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[Keith wasn't. Exactly sure about taking on a Cree quest with Lance. He'd yet to talk to Lance about his dealings with that guy -- it was sort of a secret? On the other hand, Lance had never asked so there wasn't much to discuss. His only misgiving about the task is that -- doing it with Lance, but he hadn't put up much resistance. If he's dabbling in Cree tasks, Keith would prefer being his partner though it.

Currently, he's crouched behind a large boulder of sorts. They have the advantage -- roosting on a hill provides a nice overlay of Shaman ambling about. It may be part of a ritual, maybe they're disembarking from a rite. Whatever the case may be, Keith's clutching his knife, Blade outfit concealing his form from head to toe.]

You wait here.

[It's a muffled command, focused on a pair of those priests departing from the group.]

[ first off: how's lance supposed to know to ask about cree in the first place? ya turd.

second off: it's not like it seems terribly sketchy... sure, the guy in charge is a little strange, and he kept giving keith weird looks the entire time, but lance just assumed it was because of keith's inherent prettiness or whatever, and thus he kind of postured a little needlessly throughout the entire exchange.

but now cree is nowhere to be found, and it's just the two of them, and some poor unsuspecting preachers. had they been meant to kill, lance would have pointed out that he could have easily taken out their targets from where they sat, but since this is just meant to be reconnaissance...

he nods, miming zipping his lips for stealth

and then proceeds to speak anyway. ]

Remember we just need their clothes. Don't kill them.

[Oh? I'm sorry. Are you the fucking FAQ. Do you have something to say to me?

Second, Keith's not petty. He's real and strong and he's your boyfriend. The zipper-lip thing? Amazing. He's stepping away when Lance supplements that with words and unnecessary instructions. Keith's here to get the job done, not fumble his way through and screw up like last time....

Though it is odd, having to maybe assassinate the dragon marriage guys.]

No promises, just stay quiet.

[That's the real priority, making Lance shut up. He's leaving now...sit and stay...]

[ keith slips away too quickly to catch how lance's expression flattens, because that's definitely not a funny joke, keith! (at least, it had better be a joke.)

nevertheless, he endeavors to be a good partner anyway, keeping quiet as he inches a bit closer to get a good look at their targets... and to make sure he won't have to intervene.

don't make him do it, turd... ]

[He's slipping behind various trees along the way -- waiting for a good time to slip in. It comes once the Shaman have both passed him. It's a come-from-behind attack, cowardly if only pulled in actual battle.

He'll take the legs out from underneath one, knock him forward into the second priest. They both fall, both have a knife in their face before they can properly interpret the situation...not that they even could? There's a creepy knifepointing dude in their face. One of the two lifts his hands in the universal sign of submission and a large part of Keith doesn't think it's good enough.

The other Shaman seems to be fumbling for something. Keith proceeds with a demand of keeping his hands exposed -- the Shaman responds with something he can't quite make out, prompting him to slam knock the guy onto his back, foot pressed heavily to his chest.

The first shaman's being pinned in place with that blade still. He's compliant enough, this douchebag underfoot, though...]

[ yeeeeeah, that went about as well as lance thought it would. he spares a moment to just roll his eyes in exasperation before hopping out from his hiding place. keith's got the shaman's handled for the most part, but he'll probably be needing help soon, especially since they're about to essentially take these guys' clothes.

his own bayard powers up as he approaches them, aimed directly at the second shaman's chest. ]

I wouldn't, my man. [ he saw you trying to reach into your pockets, dude... ] My boyfriend here's pretty stabby-happy, so it's probably not a good idea to tempt him, hm?

[He's about to blurt out Lance's name, try to keep him at bay, but he does not. Identifying him by name would be bad...and just as bad is: the fact that these shaman guys know what he looks like?!

Which is superbly bad. The only reason he's not carving their throats open at the moment is because it'd soil their costumes. Bloody robes won't do well for being incognito. He'll go ahead and slam his shaman's temple into the nearest rock -- and there are a lot of them, luckily. He's knocked out cold pretty readily.

As for the triflin one, he's swinging his blade around and stabbing it through his closest hand, which is what he gets for being a sneaky bitch. He's, of course, screaming now and poised to garner some amount of attention for it; a fist finds his jaw asap, rendering him in a similar state to the first guy.

There.]

You weren't supposed to come out!

[So much for being helpful........]

[ yeah, so much for that. lance winces empathetically when both shamans go down, staring at their immobile bodies long after the last twitch of consciousness had gone out. he lowers his hand, bayard disappearing in a flash of light. ]

I thought you could use some help, okay? I didn't like the look of Twitchy McHideshishands over here. [ he nods towards the nearest shaman. fortunately, neither of them are really bleeding....... ]

[Keith's also aware of how little Lance cares for injuring people who don't really deserve it. He doesn't like having him involved in this to any extent -- not even just because he's a liability. Twitchyhands gets a look; it's a reference he understands..!]

...Take your robes. [Defeated; he'll do the same, peeling off the hooded veil and cape that've only been slightly sullied. His mask deactivates with that.] If you're lucky, they won't remember what happened when they wake up.

You gave them both some pretty good bonks to the head, so I think chances are pretty high...

[ he is sorry, though. that he hecked up.

just not out loud, apparently.

taking his own robes, lance quickly starts to shrug them on. fortunately they're loose enough that it doesn't look completely weird over his paladin armor. if anything, he just looks like a weirdly buff priest. ]

How do I look? Priest-y?

[He's still thinking about injuring them even further, but the cons to that outweigh the pros.

Whatever. He's disrobing his guy, redressing himself over his bodysuit, trying to remember all the little details of how things were tucked and such -- it really doesn't matter The garments fit him like a dress.

It'd still be nice to have a mirror handy.]

You look -- [A glance over...and over.] try slouching a little.

[The Shaman don't look so dorito-ey. Lance has that Buff Shiro Look going on because of his armor...it's like a corset for guys.]

[ he blinks a few times before glancing down at himself. ]

Slouching? [ he hunches his shoulders a little, but all it serves to do is sort of make it look like he has a hunched back. ]

Like this?

[Now he just looks aggressive and built at the same time somehow.]

...Y..no? There might not be much you can do about it.

[Whatever. Shaman should come in all shapes and sizes. At least the robes cover him. Keith just looks especially scrawny beside him.]

Let's get moving. We'll have to find some high ground to figure out where we're supposed to be.

Don't worry, [ lance says, in a tone that usually means you should probably be worrying, ] I can totally act. I once got out of school for three weeks, and I wasn't even sick! [ look, he's gonna keep telling that story till someone believes him okay.

he waves a hand in his partner's direction, the long sleeves of the preacher robes flapping over his fingers. ]

We just gotta perform a couple of ceremonies and we're in the clear, right? Easy-peasy! I remember my vows like they were yesterday.

[ Well. Cain can see why Cree's paired them up. Lance seems like he's one word away from getting himself caught. Cain's not the most skilled actor there is, but he's at least pretty good at extricating himself from trouble once he gets into it, which he suspects is the skill that's going to be needed here. Oh well. Lance at least seems confident enough, so they can give the whole acting gig a try.

Though he does take a step forward and roll Lance's sleeves up twice, the same way he's done for his own. Having ill-fitting robes will give them away for sure. ]

Wedding vows? You're a little young for that, aren't you?

[ wow, he's not that bad! mostly...............

he frowns a little at the other's fussing. he was going for the mysterious, wizened wizard look, cain! but he supposes it makes more sense for them to match, if they're meant to be a pair. ]

I'm eighteen, [ he answers, puffing up a little. ] That's, like. Totally a grown up age. [ ... ]

I guess it is.

[ What can Cain say to that? When he was eighteen... when he was eighteen, his country was falling apart around him. He was throwing himself into any sort of cause he could find, joining the army, becoming a general of Idelva; compared to that, what's a wedding? In Wyver, it's not really a wedding, anyway.

He doesn't let his dire thoughts show on his face, just laughs and holds out his own sleeves to be adjusted. ]

So, what's your pact partner like?

[ shh.... it's a wedding in their hearts. and considering lance has been trying to fight a war against an alien empire with only like eight other people since he was seventeen, a wedding's pretty easy-peasy for him too.

but look at that! they're bonding. lance will return the favor, expertly mimicking cain's gestures from before. ]

Keith? Ah, he's way cool... Definitely the kinda guy you want having your back, you know?

Keith... Keith. Huh, that sounds familiar.

[ Cain scrunches his nose as he thinks. He waits until Lance has finished rolling up his sleeves, and then he goes to tap a finger to his chin, still trying to remember... Keith. Someone you'd want having your back.

And then it comes to him. Could that really have been...? ]

Keith. This tall [ He waves a hand over his own head, at Keith's height ], black hair, grumpy, has a very shiny knife?

Alright, so we're probably gonna need a plan first.

[ look at this. he's such a good leader. hand him the black paladin suit already, dreamworks, you cowards.

lance is standing a little off to the side from where they had just met with voss, idly playing with the purple crystal in his hand like it were some kind of organic fidget spinner. he's never met his soon-to-be partner before, but he seems like a decent enough guy; or at least, lance assumes so, because you'd kind of have to be to want to do something nice like this, right? right!

still, it'd probably be a good idea to get an idea of what they can and can't do together, before running off like a psycho, keith. ]

[ if anyone can help her learn a little bit (more like a lot) about dating then lance feels like the type of guy she should go to about it. sure, there might be some others she could ask, but he feels like he's the safest bet.

and they both know the person she's suddenly started dating, too. once she hunts him down, a2 doesn't hesitant in approaching him in the street. ]

I need your help. [ words she did not imagine saying anytime soon. ]

[ she catches him right as he's about to head home from a grocery run, so his hands are laden with bags. he blinks at her a few times, worried for a second, but considering she doesn't seem particularly distressed (not that she... ever does......) he assumes it isn't too terribly dire. ]

Uh, hi to you too, A2.

What's up?

[ dating is srs business.

at least for her. only because she doesn't know how it works so it's slightly stressful. ]

What do you do with a boyfriend?

[ yo.... he feel that tho... ]

Uh.

[ that's. that's such a broad question though?? is she asking him what he does with keith specifically??! that's kinky, a2... ]

How do you mean... Like. For funsies?

[ lance holds out his hands, one crystal in each as he and eggsy look them over. voss has long since departed by now, leaving them to whatever plan they'll inevitably concoct, but for the moment lance finds himself undecided. ]

So what're you feeling?

[ he lifts the green crystal, then the peach crystal. ]

Shapeshifter or a human yawn?

[ having friends in olympia has often been a blessing and a curse. work and other personal responsibilities have kept him from making the journey to visit as often as he'd like, but the phones have done well enough to keep him in contact with those he needs to. even if, sometimes, it's for the worse.

of course it would only make sense that a celebration in wyver over the war wouldn't mean quite the same thing as it does in olympia, but it never actually occurred to lance until just hearing about it, which of course promptly sent him into a bit of a sulk for the rest of the week. he is reminded, once again, of this looming feeling weighing heavily over him, that this peace is temporary, that any second now the tentative bonds they'd all established will be tested and snapped.

it's thoughts like these that take him down the ruddy streets of wyver, carrying a bundle of bamboo stalks from a vendor in his arms. he's meant to bring them home for junior, but his feet keep walking around aimlessly, every other step or so punctuated by a heavy sigh. ]

[The journey between Olympia and Wyver is a pain - and it's only going to get worse. Takasugi isn't planning on getting too caught up in any one side of the impending war, but regardless; travel will only get more difficult as time goes on and tensions rise from sparks to a pyre.

Not that he's letting any future inconveniences dull his enjoyment of the festival.

He's always been fond of public celebrations.

So many opportunities - for alcohol, for mingling with all sorts, for sewing chaos.

Takasugi's intentions don't stray into the disastrous, this time.

For now, he's content with the first two; liquor laces his breath, and a lone traveler - too glum to suit the mood - has just crossed his path.]

Going around with such a pathetic face is pretty dangerous. You never know what someone will try to drag you into-

[ even a naturally social animal like lance can grow pretty weary of celebrations, mostly when they can span for an entire month. maybe he went a little too hard those first few nights, but this evening finds him more willing to retreat into his own thoughts

that is until someone drags him out of it. ]

Huh?

[ he looks up, blinking owlishly at the other.

wait, did this guy just insult him? he frowns slightly, eyes squinting. ]

Who're you calling pathetic? [ not his face, sir! ]

[Wide eyes meet a steady stare, too fixated for the casual posture Takasugi wears. Seems he's caught the other man lost in thought - it's as easy to isolate oneself as it is to cut loose when it comes to parties.

If everyone but you is having fun, there's no where else to retreat but a back alley and whatever worries you.]

You.

[No denying it. Takasugi offers a smile, though not with the intent of dampening his bluntness.]

What happened?

Get dumped? [A shot in the dark.]

[ lance's frown deepens out of reflex, but he doesn't seem too put off. likely because his mind is still working to drag himself out of his own thoughts to be properly insulted. ]

No, [ he huffs. ] Just thinking, that's all.

[ he starts to look around, only just now noticing how empty the streets are. ]

Are you lost or something?

[ he can't imagine why anyone would want to be out there on their own, when there's a party happening elsewhere.

...

anyone else, anyway. ]

[Looking around, like he's seeing the alley for the first time, this guy isn't in the best position to accuse someone else of being lost.

Takasugi shakes his head, turning to lean against one of the porous walls made more of vine than stone.] Not really.

Just wandering.

[He reaches into his yukata, pulling out a pipe and a small satchel of tobacco. Setting to packing the bowl, he rests his gaze on his company in the narrow street.] What about you? Doubt you'll escape those thoughts of yours just by pacing the back roads.

[ lance looks up from the smoking pipe with a mild expression, and lifts his hands to direct the other's attention to the bags of bamboo he'd been carrying. ]

Got a mouth to feed at home, so I figured I'd multitask.

[ he eyes the other man a little curiously. ]

What makes you think I'd wanna escape my thoughts?

[Curiosity meets a dull stare; Takasugi regards the bamboo with little interest, and the question with similar apathy.]

Why avoid the festivities? [Passing through them should led the comfort of a bustling city... unless one is too glum to do anything but repel the atmosphere.

Or smuggling.

Takasugi gives the bamboo a second glance, and places his pipe in his mouth.]

( open )

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cain | playing preacher

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kagari | safe haven

hi lance

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eggsy | safe haven

takasugi | wildcard

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