Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Nov 27, 2022 17:28:39 GMT -5
It was a beautiful fall afternoon in Zeinav, a robust and bustling desert community that was in full swing today. The streets were filled with all kinds of people, from locals shopping at the markets to tourist exploring the vibrant city. Despite it being the end of fall, with Charon quickly approaching the winter season, Zeinav was still as warm, dry and hot as ever. The sun's heat never relented, making this part of the world always arid and dry, even with the rest of the realm freezing. This made the city a hot spot this time of year, driving visitors from all over to come and check things out.
Janus was also here in the city, but for completely different reason than anyone else. Jester was currently in control, and with Zeinav being her home, she often forced the others to come here. She loved the city and would spend every waking moment here if she could. Todays adventures brought the pale Tiefling woman to the Dusty Refuge, where she was hoping to get a job as a dancer. Jester had worked here before, in fact she was a pretty popular guest, having met most of the staff and owners.
Before she could speak to the owners however, she would need to wait for the place to close, which would be awhile. So instead, Jester was going to enjoy the afternoon. The pale, ashy skinned woman sauntered through the building, her outfit, which normally caused her to stand out, blended in quite well with many of the locals. She was wearing her normal dancers garb, light, almost transparent, colorful fabrics fitted with beads, bells and random trinkets she had collected. While some of the locals recognized her, the place was currently filled with dozens of strangers, tourist here to try their luck.
After her trip through the casino, Jester decided to get a drink. She had selected a random empty table, ordering a tall glass of red wine and just enjoying the scenery. She loved coming here but refrained from interacting with people, at least on her own. There were things about her personality that made it hard to approach strangers, so instead, the raven headed woman just sipped on her wine, watching and enjoying life.
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 3, 2022 13:56:07 GMT -5
Celeste was, unfortunately, in her grey garb, most of her being covered with it, and her lost expression. She looked like she had basically just dropped here from prison, or something. She gave off the vibes of being overwhelmed, which were only exacerbated when she had accidentally bumped into someone. The conversation was short, with a meek little ‘sorry’, and Celeste carefully walking past them, trying not to look at them directly.
This was by far the busiest place she had been in since Starlight City, and the nervousness in her definitely showed. She would stick to the far end of the street, she’d be staring at everyone with her white, glossed over eyes. Though she would try to pretend she wasn’t if they looked back at her. It really was only a matter of time before someone had decided she was a little too weird, and she bumped into the wrong person.
“So–” Celeste started, but the man, whom was significantly taller than she, and just generally bigger, grabbed her arm. “Hey– I…!” She would attempt to pull her arm back, only barely managing to get it out of his grasp. Her eyes went up and death glared at the man, and the man only met her glare. A bit of staring between the two, and the man would just mutter, “Watch where you’re goin’, freak!” And walk away.
Celeste grumbled under her breath, but decided to just take a minute. She’d lean against the wall, hugging herself as she watched the busy street.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 3, 2022 18:25:25 GMT -5
The evening was going well enough, the pale Tiefling already three glasses of wine in and really happy with her vantage point. Many people came and went, enjoying their evening while she just watched, trying to not be bothered with the burdens of life. But reality came crashing back, as the need to use the bathroom arose. The wine was running right through her and mother nature was calling.
So Jester finished her glass of wine and made her way outside, attempting to locate the closest rest area. The streets were as crowded as ever, with various different types of people roaming around, shopping or partying. She even managed to eye a few road site stands she was interesting in checking out, after she returned from the bathroom of course.
As the woman made her way down the nearest side street, she arrived just in time to barely witness a odd encounter between a woman and a man. The man was familiar, at least by wardrobe alone, but the woman, who was now perching up against the wall, looked out of place, sticking out from the other locals. Jester eye brow raised as she gained instant interest in who this stranger was, and why she was standing on the side of the street alone.
"Hello there! Whatcha doing standing here all alone, ya might get trampled on by all these obnoxious men. You arnt from around here are you?"
She greeted the woman in a kind, gentle way, while still holding onto some of her hyper personality. She didn't want to scare the stranger anymore than she may have already been.
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 5, 2022 16:37:08 GMT -5
She got a couple of weird stares, but none of them had been interested enough to actually approach Celeste until the somewhat hyper tiefling girl. Celeste looked over at her for a second, a little hesitant about answering. “O-oh, I… Yeah, no I’m not. I guess I sort of…” Celeste sighs. “My idea of not standing out backfired completely, I guess.” She finally finishes. This girl seemed nice enough. “I’m from the Isles. Name is Celeste. Any idea where I can get some different clothing?” Celeste looked down at her grey dress. Though it really did fit her vibe as ‘dead girl’, it wasn’t quite fitting here. If anything, it was just gathering more attention.
Celeste looked up after a moment, and cleared her throat. “Oh, I am very sorry! I should probably introduce myself. Hello, I am Celeste.” She holds her hand out, though the hand looks weirdly pale, and almost translucent. One could tell from just looking at her, though, Celeste was not all ‘there’. Maybe it was the overstimulation of her surroundings, or her just generally being out of her comfort zone, but it really did just seem like she was just… Uncomfortable, and wanting to disappear… Ironic, really, for a ghost.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 5, 2022 20:40:02 GMT -5
This woman was adorably shy, definitely not from around here and it was obvious. Jester smiled and allowed a slight chuckle to escape her lips. It was definitely very overwhelming to walk the evening streets of Zeinav, especially for someone who had never visited the city. It was a lot to take in, and while the majority of people were nice, it was a chaotic place. The Tiefling struggled herself sometimes, with many of the local men thinking they were on top of the world. But something else seemed off about this woman, like maybe it was more than just a new city getting to her. Jester liked strangers and enjoyed turning them into friends.
"It is very lovely to meet you Celeste and welcome to Zeinav! My name is Jester, i'm kind of a loud mouth and a little annoying but I dont bite, I promise. "
The dancer leaned forward, gave a wink to the woman and shook her hand, being gentle and friendly all the while.
"As for your clothes, Im not sure where we can find you something different, but why would you want different clothes anyway? You look cute as is! Why don't we go find something to drink instead? And if you see a nice dress or something you like, i'll get it for ya! "
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 5, 2022 23:17:42 GMT -5
Celeste looked down at herself again. “I look so… Out of place,” Celeste argues. “Clearly I’m not the only one who finds that weird. Unless everyone here in Zeinav can just smell the foreigner on me?” Celeste muses, a small smirk sneaking through on her face. “Seriously, it’s been one dirty look after another. You’re the first one to actually treat me like a human being.”
Celeste takes a pause, and tilts her head. “I also don’t think you’re annoying at all. I would love to go get a drink with you.” Celeste holds her hand out towards the girl. “You’re gonna have to lead the way, of course. I have no idea where I’m going.”
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 6, 2022 0:13:21 GMT -5
Joy overwhelmed the Tiefling woman, Jester giving a small squeal of excitement as she quickly reached out and took Celeste by the hand, slowly pulling her in closer. She loved making friends, and really enjoyed bringing joy to others. This woman looked like she could use a friend and she wanted to be that friend. She began to lead the way, going at a steady pace and keeping Celeste close, occasionally weaving and turning through the crowds of people enjoying their night in Zeinav.
"Well you are so sweet. Lets go find you something pretty to wear, maybe a nice dress or a scarf. I'm going to show you a great night and welcome you to the greatest city in Charon the right away!"
Joy and happiness oozed from the woman, ready to introduce her favorite city to her new friend. However fate had other plans, for as they began to march down the street, hand in hand, Janus began to shift. Jester went blank as her mind and presence vanished, fading into the darkness as a new personality took over. Snapping back, their form began to shift, various different colors blending into a gray blob, before reforming into a completely different person. Where once stood Jester, an ashen skinned female Tiefling in dancers clothing, now stood a tall pale skinned elven man with long white hair and glowing white eyes. He wore a large set of armor made out of bone and fashioned with skulls and demonic images.
Cultist was now in charge.
He stopped walking, turned his head to look directly at Celeste and just stared at her for a moment. Realizing he was still holding her hand, he looked down, looked back up, looked down again, then instantly pulled back, as if he was sickened or harmed by the woman's hand. Looking back up to meet an almost assured surprised looking Celeste, Cultist only had one thought.
"Oh no, we didn't get married did we?"
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 6, 2022 0:29:20 GMT -5
Celeste followed, a grin on her face as she followed the adorably sweet Tiefling. They swerved through the crowd fairly quickly, and it took Celeste quite a bit to keep up with the girl. It came as quite a surprise when she just immediately stopped. Celeste made a noise of surprise as she bumped into her.
“Jester, what’s wrong…?” She questions, looking up finally as she spoke. Celeste watched the transformation, her expression turning from scared to confused to scared, within a very short amount of time. The man who remained in Jester’s place was… Attractive, sure. She looked him up and down as he did her, and pulled her hand away at the same time as he pulled his away.
“What the fu–” She said quietly as he presented the dumbest question in the universe.
“We didn’t get married did we?”
It took Celeste a moment to process what he said. She looked him up and down again, and despite her first thought being ‘Hey, he’s pretty hot’, she immediately panicked. “Where the hell is Jester?!” Celeste’s expression changed to fear and concern, and she stepped a bit closer to him, just to keep her voice down. “What…! You’re not Jester! How did I lose my first friend already?!”
Celeste began looking around. “She– how?!” She HAD to be around here somewhere, right? How did she lose her? They were holding hands the entire time!
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 6, 2022 2:55:31 GMT -5
The woman began to panic, a reaction he was use to, as most people tended to freak out when he took over. Watching a changeling randomly morph was not a common thing, so he understood. Luckily, this womans reaction and her odd appearance was proof enough, this was not Serra and he was in fact, not married. Calming down he gathered his wits, now focusing on the stranger. He had gotten quite good at calming down people.
"Woah my apologies, I thought you were some one else. Look, I know this is strange, from the sounds of it you were just talking to Jester, nice lady. This is gonna be a little difficult to explain so ummm...just try to bear with me ok"
Cultist began to stutter, trying to get the sentences out explaining what the hell was actually going on.
"This wont make a lot of sense, but I am Jester, well...she is me. We are the same person. Sometimes we just happen to switch places with each other. There is no need to be scared, I promise. Just ummm...tell me what you and Jester were doing, maybe I can pick up where she left off? Would that be soothing to you?"
He was trying hard, which was weird because public speaking was kind of his thing. He was a smooth talker, a passionate man who lead many to commit acts of evil and horror. He had faced off against demons and angels, cutting down the most vicious of enemies, and yet here he was getting choked up in front of a random stranger. He only hoped now that she would be calm and some what try to understand what had just happened.
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 6, 2022 15:32:48 GMT -5
Celeste had to take a few deep breaths so she could process everything as he spoke. She stared at the man as he spoke, her hands held up defensively in front of herself. She did not understand what was going on at all, so she kept staring until he was finally finished, and then she quietly cleared her throat. “Is— is she okay? Did I upset her somehow? Why did you two… switch? Will she come back?” She was still a little panicked, but at least she could speak total sentences now.
A few more deep breaths. “What um… what do I call you? Do you guys… share information? You don’t know who I am right? Do I reintroduce myself?” She keeps going on and on, to the point where she’s even annoying herself, so she shuts up. “W-we were… she was showing me the city. Bringing us to a bar. We were going to get a drink together….. Hi. I’m Celeste.” She finally says. Holding out her hand to him for a hand shake. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to panic.”
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 7, 2022 16:07:58 GMT -5
He hated this part, trying to explain everything to a stranger, it happened at least once a week and was a bothersome part of taking over. Luckily for him he was having to explain the situation to this attractive, sheepish woman, instead of a city guard, assassin or giant fucking demon. It could have been worse. His left arm moved up behind his head, allowing the tall man to get a little more comfortable with the encounter.
"It's confusing, I get it. Jester is fine and I'm sure she is not upset with you. We just have a very complicated relationship, one I'm not sure even I understand fully. You see, there are six of us that live inside this body, and every now and then, against our wills, we switch places."
He took a pause to let his words sink in, trying not to scare her while explaining a rather complicated process. Then it dawned on the man, he had not checked his location yet, something he made sure to do every time he took over. A quick glance from left to right revealed that he was now in Zeinav, a city he had not visited in years. This was exciting, a chance to let off some steam before heading back to Moon glade.
"Look, I understand I'm not exactly who you planned to spend the rest of this evening with. But I could also use a drink, and its been years since I sipped Zeinav's fine wine. If you will allow me, I would like to buy you a drink and make up for this confusion. Oh, well...you can call me Janus if you would like. That is what we all go by, me, Jester, and the others.
He was not about to reveal his real name, not yet.
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 7, 2022 18:34:55 GMT -5
“I… Think I’d like that.” She confirms, staring up at him, her expression still a little shocked and scared. Nonetheless, she wasn’t gonna back down from agreeing to this. “Um… Do you know the way? I… I have no idea where I’m going.” She looks around for a moment. “I think we were going this way…” She started walking in the direction she was looking.
Whether or not he was following, she continued on. She was not as swerve-y as Jester was. Plus, it didn’t look like she was exploring with anyone now, so when she bumped into someone, winced, and apologized, it wasn’t a surprise to her that one of them had taken it personally, and grabbed her arm.
“So–owh!” She winces. The man pulled her closer, growled something about watching where she was going, and subsequently pushed her into the floor. She cleared her throat as she stood up, glaring at the man as she dusted herself off, but just kept moving on. “Where am I going again..?” She mumbled. Gods, this place was far too crowded. It was clear how uncomfortable she was, plus it was a little bit obvious that she was trying not to look directly at the tall, possibly dangerous man that was - is? - Jester.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 7, 2022 20:05:54 GMT -5
Celeste took off, attempting to make her way down the lantern illuminated streets and locate the bar Jester was taking her to. Despite not knowing the location, the black clad woman continued anyway, looking down streets and avoiding other passer bys. Cultist smiled and followed after her, making sure to stay close. The crowds of people made it difficult, with random citizens passing in between them or just cutting them off. He did not have much of an issue, as most people tended to avoid really tall armored guys. Celeste however was not so lucky, as a large man not paying any attention bumped into the petite woman, almost knocking her to the ground.
She reeled, beginning to apologize as the stranger rudely called her out. The silver haired man had just arrived, seeing and hearing the interaction upon his approach. Eyes narrowed as he glared at the stranger, stepping up and placing himself between Celeste and the man. His bone armored hands grabbed the man by the shirt, pulling him close, their eyes locking as Cultist increased the tone of his voice, a deep undertone able to be heard.
"I saw you, ignored her and ran right into her, you piece of shit. Apologize to her right now or I will break all the bones in your legs and leave you right here. Maybe that will teach you not to bump into others. "
A small crowed was beginning to form around them, not too watch but to avoid getting caught up in whatever the hell was happening. He just scowled, giving off an intimidating presence as he awaited the mans apology.
|
|
Tradesfolk
127 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Celeste on Dec 7, 2022 20:45:02 GMT -5
That all happened way too fast. One second she was turning to go, and the next she sees the giant silver-haired man grabbing the overdressed rat by his shirt. “Oh! Uh…” Celeste stepped back a little, her hand covering her mouth while the other went to her stomach. “No, it-it’s… Janus, it’s fine. It’s normal here. I’m a foreigner, after all…” Her voice wasn’t quite loud enough to spear through all of the noise coming from the surrounding crowd, so she kind of just… watched.
“H-hey man! Your girl bumped into me!” The man tried to push himself away from Janus. “Get off me! You freak!” A bit more struggling, and the man looked towards Celeste instead. “Call your pet off!”
Celeste, honestly, watching the interaction, kind of holds a chuckle back. “Hey I just met him! He gave you clear instructions… And I really wouldn’t mind an apology.” She figured there was no sense in trying to talk Janus out of it, so… Why not just go with it?
“Ah hell, you’re both crazy!! Fine! I’m sorry!” The man struggles again, and with that, Celeste steps forward, gently placing her hand on Janus’ forearm. “He said it! We’re good now! It’s okay!” She was sort of hiding her face from the crowd, but it wasn’t like she could hide a lot. So much for keeping a low profile.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
Varies
Renown
Other / Decline to State
Varies
31 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Janus on Dec 7, 2022 21:51:36 GMT -5
Janus could not hear Celeste, more preoccupied with the stranger, and would most likely have chosen to ignore her advice if he did hear her. Cultist could be sweet and kind when needed, but he also had a horrid attitude and resulted to violence most times. Every instance of the stranger trying to look or speak to Celeste was met with Janus's grip getting tighter on his shirt, the sounds of stitching starting to tear could be heard as their faces got closer and closer. The realization that this armored man was not going to let go sank in, after seconds of protesting was finally followed by an apology. Appeased, Cultist let go, patted the man on the chest and smiled, turning to Celest who was now holding onto his forearm.
He turned, completely ignoring whatever it was the man decided to do or say next, most likely running to avoid any further disputes. His illuminated eyes rested upon Celeste as he slide his arm inwards, their hands meeting now, his fingers intertwining between hers.
"Best I stay close this time, don't want you getting bumped or knocked down again. If my memory is intact, there should be a nice little drinking spot just down the road. "
His grip tightened around her hand, not in a painful way, but enough to ensure she was not swept away by strangers. After a gentle smile Janus began to walk down the street, making their way back to the bar Jester had been sitting in previously. Unknown to him a reserved table and an opened tap awaited the duo.
|
|