after a swift introduction to this place. This world you are in is Pax. You've never heard of it, because it's new. So new, that to populate itself, it pulls random species from other realms. You are one such being who has been 'pulled', so to speak. I choose to be known as Dravlin, and I am a being of little renown. The two beings having a discussion near the wreckage are Markus, a brash mercenary with one hand, and Lady Swix, a young woman with some amount of mystery to her."

With that, he straightened, and leaned onto the double-ended spear which had been stuck into the dirt some minutes ago. It barely moved; Apparently Dravlin didn't weigh much. Despite the smooth, eyeless mask, he seemed to be smiling pleasantly.

"... I take it the miniature fireworks show is quite the common occurrence around these parts"

Laur spoke with a dampened American accent, for she had not set eyes upon her homeland for many long years.

The mutant was five feet five inches tall, sporting a plain red T-shirt with black pants and black, practical shoes. Upon her right wrist she wore a gold bracelet with indecipherable runic symbols engraved on the jewelry. On her
left hand were a pair of golden rings, a wedding band and one encrusted with small, precious sapphires. Laur had on show a daggerlike blade held at her hip by the leather holsters straps, opposite to the side her smooth, red gripped handgun would have nestled on her waist were she not presently holding the weapon.

"Dravlin, that's an unusual name. I'm Mrs Laur Doyle, though I would much prefer you to refer to me as Laur. Pleasure to meet you, good sir"

There was no need to dispense with pleasantries so Laur returned Dravlins bow with a slight bow of her own. She never took her bright blue eyes off the sapient being however, for there too existed little need for her to dispense with caution.

"You have my gratitude for the information you have so kindly provided. However I do believe I retain a few questions. Is this particular area of Pax dangerous? And if so, would you or your companions be averse to my person joining your camp for the night? I would rather not risk sleeping alone if there is an alternative available"

"The 'fireworks show', as you put it, is. . essentially a dimensional portal, I suppose. I could try to explain it thaumaturgically, but by the time I was done, the night would be over and the planet above our heads would have set." Dravlin said, a hand to the sky to emphasize his words.

"To answer your first question, Laur, this region is moderately dangerous, as it's populated by a significant amount of predators large enough to feel brave enough to combat humans and humanoids. For the most part, this is true for the temperate areas of this specific planet. It's strange that there are so many predators, but little prey abound; Upon seeing and observing this place's ecosystem, it took me some time to figure out how it was stable. This environment is also dangerous, in that nearly every bio-luminescent plant about is toxic in some way, so please do not attempt to eat anything without knowing what it is. But I'm babbling, and for that I apologize."

He looked over to his 'companions', who didn't seem to notice the newcomer yet.
"I cannot speak for my companions, but I am not averse to you joining. There are safety in numbers, after all." He said with a shrug.

"No need to explain the dynamics of an interdimensional portal. I had suspected as much"

Laur returned the gun to the leather hip holster that housed the dangerous weapon until it's services were yet again called upon.

"Perhaps your group could make use of one such as I for the duration of the night. I have a particularly effective early warning system should something unwanted deign to approach"

Laurs brilliant blue eyes roved over to the pair gathering wood whilst engaged in conversation, however they snapped back to the creature whom the once reluctant mutant was herself currently similarly engaged.

"I believe I should introduce myself to your friends quite soon, they appear distracted with their chosen subject. If you do not find my curiosity disagreeable, would you care to answer a mere few more mundane questions of mine? I would like to know if the two planets possess names, what they may be? Is travel between the pair feasible as they appear so astronomically close together? Finally, would there exist a chance of family members of the 'random species' 'pulled' through, in order to populate such a young world, ever making contact?"

Markus was about to answer Swixs question when the sky lit up once more. Whipping around to see what had happened, Markus saw the newly arrived Mutant, clutching a pistol of some sort and talking with Dravlin. Pistols were a rare thing where he came from, and he suddenly felt his bow was a little inadequate. Besides, the coversation looked calm, so there was little point in aiming at her.

"Errm, remind me to answer that later, it would appear we have a new arrival in our midst."

Markus walked over to Laur just as she was asking about the planets, being careful to keep an eye on the pistol.

"The planet you are on is called Ana, the other is known as Kata. As for travelling between the planets... well if anyone has found a way it's news to me. My name is Markus by the way, although I suspect Dravlin here as already mentioned that."

"You are quite right in your assumptions, Dravlin has made mention of both your name and your profession. My name is Laur, I was intending upon greeting you and your friend but it appears you have beaten me to it"

The mutants demeanour was undeniably pleasant, however lurking below this veneer was an element of wariness. Depending upon whomever else was ripped through the portals or stumbled upon this world, a mercenary could bring about disaster. Laur regarded the younger man with a piercing gaze for long moments until she became aware of just exactly where his cautious eye was looking.

"Do you like it? This gun has been preserving my life since the first day I put my hands around it. You possess a working crossbow I see, a wonderful weapon, and alas quite the rarity where I originate from. I had to go to great lengths to find one... Ah, I sense my enthusiasm may have gotten the better of me. My apologies. Studying weaponry was a hobby of mine"

((Err, did you maybe miss a sentence or two there Laur?))

Evil Swix had been quite content to just talk without making biting or sarcastic remarks for once, but then it all had to get interrupted by a flash of light in the sky, which made Markus spin around and the mysterious Lady Swix throw up an arm and cringe slightly, dropping all the wood she had collected. Luckily, it wasn't who she thought it was-it was just another arrival.

"Ok" Swix answered the mercenary when he said to remind him of her question later, before she turned back to retrieve the stuff she had nearly lost down a hole in the ground.

"Don't mind me, I'll just bring up all the firewood by myself with an injury" she muttered darkly to herself whilst she worked "I don't even know why I bothered to do this when I came over here"

The lady in the black dress got up, the firewood cradled in her arms, and walked over to the group of three-where she promptly dropped the bundle on the floor. "There's enough wood to get started, I'm going to go and find one of those glowing violet mushrooms now, then I'll be back for your part of our little deal Dravlin. Oh and hello whoever you are, I'll probably see you when I get back too" that said, ES turned and headed into the wild forest.

Markus took the chance to carefully watch the pistol and answered.
"It is a fine weapon from the looks of it. Interestingly enough pistols like that are rare where I come from. They were relatively new technology when I was growing up, so you can imagine the surprise I had when I found them being used relatively widely in my travels."
He was suspicious of the pistol. Markus was almost certain she wasn't going to try anything, but he still didn't like the thing being out like that. At least a good crossbow has the decency to give you a little warning if it's loaded. He looked Laur right in the eyes.
"Of course I wouldn't stop using my bow for all the gold in Opfelheim!" Markus continued, patting the bow. "Well, maybe an upgrade perhaps. Before I got zapped here I was looking at an automatic crossbow. Pricey, but worth every nickel."
A smile had crept across his face as he remembered his old home. Markus suddenly felt like he could relax, and properly relax at this point. Then he heard the snide remark Swix had thrown his way.
"Damn it Swix I'm a Merc not a doctor!" Markus called back, though she was quite right. He began to chuckle a little before realising his mind had wandered a little and snapped out of it. "Sorry, I shouldn't have left you to it." He apologised, bowing his head a little. He turned his attention back to Laur.
"Well it was nice meeting you" Markus said, and tipped the front of his hat to her. "I should probably go get something for us to eat!"
And with that Markus loaded his bow, and walked quietly towards a denser part of the forest, keeping a keen eye out for whatever was unfortunate enough to present itself.

"Lady Swix, for when you return, the name's Laur!"

Laur called to the mysterious young lady's form, swiftly vanishing within the encroaching night. The Mutants attention refocussed upon the mercenary for a time, until he too disappeared into the forest.

"Likewise Markus"

Laur found her company restricted to Dravlin once more, the Mutant presented the puppetlike creature an apologetic smile.

"I imagine the last of my questions presents more difficulties in answering than I previously anticipated? No matter, I am certain it will become clear to me eventually. Now, is there perhaps anything that I may help you with? If not, we should no doubt get this fire started before the night enters into full swing"

Swix had just rolled her eyes at Markus comment about not being a doctor, so did that mean that making or gathering stuff for a campfire was beneath a Merc? Plus there was the troubling issue that he shouldn't have heard that-she'd have to be more careful about what she said around him. But then he'd gone and apologised and the evil woman walked into the darkening forest with a puzzled expression on her face. Why do that? Why not just leave it at the comment, since he'd gotten his point across as well as she had? She wasn't used to dealing with people outside her own alignment, not without one actively trying to annoy the other or a scuffle developing anyway. Markus just confused the hell out of her-even more so since she'd decided she actually kinda liked the guy.

Swix raised a hand in acknowledgement of the new womans name before she was out of their sight completely, though she didn't say anything. She was growing to like being called 'Lady Swix' too, all thanks to Dravlin.

ES shook her head once she'd gotten a fair way out, she could think about this later. Right now she had some poisonous mushroom hunting to do. Not nearly as fun or challenging as hunting a hunter, but she certainly wasn't going to risk that at the moment Slowly but surely she was getting closer and closer to doing what needed to be done. Now, she just had to find something glowing violet, shouldn't be too hard-she hoped.

"Well, your question isn't as easily answered as it is asked. For one, who knows who the world decides to pull? There's nothing guaranteeing that more than one member of a family will be brought here. But on the other hand, many people here seem to somehow know one another; Too many coincidences for them to be called coincidences. . . And then there's the Aeloci to deal with, and they all have their own personalities; Who knows which aeloci there is on this world?" Dravlin said, thinking.

If it's there's the Crier, then she'll make sure estranged families are brought together, hoping that they would patch up their relationships. If it's the Warrior, then he will usually make sure that nobody related are brought, for love brings weakness in his eyes. I apologize, I'm babbling." He said, shrugging apologetically. "The simplest answer is this; I don't know."

"There would be no progress if we were to restrict ourselves to the easiest of questions, but I thank you all the same. It would seem I am yet again to decide upon perpetual hope or perpetual despair"

Laur proceeded to search the forest floor for both dry grass and the stones with which she could send an igniting spark into the heart of the bundle of gathered plant material.

"I am unfamiliar with this species named 'Aeloci' Dravlin, can you tell me more about these creatures? I would like to understand more of them. Especially if such aspects of life are naught but subjects of whim to them"