A child he might have been, but his mind was far more... preoccupied with other matters. Grasping the red pocket knife in his hand with the utmost care at all times, he had busied himself all day with slowly and thoroughly adjusting the contours of the wooden structure before him. With his little teal-hued eyes, devoid of any childlike glimmer, the ten-year-old paused for a couple of minutes to take a good look at the work he had undertaken for the last couple of days. What had once been a log from a tall, proud tree had now been tampered with and modified into what looked like a long, festive totem pole. Several figures - spanning creatures that swarm the land, as well as figures of the goddesses that blessed them all from a realm beyond - were carefully carved into the wooden pole depicting years of history. Beside his small and nimble form he could spot several buckets of ink made from herbal pigments, while brushes that still contained paint were left to dry on the stone-paved floor; all a testament from all he had undergone to color the structure.

His left hand reached for his shirt pocket, removing a crude handkerchief from within. He brushed his forehead with it in an almost rehearsed manner, removing small droplets of sweat from his face at the same time a sigh left his lips. Exhausted, he closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Tired." - he uttered out in a monotone chord, opening his eyes to a sun that now approached the horizon line. He stared intently at the star for a moment, as if challenging it to a staring contest; although effectively the real challenge was the deadline he was under. The sun being so low in the sky did not bring good news in that regard. He shook his exhaustion away; he needed to focus back on the structure that had been testing his patience and dedication for quite some time now: the pole needed to be delivered at 6:30 PM at the latest.

Fortunately for him, said task didn't take him long; all that was left was to take care of some stray splinters that he had missed when carving it into the final form the pole had now taken, and most of them he had already dealt with it when colouring. Pleased on a job well done, he hopped down from the wooden stool he had been standing on - for his little legs did not let him reach the workbench's height - and walked towards the door of the building. The master carpenter needed to be informed.

"Finished." - he called out in his emotionless, soprano-like voice as he made his way inside.


OoC: Blergh. Not happy with my post at all, but I need to head to bed. And I wanted to finish this before I went to sleep.

I'll do better in the following ones, I promise. =(

Alpha scoffed at hearing of the woman's foolishness. "Agreed," he muttered in assent to Dogura's final words on the matter, shaking his head at it all. Flowers? To think, if Morgoth had not happened upon it, it would have wasted away for years longer on a simple shelf or table . . . He turned to the necromancer. "I'd like to hold onto this, for now at least, if you don't mind." It was a bit of a struggle to speak the words so 'trustingly'; he still didn't trust the man in the slightest. But it was an excellent find, and he could show a little respect to Morgoth for it. "Perhaps once the journey is done I might discuss buying it off you," he added, chuckling. Thanks to his time as Wraith, well . . . he had quite a fortune stored up, tucked safely away in his special hiding spot. He almost hoped the man would name some steep price here and now so the transaction could be over and done with.

The sounds of a feast did not escape his ears, all the same. Nor did the approach of one of those kids . . . what was up with this boy and trains? Someone ought to just go ahead and agree to play with him, get it over with.

He suddenly glanced at Arrika, a smirk forming on his lips. "Arrika!" he motioned at her, making certain to get the child's attention, so he would know exactly who he was talking to. "Don't you love trains? I heard you just adore playing choo choo."

Finally, payback for her leaving him with these kids earlier was upon them.

* * *

"HOT HOT HOT!!!"

The Deku stumbled backwards several steps, tryin' his best ta recover from the burning Shield Bash. He eventu'ly hadta drop to one knee and prop 'imself up with a sword to regain 'is balance. With a deep breath he shook his head and finally brought things back inta focus. Lookin' up, Yukie caught sight o' Taint --

-- standin' right over him and droppin' like a rock.

With the burning shield coming arrowin' right atop 'im!

'Well, ain't that rude o' him!'

The blow slammed smack dab right inta the center o' the Deku's head, the force o' the attack buryin' him into the ring's floor. Even before he hit, the infernal feeling blasted straight thru 'im, settin' off every one o' his natural instincts of 'flee', or 'stop, drop, 'n roll', or 'cause a massive earthquake that destroys everythin' within a mile so that ye can kick up enough dust ta put out the flame'. Took quite a bit o' self-control ta stop 'imself; prob'ly wouldn't of succeed if he hadn't o' known that he weren't actually on fire.

That said, he weren't outta the fight jist yet.

In fact, he took this here moment to push 'is sword point another millimeter further inta the Zora's neck. He'd arrowed it skyward the moment he saw Cap'n standin' over 'im; t'was either good luck er good trainin' that had caused it to get right at such a vital part o' the body. Regardless, it was a good thing the blade were so short . . . but even so, had Taint gone any further down when he'd dropped, he woulda punctured his throat. Certainly wouldn't o' been a pretty sight, ta say the least.

Yukie glanced up and coughed out in pained chuckles, "I kin withstand a minor irritation like heat. Can you say the same about a sword thru yer throat?"

. . .
. . .
. . . Then he laughed. "Whaddya say, Cap'n? Wanna call it a draw?"

OOC: Indeed it has been fun. I'd love to continue, but I'll open up the option of stopping in case Sakiko wants to try her hand against one of us.

OoC: Saki, I stared at you during Government today, but you didn't seem to notice

IC:

The thief looked at the new pair of boots in her hands, then down to the shabby ones on her feet. Well, too late now. At this point, if Sakiko wanted them, she'd have to pry them off. She slipped them on; they fit surprisngly well.

Seeing that the boys were fully engrossed with the old vase, she took the liberty of wandering around the rest of tent, hoping to spot something worthy of stealing. [Awareness Check]

"Don't you love trains? I heard you just adore playing choo choo."

A child would certainly get in the way of any crimes she was ready to commit. She frowned at Alpha, but she supposed they were even now.

She slipped into a shadowy form and melded away to discourage the strangely unsupervised brat from following her.

------------------------------Taint, Yukie, and Sakiko------------------------------
Taint could feel the knife cut into his neck. He stopped cold and lifted up a bit.

"I kin withstand a minor irritation like heat. Can you say the same about a sword thru yer throat?"

"Can't... say much of anything... with a... sword in my throat..." He wheezed.

"Whaddya say, Cap'n? Wanna call it a draw?"

He needn't say anything more than that. The injured nomad stood up slowly holding his neck. Blood trickled down from under his hand, and he coughed a bit of it up. He took a knee and dropped his sword on the ground. A couple of clerics surrounded him, removing his hand from his throat to better inspect the wound. Two more clerics appeared before Yukie, kneeling down next to him. A healing glow could be seen from inside the tent, and before the Zora knew it, he was just fine. He stood up and felt around for the wound as the clerics left. "It's like I was never injured!" He exclaimed happily. "The pain is completely gone!" It looked like they had fixed Yukie up as well. "In fact, I feel better than before! I could fight all night! Let's go again!" He cried out happily. "You're one hell of a fighter! Good for sparring!"

"Nope." A man in a suit approached the two. "The feast is fixing to start soon. We're gonna be closin' her down. I'm afraid that'll be the last fight o' the night." Before the Zora could groan about them closing the tent, he was already beaming at the word "Feast". He smiled widely as he climbed out of the ring, only to come face to face with Sakiko. "Oh! Hey there Sakiko! Didja hear?" He asked happily. "They're gonna have a feast!" He looked at her and then to Yukie. "You guys ready to eat? The food's all free too!" Looking around, Taint now realized that the tent was nearly empty. They must already be forming a line! "C'mon, let's go!" He took off out of the tent with new energy in his body. Whatever the clerics did, he felt on top of the world! How could all of this be free?

The clerics stood there watching, arms at their sides, as Taint ran off.
"He didn't even a tip..."
"A thank you would have sufficed."

------------------------------Dogura, Morgoth, & Alpha------------------------------
Morgoth nodded. "Yes, yes, that sounds fine. You can keep it for now, I have no use for it. Like I said, I bought it for the crew as a whole. I'm just exhilarated that I was able to see and hold the fabled Gust Jar. It really is a beautiful peace of history." Morgoth was silent for a moment. "You can keep it... But only if you promise to take really good care of it; no breaking it, that is. It's a sacred piece of our past, and I won't have someone careless putting it in constant danger. No need to pay me. Think of it as an apology for attacking you people. You're all really quite nice when you're not hating me." He chuckled. Once again Dogura was surprised by the mysterious old man. He truly did seem repentant. He was seeming more and more trust-worthy the longer he had to watch him. Dogura still didn't trust him, but he was beginning to have a little faith in the man.

Taint walked up to the men happy as a clam. "Hey fellas, having a good time? This place is great!" He commented. He looked at the vase in Alpha's hands. "Huh... Didn't know you were in to pottery, Alpha. Anyways, I'm sure you've heard of the feast by now. The food is free, so eat up. It'll save us the supplies we brought with the ship. We-" He stopped and peered over Dogura's shoulder. "Hey... Isn't that Orpheous' ship, the Antros?" Dogura and Morgoth followed his gaze and spotted the ship. "Maybe some of the soldiers changed their minds and wanted to join us after all." Dogura said not really thrilled about the idea. He liked having a crew he could trust- Morgoth was the only one he would be baby-sitting. Taint turned back to the group, deciding to leave it alone. He'd be on the lookout for any recruits though. "In any case, after the feast, most of the place is gonna shut down. I don't know about you guys, but I'll be headed to my room for the night. Your rooms are already paid for, and we're all staying on the third floor in that building over there." He pointed to a tall building two doors down from the museum. "I could use a little rest before I hit the hay."

"I'll be staying on the ship with Morgoth. He still has to sleep in the prisoner's cabin, and I still have to guard the boat." Taint nodded. "Actually, that's a pretty good idea. Thanks Dogura. Alpha, when you're ready to head for your room, just tell the lady at the front desk that you're with "The Zora's Crew" and she'll give you a room key. If you see anyone who doesn't already know, feel free to inform them. I'll be doing the same." Morgoth circled around Taint, and this put Dogura on edge. "What are you doing?" The vagabond commanded as Taint turned around to face him. "Let me see your shield." Morgoth requested. Taint didn't see any harm in it, and handed him the shield. "It's got a weak magic aura on it... Is it enchanted?" The Zora's face twisted in confusion. "No, I bought it at a regular old store last year." Morgoth flipped it around and around. "Did you know that it's pretty hot?" Taint smiled. "Well thanks, I do my best to-" "NO, NO, NO, You amphibious fool, the temperature!" Suddenly it hit him. "OH!! Yukie and I sparred together, and he hit me with a magical fire blast!" Suddenly, it all made sense to Morgoth too.

"Oh. Here." He handed it back to Taint. The man had quite a skillful sense of magical items. Surely a useful ability. He was constantly impressing Dogura with his magical prowess. He was truly gifted. "Anyways, I'm gonna go get in line for food. See ya around." He placed his shield back on his back and walked off into the crowd.

------------------------------Arrika------------------------------
She entered the tent, and looked around for something to steal. Nobody had noticed her in her stealth. Her awareness check failed, and she noticed nothing of interest to steal from the place. There was plenty to take, it was just a bunch of junk.
OOC: Even if your check had passed, there's really nothing in here.

Dogura poked his head in the tent and spotted her, but not easily.

Arrika, it's Dogura. When you're ready to check into your room, head to the hotel two doors down from the old museum. Tell the woman at the counter that you're with "The Zora's Crew" and she'll give you your key and room number. Pass it on to the others if you see them.
He walked back outside and looked for the line for food. It was still small. "I'm gonna get in line. That means you too." He looked at Morgoth. "You don't have to tell me twice!" He smiled and followed Dogura away. They were about to start serving.

It is 5:30PM on Everbreeze Isle.

Leth awoke with a start on the floor of The Antros. It was unusually quiet; had everyone already gotten off the boat? Leth cursed quietly and gathered himself up.
I knew I shouldn’t have taken that nap. I told myself it wasn’t going to be that much longer but no, I just had to get a few minutes of shut eye. Goddesses know how long I’ve been asleep.
He stumbled across the deck and onto the shore, looking around a little dazed. He was still tired. Leth reached up and rubbed his eyes, trying to rid himself of his lethargy. It was getting on in the afternoon now. After having slept that long, Leth wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get to sleep tonight. He raised his head and began searching for clues to the other’s whereabouts. This didn’t seem like Gossip isle… they must be stopping someplace else for a break from the ocean. He sniffed, and distinctly smelled the scent of fresh food on the air. He grinned.
If there’s anything I’ve learned about my fellow adventurers over the years, he mused, It’s that they’d never pass up an opportunity to get at some quality eats.
So thinking, Leth headed off towards the smell, hoping to run into someone that he would recognize.

The thief sighed; there was absolutely nothing of worth in the tent except for the jar, which was now in Alpha's hands...

The Gust Jar, to be specific...

She rematerialized halfway from her Shadowmeld and eyed the relic with newfound interest. It was strange, though- she hadn't had the impulse to steal just for the sake of it for quite a while. Some thieves entered the profession for magpie-esque tendencies, but she had had become a criminal from necessity. She stole only what she needed... but now...

"What am I supposed to do now, Seth?"

"Find a purpose of your own."

She wasn't interested in charities, and had even less inclination to become a hero... She was raised as a thief for a reason, and as Thea had once told her, you don't get by in the business for so long on just luck.

Everyone's good at something, she thought with a wry smile. And if her talent was to be a thief- then so be it. She was tired of wandering Hyrule, tired of jumping on the first impulse that took her fancy. Like this expedition...

The Sheikah nodded at Dogura, then slipped to Alpha's side again. She snuck one last glance at the Gust Jar, the rest of the tent forgotten. What had she expected to find in there anyway? The Master Sword? (ahaha.)

She grinned at Alpha impishly, but wondered absentmindedly if she hadn't just screamed her thoughts to any nearby telepaths. "Good catch, that one. Want to get some food?"

Her gaze was constantly drawn back to the relic in his hands. How amateur, how painfully obvious... She cringed inwardly and got in line for the feast. Maybe food would prove to be a decent enough distraction.

Interestingly enough, Thealter seemed amused. He'd slaughtered four defenseless (against him anyways) civilians. Only to receive no merit. The golden goddesses taunted him again. But not for long, for he noticed Arrika parted from that Shadow, if only for a moment, a fleeting moment. No... the goddesses did hate, nay, despise him. And no money anywhere to be found, at all. Those damn kids. If is man is given heaven only to give way to suffering, than was he better of without in the first place? Thealter couldn't bear to know such an answer, he had found redemption and by the gods he would have it, no matter how much time willingness required. Sacrifices be made indeed. In the time passing, he slouched against pillar, stomach churning at any thoughts, food being the second highest to cause which, the first being that Shadow, Alpha.

In the while, Orpheous emerged triumphant from the museum. Everything he had hoped to find, he had found. He too got in line, and did notice the relic in the hands of Alpha. The Gust Jar. Yet, unlike many present, he realized that the item wasn't something to be stolen for personal gain. The sake of the mission would require it for them to reach Gossip Isle, as it can alter the winds themselves. Arrika's intent on thievery, no matter how slight, even if it did escape Alpha, wasn't beyond notice of that of a former scoundrel. Orpheous gave her a look of derision, but a loving one, of an uncle to a niece about to make a foolish decision. He found her mind frequency, and submitted a thought solely unto it.

"That would be unwise."

And yet, of all things, the words echoed in Thea's ears as well as their intended target, though he not knowing why. The voice seemed familiar to him, much like his friend of old who once attempted to convince him to give up his thieving ways. But she was dead, and that time had come to pass. Yet, strangely so, he recalled the amount of times she had said that unto him. He touched his mask lightly, after raising a slow and trembling hand. A solitary tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it aside, and took up the burden of waiting in line, though keeping his space from that accursed Shadow, and, by relation, the lithe thief. If he had only known she had regaled his words not a few minutes ago.

EDITED: I clarified that Orpheous didn't get the telepathy frequency off. Both Arrika and Thealter received his advice, though obviously Orpheous doesn't know he told Thealter as well, and Thealter didn't realize it was telepathy. Just a sign from the heavens. My point is, the telepathy also reached its intended target.

OOC: Geez, so many thieves looking to steal the Gust Jar. I should've posted this earlier, it seems. XD;

IC:
It was a strangely forthcoming sign of camaraderie and trust, considering that just last night Alpha had been in direct conflict with Morgoth's beasts. Obviously he wasn't willing to place his trust in the necromancer just yet, but all the same . . . he wasn't going to deny the gift. He gave the giver a courteous nod of gratitude. "I appreciate it. And don't worry, I'll take good care of it -- I know a perfect place for it." With a heavy sigh, he lifted up the flap of his cape --

"Good catch, that one," Arrika suddenly said, returning from . . . somewhere. Wait, when had she left? Hm . . . must've been when he was first getting distracted by the jar . . . "Want to get some food?"

He shrugged. "We might as well," he decided, letting the cape fall for the moment. Following after the others, he got in line for the feast as well, momentarily forgetting his plans for the Gust Jar.

* * *

"'M fine, 'm fine," Yukie said, waving the clerics away from 'im 'n back towards the Cap'n. All Yukie had were some superheated areas o' skin from the contact with that shield; Taint'd been the one to git hurt, much as the Deku'd been tryin' ta avoid harmin' 'im.

But despite his words, the clerics still managed ta cast their spells on 'im; within a couple o' secunds he was feelin' right as rain once again, like he'd never e'en been hurt. He sighed 'n shook his head, but then lifted his eyes 'n put on a smile. "Eh, fine, 'ave it yer way." He laughed. "Much appreciated." Then he hopped off of the stage and walked afta Taint, motionin' at Sakiko ta follow. "Might as well follow 'im; e's the Cap'n!"

He walked out, but Taint was long gone by now. The Deku stretched out with his mental senses, searchin' fer Cap'n's aura, or at least some member o' the crew's. Almost at once he found a nice little group of 'em, movin' towards the source of the smell that were startin' ta waft over crowd. Not wantin' ta be left outta the meal, he charged forward --

'N nearly ran straight smack dab inta Alpha.

Er, wait, no. No nearly. He did run smack dab inta Alpha.

* * *

A sudden force from behind threw the Sheikah forward, and its unexpected nature meant that Alpha was in no way prepared for it. So it should've come as no surprise to anyone who'd seen the whole picture . . . when the Gust Jar escaped his grasp.

The instant his fingers no longer felt the touch of the mystic pot, Alpha's eyes shot down, locking on the flying pottery. It was heading straight for the ground, and despite his promises to Morgoth he was not nearly fast enough to catch it. There was no help for it; the thing would fall and break the moment it hit the dark patch of earth --

Oh, wait, dark. That meant . . . okay. His shocked expression subsided almost instantly; he could have laughed even. Sure was good it was so late in the day -- the shadows were long and omnipresent, which meant . . .

He'd been planning to do this from the start, though not in such an obvious manner. It would've been nice just to do this with the concealed shadows beneath his cape, but there was no helping it. With a bright flash his scar suddenly burst out with violet light, shimmering through the darkness as its power surged out from his body. He located the shadow he was aiming for intuitively, fixed on it --

The ground beneath the Jar, directly where it would have fallen and shattered, the shadows suddenly seemed to drop away, deepening as though a hole was burying into the ground. It was no mere hole, though; it was a gateway into the Void, as could have been indicated by the black smoke that drifted up from the portal. The Jar fell into it and slowed to a stop as if caught in some strange gravitational flux. And then the portal closed once more, the light vanishing from his scar.

Alpha stood up and shrugged. "Don't worry, it will be perfectly safe there." He turned around to find Yukie still on the ground after colliding with him. The crimson blaze of his eyes left the Deku looking quite uncomfortable. Maybe fearful, even . . .

"Um, er . . . hi Alpha! Enjoyin' the festival?"

The only answer was the Sheikah turning away with a sigh.

OOC: You guys actually thought Alpha would keep such a precious item in this dimension?

OC: ...ALPHA

IC:

Arrika's heart skipped a beat as she saw the Gust Jar soar through the air. She made a move to lunge- she could make it, she believed. She had to. Nevermind that it was a valued treasure used by the old Hero- once something caught her eye, she was determined to make it her own, and it would certainly put a damper on if the damn thing she was trying to steal broke before she could even-

"-thank the Goddesses," she gasped as Alpha "caught" it with his shadows. "Caught" being a very loosely used term- he more or less made it disappear. Forever.

"Why, if it isn't the little Deku," she said through gritted teeth, having a very difficult time keeping her aversion for the leafy, wooden race under control. This moment, however, went beyond her general distaste for his kind. No, this just got personal.

"...where did it go?" she asked Alpha, her disbelief and disappointment barely concealed.

OC: SAKI GUESS WHERE MY DEKU REFERENCES ARE FROM

ALSO

...I'm sorry you had to see me like that today. I was... angry. I can explain later, but I'm sorry that I scared you off like that. People were just being F***ING STUPID. And I would call you tonight to explain but I have a band thing and I won't be home 'til late, so I hope you see this today.

That trash can was innocent in all of this and it didn't deserve to be kicked down like that either. I offer my humble apologies to the entire garbage disposal community.

He could have laughed at Arrika's reaction . . . but honestly, it really wasn't a joking matter. The Gust Jar very well could have been broken there -- probably not; really, he could have just used magic to cushion the fall, but there was always a chance that that wouldn't have been enough. He'd used the Void because he had been planning to store the Jar inside that other realm anyway, as he did with so many of the valuables he owned. But anyone who was unfamiliar with that little power of his would have truly thought the ancient relic to be done for, so he kept his chuckling to his mental realm.

"...where did it go?" Arrika asked. He considered for a moment, then shrugged and lifted open his cape.

A peaceful violet aura emanated out from his scar once more, and this time the shadows covering his cape were the ones to give way. Dark gas crept out from the hole in reality as the portal into the Void was reestablished, a practice he had perfected over the years since he had obtained his cursed scar. "Another dimension," he muttered, reaching inside his cape and grabbing hold of the Jar that sat there, floating in space. He pulled it out for her to see, inspecting it himself for a moment just to make sure it hadn't been damaged, then placed it back inside and shut the gate once more. "It's a realm that I have . . . special access to, 'thanks' to my scar." The way he said that last part ensured he was anything but thankful for it.

"I'm the only one who has access to it, though, so it should be perfectly safe inside there. I can grab it whenever we need it, but for now I figure it's probably best off staying there."

Ah-ha!There were some faces he recognized. Alpha and.... Erika? Arrika! He'd worked with her on a few occasions, but he'd never actually talked to her. Well, as long as he was here...

He approached the line, which, he presumed, led to the source of the delicious scents that were now quite strong.
"Hoy! Alpha! Arrika!" He called out as he came nearer.
"Sorry I'm late; I blame my lack of sleep the past few nights." He looked up the line. "So what's going on here? And where is everyone else?"

The Great Feast had everything everyone wanted. If nothing else was worth the stop, it was worth it for everyone to eat their favorite meals for free. It was late, and about time for everyone to be turning in for the night. This was exactly what Taint needed- and honestly Dogura felt similarly. The two met up once again before settling into their rooms for the night.

"This was nice, Taint. Good idea to stop I suppose, seeing as how a storm is brewing." Sounds of thunder rolled across the clouds, accompanied by flashes of lightning that illuminated the night sky as well as the island below. Taint nodded. "It's good that we avoided a storm at night. Most of the crew has probably never been on a boat, much less been through an ocean storm." Dogura concurred, as he also had rarely traveled by sea. "I'll see you tomorrow, samurai. If the storm evolves into anything more than a storm, say a hurricane or a typhoon, you're under strict orders to find shelter on land. Your safety is my first priority." Dogura nodded. "Thank you. I'll see you at sun-rise." The two parted ways for the night. Morgoth could be heard babbling off in the distance: "Oh! Goodnight Morgoth! Why thank you captain, and a good night to you!"

Taint stopped short of the Inn. There was a small boy standing in front of him. "Umm... Can I help you with somethin'?" He asked, concerned for the child.

* * *

Dogura led Morgoth to the prisoner's holding cell and locked it up tight. "Hey, Dogura..." Morgoth asked the samurai's attention. "Yes, what is it?" There was a pause. "If the storm evolved, you wouldn't leave me out here would you? I mean I know you all think I'm Ganon's shadow and everything, but..." Dogura laughed a hearty laugh. "Yeah, I might think about letting you out. Depends on my mood I suppose." Morgoth shot an angered glare at him. "Well that's reassuring. Thanks." Dogura chuckled for a little longer, as he took a seat at the table near the cell. He removed a long cigarette from a pouch inside of his armor, and lit up. "Would you like one?" He asked Morgoth before taking a drag on it. "... Yes, I would." Dogura opened his eye and stared at the man for several seconds. "Really? I mean..." He was clearly shocked. He'd always offered, but nobody had ever taken him up on it. Morgoth laid down on the bed. "You were expecting me to say no?" Dogura couldn't deny that he was.

He removed another cigarette, lit it, and handed it to Morgoth. The necromancer accepted it and put it in his mouth. "I used to smoke a lot. Never seen a cigarette like this before." Dogura smiled proudly. "I make them myself. They're a Shadowclaw secret recipe." Morgoth sat up and looked at Dogura with a wild look in his eye. "You knew the Shadowclaw?!" Dogura was suddenly interested himself. "I may have... Who wants to know?" He asked before blowing smoke out his nose. Morgoth looked really riled up by this. "Well, I do! I'd heard about the great kingdom of Shadowclaw when I was a lad. Their king had died, and the king appointed his son Rendd, who was so inexperienced at the time that it cause an uproar. I became interested in them after I learned more about their customs- they allowed dark magic, and moderated necromancy." Dogura nodded, for the first time genuinely interested in the conversation they were having. "That they did. Very moderated, and only for a specific group of people. You see when Shadowclaw was established, there were a group of people already living there. A terrifying war broke out between the Shadowclaw and the necromancers native to the area. Shadowclaw won the war, but decided to give them a plot of land to live on. It was in their culture and religion to practice necromancy, and so when they took their land, they allowed them to continue these practices."

Morgoth nodded. "I didn't know that's how it was... But I do remember the King threatening to destroy Shadowclaw when word reached him about people legally practicing necromancy." Dogura blew a ring of smoke into the air before replying. "He actually did send a group of soldiers down south to destroy them. But Shadowclaw was far stronger than he imagined." Morgoth knew this story too. "Yeah, the casualties were something like 12 Shadowclaws to 133 Soldiers before they retreated." Dogura cocked his head to the side. "You're well informed... Why did you take such an interest in Shadowclaw?" Morgoth had been expecting this question. "I'm a descendant of the 'Decae'." Dogura's ears perked at this. He knew the name of the necromancers? He'd a descendant? How much more does he know... It seems he wasn't bluffing when he said he knew more than he wanted me to know... "The Decae..." Dogura began. "I didn't know that you were linked to them." Morgoth nodded. "I'd always wanted to visit my place of heritage. But the kingdom somehow fell. I still don't know how... Maybe it was Ganon."

Dogura shook his head. "A horrible plague swept through the land, and killed over half of the kingdom. All of this while they were on the brink of war." "The Great War, if I'm not mistaken," Morgoth added. "More casualties than any war pre-dating it." Dogura was silent for several seconds. "After the war, the nation had lost its king... And the prince had gone north. With no heir to the throne, and their numbers dwindling, they became a target by other small nations that rivaled it. They saw it as an opportunity to strike down the once mighty nation once and for all... The rest I don't know. But when I returned, everyone was gone..." He said, lost in thought. The next work Morgoth said made Dogura realize that he'd made a grave mistake.

"Returned?"

Dogura's eyes shot towards the mage. "I often visited. Had a couple of friends who lived there." He held his breath for several seconds.

"I wish I could have visited just once..." Morgoth said finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence. Dogura exhaled heavily, shooting smoke across the room. He didn't want to let Morgoth know any more than that. As a member of the Decae, the people Shadowclaw kicked off their land, there might be bad blood between the two. But being linked to the Decae... No wonder he was so skilled. Dogura now had new thought processes. The Decae... Specialized in a few different summons. If Morgoth knew any of the secret summons, he was far more dangerous than the samurai had previously thought. Suddenly he felt less safe than before. If he knows any of the summons of old... I might be no match for him all... He thought watching the man carefully. With the right ones... He could bust right out of that cage... and silently too. "You would have enjoyed yourself." He finished with a smile. "I admired them."

* * *

Taint stared at the little boy. "Well?"

It is 10:00pm on Everbreeze Island

OOC: Everyone should get to their beds for the night. After you all go to bed, we'll move on.

I was waiting for Saber and Sakiko to post, but it looks like it aint gonna happen, so we're moving on. Sorry for the wait!

"I'm the only one who has access to it, though, so it should be perfectly safe inside there. I can grab it whenever we need it, but for now I figure it's probably best off staying there."

There were a few choice phrases that sunk the Shiekah girl's spirits even lower, the worst of them all being "perfectly safe".

"Hey," she replied shortly to the newcomer. "...Leth," she added, having forgotten his name for a moment. "Free food. Everyone's off...somewhere," she all but growled in response to his question, for the developing kleptomaniac was in a rather cranky mood.

She picked sullenly at her food, her appetite severely diminished, which was a first for her. She tried to look at the bright side of things- she was away from Rhyss, she had spent the whole day with Alpha, she had a brand new pair of boots, and there was an island of treasure waiting for her.

"Hey, bodyguard, I think I'm going to find that hotel now," she said to Alpha in the brightest voice she could muster. "Oh, and..." She gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Thanks for the boots. See you in the morning!" The thief ran off, just in case he changed his mind.

It was an awful waste of food left on her plate, in her opinion, but she didn't have the heart to eat anymore. She handed her leftovers to one of the unsupervised children she passed- if they were running around all night and day without any adults after them, their nutrition was probably neglected as well.

"Zora's Crew," she said to the woman at the counter.

***

Arrika stared up at the ceiling restlessly. She knew she should sleep. She still had about half the journey left, and if they had already been attacked by the undead, it didn't seem wholly improbable that they'd have to defeat Ganon next. Nevertheless, her gaze flickered to the window, and the dark that beckoned beyond it.

Cecile, captain of the Antros wasn't at the feast. Instead, around the time the adventures were stuffing their faces, he was snapping the neck of a businessman in Everbreeze, one who had been in some very odd arms transactions. Could it be that the war machines were getter ever nearer to completion.

---

Orpheous sat down, ate his food quickly and neatly, though he did have himself a cornucopia of juicy meats, succulent fruits, and delectable pastries. After that, he wandered over to the hotel, checking in by stating his acquaintance with Taint's, the Zora's, Crew. He climbed up into his bed, read a small portion of a book he was working on, said a small prayer, then drifted into sleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

---

Thealter wished tomorrow would never come. If only spend more time amongst this town, well, spent it differently. Perhaps with somebody. He went down to the coast, and too in all the breeze he could, truly, he did love this wind. It brought a sense of renewal. Scientists once proposed that people slowly developed from things that crawled up out of the ocean. Maybe if that was a form of creation, then this breeze carried on it the breath of life, or at least some sense of healing and catharsis.

Now he wanted to stay here forever, on this cliff side, looking out too the dark see with the starlight sky. He wished that Arrika might be here with him, to join him in this moment of true awe. The waves were small, only lapping at the coast, creating a soft lulling sound, and the wind didn't care the smell of rotten sea trash of weed or fish. No, the wind only carried the freshness of the sea, purging out the smell of the island's waste from the festival, but saving the sweet smells, like that from the feast or of the delicious buns.

Finally, he traveled back to the hotel, it was probably truly late right now. He removed his mask and entered. Apparently the clerk was still up, but it appeared many of the keys to the other rooms were done. Thealter stated he was with the crew led by the Zora, and he was his key granted. He also asked a question, "If you might tell me what room you gave to that Sheikahn girl who was with us? I picked a flower that caught my eye on the cliff side," he stated, holding up a rather elegant yet simple closed-petal flower. "I've heard they possess many supernatural properties, as well as medicinal affects," he continued. "It is even said to bring luck to the holder, and I wish to leave outside her door." He pointed him in the right direction, and he nodded in appreciation. He went to her door, and left the flower right in front of her door, lightly placing it down, wanting to make sure it was pristine. He sighed, hoping nobody else would take it. Then he went to his room, and quickly fell asleep.

OOC: Sorry to godmod your clerk ZV, but I know that you'll make the next post morning, and by then it'll be too late. Hope you understand.

OOC: Sorry, ZV, I figured by that point I would just bog things down by starting another thread.

IC: Saber had grown tired fairly early; perhaps it was because he had pulled an all nighter, perhaps it was because there may have been something extremely unhealthy in the food he had randomly consumed shortly after arriving at Everbreeze. Either way, the poor guy was tuckered out.

He had wandered through the stalls for an hour or two, but nothing really seemed to catch his eye. He had a hard time enjoying things by himself, mostly because he was afraid to admit his lack of knowledge of things like carnival games and attractions. Before the sun was even close to setting, he had made his way back to the boat, and into bed.