03 Devil's Thrist (Southan Alternative View)

The dinning hall of the Mitaji House of the Order of Ozain was the second largest of all the Order Houses, second only to the Lithia Order House. It also was not even half full. There was room enough to feed about eight hundred people. The scant hundred that filled the center few tables made the room appear almost barren, despite the colorful tapestries covering the stone walls. A huge fireplace stood opposite the door. A couple of large pots hung from what would be the spit.

Almost everyone was wearing their robes of office, making the strangers look out of place. At least Kuro, Furor, and Iryna kept them company. Ella and Abby were quick to spot the real difference of this House from its sister Houses.



"He's the only one," Ella said as she entered behind her sister, carefully moving around the dwarf that stood very still just inside the doorway. She could feel shock rolling off him. Her cornflower eyes were on Furor, however.

Abby looked around the mostly empty room shock showing in her face as she slipped to the other side of Korin. “Barren though the quarters are, we need to eat Korin brother to my sister, battles will come and they would be ill met with a barren stomach.” Abby whispers as she moves toward the others.

Watching as the group entered the room where the food was being served and with him already pulling a plate of food around on the ground that people gave him, he makes his way over to abby's side.

'This is some interesting food they serve here...'

"So where shall we sit at?"

Abby picks up Seren and hands the bowl to Ella and as she walks says “with the others of course” as she heads for Kuro, Furor, and Iryna.

Nodding to the others she sits down at the end of the table and sets Seren down then taking the bowl from her sister sits it next to him. “Shall we?” She asks smiling at the rest of the group looking at the soup.

As he'd entered the room he'd frozen at the sight in front of him. Where there should have been some form of game roasting on a spit over the fire pit in the center of the dining hall, the spit stood empty save for a pair of large pots hanging over the flames. He'd recovered from his shock enough to walk forth and examine what was being served.

A fair face woman was serving a thin stew of vegetables and something that was definitely not game. It was too pale a pink to be any kind of game. Perhaps a fish? The entire dish was a pale cream color. An old man stood on the other side of the hearth at a table covered in various breads, most of which were dark brown. Half that table was dedicated to a variety of cheeses.

He took the bowl of stew that was handed to him and sniffed it cautiously. It was definitely a fish stew. He absentmindedly took a small loaf of bread and a tiny round of orange and white cheese from the man before heading to the table where the group was gathering. 'Where's the meat?'

Furor went over, and got his own stew a few slices of bread, and a rather large hunk of cheese. Moving over near the others he sat opposite of Abby, and looked at her. "They never put meat in this..." he said softly, "and I think Kitty hunted down all the mice for now... so no mouse for it.." he told the group. "But it's better then grasshoppers and crickets...." this was said as he took a sip of the stuff in his bowl and made a face, "But I still don't care for it much.."

Looking at the people about him he began to ponder for a moment, "I'm going with you..." he said suddenly. "When you leave, I think I will find more fun, and bones with you goes then here.... and better food..."

"We could always dissect d'Ware some more," Iryna commented brightly. She pulled out a dagger from somewhere that no one caught and stabbed a chunk of potato with it. Taking careful aim, she sent it flying across a couple of tables to hit a certain dark-haired man in the back of the head. The man let loose a cry of protest and turned to glare at the gypsy. She sent his a sweet smile in return.



"So you enjoyed latrine duty, Miss Kemoni? And your extra duties with Master Su Ling?" The old man's voice was as serene as if he were lecturing about God's Everlasting Love, instead of issuing a threat to a young charge.

"The extra duties were interesting--never worked a forge before," Iryna replied, carefully covering for Furor's idea of leaving. ...and apparently not carefully enough.

"As for you, child," Father Donatello continued, "don't you think it would be wiser to stay where you are safe? You may not like the food, but it is available to you in a steady manner. Perhaps you speak too rashly--with the brashness of youth."

Furor shook his head, "You can try to hold off the whispers but the bones never lie... you know just like all the other places I have been the people here don't want me to stay longer then I need too..." as Furor spoke there was a new sorrowed tone in his voice the cheerful chipper words seeming to carry a weight that no other being should have to carry.

"You took a risk bringing the bone demon within your doors I have heard them say... Why take in this creature of death.... and the thing that he carries...." the boy shook his head once more, "I will leave with them... or I will leave alone." he told Father Donatello, "Besides there are not enough bones around here....." this last part was said with his normal level of over joyfulness for most things.

kuro turned to look at father Donatello "what the boy says is true i have heard it many times, by many people...." then he looked at Furor "on the other hand it is quick to chose to leave safety when there is no path..." kuro smiled as he sat next to the boy once again no food infront of him and said to father Donatello "but if the boy leaves i will do what i can to protect him where he goes..."

Chuckling looking at the weird young man “I know not when we will return to the road nor where it will go, but safety in numbers always.” Abby said smiling “though in all likely hood we will be in the area for awhile, though if attacks like the one we walked in on continue it might be wise to investigate more” Abby said between bites of cheese and bread.

"No' t' change th' subject or anythin' from all this ''appy group' chatter," he said picking at the cheese he'd gotten "But 'as th' game in th' area been run off by the goblin raids as well?"

"Not here long enough to scare anything larger than d'Ware's guts," grumbled Iryna. She stabbed a questionable rose-colored chunk from her stew. She made a face before eating it. After swallowing, she continued, "No, the Order prohibits eating the flesh of land animals. Just like they don't drink anything with more body than rice wine."



"Maintaining purity of body for the better service of Ozayin is a noble goal that should be the goal of any of His servants," Father Donatello said as if he was repeating a well-used idiom. His face was carefully blank.

The dwarf's face visibly twitched and he looked around the room at the assembled order members. the only ones that looked like the could carry their weight in a fight, looked like they spent their days manning a forge. 'No wonder those goblins give these people such a problem.'

"How 'ave ye been fending off those 'ittle cretins wif out bein' properly fed?" he asked incredulously eying his 'soup' suspiciously.

kuro sighs "well truth is that is does fine to feed and nurish the body...." kuro snickers alittle "even if it lacks body it's self" kuro gets up and goes to a window to look out it.

Furor watched the others, and noted as Kuro went to stare out the window. "You know I can help you too right... bones are not just collected cause I love them.... though.. its a major part... I can make you things to help you too..." the boy told the others as he nibbled on his cheese,

"I am the bone demon collector of your dead.. Ill raise them up to walk again, and then they shall live again.." he sang a line of one of the songs he had heard from his travels, and then giggled. "When we are done eating can we play before bedtime or are we leaving after we eat?" he asked the group, "No one ever wants to play with me."

Abby’s smile strains slightly as she says “No need to travel yet food still to eat sleep that must be meet and help still to get” She then offers the boy a shaky smile, “I understand why you wish to leave for even here I feel the glare of stares at the three of you. But to leave without direction no. And here lies help for my sister and if our foe, who sent the goblins sends them again we will still do well. For the light shines here so it is here that we shall be a fulcrum to the dark.” Abby smiles as the lilt leaves her as she takes another drink of the water and a sip of soup.

As he was nuzzling in the soup tryin to find something actually edible, meat or anything else... he lifts up his face still having some of it dripping off his lower jaws fur, he looks in the direction of Furor as he began to recite the part of song.

'Well guess that would explain his predicament on why everyone stays away from him.'

As Abby talked about help and not running out right after they finish eating the soup, "Well i would have to agree with Abby here, we shouldn't run out with no set direction."

As he finished up talking he began trying to find an edible piece back in the soup, not finding anything he ate the pieces of cheese and bread that was also given to him.

"So long as I ne'er see a dwarf among yer collection, boy, I've got no immediate problem wit' ye." the dwarf said as he added a large dose of salt to the bowl, and proceeded to tear the cheese and bread into small chunks and add them to the soup as well. "I do however, recommend ye hold off on scarin' wee lasses aroun' me fer th' time bein'."

"Your as bad as most of them..." Furor said to the dwarf, "I don't mean to scare people.... but when I get there they already hate me... besides I have never killed anyone for my bones.... well never anyone out of just wanting their bones... no matter how nice the bones may be." he said with a glare, "I only take the bones of what are buried or are laying about, unless its someone whom has tried to kill me, and died in the process.." he told him.

Turning to look towards abby and her sister, "So... want to play later... after food before sleep... we could go hunting for bones, or maybe dig some up...., or we could play with kitty too..."

"The girl understands, but lacks comprehension," the kitsunemimi started. Her fingers found and began to play with the amulet around her neck. The torchlight glinted off the copper disk. "Night is not good for travel...especially this close to the time when the moon hides Her Face....Darkness creeps along, beckoning strangers..."



"Moony's got a point, kiddo," the eldest Kemoni child stated as she took another bite of the stew. "With the attacks, it might be best to wait until daybreak before setting out on a journey. Besides, as much as I'd like to slit some more goblins, we still don't know where they come from. But I am up for a rousing round of doctor if Sebastian is..."

She tapped her spoon against her chin before getting up and walking over to Kuro's window perch. Iryna poked him in the back with the spoon like it was one of her daggers. When he didn't immediately react, she did it again.

"You skipped lunch and now you're trying to skip dinner as well? Ain't happenin', birdbrain--not on my watch. Get your feathery self a bowl and a hunk of cheese and eat. You can't lecture me about what is a good subsitute for food if you don't eat yourself."

Father Donatello folded his hands in front of his mouth to hide his smile and didn't comment. He even let the threat against his star pupil go unchallenged.

kuro let himself be poked as talked down at. kuro was to cought up in his mind to care.
so now you want to remember her ... why?
in his mind kuro said " i just want to remember her and the way she did things"
you know we had some fun times together her and me even i must addmint i was happy i didn't control her
kuro just stood there staring out the window remembering that women and the things she did

Now that the soup was more the consistency of a chowder, he began to tuck in. "All I'm sayin' is don' go ou' o' yer way te' be creepy, kid, yer alrea'y doin' tha' jus' fine wif out tryin" he said around mouthfuls "An' I don' care if ye did kill someone fer their bones. I'd just be takin' a rational dislike t' ye iffin my kin's bones star'ed walkin' arroun' af'er they been laid t' res', a'igh'?"

"Dwarf bones are hard to come by... I have only had one or two but... they where people who tried to rob me on the road.." he said thinking back, "They screamed and screamed when kitty came to play... as the blood drained from their faces..." he said, "But did you know dwarf bones are not really the best to make walk about the land again.... but they are fun to play with... " he said off handily, "Been so long since I had a fresh bone to play with...." he said now pulling out a small bone from his bag, something that looked akin to a finger bone and began to nibble on it as he thought about how fun it was to collect fresh bones.

"An' what," he said coldly, tensing with his spoon in the bowl "migh' ye 'ave done with these bones of my kin?"

Furor shrugged, "They tried to kill me, rob me, hurt me, and who knows what else very undwarf like can you really call them the bones of your kin?" he asked as he patted his bag. "But their bones rest within this bag... they tried to kill me.. they failed... so... why should I waste a good bone because of bad flesh?"

He let go of the spoon he'd been holding at those words, stood up and turned to the door "Then ye'd best be comin' with me, Boy," he said, his words edged almost as keenly as the twin blades slung across his back "We go a chore t' do."

“Not just you two, Korin for it is the task of kin to bury kin” Abby stands up and motions Ella to stand as well. Abby’s face now solemn replacing the happy laughter previously there. “Let these bones travel the hollowed hall of the warrior king once more to lay with their kin guided by the kin that remains in these walls.” Abby intones in the words in ancient tradition.

"Nay." he said over his shoulder to the young shadowfolk "this be a job for me an him alone lass." he walked over to the entryway of the dining hall and touched the stonework "An' yer wrong lass, so far as i can tell my kin may 'ave built this keep, but they've never held it." he turned to stare coldly at the youthful necromancer "You comin' Boy?"

Furor got up to follow after him, "I still don't see why you are making me do this... They tried to kill me... they would have taken what was mine... I won so should I not get something...." Furor muttered as he walked towards the other, "Fine if I give you the bones what do I get in return?" he asked suddenly of the dwarf.

"Wha' d' ye ge' in return?" he boomed and spun on his heel "I'll tell ye wha' ye ge'! YE GE' T' KEEP YER OWN INSIDE YE WHERE THEY BELONG!" he shouted as he closed the distance between them remarkably quickly and stopping the greatsword that few had even seen drawn just above the boy's collarbone. "HAD YE LEFT EM FER CARRION I'D NOT 'AVE A PROBLEM! BU' NEY! YE CARRY EM WI' YA LIKE SOME KIND O' TROPHY! SOME FORM OF SICK COMPENSATION! YE GO' OUT OF IT ALIVE, THAT SHOULD BE COMPENSATION ENOUGH!"

Watching all this unfold from his perch on the table where he still had the hunk of cheese under his paw, 'Well i guess that is something he should have kept to himself about the bones...'

As he sees the great sword fall and halt just above the boy hearing the words boom from the dwarf as he heard about what he had happened with the bones of his own kind, 'If that little kid doesn't give them up, he will probably end up with his own bones in that bag of his.'

As he stood up on the table more alert, "If i were you kid, id probably end up parting with those bones of the dwarf... it would be in your best interest, hes not one you would want to get into a one-on-one fight with."

kuro comeing out of his trans at the load yelling and sees the sword at the boys thoart uses shadow step to appeare at the dwarfs side with his fingure pointed at the dwarf starting to draw the magics of the wind to it "don't you dare harm that boy or more than your life is forfeit"
you know if you really want to save the boy why not take control of the dwarf then he can't hurt the boy ever again hehe he he....

Abby let the breath she had been holding out. “Korin I agree on what you mean to do but I cannot let you cut him down either. I would propose this though that when the goblins come again that any bones that remain are his. Loathe though I am to do that and as much as the boy seems right the hate has changed him. Bone later for bones now and only bones of those who oppose us is the best we can hope for and I am loathe to do even that.” Abby babbles out letting the wind slowly come to her just in case.

With a far more stealthy entrance than Kuro's, Iryna stepped out of Furor's shadow and knelt beside the boy. Gently, she pulled him backwards, away from the bladetip pressed against his collarbone. She then turned him carefully to face her. The gypsy spared the enraged dwarf only a single flash of her dark eyes before focusing them on Furor's face.

"Kiddo..." she sighed and looked down. How to explain the importance of family to a kid who didn't have any? She made a face as Ryszard's face crossed her mind. Even annoyingly sweet as her brother was, he was family. She looked back up. "Kiddo, I know that this might be difficult for you to understand since you've been on your own for so long...but...well, what Korin is trying to say is...family is important, even if they do things that you don't agree with."



"She begged," Ella said as she examined her soup like it was fascinating (and maybe to her, it was). "Begged for the Dark Man to chose another for his sacrifice...would have fought if she knew how to...but all she could do was open gateways...that was her power..." Ella looked up from her bowl and met Furor's eyes over Iryna's head. "Did you play with your mother's bones, too?"

"Their bones where taken away where I could not say.... but my own village wouldnt even let me return so how could I even take their bones with me.... I was forced to leave them behind... and wander alone with kitty..." Furor said with tear filled eyes. "I can never have my family with me..." he muttered again as he grasped at Iryna as he truly began to cry now.

Watching as everyone gathered around the boy, and attempted their best at trying to get the idea into his head about giving up the dwarven bones to Korin. Some with more progress than others with their methods, watching this even Seren couldn't give much advice since he had been alone for the past century to two, so he has had even less relations with others than most everyone there combined.

'Still tryin to get it to him that it would be better to give them up now for more later, and he still wants to keep hold of him... and here i was thinking i was somewhat stubborn.'

As he looks into the bowl of soup that was left and the clump of cheese that lay left on the table, with his stomach full he dashes up to Abby and perches on her shoulder overlooking the others.

Abby relaxes slightly but keeping her eyes on the foursome of Kuro, Furor, Korin and Iryna. One eye tracking to Ella questions dancing in her eyes but not spoken. “Can we talk now or is this posturing still needed?” Abby asks quietly.

As the boy was overtaken by sorrow, he sheathed his blade, and extended a hand to the young man "Come lad, just as they had no right to try to take your life, you had none to take their bones, let us lay them and this to rest together. Grieve fer yer kin as I say rights fer mine."

NO you idiots you want to try to kill each other at least try to kill the boy
kuro backed up and bow lightly to the drawf "i am sorry for my thret at you but the boy is someone i watch closely... however it seems that i miss took the proseadings here i am going out"
kuro starts to walk out of the room

Furor took the dwarfs hand gently his flesh cool to the touch, and his eyes still leaking tears. "I.. I'll give them back...." he muttered softly, "I wont take your family bones no more..." he said to the dwarf then with an odd smile. "I wont take papa's bones no more..." he told him, "Since family bones should stay safe in the ground right?"

"Thank ye lad." he said as he rose, he then turned and walked through the door calling over his shoulder "If ye wan', we can put to earth any of the others you so choose."

Furor shook his head, "Rest mine... if I give them up.. then who would protect me when I travel?" he asked the dwarf. "The dead shall walk to save their master when danger does come, or when friends are in trouble to... I can make the dead even walk to protect you..." he told in him in his sing song way all the while letting his free hand pull forth the needed bones while they walked.

"Good riddence," Sebastian said loudly after the strange pair had left the room. He was standing near his spot a few tables over. His arms were crossed as he glowered at the grouping. With everyone's attention diverted, no one immediately noticed Ella slipping away after Furor and Korin. "Though it would have been nice to see someone kill him for a change."



"Best beware, D'Ware," growled Iryna from her place kneeling on the ground, her shirt still damp from Furor's tears. "A mysterious dagger might find you...again..."

Hearing the words spoken by the newcomer, hearing the harsh words he could hardly hold in his anger to them. The mane around his neck seemed to catch ablaze, having known what it is like to lose something precious and then be mocked by others upon hearing this brought back some of those memories.

'Better watch your words filthy human, this is something that involves life, as short as yours is to mine, i could make it miserable as hell for ya...'

"Be careful what you would say to others... kindness and harshness are the same coin, once cast it is engrained into your being human."

A smile tugged Abby’s lips at Seren’s words as the used one hand to stroke the fox.
“There are a couple sayings from my home you should keep in mind D’Ware. Pride comes before the fall being one, and the other being you only say of others what is true of you.” Abby growled at the boy one eye looking back at the table to see her sister missing, a small prayer slips tough her head as she hopes she knows where Ella is now.

"That little demon and his pet psychopaths kill me at least once a week and I take it, praticing 'patience' with their 'lesson learning'," Sebastian said haughtily. "What lesson do they learn when allowed to do whatever they please with no more than a few word of nay, I ask?"



"Sebastian, we've been through this--" Father Donatello said with the same exaggerated patience that he had replied to Iryna's moans about the lack of meat earlier. Sebastian D'Ware interrupted the head of his House.

"And I'll say what I should have told you before, oh,Honored Father." It came out a snarl of rage. Sebastian's dark eyes flashed with his anger. "You cannot save everyone. First you kept that unbalanced birdbrain. Then you bring in and teach Order matters to that dangerous murderer. Taking in that thing was just the latest in a long line of mistakes you've made, Father. What's next? The Oathbreaker returned to the fold? That pet goblin of the Pathos house? Maybe Jael Reis can be redeemed."

Hearing the rage in his tone about everything that he was saying, hearing the small ring of truth to some of them,

"So you would forsake everyone, for only those you sought worthy that had a chance to save... if your doing that then that proves your providing assistance to only those you thought worthy, so your tryin to make yourself a god. Here he is tryin to help everyone he can... so what happens with a few, some may end up in a roughshod with some, but hes not showing pride nor angst to anyone, he is doing his damnest to help everyone... and at last count that also included you."

As he takes a small breather, to gather his thoughts a little,

"If you want to gripe at someone gripe to yourself, he is here helping everyone that he can, while you would only help those you wanted, so in aspects of this all that is known to my knowledge, Donatello is showing to be more of a person than you are."

“You may practice patience, but have you practiced respect or courtesy? Or even holding your tongue?” Abby spat back at the boy “Or did you not think that you may be the catalyst that causes darkness to rise around you? Those like you who judge first and fast may doom cities though you know it not. It is those who judge last and with hesitation that may save your skin.” Abby’s hand shot out and with it a sweeping wind that pulled at D’Ware.

Abby attacks D’Ware with Wind Attack
6+ 30 Magic +4 Enhance Magic =40

The member 'Abby' has done the following action : Rolls

'd20' : 6

kuro about out the door stops to listen then adds "abby i would not lightly attack, even non harmfuly, any member of the order"
but the boy is so damn annoing she is doing us a favor trying so hard to make the boy listen to reason maybe you should let me help her then he would really get it
kuro says even louder trying to drowned out master "plus you waste your time much as he talks about lack luster lesons so does he fall into the group of the hard to teach about new things they don't like"