Your Highness...

[Zack Blaze]

All the eyes upon him were kind of creepy in the youth’s eyes. In all honesty, Zack had never even been to Fallien before, and for good reason. From what he had heard, Fallien was a desert town of blistering heat and xenophobic people. Every so often, the street fighter could hear the sporadic scream of a harpy from outside the walls of Irrakam. The citizens of the town seem to regard Zack with the same kindness as the common man would a leper, which was odd considering how much of a sunny disposition the young man usually had.

He had been sent to this city in order to meet somebody, but not just anybody. The higher-ups of Misery Business had told him that he was to be the company’s representative in escorting, of all things, a princess. Princess Ags, as Zack was told, was said to be a fairy princess who was new to the world of Althanas. The boy never questioned how his superiors knew of beings from other realms, or even how they got to their world. After all, this was an industry that knew the exact people they wanted, and refused to take no for an answer. That persistence is what made the usually apathetic Zack join their cause, after all.

He wiped away some sweat from his forehead as he walked, his green leather jacket wrapped around his waist, revealing a white t-shirt with no distinct patterns or logos. It was rare for Zack to remove his jacket, but the heat of Irrakam warranted such extenuating circumstances. His eyes narrowed as he looked around, one hand over his green orbs to shade them from the sun, the other holding an open canteen of water. It was important to stay hydrated when ones body was sweating most of its fluids out.

Zack took a drink, hoping that he’d soon run across this fairy princess in this racist city.

((Closed to Ags))

[Ags]

Ags liked this strange, new world –– especially the clothes. And the food. Oh man, that food. Through trial and error, she'd learned a few things: people were more friendly when she looked like them, they expected currency in exchange for pretty much everything, and don't eat the red stuff, it was spicy and no amount of anything got the burn out of one's sinuses.

The fairy princess had been resident to this bustling corner of Fallien long enough that she'd developed a system. With the help of illusion she fit in with raven hair and a lovely shade of golden brown skin, borrowing her appearance from a particularly fetching craftswoman she'd noticed in her first day. She'd also "borrowed" some clothing, layering on multiple vibrant saris that wrapped around her generous figure in a strange fashion that pegged her as an imitator and not a local, but she didn't seem to notice. Instead she enjoyed herself immensely, experiencing this strange new culture and its beautiful things, and completely forgetting the reason she'd come to Althanas in the first place.

Today began much like the past several. Just shy of high noon Agnie rolled out of bed in her borrowed room, washed up, and went out into the dusty, dry heat of the marketplace to greet the day with an unquenchable level of enthusiasm. She decided she wanted fruit for breakfast and beelined toward her favorite grocer.

A man was already there purchasing some goods and the fairy watched as he opened his purse, extracted some currency, and made an exchange with the man running the stand. She pulled her egg-shaped trinket box from her pocket, enamel and filigree a glistening rainbow in the harsh sun, and opened it. When she reached inside she found a coin and offered it to the grocer with a secret little smile; when the previous customer got home he might notice his purse a bit lighter than expected.

With her trinket box tucked safely back in her pocket she enjoyed the spoils of this morning's mischief, snacking on a pear as she wandered aimlessly through the stands that contained the more interesting merchandise: exotic animals, dazzling jewelry, ornate weavings. She paused to look at a tapestry, thinking to herself that the style appeared familiar, and that was when the shit hit the fan.

"Meera?"

Ags looked up and the owner of that stand was looking at her oddly, sun-scorched brows furrowed over serious eyes. He was young, barely twenty, but the pain in his expression looked old and worn. The fairy's stomach dropped and she took a hesitant step back.

"That's you, isn't it? Oh no, you've got to get out of here before––" He began to stand, speaking the local language that Ags didn't know, and before she could cut and run, their awkward encounter was interrupted by someone far less polite.

"Meera!" This voice was a bellowing one, quickly approaching from behind and hollering a string of words that Agnie didn't recognize but knew in the depths of her soul to be the meanest sort of curses. Before she knew it a stout woman, obviously the merchant in charge of this corner as she was decked out in the finest of finery, had one powerful hand clamped around her arm and was swinging her little self 'round rather violently in an attempt to make eye contact. Jostled and stunned, Ags froze and peered up into the bullish face of the matron she'd unwittingly offended. She was berated mercilessly and cowered under the spray of angry froth, glancing to the young man behind the stand who shrugged helplessly.

Now she recognized the style of that embroidery. It was something passed down through the generations and to the craftswoman whose appearance she'd used as a disguise. What had this Meera done to incur such wrath? Ags liked to imagine it was a dreadfully romantic sort of situation. Meera eloped the kindly widowed butcher, forsaking an arranged marriage with a cruel merchant's son and her duty to her family, and now her mother would have her neck. Or at least something like that. This was no time to daydream, though; the vise around Agnie's arm was tight enough to turn her fingernails blue and she'd rather escape this confrontation before it escalated further.

Then, all of a sudden, the textiles on the stand caught fire. In the dry heat it quickly whipped into a blaze and the frightening woman abandoned Ags to save her livelihood, the young man helping her swat at the flames to put them out. In a fit of amused spite, perhaps in defense of Meera's forbidden love, Agnie willed the fire to climb and spread to the stand's canopy and the merchant's silk shoes.

That was when all hell broke loose. A fire was a terrible thing in a desert, and no one else seemed to know it was fake aside the fairy. As the merchants and grocers and butchers and bakers of the marketplace all rushed to save their loved ones and merchandise from flame Agnie took her exit, disappearing into the panicking crowd.

As she passed Zack she walked behind an abandoned stand and came out the other side not as Meera, but as a scampering child. She looked around as if making sure the switch had gone unnoticed and booked it to the nearest door which resided on a tall gate and led into an alley between buildings. She opened it, looked over her shoulder, and stepped in.

If he thought this development to be peculiar and worth investigating he'd discover that the door didn't lead to an alleyway but a posh parlor of sorts instead. In the center of the refreshingly cool, sunny room wasn't a Fallien child but a very blonde, very fairy-like young lady, looking very much like someone who'd just been caught doing something naughty.

[Zack Blaze]

Zack stood there, head tilted, in awe of the giant inferno that was overtaking one of the local shops. The fire had caused quite a panic with the locals, half of them running to the nearest large pool of water, and the other half wailing as if the store was the only place they could shop. Zack, however, just stood there, his head nearly sideways, as if he were trying to look at a puzzle from a different approach.

This was Fallien, after all. The townsfolk here were extremely careful not to put their flammable products by things that could start a fire. In fact, the youth had not even seen a smoker anywhere in the desert town (probably one of the Jya’s mandates). He bit his lower lip, blinking as he watched the flames spread across other stores. Though his instincts were telling him to run, something in his gut felt like the answer to worries was starring him right in the face.

He brought his head back up, shifting his gaze to the locals that were still around. A smile cracked across his lips as he looked to the townsfolk. The mystery had been solved.

“There’s no sweat,” Zack said as he wiped away the moisture from his own forehead, “I’m not used to this heat, so I’m still sweating like a pig… the Fallien people, in contrast, are used to the sun, but not when its heat is being added to with a fire.” Zack was speaking to nobody in particular. He just thought if he spoke out loud to himself, things would make a little more sense. “They’re not sweating… this fire’s not real…”

As Zack solved the dilemma, his eyes caught glimpse of a Fallien woman walking much calmer than the rest of this potential riot. Pretty soon, the Fallien locals would realize that there was no smell of smoke coming from the shops, and start to get suspicious. His eyes followed the girl down to an abandoned fruit stand, taking his own easy pace to follow her. Somebody with such a craft over illusions was worth looking into, after all. His client could wait; she was probably wrapped up in the spectacle of the fire anyways.

As he peered behind the stand, he caught a glimpse of a different woman scurrying towards a nearby gateway. Zack picked up his pace a bit now, the murmurs of the crowd’s speculation starting to sow doubts about just how legitimate the fire was. He followed her, slipping into the gate just before the spaded black bars closed on him.

He looked at the sudden change in scenery. “Bigger on the inside, huh?” He asked himself once more, looking around a bit before focusing on the sole other person in the room. His eyes widened as he onced over her features, and pulled a small slip of paper out from his pocket to read. When he finished, he tucked the parchment back into his pocket, and looked to the girl, bowing his head out of respect.

“Princess Agnie, I assume?”

[Ags]

The fairy stared at the intruder with wide eyes and she immediately started fiddling with her clothing as if in an effort to appear presentable. Such a thing was rather difficult in the outrageous getup she had assembled, her figure swamped under not one but two dazzling saris, a many-colored scarf wrapped around her shoulders, and at least a full dozen silver anklets at her feet with bells that jingled nervously as she turned to face him fully.

When he revealed his knowledge of her name Ags hesitated, looking him over. Her nose crinkled in distaste, energetic eyes now pointed and accusing. "You're one of mumsy's fellows, aren't you? Well, I'm not going back, so you can just turn right back around and tell her so."

As if to accentuate Zack's unimportance the princess clapped her hands once in an authoritative fashion. The door behind him squeaked open and a cold draft swept across the floor, the crack revealing that the space on the other side of the portal was now too dark to see. "Tea," she commanded. It closed again with the click of a latch, its invisible inhabitant silent.

"No, you're not really one of hers," Agnie conceded, looking Zack over once more with her hands propped on her hips. "She doesn't like her men prettier than she is."

[Zack Blaze]

It was an odd compliment of sorts, to say that he was prettier than a queen, but the line had still left a bad taste in Zack’s mouth. The princess, it seemed, suffered from what the boy could easily classify as runaway syndrome. She resented her mother to the point of running away from the kingdom se was one day destined to rule. The same kingdom that, with any luck, would be in the pocket of Misery Business by the time Princess Ags ascended the throne.

“M’lady,” Zack spoke softly, his tone carrying a non-threatening reprieve through the tense air, “I’m actually here on a good will mission of sorts. You see, Princess, there are those around that would like to see you enjoy yourself in the land of Althanas. They seek to do everything in their power to keep you secure until a time you see fit to return to your own land.”

He placed his arm formally over his stomach, bowing in respect to the noble woman. “I am their emissary. My name is Zack Blaze, and I represent an organization known as Misery Business. It is a freat honor to have you here in our world, Princess Agnie.”

He stood straight up once more, reaching into his pocket and removing a small orb. The ball was a prize that the youth had won during his run at the Adventurer’s Crown tournament. While Zack had placed dead last of the finalists, he had managed to choose his prize ahead of the winners. This ball, the teleportation stone, was his choice.

The youth smiled, offering his hand to the oddly clothed beauty. “What say you, Princess? Care to go on an adventure or two?”

[Ags]

Agnie was quite accustomed to groveling and ass kissing, so this proposition was only really strange in that she hadn't recalled telling many people in this new world who she really was. That discrepancy worked in Zack's favor, however, as the intrigue compensated for the slight level of off-putting smarminess generally inherent in this sort of exchange.

His hand, however, was not immediately accepted. As flighty and easily influenced as the fey seemed at first glance, she came from a place where manipulation was a game played by everyone. Her experience in such a sport gave her a shrewd, business-like attitude toward many things, this bloke included. Without politics to worry about, she could be as straightforward as she liked, and that suited her well.

"Misery Business, hmm? Is that supposed to sound inviting?" Her hands remained firmly planted on her ample hips as she revealed her skepticism, though everything she said was with a cheeky smile and never without some level of humor. "Pray tell, Zack Blaze, what is in it for you and this organization of yours?"

True, Ags and her sister were heirs to a throne of sorts, but there were hundreds of years before inheritance would become an issue, and even then their kingdom was more of a figurative thing and less a physical location with subjects. That was, unless Zack had interest in her household sprites, in which case she couldn't help but wonder just how big of slobs these Misery folk were that they needed to outsource housekeeping staff that badly.

[Zack Blaze]

Agnies question came as no surprise to Zack. After all, when one worked for a company as sinister sounding as ‘Misery Business’, there were bound to be inquiries. Zack simply smiled, running his hand through his hair as he cleared his throat. He had rehearsed this line many times; he had to learn how to make the business seem less threatening, so he had been supplied lines to give to the general populace.

“M’Lady, Misery Business is named as such because preventing Misery is our business. We are hired professionals employed in order to stop the spreading of suffering throughout Althanas. As far as what we would gain with your participation…” Zack paused for a moment, his gaze shift down towards his teleportation stone.

“Can I be honest with you? We’re looking for powerful individuals to help us in our goals. People with unique abilities that would be able to aid us in our goal to stop the misery plaguing Althanas. We’ve heard that people from your kingdom posses such skills, and judging by …. This.” Zack looked upwards, motioning his hands towards the room that they were both occupying, “I could tell that you would be a valuable asset to the team.”

He looked to her once more, a gentle smile now painted upon his features; a look of honesty. “I think it would be mutually beneficial if you were to join us. You could practice your abilities out in the field, and be doing some real good out there. What do you say?”

[Ags]

"That sounds honorable, I suppose," the shrewd fairy replied after some consideration, hand on her chin in a thoughtful gesture. She clapped her hands in that familiar, authoritative fashion once more, and the door opened again to a cool, dark abyss. "No tea," she corrected her order, and the portal closed to the exasperated sigh of its invisible inhabitant.

"I am willing to try membership of this organization on trial," Agnie declared, pacing in deliberation about the room with her hands folded neatly at her waist. "No contracts. No commitment. I simply would like to become further acquainted with your operations, and more permanent affiliation may be up for discussion if I am pleased with what I learn." Obviously she was used to getting her way, and the finality in her tone insinuated that these stipulations were not up for negotiation.

"Ah, and in return for my consideration," she added, spinning around with a flounce of multicolored, mismatched skirts to face Zack once again, "I would like transportation to a port town so I may begin expanding my network." The plan was to plant portals on various ships to various destinations, and from there establish connections in every major port around the world, which would then lend to creating further links to smaller towns and inland cities until Ags had woven a web across the whole of Althanas efficiently as possible. She had plans (or perhaps delusions) of grandeur, intending to set up shop somewhere with what she hoped would be the world's first fairy-run travel agency, though her clientele would be limited to only the most intriguing people who were willing to pay the most interesting prices for her service.

Strolling back to Zack, the fey finally held up her hand, ready for the deal. "Does that sound reasonable to you, good sir?"

[Zack Blaze]

Zack’s smile widened, now showing off his excitement at recruiting a new member to his team. Of course, they would probably assign Agnie to Zack’s division. His superiors enjoyed making the people who acquiesced to Zack’s requests join him in his pursuits for the company. He casually tossed his teleportation orb up and down, catching it as it fell back down.

“Luckily, I can get you to a port in no time flat!” Zack proudly exclaimed as he let the orb settle in his palm. Zack quickly placed a hand on the shoulder of the woman, and the smell of brewing tea was quickly replaced by the salty smell of the sea, the stinky fish, the calm silence that once filled the strange room quickly overwhelmed by the chatter of people and the crashing of waves against a hard surface. The wind whipped through his hair as he enjoyed the cool breeze blowing over his face.

“A port, you said, and a port you shall have.” Zack pocketed his magical item, putting his hands upon his hips in a satisfied manner. “Now, you mentioned something about expanding your network. It just so happens that Misery Business already has an established network. Just tell me what you need, and we’ll be able to point you in the right direction.” He spoke louder than he had previously, attempting project his voice so that Ags would hear her over the crowd.

This is going to be the start of a great relationship....

[Logan]

Plot ~ 17/30 - There was a purpose and locale, if only just. There was no real story, other than “we met.” There was some build-up to something that could have been more, but it just fell flat and forced at the end.

Story ~ 5/10
Setting ~ 6/10
Pacing ~ 6/10

Character ~ 19/30 - Ags felt most comfortable with her character, whereas Zack just fell flat in most aspects. Still, it wasn’t terrible, but the effort was clearly not there.

Communication ~ 6/10
Action ~ 7/10
Persona ~ 6/10

Prose ~ 19/30 - Decent, but not great. Written comfortably, but not exquisitely. Absolutely no wow factor, but nothing terrible where I would’ve needed to dock your score terribly. If anything, Zack needs to spell-check and grammar-check.

Mechanics ~ 6/10
Clarity~ 7/10
Technique ~ 6/10

Wildcard: 6/10 - I gave points for a few things: the use of the Adventurer’s Crown winner’s item, the hand-clap thing (I loved that) and the insinuation of things to come.

Total ~ 61/100


Zack Blaze earns 353 EXP and 45 gold.
Ags earns 366 EXP and 47 gold.
This includes bonus EXP for completing a team introduction thread for the LCC.