'Sup?

Sup Aggron, how's it going?

I managed to sleep last night after all. XD

Good, good. Glad to hear that. Everything's great on my end.

Good. X)

I think you were the last to reply, so I'll go ahead and write something.

Ivy nodded absently. She looked around. 'Are you living here now? I guess there wasn't much of anything left in Shacklestone...'

'Yeah, hopefully,' said Wendigo. 'Not counting us guys who are going to jump off to the afterlife once this is over. But we're already dead anyway.' He looked around restlessly. 'Dam.n, I can't wait to see the look on Sargon's face when he finally realises we've got him overpowered...'

{Pythia sighs wearilly.} "I don't know...Would the people here even accept me? I don't even know anyone here. I've lost so many friends..."

{Magnus looks around silently, seemingly contemplating something.} "I think he already knows that. If he's going to try anything, I think he's going to try running. If he does, do you think we're fast enough to catch him?"

'Why wouldn't they?' said Ivy. 'You're clearly not evil or anything. Considering your healing skills, I'll bet the citizens will be pleased to have you around! ...At least, once they stop being suspicious of you for being non-human.'

'On foot, vampires can run faster than humans,' mused Frederick. 'But we're still no match for a flying dragon, or a fast draugr like you. If he transforms, though, that's a different story. If he were a fast, small animal - like, say, a bird - then he might have a better chance of getting away.'

{Pythia just gives a sad look.} "I don't know...Can they even see past my race? And how would I even live here? I don't have any money."

{Magnus screwed up his face.} "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. Back in Shacklestone, all Armin had to do to outpace me was shift into a bird. If Sargon does that, could anyone catch him?"

Ivy shrugged. 'Well, you're technically a Shacklestone refugee. You were forced to leave your home because of what Sargon did. Even if you don't have any money, they'll have to let you stay here - or find somewhere else for you to stay. There's a lot of innocent people who survived the massacre, and I don't think the Sovereigners will just abandon them.' She tried to fill her voice with conviction, even though she wasn't completely sure.

'Another vampire could chase him,' suggested Frederick. 'Armin and I could do it. And a dragon could chase him through the air, if they were fast enough.'

'Don't ask me,' grunted Wendigo. 'I'm too big. I can barely see something as tiny as a bird, let alone catch it.'

{Pythia sighs again.} "Well, I guess I'll have to look into it..."

{Magnus nods.} "Fred, could you catch up with him as well, or are vultures too slow? If he tries to fly, and we can take out his wings, we should have him."

'Don't sound so pessimistic, you'll be fine!' said Ivy cheerfully. 'If you ever want to talk to Jerry or Dianne or any of the rest of us, we're staying in rooms up at the castle. Oh, by the way, Sargon's trial is in about an hour. You might want to stay out of the way when it happens. Things might get nasty.'

Frederick considered. 'Maybe. Keep in mind, though - a falcon is faster than most birds. Even while transformed, Armin and I won't have an easy time catching him. We should have some people with guns at the trial, to shoot at him and hopefully disable his wings.'

{Pythia smiles slightly} "Thank you, Ivy. Maybe...maybe I could stay there for now? I don't have anywhere else to go."

Magnus: "I hear Jerry's pretty good shot. Maybe he can...Wait,, when Dianne took him back, she put blades between his arm joints, to keep him from using his arms. If she does that again, it might solve this problem."

'Of course!' said Ivy immediately. 'I'm sure you'll be welcome there. They have plenty of rooms in the castle. And if anyone gets suspicious, then me, Jerry, and the others can tell them that you're trustworthy.'

'I don't know,' said Frederick. 'I think the blades might fall out when he shapeshifts, due to the difference in size between his normal form and his falcon form. Once they're out, he would probably heal fast enough to be able to fly away. But we should take every precaution we can, nonetheless.'

{Pythia smiles slightly.} "I would appreciate that. But...which way is the palace?"

{Magnus considers this momentarily.} "Hmm. What if we were to bend the ends of the blades, so they couldn't fall out...Or if we dislocated both arms...Are we overthinking this?"

'Umm...' Ivy glanced around, trying to get her bearings. 'Oh, it's this way. Here, I'll show you.' She started to walk up the street in the direction of the palace.

'I don't think we can be too careful,' said Frederick. 'But let's worry about that problem later. The trial isn't being held for a while. Also, there's going to be a lot of people there, all keeping their eyes open for any tricks. I think the chances of him managing to slip past all of us are quite slim.'

(Lol sorry, had to get food.)

(It's fine. XD)

{Pythia followed, looking about at the surrounding buildings}
"This is a nice city, don't you think?"

'Oh, it's a /gorgeous/ city,' said Ivy proudly. 'I'm going to stay here after everything's done. I already love it here.' They turned a corner, and the palace came into view up ahead, with Wendigo immediately visible sitting in the courtyard.

{Magnus' expression doesn't change.} "I suppose. After everything, we need to finish this. So, what do we do in the meantime."

'I've got nothing to do,' said Wendigo.

'Nor have I,' said Frederick. 'I suppose we just wait, and try to relax. There's no point in worrying about what might or might not happen. Let's just enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts.'

{Pythia looks up at the palace, otherwise ignoring Wendigo and his group.} "It is gorgeous. But how can you afford it? Isn't it all so expensive?"

Ivy's brow furrowed in confusion. 'Do you mean it's expensive to live here? Well, yes, it probably is. But since I got here, I haven't had to pay for a thing. Our group were basically the only people who could stop Sargon, so they gave us rooms and everything for free.' She smirked. 'Of course, once this is over, I'll probably have to buy a house or something...'

{Magnus nods and turns his attention to the approaching group.} "Hello again, Ivy. Pythia? What are you doing here?"

(Hey, I think I need to head off for now. See you another time!)

(Ok, bye!)

{Pythia replies to Magnus with a tone of annoyance.}
"Gee, Magnus, my entire home and all my friend were destroyed and killed, why do you think I'm here?"
Magnus: "Hey, I didn't ask it like that. No need to get snippy."

Wendigo was staring at Pythia, trying to remember if he'd seen her before. Ivy waved at Magnus as she came over. 'Hey, guys! I invited her to stay at the castle with us, since she doesn't have anywhere else to go. That's not a problem, right?'

Magnus: "Of course not. She should definitely stay with us. Also, my dear, we sustained some casualties during the fight. Do you think you could look them over and help them along in their recovery?"
Pythia: "Of course. I'd be happy to help any wounded."

'I can show you where the castle's hospital bay is, if you like,' Ivy offered.

Pythia: "Yes, Ivy, please do. I'm afraid I have no idea where anything is around here."

'Got it.' Smiling, Ivy went inside the castle and began to hurry along the various corridors. 'It's a bit like a maze in here. But you'll figure out where everything is after you've been here long enough.'

Wendigo watched them walk away. 'So, she's from Shacklestone? I was sure I'd seen her somewhere.'

{Pythia kept up with her, looking around.} "I'm sure I'll get used to it, given time."

{Magnus nods at Wendigo.} "Yeah, she was the healer that sheltered those werewolves."

'Oh, yeah. I remember her now,' said Wendigo. 'I guess it'll be good having her around, with her healing abilities.'

After a short walk, Ivy arrived at the door to the hospital area. She knocked, and then stood there waiting for a doctor or somebody else to let her inside.

Magnus: "Yeah, definitely. With her around, we don't have to worry so much about those who got hurt. She'll have them up and moving in no time at all."

{In response to the knock, Steve opens the door.}
"Oh, hello again, Ivy. Oh, who's this you've brought with you?"

'This is Pythia!' said Ivy cheerfully. 'I don't know if you've ever met her, but she's from Shacklestone. She just got here and she's going to stay with us for a while.'

{Steve blinks a few times.} "Oh, ok. Hi, I'm Dr. Steve Garvey."
{He offers his hand out to Pythia, who shakes it warmly.}
Pythia: "I'm Pythia. It's nice to meet you."

'How are all the injured people from the battle doing?' asked Ivy, trying to peer around Steve to see into the hospital area. 'Is everyone OK?'

{Steve looked at Ivy, making room for them to enter.}
"Oh, yeah, everyone's ok. Come in, I'l just be doing my rounds."
{Inside, various patients were sitting up or asleep. Eliza was still asleep, but she looked a little better from the previous day.}

Ivy entered the room, glancing back at Pythia as she did so. 'So, how good /is/ your healing magic? Can you, like, heal all these people instantly?'

{Pythia just chuckles.} "Well, that depends on your definition, Ivy. I specialize in tissue regeneration. I could heal all their wounds, but I can't replace the blood loss."
Steve: "Oh, you're a healer?"
Pythia: "Yes. I'm a High Priestess of Symponia."
Steve: "/High/ Priestess? Oooh, fancy.

'What's Symponia? Is it a place?' Ivy asked curiously.

{Pythia smiles warmly.} "No, Ivy, Symponia is the patron goddess of mercy, charity, and medicine. As her acolyte, I am sworn to carry out her goodwill across civilization, helping all who come before her in need."

'Oh, I see...' Ivy scratched her head thoughtfully. She didn't really believe in any gods or goddesses. 'So, anyway, do you think you can help any of these people?'

{Pythia chuckles warmly.} “Yes, I can, if they want to be healed by magic. I know that some people don’t trust it.”

'I'm sure they won't mind,' said Ivy with a shrug, although she didn't sound completely sure. 'I mean, if /I/ was badly injured, I'd rather be healed by magic than be stuck lying in bed with nothing to do for weeks.'

(Quick note, I'm probably gonna take a break from both RPs until the next Shacklestone room is up on Saturday. My writing inspiration kinda died.)

(Ok, cool. I’ve got a lot of work to do anyway. See you then!)

(Not going to be able to host an RP today, sorry. Too busy. :( )

Ok, no worries! :)