She woke up with the sun beating down on her face, nothing really new there pick enough fights you're bound to lose one or two. What was new was she had no idea where she was or how she got there. Sitting up she groaned as pain lanced through her skull that's the last time I… pausing her thought she realized she had no idea what had happened last night… no wait bits and pieces were starting to come back to her. She had been told by a seer to go to some group of arcane magic users and they would be able lead her to where those of her kind came from. That's right!! She went to a literal hole in some mountain side and a group of witches had formed a circle around her and, after some very convincing threats (they may have lost a member or two), Myst…MYST!!! Where the devil was her fargin bird? IF THOSE HACKS HURT HER BIRD THERE WOULD BE BLOOD!!!! In her mind she felt a familiar presence wake up, it stood on wobbly legs stretched then curled itself around her mind with its front claws gently kneading and proceeded to purr? “Cheetah are you purring right now? You do know Myst is missing right?”, a lazy “mroar” was Cheetah's reply, “Look beside me? And can you not purr so loud? My head is splitting.” Looking to her right she found a large green cloth bundle tied at the top with a piece of leather rustling with very unhappy noises coming from it. Oh my gods and goddesses. Not bothering to try to untie it she popped a claw on her right hand and swiftly sliced through the leather. The cloth fell away to reveal both a cloak and a very pissed off but still gorgeous Crowned Eagle. “Oh, my baby. Myst. What did those mean people do to you?” Seeing the leather wrapped around Myst's beak she again used her claw to cut it this time being careful to not cut her best friend. “screech!!” “Yes. I know if we're ever see them again they will wish they had never been born. But for now how are you? Can you fly? The air here smells and feels different.” Her inquiry was met with an indignant “squawk.” “Hey just checking. And watch your mouth. Take a look around and see if we got dumped near anything. It looks like the payment they took was Wolfie I still feel the darkness inside but my joy is gone.” “squawk?” Myst's response was accompanied by a head bump before she took off into the sky. “I don't know girl. Wolf is… was just as much a part of me as Cheetah and Vamp are. Heck I don't even really talk to Vamp she mainly just stares at me with those eyes. You know?” an impertinent “screech.” from came from the sky “Hey now watch who you're calling a freak or I'll let Cheetah have her way and we'll have roast eagle for dinner.” “screech” this time Myst sounded excited. “A large city in the distance? Well no time like the present to meet the locals. Let's head towards it.” She looked at the baggy brown trousers and light blue tunic the witches had had her chance into and hoped she fit in, at least the brown boots were comfortable and the green cloak would hide her flame red mohawk. After walking for several hours she reached a settlement, what looked like the first of many. In the distance she could see white walls with watchtowers and even farther… was that a castle? Where the hell was she? “Myst come on down here.” Myst landed beside her almost 4 feet of proud bird and together they walked through the streets. “any ideas on where we might have ended up?" “squawk” “yeah that's what I figured. Well, wanna find a bar? My pockets feel heavy and I'm getting hungry and thirsty.” “Squawk” “I am not a lush you walking family dinner I just want to see what's on offer here now shush.” She continued to walk down the streets idly chatting with Myst about the various new sites and smells. Turning a corner just before the city walls proper she spotted what looked like a tavern and decided to try her luck. Entering the rough stone building she heard music playing in the background but was stopped before she could take more than three steps into the place. “No animals allowed.” The man speaking to her with a frown not only had to look up at her slightly he also looked like slightly piggish. “And yet here you are.” She replied with a grin. The next tavern she tried having trashed that one in the ensuing fight, some people can't take a joke, was much nicer. The floors looked like they had actually been swept sometime this week and there were some delicious smells coming from somewhere in the back. Bonus no one tried to stop Myst from entering. They found seats near the back and when a barmaid came by she pulled some of the coins from her pocket and asked, “What will this get me, umm food and drink wise I mean?” she blushed as Myst and the barmaid laughed at her. “As much food and drink as you want. Umm, what about for your umm bird?” “Steak raw if you have it. She's had a rough time of it, thanks.” Their food arrived shortly and they both ate like it was the last meal they would ever have, cause who knows in this place it could be. First day here and she had already destroyed a tavern, could have have been worse she could have gotten knocked out and woken up somewhere else. 

The week for Rynn and Gideon had gone fairly smooth after the first night at the Winking Mermaid, in which Rynn had had her first breakdown. The thought of Gideon consoling her was abysmal, though, so she rejected the memory of that night, and instead focused on the slowly growing pile of coins they had procured from singing, dancing, and storytelling each night for the proprietor. Dart was an odd one, Rynn mused to herself. He seemed human enough, but there was something definitely inhuman about him.

Not that Rynn had much to argue, being a celestial draconian. It was a strange breed of angelic like beings with powerful magic mixed with the raw power of a dragonq, and Rynn’s blood had taken to the dragon like her father and grandfather before her. Like them, her hair was jet black, thought here were lighter streaks in its length. Her eyes, for the most part, remained a calm silver as she watched the world around her.

This particular morning, Gideon and Rynn had split up to get some preparations done. The city of Adeluna was already bustling about, which didn’t bother her much past the fact that she hated crowds. Still, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as performing at night, so it a breeze as she weaved between the individuals in the crowd, picking out the supplies, and paying the extra coin to have it delivered straight to the Winking Mermaid later that day.

To her surprise and delight, she finished the majority of her list early, and found herself bored. Gideon was likely not finished with his end of the errands, which left Rynn to do what she pleased for the remainder of the morning and afternoon.

With a clap of her hands, she smiled. Brunch. She stepped into the nearest tavern she found, and procured a table to herself. As she started to order food, though, she felt her body grow immensely hot, and then cold. Oh no. Not again… Surely enough, a bright blue lynx appeared by her side, and started to lick itself while sitting.

“Sable…bad kitty. I told you not to come out,” Rynn scolded. Ever since the birth of Myrra, there were a large abundance of personal familiars that appeared. I can’t be mad at her though..it’s not her fault that the daughter of two deities can’t control her magic… She sighed. “Fine…just don’t cause any trouble.

The lynx looked at her, as if insulted. Rynn just rolled her eyes, and ordered a plate of whatever special they happened to have, as well as water.

Per her usual paranoia, she scanned the room for any potential dangers. None immediately jumped out, though there were a few shady individuals in the back corner. Oh, and of course the weird one at the table that had ordered a near raw steak. But, she had seen even weirder. There were all sorts.

"I'll have a plate of pork and potatoes with gravy, a cheese quiche, and two roasted drumsticks–biggest ones you have." Delanac was taking some time off to rest and have somebody else do the cooking for his meals for the time being. He couldn't stay long though, and was hoping they'd let him take some of the leftovers from his order with him so Bran could have a taste. Leaving the jackal outside the tavern when he was hungry was one of the last things he wanted to do, but they didn't take kindly to pets and Adeluna wasn't particularly welcome to anybody who wasn't human. Sitting at a table by himself, he thumbed through a leather-bound book filled with all the recipes he'd seen and tasted along the way. Rubbing his chin he noted a bit of roughness at the touch. He'd have to find himself a room at an inn, sneak Bran in somehow, and give himself a good shave.

The Winking Mermaid was as famous as taverns could get here, and he was no stranger. Still, he couldn't help but notice there were less variety in folk walking the streets nowadays. Being on the road he had conveniently avoided most of the hubbub from changes in the world, but whenever he entered a big booming city like this he would catch up on world events the best he could. His food came, filling up the worn plank table. Three dishes simmering hot and a tankard of ale in the middle. The drumsticks were for Bran, and depending on his appetite maybe some of the quiche would be too. Unlike most people who shoveled food down like they hadn't eaten in forever, the orc was careful in tasting everything. He was taking his time to fully appreciate the flavor and textures, even if they weren't anything to write home about. 

The food was filling, the meat was done right, and it was a proper tidy meal. He still had room for the quiche so he started cutting it into wedges, too busy to notice if anybody was making faces his way. He'd only taken a few sips of the ale, better than the grog Vilpamolan had but that wasn't a high hurdle to leap. It tasted more like malt, but he couldn't tell which grain they used to brew it. "Hrm…the cheese is a bit dry. Started the oven too hot and put it in too early. The holes are as big as gravel, probably tried to cook it as quick as they could throw it in." Quiches were best when the egg was smooth and the texture soft but firm. Their choice of cheese likely was dry cheddar, burnt a tad by the oven's scorch. He could tell by how much grease was at the bottom of his plate and on his fork.

Cheese melted was one of the best seasonings for any dish, but the important thing was to never heat it past its point of melting. If you kept the fire hot, eventually the molten goodness would separate into oily grease and chewy solids that felt like rubber. If you had too little cheese and everything was too dry, it would burn to a crisp and go bitter. It was alright for tavern food. Maybe if he had come during the busier hours it would have turned out better. Polishing off the quiche and washing it down with the last gulps of ale, he wrapped up the drumsticks and stuffed them into his bag. Having handed the barmaid silver before his order, he was ready to go. Delanac hoped he hadn't taken too much time. Poor Bran was probably proper peckish by now.

Weaving his way towards the door, he had to pass by a few other tables first. "Excuse me, pardon me." He said as he unintentionally brushed by a few of the others sitting in the Winking Mermaid. The faint scent of salt and pepper chicken emanated from somewhere on his person.

Jasmine was just finishing up her meal and a rather spirited conversation with Myst about pros and cons to using storms for cover with added input from the others including wonder of wonders, Vamp when she felt Cheetah's ears prick up. “What is it girl?” Rather then answer Cheetah pushed herself to roughly to the fore not a full shift, just a body take over, and scanned the room. Her pupils were cat slits and she could hear Jasmine yelling at her for her to go back to her room she answered Jasmine their accent turned silken and slightly feline “There's another kitty here. I wanna play.” Jasmine paused her tirade to ask “What? I mean no. No playing with strange kitties. We don't know anything about this place. Besides every time you play you try to eat Myst. So Absolutely NO PLAYING!!!” “Wanna play! Gonna play!! Cheetah yelled banging her fists, now tipped with claws, on the table. Red spotted fur was starting to spring up along her arms. No no no no thought Jasmine I can't shift here. “Cheetah girl, baby? Remember what I told you about shifting in public? Don't you fucking dare do it!” The appeal had less effect then usual coming from in her head and with a yowl Cheetah fully shifted in the middle of the freaking tavern. Guess we're never coming back here. A moan escaped her as the ecstasy and pain of the full shift overtook her body. This feeling never gets old mmmm. Clothes vanished as fur replaced them and in an explosion of magic where a woman once sat a flame red spotted Cheetah roughly the same size as the woman was now falling to the floor. Myst took one look at the cheetah and with a squawk flew to the top of the tavern ceiling. Cheetah looked around for the kitty she had scented and saw a bright blue kitty next to a woman that smelled like bird. “Eat the lady? Play with the kitty?” Jasmine sighed at Cheetah and her obsession with eating birds. “No. To both of them no. We have to get out of here and since we currently have paws with claws instead of hands, genius, try to look non-threatening so someone will let us the hell out of here.” Cheetah lowered her head appearing to listen then proceeded to sprint towards the woman sitting with the pretty blue cat to play. Jasmine had just enough time and control to swerve Cheetah away from the woman and her cat and into the wall behind them. Cheetah hit the wall with a resounding thump. She sat there for a moment shaking her head before she stood back up, turned around and looked at the room with a goofy feline grin on her face. “Squawk?” Circling the taverns ceiling Myst looked down upon Cheetah wondering what the stupid cat would do next. “Oh, you are so grounded Cheetah. You just wait til I can shift back. We are so out of here. And don’t you even think about fight me while I walk us out of here. BAD KITTY!!! Now move over.” Head hanging low Cheetah slunk back to her corner passing Vamp in the process. The flames of Vamps eyes looked at her reproachfully as she hissed at her “You know better.” Even Jasmine shivered at the ground rock and blades that was Vamps rarely used voice. “We’ll all discuss this later for now let's try and get out of here with some semblance of dignity” Attempting to look as harmless as a human sized cheetah can Jasmine slowly weaved her way towards the door trying not to meet anyone's eye, her partially unsheathed claws clicking on the floorboards. Of all the animals why did I have to be a cat shifter? “I’m sorry?” Jasmine ignored her as a couple of patrons stared at her just a tad too long, hmmm. She reached the door and ignoring the two staring at her lifted her right paw and pointed at the door. She backed off what she hoped someone felt safe enough to open the door for her and waited tail twitching, Myst circling overhead. Cheetah was in for one long drawn out lecture when they got outside.

Rynn was enjoying her time alone, but there were a few odd ones in the tavern that day. It was likely that she had just come during the off hours, and this was normal for th tavern, but it was unlikely. Besides, it wasn’t often that you had a strange woman, eating a raw steak, and talking to herself a few tables over. It was annoying, at best, but at worst it could be a problem.

That was the first tick.

The wait staff came by and took her order. It wasn’t very long before a glass of amber liquid was set in front of her. She didn’t drink often, but today she felt up to it. It was starting to feel like a day off, and that was making her happy. Still, there were things that seemed to be happening in the background to work against her. A fairly large orc walked by her, brushing up against Sable and Rynn. While she didn’t say anything, she was slightly annoyed. It wasn’t his fault, but she hated being touched by anyone.

That was the second tick.

There was a burst of magical energy in the room, and Rynn’s eyes widened. Void walker!? she thought in a panic, and started to move, reaching for the blade at her belt. Sable even reeled slightly from the aura she felt, but the both settled down, realizing it was nothing like that of a Void Walker. Besides…they don’t exist here. They shouldn’t exist at all. They’re all gone now… She took a deep breath, but she was already rattled.

It was about that point when Rynn noticed who had created the magical aura. It was the crazy woman, who was now a crazy cheetah bounding towards her. This time Rynn reacted, leaping onto the table with all of the years of battle instinct that had been crammed into her skull from the Academy. Her arms flared with mana as her eyes flashed a blood red, the draconic blood flowing freely through her veins.

“BRING-” She started to yell, but the cheetah swerved and rammed into the wall behind her. “…..it…?” The mana sputtered, and she dropped her arms, turning to look at what she was starting to assume was a dumb animal more than a dangerous, crazy woman. For awhile, the cheetah seemed to talk to itself before walking out of the tavern, looking slightly ashamed of itself.

That was the third tick.

“Oh hell no,” Rynn snapped, marching out of the tavern after the cheetah. She caught up to it outside, and with the voice of a scorned woman, grabbed it by her shoulder, and spun her around. “You do NOT get to walk out of there like nothing happened. What the hell is wrong with you!?”

Delanac thought he was in the clear once he was outside, and took out the chicken he had snuck out of the tavern. It was still warm, and smelled just as good. Bran would love this! Sure, his clothes now smelled like roast drumsticks but it was all worth it in the end. Whistling he looked around for his dog. Hopefully he hadn't taken too long. Where was Bran anyway? The jackal had a boundless curiosity towards just about everything, especially food and new smells. He was still working on training Bran, but sometimes he was proper cheeky. The orc knew he didn't mean ill, he was a young dog after all. Still Delanac was worried that he'd get himself into trouble when he wasn't around. "Bran? Where'd you go boy?" 

Familiar barking came up from behind as a black dog can bounding towards him, tail wagging and tongue panting. "I got you something you'll like! I bet you're proper peckish now, eh?" Bran answered by jumping up on his back legs and furiously licking his face. "Alright, alright–settle down! Best eat while it's still warm. I asked them to season it only with salt and pepper so you don't need to worry about a belly ache." Finding a place to sit, he unwrapped the chicken legs and Bran was already pushing his snout in. Happily he dug into the meat, tail still flying like a flag in a storm. Things were going along like peaches and cream when the tavern door slammed open and shouting drew his attention.

 "You do NOT get to walk out of there like nothing happened. What the hell is wrong with you!?" Delanac saw two women outside of the pub, having some sort of argument. He let out a sigh of relief. Adeluna wasn't kindly towards non-human folk like him, so the less trouble the better. Noticing that the jackal has stopped halfway in eating, he rubbed the dog behind the ears. "You alright Bran? Did that give ye a scare, boy?" His pet didn't respond, but he saw his tail was still wagging–a bit slower this time. Licking his lips, the jackal smiled with his pink tongue waggling as he was looking where the two new smells came from. 

Delanac should've known better, but by the time it crossed his mind–it was too late. "Bran, no!" The jackal jumped to his feet and broke into a sprint making a beeline for the two strangers, barking up a storm while his panicked owner was not far behind. "Bran stop!" The jet-black dog was now running in circles around the two women barking nonstop.

No. No. No HELL NO!! A strange woman had grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and was turning her to yell at her. Jasmine felt Vamp slip silently in to place to protect her. By the time she had turned around her green eyes had turned to green fire and she was well and truly pissed.

"Do you make a habit of grabbing those you know nothing about to pick fights little one?”

Gracefully shrugging off the offending hand she sneered down at the woman before her, flashing just a bit of her elongated fangs.

“Touch me again and lose the offending body part"

"Still wanna play with the kitty.”

"Probably not the best time, Cheetah. Vamp appears to be fucking pissed and to honest I'm not to happy with the little female right now either. Let her handle it I'll step in if need be.”

“So glad you agree to let ‘handle’ things for now, Jasmine.” Looking back to the offending female “Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? Ah yes, don't touch me. Ever.”

Having spoken Vamp started to walk away when a black dog sprinted up barking happily followed by a rather large, what the hell is he? What the what? Jasmine? Tag you're it. I'm done with this place.

With a sigh Jasmine felt herself slide back into control as Vamp faded back to her corner of her mind. Taking a moment to readjust she looked around. Big black dog? Check. Pissed off tiny female? Check. Rather large imposing male of indeterminate origin chasing big black dog? Check and mate. Sometimes she really hated the messes her others dumped on her.

“Ok. So umm before anyone decides to skewer me can I just say how sorry I am for the behavior of my others? And please don't try to kill me? It wouldn't go to well for any of us… or the surrounding area.”

Holding her hands up to show she meant no harm it probably would have gone better if Cheetah had left her claws sheathed. Well it was the best they were going to get there was no way her big cat was going to leave her unprotected.

It would seem that when things around Rynn went wrong, they went wrong with the utmost of potential. The first thing that she had to deal with was the apparent being with a multiple personality disorder. Speaking to her was nothing short of irritating. Not only did they act as though nothing were wrong, they threatened her with violence.

“ExCUSE me?” she started to yell. “You’re threatening me after that hostile display back there!? Oh I’ll-” The woman seemed distracted now, which started to cause Rynn to flip out more, when she noticed exactly what was bounding towards her. Oh for Gods sake. What did I do to the Twelve to deserve this!?

It was at times like this that Rynn used Gideon and his diverse skill set to help her. Not only was the celestial great with dogs, but he was also an A-class negotiator, and kept his cool even in the most dire of times. Rynn, despite being one of the best tacticians, did not keep her calm in dire situations. In fact, if anything, dire situations set of her fight or flight instincts.

And she was a fighter.

Rynn’s eyes flared red, and her arms burst into jet black scales, which ignited with a searing heat that was visible to the naked eye. Giant, draconic wings erupted painfully from her back, spreading wide in a display of raw power as she let out a battle cry that was half human, half dragon. An aura of pure aggression shrouded her, signaling she had no intention of running away.

If there was a fight, there was no way in hell she was going to lose. She had come through far too much to be stopped now.

“I suggest that everyone back down now…or I’ll tear each and every one of you to pieces,” she said with a growl.

Delanac was desperately trying to get a hold of the situation while it escalated. Finally caught up with Bran, he quickly scooped the jackal up and pulled him away just as things began to go pear-shaped. He still had no idea what was going on and to be fair, wasn't very keen on figuring out right now. "Easy boy, easy boy…let's have you go back and finish your lunch. Let's not disturb the lasses, especially the one with the big, scaly wings." He wanted to take his dog and leave without further ado, and he could smell a fight brewing. Typically he'd at least try to calm them down but this time the shorter lass was hopping mad. Best take his things and make a run for it. To keep Bran from making either lass angrier, he was holding his mouth to keep the tail-waggling dog from barking.

Bran whined as he turned his head towards the taller of the two girls, sniffing and wanting to say hello. "Now's not a good time… Look, the drumsticks sure are looking lonely aren't they? They'll go cold if you don't finish them soon!" Turning his back to the incoming fight that would break out, the orc was doing all he could to get Bran's mind on something else. The dog quieted down, but he was still trying to look to see where the new smells were. Luckily Delanac's arms held him fast, so back away to safety they went. Bran finally had his mind taken off the new people and was back eating his food, lying down and gnawing at the bones. 

If they kept this up, the guards might come running and that wouldn't be good for anybody. But even though he was taller than the other two, getting torn up wasn't something he'd want to experience. Delanac couldn't follow what was happening, leaving him proper confused. To settle his own nerves, he patted the back of the black dog who was still preoccupied with getting every last tasty bit of chicken. 

“She threatened tame little wolf! She pay now!”

Jasmine agreed with Cheetah. She didn't like the fact that the woman didn't seem to care about collateral damage. She also didn't like the fact the dog that had run up to them so friendly might get hurt but she was new here. At this point she didn't even know what the tiny woman was except pissed the fuck off at her and wanting to fight for some reason. She sighed and lowered her hands trying to get her offending claws out of the crazy woman's line of sight. Putting a calming cast to her voice le she does when Cheetah is about to go on a rampage she spoke to the woman. 

"Look I think we seriously got off on the wrong foot here. I again apologize for the behavior of both Cheetah and Vamp. Cheetah saw your cat and wanted to play with it despite me telling her no she tried anyway. As far as Vamp goes she was trying to protect me. I'm not making excuses for just stating what happened and apologized for them startling you. I would prefer to not fight as I honestly have no idea what the hell you are. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to see a rather large strange man about a dog.”

Jasmine made a small bow then turned and looking quickly around found the large man stroking the dogs back while it busied itself with what looked like chicken drumsticks. Turning her back on the other woman and walking away took some effort as both Cheetah and Vamp were fighting her and protesting her leaving until they saw her destination. Arriving in front of the large man and his dog she knelt in front of them to allow the dog to sniff her and see she wasn't a threat. Smiling at a resident of this place for the first time she looked at the man, are, are his ears pointed? 

“Your dog is beautiful what's his name?”