Skyside 4

[Morty]

[Party Place]

The closest goblin would be the one with the firearm. He ducks, but is lightly hit in the back. It doesn't entirely penetrate the thick leather vest, but still causes him to cry out in pain. He responds by firing at the sprite. It's a heavy, large-calibre bullet.

Meanwhile, the salamander is set upon by two goblins. The one with the glaive tries to hack at it, while their leader tries to jump on its head and bury both of his knives into it.

[Recaiden]

[Party Place]

One hostile inside the room. Kestrel aims down and fires at the sprite as well. The lightning gun is charged up again, so another flash and bolt of electricity go its way.

So far they seem focused on gaining entry. They should be forced to suffer as much damage as possible while doing so.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Goblin Market]

"Mhm." The old creature finally stops his work, to lift the knife to his lips, something shining slipping away on his breath and settling in the blade's shining mirror. With a quick little flick of his wrist, the knife snaps shut around it. "S'ppose there's nothing for it. Come on in. Give me something more than that to work with." His knees creak and crunch like dry leaves, levering his way up off the steps with painful slowness to shuffle inside.

[Shadowcaller]

[Goblin Market]

The gorgon glances at Sticks and nods. "I'll keep that in mind."
Her attention then snaps back to the fey."More that you can work with? I'd be glad to help things along but this is my first time here so I'm not sure what you mean by that." Dena remarks. "What can I help you with?" She slowly moves after him. At least she had options now.

[Deathkeeper]

Goblin Market

Jim looks over to Sticks questioningly. Are they going to follow Dena in and observe her transaction? Or look at other things while she does that, and find things of their own?

[Murkus]

[Goblin Market]

Sticks seems to know just what Jim is thinking. He smiles crookedly, putting his hands on his hips. "Well. I suppose it would be rather strange to follow her that far, wouldn't it? Come, lets have a look around." The tall man lowers his arms and strides slowly toward the nearest stalls.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Goblin Market]

Countless rows of bottles hang on cords from the low-slung ceiling, and the light pours in through dusty, smoked green windows, so that the narrow little space of the caravan feels like yet another bottle, full with the stale smells of rubbing alcohol and pressed flowers. Dishes pile along the sink, chairs scattered from the table by visitors who never bothered to set them back, and there's a low patter of claws underneath their own footsteps, rodents scattering beneath the flooring as the old man stomps through.
Or perhaps not an old man. In this light, his leathery skin is bark, limbs twisted not by age but by a certain crookedness, joints bending at wrong angles. Ram's horns grow from the drift of white around his skull. "Come on. You've seen a face, though maybe it wasn't moving." He chuckles, pointing up at a high cupboard. "Should be candles in there. You'll be the one wearing this, so you'd better put some thought to it. Most people want to look like movie stars."


Outside, there is.. Oh any number of things. All sorts of enticements.
Sadly, Sticks seems to have spent all his poor apprentice's reserves of whimsy and wonder and left nothing but jaded old goat. Doubtless they'll wander right past the scaled and fork-tongued merchant hawking fireworks bundled in glossy red paper and gold foil twine. The half-a-dozen pale, shapeless creatures, moistly a-glistening in the steam of the bubbling cauldrons they tend and stir and season, doling out primordial stews to the goblins that gather at the tables.
The stall that's nothing but a throw rug and a low canopy of fabric as dark as night, customers crawling in and lying back to admire the little false stars the ghostly artisan has affixed with pins, each a wonder of glass and color and subtle shifts of light.
The blue-faced ape sitting on a carpet, drawing from a golden hookah and puffing out entire battlefields of dancing smoke. The jackal-headed soap salesman barking at passerbies.

But sooner or later they're bound to notice the silverhaired, strangely ageless man loping along beside them, his hawkshead cane tucked into the crook of his arm. A man in a rich black overcoat and a red suit beneath, embroidered with golden brocade. A gentleman of some distinction, for the trouble he's caused them and the total oblivion he displays to that as he walks out of thin air to follow the two.

[Shadowcaller]

[Goblin Market]

Figures. She smiles politely at the joke though she knew those jokes were going to get old pretty fast. If people automatically assumed gorgons were thousands of years old, they would have to hear that sort of jokes all their lives. No wonder they stayed away from civilization.
"Hold on, before we get into that. What do you want in exchange for this service? The satyr who recommended this place to me charged me an old memory for an watch which I believe is just as old." She wanted to introduce herself but she wasn't sure giving away her name (even if it was a nickname) was a particularly good idea around here.

[Deathkeeper]

Goblin Market

Jim's natural optimism kicks in after a few minutes free of Dena, and Jim smiles at the fireworks and the food and the attractions, as long as he tells himself that surely the cost of a simple magic firework would be something reasonable and fair.
And not bodily organs. Hrgh
Jim is stooping over to sneak a look at the little starry stall as Barnabas catches sight of the man, and gives him as furious a glare as the little construct can muster. Jim takes his time to turn and look, his mind not quite as synchronized with his familiar as some kinds of mages. Sticks might follow the line of sight and notice faster than Jim reluctantly turns.

[Murkus]

[Goblin Market]

"You don't happen to be hungry, do you Jim?" Sticks asks, bumping his metal elbow into his apprentice's side and gesturing toward the stewpots. He would consider eatting there himself, to be quite honest, as the absurd and odd has never bothered his palate. For the most part. The fireworks he passes over, but those stars...

"What fine eyes these would make," says the tall man, enthused, as he stoops to look with Jim. However, his senses are perhaps a little more finely tuned than Mr. Puck's, and he most certainly turns around faster than the boy when the strange man makes his appearance.

Now that is unnerving. An unremarkable, formerly unnoticed and seemingly human noble in a goblin market? Why, there could be a thing no more suspicious. The tall man braces his staff against the ground and prepares to address the other man formally, which must seem strange from a creature seemingly dressed in tattered patchwork.

Then he realizes just who it is.

With forced flatness that hides trepidation, Sticks remarks, "...I seem to recall some rigmarole regarding the manner in which we were to meet again, if at all. I don't believe them to have been affirmative, which is why I must commence questioning what it is my eyes see. Be this the very same second rate practitioner? Why, he could not possibly have been so foolish." At the last, his brow rumples, and he frowns tightly. Surely he was nervous around women, perhaps even around kind strangers, but at his enemies... he couldn't afford to let his knees knock. Even if they sometimes wished to.

[WarKitty]

Party Place

The sprite dodges neatly, dropping to the ground to avoid the incoming missiles. Two more drop through the ceiling as he does so.

Meanwhile, the salamander backs up a touch and snaps at the goblin leader.

[Morty]

[Party Place]

The sprite that just landed is met by another crossbow bolt, as the gunner reloads. Meanwhile, the two sprites that dropped through the ceiling will be targets of a net, thrown from a distance by the goblin that had held back so far.

The goblin leader scrambles back to avoid the bite, and the polearm-wielder stands over him with her weapon to cover him. An impasse, it seems.

[Recaiden]

[Party Place]

Sprites quite agile. Noted. Impasse forming at doorway. Not an effective use of time. Goblins moderately flammable. But the intruders are still on the defensive, as it were.

Kestrel wades into the doorway, extending one-two-three manipulator arms to grab at the monster, holding it (or at least its head) in place, an easy target for those polearms.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Goblin Market]

"Memories will do, but I'm not cheap. Hurry up and get the candles." Grumbling, the creature sinks into his seat. "I'll take summers, springs. The chaff off a few years. Things you think you don't remember at all. Or I'll take your dreams for the next three. Some folks worry about that sort of thing," He pauses, glancing up suspiciously, as if to checks she's not one of those folks. "So there's one more thing you can do. I've got a memory that's been troubling me. You can take it."


Outside, strolling the market's grounds, Hex lifts an eyebrow. "Hardly noticed you, old bean. Why, you could have been anyone until I bothered to see who, being there's a crowd. Being we're not on that doorstep of yours I've dutifully left undarkened." His hand fusses at the starched buttress of his collar, fidgeting his shoulders, glaring at the elephantine troll that jostles against him in the crowd. The creature cringes back, seeming to actually lose height to shrink into his numerous gray and wrinkled folds. "Not my sort of crowd either. But needs must. I suppose you're just out for a stroll, hm, an innocent day at the market fair?"

[Deathkeeper]

Goblin Market

Jim's long ears twitch at the voice and he spins around, scowling.
"Get lost, Hex. We all know you're not on the level of men who show up next to people by coincidence. We also all know neither of us is going to fall for anything you offer, and you're not the kind to randomly do harm, because that doesn't really teach them any of your twisted lessons. So save us all the time and go do whatever need brought you here. Unlike you two, I don't have unlimited time." he says with a roll of his eyes.

[Shadowcaller]

[Goblin Market]

More memories? Dena goes to check the cupboard for candles. Would they be ordinary ones or weird fey candles? "I'll consider it but could you tell me what you need the memories for?" She won't see his glance as she is making sure the cupboard won't suddenly grow teeth and attack her as she opens it.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Goblin Market]

Rather dull and normal things, really. Fat and already half-melted, slouching into the drips and pools and frozen waterfalls, stuck to bronze disks. There's the fatty smell of real candles, made in the old way and more tallow than wax. "We like them." Says the old man, reaching out his hands to take the smelly things and set them on the table alongside a wide clay bowl. "Money, I can have any time I want. Gold and whatnots easy to come by. From mortals, I want what only mortals got. Mortal thoughts 'n memories and the rest of the stuff."

[Murkus]

[Goblin Market]

"Do you mean to imply something regarding my innocence?" Sticks says defensively, glowering. Addressing Hex still, he says, "We are here the very same as you, young man, procuring reagents for all our work no doubt. I shall not repeat my apprentice's request verbatim, but if you would please go--" The tall man halts mid-sentence, glancing at Jim. "Were you speaking of me as well?" Is the boy upset with him, as well? Oh no! Sticks can't hardly translate the vexed young fellow like this!

[Shadowcaller]

[Goblin Market]

"What's so special about mortal memories? Is that bad memory you'd give to me really that different from mine?" Dena asks as she wrinkles her nose at the smell of the candles. She figured they just wanted what they couldn't have. A pretty common desire among "mortals" too.
Right now she was considering paying with her memories or taking his. One thing was for sure, she wasn't going to pay with any more of them after this.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Goblin Market]

"Well I've got the fey sorts of memories, more than enough and then some to spare, don't I." The old man spits back, clearly running into the ends of his good graces. "Not that it's any great business of yours. Why and how much, questions and questions and questions. Not an answer for the one I ask. What kind of face do you want, girl, if you want one at all." His penknife flicks and clicks in agitation, and he seems to find something comforting in staring into the surface of the blade, the soft blue light that peels away from it in misty waves. Within the polished sliver of mirror there's a third reflection, standing among their own.

"I use them for the carving and shaping. My own doesn't hold faces well." He admits, suddenly, quite likely in the middle of whatever she has to say. His mind seems to have drifted far away, but returns long enough to speak.


Hex only tuts. "I imply nothing but that it exists, and that's a tragedy." Digging a hand into his pockets, he produces a silver cigarette case, the clean silver engraved with the slim tracery of a single flower unfolding like a firework. His hands might shake, maybe, or maybe that's only a trick of the light as he plants a cigarette between his teeth, lights it in a brief passing of his hand across his mouth, obscuring the little spark of magic. A showman's gesture. "Don't mind me. Tend to your domestic struggles. I'll be here."

'Here' travels along besides them, glancing furtively about the crowd. A crowd that shifts ever farther away from them and their new friend.

[Deathkeeper]

Goblin Market

Jim sighs.
"Yes, Sticks. I wasn't going to lie and say that both of us do, since I'm fairly sure you don't. But that's neither here nor there. I'd rather not have any more lessons, sir, especially if I have to smell burning leaf at the same time, so do us a favor and let us well alone." says the faun, looking for some other stall to give himself an excuse to walk to.

[WarKitty]

Party Place

One of the sprites gets entangled in the net. The other one darts for the child, while the one who was already in fires off another bolt of acid, just before the bolt catches him in the shoulder.

Meanwhile the salamander backs away from the door and prepares another fire blast.

[Shadowcaller]

[Goblin Market]

Figures fey wouldn't understand proper customer service. She didn't like this, either he got frustrated since he was just awfully short tempered or it was some kind of trick. But that was probably just her paranoia talking. Probably.
"Okay, okay. This is all pretty new to me and I was warned to be careful around these parts. No offense. But as for the face I was thinking fair skinned and blonde? Might be better if I draw the face though, honestly." She has of course pen and paper with her, hidden in one of her pockets of holding. "I don't even know how the glamour works yet. Is it something you wear? Something you can keep in your pocket?"

[Morty]

[Party Place]

Well, this isn't looking good. Time to bring out the big guns. The goblin who had thrown the net earlier suddenly appears... riding an enormous beetle. The insect tries to chop the fairy in half with its pincers.

Meanwhile, both the crossbow-goblin and gun-goblin train their weapons on the salamander and fire. The glaive-wielder and knife-fighter pull back, so as not to get roasted. The alchemist tosses a bag of blinding powder at the remaining sprite.

[Murkus]

[Goblin Market]

"I have limited time," Sticks says poutily, glancing down such that his hood hides much of his face. He's got things to do! Things that need done! Especially lately.

He shoots Hex a grumpy glance, then lowers his cowl again. "Yes, please, Hex," he agrees with the boy, "Be not here. I implore you to be somewhere else."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Raindrop District]

The sorceress looks somewhat annoyed as they have to go through the rain. Normally she could easily have shielded the both of them from the rain. But considering what they were doing here, she could hardly use eldritch without drawing attention to herself. She questioned if professional criminals wouldn't notice them anyway in a city like this. "Her scent? Adir, I'm not exactly a seeker or a hunter. So I'm just going to follow your lead and protect you in case you get trouble. But I think I will attempt to not speak to anyone. I'm the one posing the greatest risk of exposing us after all."

[The Raindrop District]

"So be it. I was just trying to see if any of that sounded dumb. Though really all I've got to go by is what that package smelled like... which might be better, depending. I can never tell with the smell of magic," Adir flashes her a grin and turns, ready to start off into the rain.

((Depending if Ad wants to run anything or what hints/clues she meant, I suppose they'll have a look around.))

((They could choose to look for the address that the messenger gave to them, I guess?))

[ThirdEmperor]

[Goblin Market]

"Huh! As if I want to be." He cups a hand against the sun, his eyes gleaming green in shade, flitting from one corner to another before sighing and returning his gaze downwards, to a jade pocketwatch, hissing a soft 'tchh'. "We have wasted three minutes and forty seven seconds. So I may as well waste the rest on explanation. I was watching you. As one does." He's very unapologetic.

"Seemed like a sure source of entertainment, and just so. You two walked past an idiot satyr selling stone eggs." He frowns, and rephrases for the company present. "Very bad things."

---

"Pen and paper comes from the mind, so why not cut to it." Peeling a match away from cheap booklet, he lights the candles, filling the room with the intense stink of the tallow. They burn quickly, flaring up in leaps and spouts of green and blue and red, with a tilt of the bronzed saucers pouring the melted wax into the ready bowl. "If you can concentrate on a face, the one you want to wear someday, I can shape it from the wax. And fill in whatever details you miss."

[Deathkeeper]

Goblin Market

Jim raises an eyebrow, curious despite himself but still more than a little agitated.
"Right, I saw him. Didn't buy any of them. So I don't really see why I should care." he says simply.

[Recaiden]

One of the sprites gets entangled in the net. The other one darts for the child, while the one who was already in fires off another bolt of acid, just before the bolt catches him in the shoulder.

Meanwhile the salamander backs away from the door and prepares another fire blast.

Well, this isn't looking good. Time to bring out the big guns. The goblin who had thrown the net earlier suddenly appears... riding an enormous beetle. The insect tries to chop the fairy in half with its pincers.

Meanwhile, both the crossbow-goblin and gun-goblin train their weapons on the salamander and fire. The glaive-wielder and knife-fighter pull back, so as not to get roasted. The alchemist tosses a bag of blinding powder at the remaining sprite.

Cagey monster, this salamander. Kestrel fires another ray, between the darting sprite and the child, so as to force the fairy to back off or get burned. The rest of it turns to attend to the same thing - the salamander may be dangerous, but the priority is protecting the child, not efficiently killing the assailants. No more splitting of attention. It scuttles across the room toward Kulpa's side.

[Murkus]

[Goblin Market]

Sticks sighs. They weren't going to be rid of this man, were they. He was enjoying the only-brief time he had been forced to spend with Hex.

"Just what qualities does an item need possess to make it a very bad thing?" asks Sticks, turning his gaze on the suited man.

((@Ad: Oh, sorry, I actually thought they hadn't been given an exact address. I must have missed it. Yea, they'll do that.))