"You're less refined than an orc's warty behind," Joey answers sternly, "Emerald, please gag her as well.  She has nothing to say worth hearing."

Emerald looks at Laniya with a look of disgust. Then does as asked. "Well at least she finally answered the question I asked a while back: Her name." Once Laniya is gagged, Emerald looks at Laniya. "I know you've been through an annoying ordeal, but honestly... all I've done so far is help save your life and you return that with an insult and no apologies for trying to kill Kennedy."

She looks at Kennedy. "This woman is showing who she really is. I'm not sure why you keep insisting on her innocence, but while I admire your desire to see the best in her, there comes a time when you have to stop."

Emerald nods to Joey. "She's secure. And she's yours. Whatever hold Laniya has over Kennedy, it's enough that I'd rather the two of them never be alone together. Or, for that matter, never see each others' eyes again."

Reverie is sure to stay close to Joey, but looks worried in general.

For once in his life Kennedy is at a loss for words. Emerald had made a point. Perhaps he was letting his heart get the best of him. Perhaps Laniya deserved her fate. Perhaps it was for the best. And who knows maybe one day they'd meet again.

---

^{OoC: I think it would be good for Laniya to go off screen for a while. Let her brew in jail and get her life together. And then some time down the road, she can be reintroduced.}

Joey raises his mutalisk wings to the sky, wrapping his long, powerful tongue around the group, then FLAPS back to town!

Just kidding.  Little inside joke there.  Joey simply marches the group back to town, keeping a careful eye on the prisoners and the road.

Thankfully, the trip back is uneventful. When entering town, the people give Reverie suspicious glares and keep their distance. Finally, the officials go up to Joey and take Laniya off his hands. "So who is this?" the official asks, pointing at Reverie.

Emerald says, "This is Reverie... she's under a curse. Joey, Kennedy and I are working on getting rid of the curse."

The official says, "I hate to say it, but please try to make sure she isn't seen much and that you get her out of this town as soon as you can. Her... unusual and dark appearance is making the people uneasy."

The official takes the group to take their statements concerning Laniya. He agrees to put her in prison. "Your statements should be enough for the court since my deputy and I are honored at our word to have taken accurate statements from witnesses. Please... hurry and get on that quest to remove the curse."

The heroes are all but physically pushed out of town. Once out of town, Reverie says,
"Those villagers sure aren't subtle...
My deepest apologies for being such trouble."

Laniya doesn't bother looking at anyone as she is carted off to the stockades. Instead she holds her head high while being escorted through town. What does fate have in store for her? Who knows, but she will face it with dignity.

---

^{OoC: so long to Laniya, for now.}

Joey is of course annoyed at the mistreatment of Reverie, but softens when the group is finally free of the town.  "A goblin cult, a seductive murderer, and a paranoid mob...  None of these are your fault, M'lady.  You've been nothing but gentle, grateful, noble, and classy.  Please don't put yourself down."

The yellow bands on Reverie glow slightly brighter as she ducks her head with a bashful smile.

"I can see I have been blessed;
You have been kind all through this mess.
After you've brought me relief,
When we part ways, remember me."

She asks softly, almost cooing at the group.

Emerald smiles. "Kinda hard to forget someone so exotic, Reverie."

His lips move saying a silent goodbye to Laniya. It wasn't often that he met someone so intoxicating.

After several minutes pass, he seems to snap out of a daze. He looks to Emerald and Joey and smiles, as if saying hello. Then his eyes fall upon the newcomer as if never seeing her before. "Where?" he spurts. "When?" he stutters. "How?" he pauses. "Who is this, and how did I get outside!?" Obviously dumbfounded Kennedy finds a place to sit and pulls out his ornate flask. Taking a long dredge from it he sits and stares at the, bunny?

Then quietly to himself he says, "Oh shit. Not again."

"Or so gracious," Joey adds to Emerald's compliment.

Joey stares in dumbfounded disbelief at this latest brain fail from Kennedy.  He stops to ask, "So... do you at least remember meeting me and Emerald?  This is Reverie.  We're helping her because she has been cursed.  What's the last thing you remember?"

Reverie smiles at Joey's "gracious" comment, but then looks at Kennedy with an "oh my" kind of expression, holding her hand to her mouth.

Emerald looks over and up at Kennedy. She's quiet. Kennedy is already confused and adding to Joey's questions would just confuse the guy more.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Mon 19 Nov 2012.

Kennedy takes another dredge from his flask, but finds it empty. He turns it upside down and shakes it, hoping for a last drop, but gets nothing. "The last thing I remember is being in the tavern," he puts the flask away as he continues, "and then waking up here." He looks to Emerald for answers. "What happened?"

Joey ahs.  "Well that actually kinda makes sense.  Because that's about when you started acting like you were under the influence of mind control..."

He then does his best to recount the events that followed.

Being a girl, Emerald is sure to add detail wherever Joey's "male version" lacks details she considers important. Important points include:

-Laniya flirting with Kennedy. Kennedy suddenly acting like his allies didn't exist.
-Emerald spotting Laniya picking Kennedy's pocket and, in turn, picking Laniya's. (Joey didn't know this, so when Emmy brings it up, Joey's face shows some surprise)
-The innkeeper being in on it.
-The scene Joey and Emmy crashed in on when the screaming started.
-Chasing Laniya.
-Reverie's curse.
-Kennedy almost killed Reverie, then apologized and swore his sword to her.
-Laniya found being caught in some twisted looking ritual performed by goblins.
-The goblins insisting Laniya was brainwashing the group into helping her.
-Laniya not apologizing for trying to kill Kennedy.
-Laniya insulting Emerald apparently out of nowhere (remember, Emmy has no idea why Laniya felt insulted)
-Bringing Laniya and goblins back to town as prisoners.
-Town treating Reverie like a dark spirit of some kind.

"...which brings us to now. We're looking into finding a cure for Reverie's curse."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:51, Tue 20 Nov 2012.

"We did all that?" He's honestly surprised at what had occurred.

He looks at Reverie, "Well, if I promised you my blade, regardless of my condition, I'll told true to that promise. My sword is yours."

He looks back to Joey and Emerald. "What do you suggest we do now? I'm honestly in no condition to make any decisions."

Joey nods.  "Very sensible.  I'm beginning to wonder if your propensity for for sudden changes of personality and memory lapses are connected.  I hear tell of individuals who have more than one person inside, and whenever one of the people inside them takes over, the others are unaware of what's going on.  Do you remember giving a speech about The Platinum Dragon changing your life for the better shortly after you met me and Emerald?"

He looks over to Reverie.  "And perhaps if you were to tell us how you were cursed, it would give us some insight into how to begin looking for a cure."

Reverie answers Joey,
"The real witch of the woods,
Who really is up to no good,
She pretended to be my friend..."

Reverie looks sad, lightly choking on her words.

"And was just using me, in the end."

Emerald asks, "So what did she do to curse you?"

Reverie says,
"She promised me lessons
In some of her ways,
But wanted my essence;
The essence of shade.
She had me gather
The very same things
That made me rather
Become crystalline.

She cast a spell
That I didn't know.
I remember well
Just how it goes:

When calling the Hells
To prepare a spell,
Take an old adage
From the Shadowfell;
The shadows await
For every soul's fate
And no one forever
Truly stays awake.

I ask the shadows to bind this soul
I call on powers from the days of old
See me now and make her cry
As I sing her last lullaby."

Reverie stops, showing clearly that she has recited the whole spell.

"I do not know how much it matters,
What all things she had me gather.
Part of it involved some glass shattered.
And her clothing had to be tattered.
The stuff I gathered was all common-place;
Some dirt, some grass, A bunch of lace."

Kennedy's eyes start to water. How sad Reverie's story is ... it reminds him much of his own past (but that's for a later time).

Reverie's story strikes a chord in Joey's heart as well and he does his best to reassure her.  "Sorry to hear about the way you've been treated.  But as you have seen, we are the kind of people who are willing to put ourselves in harm's way in order to help those in need."

He looks over at Emerald.  "You probably knew much more about the arcane than I do.  My instincts tell me the next step is to seek out and capture the witch.  What do you think?"

Emerald says, "Without a doubt. The witch will know the cure to her spell. Any spell caster worth their salt is going to make sure they know the cure to their own spells, not to mention cures to spells they don't know. Back to the witch's hutt... hopefully she hasn't found Reverie missing yet. We need to spring a trap for her."

Reverie says,
"There's still a chance she hasn't returned
I hope the trap will have answers earned."

Emerald starts walking back to the town. "The quickest way is through town. We'll avoid the jail, but let's get to the witch's place as fast as possible. The townsfolk can suck it up for a few more minutes."

"Let me swing my the tavern for a quick refill before we go onward," he says holding up his empty ornate flask, "if you don't mind."

"Not sure stopping at a tavern would be wise at this point," Joey comments, "Even without escorting someone branded an outcast, I'm sure you've your own infamy in town by now given your...  episode...  earlier.  If it's that important to have alcohol, I suppose I could fetch you some then catch up."

Reverie says,

"Sorry to be an inconvenience,
If you're looking for lenience,
You are the one who must hurry through
By the necklace, I am bound to you..."

She ducks her head a little, looking up at Joey.

Emerald says, "Nobody in town hates me and Reverie isn't bound to me. You two hurry on ahead and I'll get us all drinks, OK?"

"Oh, yeah, the," then he air quotes, " 'incident'."

He lets go an embarrassed chuckle. "On second thought, perhaps Reverie's problem is more pressing." He tucks the flask back in his hip pouch.

"Please, let's take to the road and save this damsel in distress." He strikes a dramatic pose pointing the way out of town. (As if he thinks that was the direction to go in. But he's probably wrong.)

"Oh, sorry, Reverie," Joey answers with a blush, "You're right.  And please don't berate yourself.  Doing good deeds for others is a privilege."

He nods to Emmy.  "Thanks for the offer."

When Kennedy gives up on drinks, Joey looks relieved and nods.  "Probably for the best..."

He sweatdrops, looking at where Kennedy is pointing.  "It's... that way..."

He points back toward town.