"This is for your own safety, Mardrough," Hurley assure the man. "If we left you in that other 'cell,' the guards themselves would lead the mob right to you. They want blood, and it seems yours is on the menu."

A different part of his mind is intrigued by the cube-building and its workings. He pushed those thoughts aside, though, and tries to focus on the task ahead. "We will head to the location you gave us, Mardrough, and from there see what the heck is going on out there. We'll get to the bottom of this. Don't you worry. The Pot hasn't been wrong yet!"

Esperon looks impressed by the strange route to the jail cell. This was not at all what he had in mind as far as escorting the man--it was far better, really. He took note of these strange twists and turns and then watched carefully as the Mayor did what she did, just in case he needed to replicate the actions for some reason.

Kor nods to Hurley's words but then adds, "One thing to think about, there, big M: start thinking how you can make the people in town trust you again. Sure, if we clear your name, that will save you from getting executed, but it's a good time to start thinking about how to win friends so that you don't find yourself lynched by overenthusiastic townspeople." He nods solemnly as he begins to walk away. "Think about it."

He slapped Kaelan on the back. "All right, my friend, let's see about this numenera. Maybe we get to save the day as a bonus."

Mardrough begins to remark on his situation when Shthila removes the cube from the slot and the metal wall reappears in place of the cell's opening, muting his words.

As you make your way back down the auxiliary corridor you again hear the cry of someone, a higher pitched voice of perhaps a girl or a young woman.

"Do you hear that?" the mayor asks. She stops in the corridor and moves slowly toward the sound. "That sounds like a girl. Why would we have a little girl locked up in here?"

Shthila follows the sound until she finds herself in front of one of the shadowed entryways. She places her all access cube in a slot and the shadow lifts to reveal a girl in a cell.

The girl looks to be around 16. She is quite stunning, with a captivating beauty yet appearing unlike any standard person. She has perfect, porcelain skin that is flawless and long thick hair that resembles spun silver. The irises of both eyes are metallic silver and reflective.

Arry looks up as the shadow lifts and looks out at the people looking in. For a brief moment she goes utterly still looking more like a sculpture than a living being.

‘By the Nine, it’s one of them.’ She thinks in shock.

She gets up with a sinuous grace and moves to the edge of the cell.  “Please, you have to get them to release me. I can’t stay here.” She says in a musical voice filled with a confidence that belies her apparent youth.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:11, Fri 27 Oct 2017.

Hurley pulls up short at the vision of the girl in the cell. "Wow!" he says out loud before composing himself. "I mean, 'Wow! Why would a young woman like you be stuck in a cell?'" he recovers.

"What did you do to get put in here?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:21, Thu 26 Oct 2017.

“That is a question I have sought an answer for for days but none of the guards will give me one. I can’t stay here, it isn’t safe.”

She looks at the group. “Please, try and secure my freedom. I need be out of here soon.”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Thu 26 Oct 2017.

Shthila studies the girl in the cell for a few moments, then realization comes to her.

"I remember who this young woman is. One of the hunting parties that actually returned brought her back here and had her locked up. They thought she was tied to the other missing hunting parties, for some reason which is far beyond me. Clearly this is not the case, as people have vanished since she has been in here. She has been wrongfully detained."

The mayor produces her little cube and inserts it into one of the depressions that matches its size. Much like the effect in Mardrough's previous cell there is a brief plane of fog that appears and disappears in the span of a second.

"We truly apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you, miss. You are free to go."

The girl almost seems to sag in with relief. "Thank you. If I can get my property I would be grateful."

She turns to the group of men with the Mayor and gives a slight bow. "May it be possible for me to travel with you. I sense there is some importance to my being with you. I would incur debt if you would so honour me but would work to clear any obligation between us."

She taps her throat three times in what seems ritualistic and you see her "nails" are around an inch in length and the same highly reflective silver of her eyes and appear to be very sharp.

Kaelan can't help but shake his head, and he actively looks at the Mayor, "You... do understand just how ironic this situation is... how many others have you locked away with presumptive guilt for the kidnappings? I mean... at least this one didn't face the threat of instant death... but you, what? Forgot all about her?" There is no hiding the now accusatory tone to his voice. "I don't suggest we change our arrangement, but by the powers this MUST make you question the wisdom of seeking our quarry's death."

A glace is then given once more to the girl. Her appearance, especially the almost intentional perfection, makes him suspect automaton, or something similar. "You don't know us, why we're here, or what we're up to? We go without question into danger. Are you capable of defending yourself?"

She smiles a very humourless and closed-mouth smile at the question. "More than you can possibly imagine."

Her voice is flat and almost dead when she responds. "Better than I would ever wish or want for myself."

Esperon's normally glum expression turns into a scowl at this. "Interesting," he gets out before the mayor frees the girl.



Esperon's frown lightens slightly. "Very, very interesting," he says in a low grumble. He scratches his craggy, hard-to-like face.



Esperon crosses his arms. "Okay, too interesting. We'll escort you out, but once we're outside you're going to explain that statement. No vague statements-of-doom like that, or no deal. Plain answers. And don't worry, we don't scare easy." He steps back, letting the girl see his nearly seven-foot frame as if to emphasize his point.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:56, Sat 28 Oct 2017.

She gives that curious, close-lipped smile again as she looks at Esperon and he notes it's nowhere close to reaching her eyes. "Not yet."

"My belongings?" She asks the woman who opened the cell and let her out.

Esperon's face darkens. "No information, no companions. I'm not budging on this one, little one. We can wait 'til we're out on the street, but I'm not budging on this one."

He steps back and looks at Hurley, his eyebrow raised.

She turns to look at the tall man. "I never said I wasn't going to tell you but there's a big difference between telling and seeing. Words are words. You'll rethink things after you see."

Another peculiarity is revealed as she speaks - her upper and lower canines are lengthened, sharp, and the same bright silver as her 'nails.'

Esperon does not look particularly impressed by this; he looks at Hurley and Kaelan for their thoughts.

Shthila's eyes narrow at Kaelan's words. Her chin raises slightly and her demeanor shifts rather rapidly. You can feel the coldness wash over her and her words lack any trace of diplomacy they had previously held. "I have been more than courteous with you as you have made hard 'requests' of me time and time again. Now I find you questioning how I handle justice in my town?"

She stares at Kaelan for a few moments, then she allows her temperament to even out. "Nevertheless, I agree we should not change our agreement. After all, you can hopefully help us get our people back, and we're helping you to... well, if it's not helping you get your people back as well, I'm sure it's something equally... altruistic." She colors that statement with a smile, but her eyes don't match her words.



"Of course." The mayor pulls the cube out of its slot in the wall, rotates it to a different face, then reinserts it into the slot. A square portion of metal just to the side of the cell opening vanishes to reveal Arryanna's wares. "Now I would invite you to make haste, as you have 56 hours. At that point, I must represent the will of the people. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."  She makes her way down the small corridor.

"Thank you. I bid you good day and shall depart with there being no debt owed between the two of us." She says to the woman before turning to reach into the opening. The first thing she pulls out is a beautiful sword of Azuresteel in a rather utilitarian scabbard. She slips on a weapons belt and puts the sword in place, checking its fit. A dagger and a pouch find their way onto the belt and lastly, a backpack with a rolled up bedroll is removed and slung over her shoulder.

"Again, you have my gratitude. I've been in that cell for days with no explanation. The longer I remained the more dangerous it would have become."

Hurley stands quietly with a look of confusion on his face. He can't seem to figure out how to process this girl - her stunning beauty, young age and fiercely alien features all urge completely different, but equally strong, responses.

His eyes widen well enough when she shows her silver fangs, but not nearly as much as when she pulls her sword. He literally has to shake his head to dispel the reverie. With an effort, he tries to sort things out.

"OK, why don't we start slowly. We can head out of town - this place gives me the creeps. Once safely away from the pitchforks, you can tell us who you are and what you're about."

That's about as far as his mind can go without short-circuiting again.

"If you wish but I am given to understand that I'm not the reason you were down in the cells to begin with. I don't wish to be the cause of any delay of something you're doing that's time sensitive, as the woman who released me seemed to indicate." She said as she slung her pack over a shoulder and checked the fit of all of her gear.

Esperon glares at the girl. "Well, you're doing a poor job of it if we dally here any longer. Come on."

Moving with relative ease for one of such bulk, he leads the way out once the mayor shows them the way.

He gives Esperon a look. No need for them to be testy....

He clarifies, "Since we are heading out of town for our investigation anyway, we aren't delaying. And the same goes for you, since I doubt you are looking to stay there. So, we all get to move on, and on the way you can tell us a little more about yourself.

Like what in the Hells are you? And what is so dangerous about you - other than silver teeth and a sharp sword?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:00, Sun 29 Oct 2017.

"Forgive me for seeking to gather my gear but I shan't incur obligation to you for doing so. If you wish to be on your way then I shall follow. You do tend to stand out both for your size and your glower." She looks at him with a bland expression.

"I'm happy to tell you once it ceases to be a burden on the tall man and his time.

"Don't worry about him - once we all clear the air I'm sure everyone will be a lot more relaxed.

You're new, so you get to start."

He leads them out and towards the boundary of town as he talks.

She sighs as the group of them walk. "My name is Arryanna and my people are the Nyx. We're a quite insular people who live deep in the Cold Desert. The teeth, the claws, are all signs of what make me dangerous, reminders of what I am. I was born different. The moment I hit the age of adulthood, that night I changed into something else. It happens every month, several nights a month. I turn into something...monstrous, uncontrollable but for one person in all the world who can try and make me safe, control me, maybe talk me back to myself.

"When I saw the group of you I realised it was one of you."

Esperon, walking along, turns and smirks at Arryanna as they walk out of the building. "See? That wasn't so bad. Will tell ya about me. My grand-daddy's grand-daddy was changed to be tough. Real tough. My family's made a living at being tough in tough places for generations. My dad's a fisherman-inventor by trade who taught me how to do things with my hands."

He turned and kept walking, trying to figure out which way to go next...