[ OPEN ]

[daemonized]

Who: Ardyn Izunia (daemonized) & YOU!
When: Event things! All throughout October.
Where: All around.
Warning(s): None... yet. Will add if necessary.



i. market district;

[He wasn’t nearby when the explosion had shook the market district, though panic spreads quickly, and the aftermath of such an event is impossible to ignore. Even more so for Ardyn, being part of the royal guard — being delegated orders to provide aid and investigate, it is his own curiosities that truly drive him farther into the area to assist. Granted, his form of “assistance” might be lacking compared to those who are rushing to and fro, enveloped in a frantic need of wanting to help. Instead, it’s easier for him remain calm, more unaffected, eyes taking in the area with a sense of detachment that’s perhaps less than appropriate for the situation at hand. If you need to talk to him, he’s easy enough to spot in the crowd. More specifically, a few things that take place are:

A.) An elderly man, a vendor whose wares had been toppled over completely in the explosion, requires help retrieving his goods now strewn all about the street. Textiles and clothing of various colors, one of which seems to hang high up, caught on the corner of a rooftop of a nearby building. It billows, not unlike a flag flying in the breeze. Ardyn cranes his head up to look at it. Then he says, to the person closest to him:]

Be so kind as to retrieve that for me, will you? I’ve already my hands full.

[And so it seems he does, various unravelled yards of cloth hanging over his arm.

B.) There are, of course, looters. As to be expected, people who would take advantage of tragedy for their own benefit, and the ironic part is that Ardyn generally would not care. And yet there are a couple of young men who are being so bold as to do so right in front of him — only down the street, where they appear to be scrounging around another vendor’s (not currently present) property: an array of decorative items, small enough to be thrown into a bag and carried off nonchalantly. Covered in filigree and adorned with precious gems. Certainly possessing high enough market value to sell for a quick profit.

It’s easy enough for Ardyn to close the distance, of course. A flash of magic, sword in his hand, and suddenly he’s warped from where he was standing to directly in front of one of the men — blade pressed up against his throat. The other looter freezes in shock, mid-crouch, in the midst of picking up a shiny bauble to steal.

The smile Ardyn gives them is… amused, but a little disconcerting.]

At least wait until the cover of night like proper thieves.

[If the second man is slowly reaching for a dagger at his hip, there’s zero indication of Ardyn either noticing or caring. What do you do, passerby?]

ii. red light district;

[Now it’s time for an investigation proper, and who says that all manner of secrets and rumors do not eventually make their way to the red light district? This is where you can find Ardyn tonight, skulking through alleyways and hovering near the edges of crowds, sometimes asking around, sometimes not. He is, of course, dressed in plain clothes, a hundred times more subdued than his usual tastes. No guard uniform, no outfit from Eos to turn any heads. Only Ardyn, looking like a commoner, hair tied back. His only indulgence is a maroon scarf, hanging loosely around his neck.

He is absolutely drawn to the sight of individuals speaking in hushed whispers, for often times they are not being as discreet as they believe. This time, it’s two women, huddled in an darkened alleyway, and Ardyn eyes them from where he stands. He catches something about “Wyver”, but will have to draw closer to hear anything more.

Are you a fellow refugee wanting to unravel this mystery further? Join him in figuring out a creative way to move closer without drawing any unwanted attentions. The women do seem to be on the lookout for anyone snooping around. Alternately, he may speak to you first, muttering:]

Just how inconspicuous can you be?

iii. wildcard;

[Open for future threads, or any prompts that you’d prefer to play out if none of these work! I can be found at aurajen to plot further if you’d like!]

Comments

[lahaine]

Ta gueule! [ The French left her lips as a guttural sound of hostility.

Self control was not in her dictionary. Nor was the word "surreptitiousness." Never in a million years would a country girl like herself be able to figure out the meaning of such a word. Admitting that would be proving his point though.

Instead she resorted aggression and flashy displays of violence. Which was what she had just attempted to do to her companion. Though she found he wasn't intimidated at all. ] Geh. Unwanted attention? I don't care about that at all. Those dimwits can be as attentive as they like, it matters little if they are decapitated or burnt to a crisp. [ A pause. ] Christ, don't tell me you are one of those righteous types that actually care about their lives. Please, after we hear what they have to say, what good are they to us? [ Implying that she would go after innocent people on a whim. While she held a disregard for most life, her plans for mass extinction of man was certainly hot air. ]

[daemonized]

[He doesn't speak French, so whatever she said escapes him. Ardyn is still obviously observant enough to know that it isn't anything good; thankfully, it slides off of him like water of a chocobo's back.]

Not only are you hot-headed, but you're quick to jump to assumptions. [Ardyn? Oh-so concerned about a loss of life? Good heavens, no. Maybe once upon a time, but these days he possesses a detachment that's quite disturbing.]

Some of us do care about reputation, for what else do we have in this world if not that? Are you so eager to be branded as someone so unreliable that no one would go to you for help if they needed it? Someone violent, someone inclined to murder? [He huffs in amusement.]

Inclinations that are forever better kept to yourself.

[lahaine]

[ Reputation? People honestly cared about that nonsense?

Even that trashy holy woman cared fairly little about how people thought of her. Even when exonerated after her death, that woman didn't seem to change her attitude. Needless to say, reputation was certainly not something Jeanne in any iteration cared about at all.

His questions sounded halfway hypothetical as she gave a slight shrug in response. Her annoyed expression peering at him until he was finished talking. Christ he was wordy. ] Ufufufuf~ You speak as if the title "dragon witch" would not already be synonymous with those things.

[ He has his answer then. She was quick murder, though oddly enough she was more reliable than one would think, even if she didn't want to admit such a thing. ] Well then, how are you going to get the information?

[daemonized]

Dragon witch? [And, to be both teasing and patronizing:] And which of the two are you?

[He laughs at his own comment, obviously unbothered if he happens to offend her or otherwise. That much should be obvious by now.]

Magic, obviously. The deceptive sort.

[lahaine]

Both. [ Came the hiss from her lips as she began to realize that this annoying man seemed to be speaking in a fairly practiced condescending manner. She was merely feeding right into it.

He wanted to do this his way. Or no way at all it seemed. While stubborn, she wasn't a complete idiot. She would relent. Sort of. ] Fine, say we did do it your way, what's the plan? [ She couldn't just agree outright, now could she? ]

[daemonized]

[Such is his habit. She'll either get used to it, or she'll never speak to him again or try to maul him. You know, no big deal.]

Well, that depends. Either you can stand back and watch, or you can be the one to do the infiltrating, if you think you can play nice and stay mostly silent. Listening is key, I don't need you shedding blood when such extra effort is so unnecessary.

[lahaine]

[ Truth be told, she did have a little bit of experience with this. A certain mission where she had to attend a soiree, in a dress, comes to mind. ] Hmph, fine. We will try it your way, but if it goes wrong, I won't hesitate to burn the whole place down. Got it?

[ She will save mauling him for plan B, for now... ]

[daemonized]

Very well. Come this way, then.

[He waves her into a different alleyway, one away from prying eyes.]

If this doesn't work, you have my permission to burn down as much as you like.

[MAYBE A GUARD SHOULDN'T BE SAYING THAT, BUT HERE THEY ARE.]

Now then, before we do this, do you have a name?

[lahaine]

Ah, fine. [ Now he was speaking her language.

After they had reached an agreement she would follow after him when he beckoned. She paid little mind to the comment he made, as she got the feeling he held a pretty high disregard for life as she. He just tended deal in clever plans, when she was much more straightforward.

Disgusting. What was it about old men and elaborate schemes? ]

Avenger. [ She wasn't very well going to give out her real name all willy nilly, was she? ]

[daemonized]

[And here, she'll just get a skeptical look.]

A name, not a title.

[lahaine]

[ That was her name...well...without giving away her true identity. Glowering at him, she went over all her other "names". Avenger, dragon witch...they all did sound rather title-y. ]

Jeanne Alter. [ She finally would state. Following it up quickly with - ] Do not confuse me with that holy woman Jeanne d'Arc. We may share a face and name, but that is all we share.

[daemonized]

I don't know who Jeanne d'Arc is, so no need to worry about that.

[There is no name prevalent on Eos, that much is for certain.]

You have no issues looking like a beggar, I hope? I shall disguise, placing a figurative veil of magic around your person, Jeanne Alter. Everyone shall see you as a woman of little consequence.

[lahaine]

[ No...Jeanne d'Arc where he was from? There seemed to almost be a feeling of relief that washed over her. She did not have to worry about living in the shadow of that trashy holy woman, when there was nothing to compare to begin with.

As for the beggar, it mattered little to her... ] Tch, my status was never anything more than a country girl anyway.

[ A small shrug was given as she sneered, indicating she was fine with this glamour. ]

[daemonized]

[Well, then that's all he needs to know. (The name, really, was just a curiosity. He didn't have to know it, but when faced with stubbornness, he can be just as bullheaded back.)]

Very well. Then you shall appear to others as nothing more than a beggar. Clothed in rags, a miserable-looking fate placed upon you. None shall look at you, because no one will want anything to do with you; you will be, so to speak, invisible.

[There's no fancy incantation or even Ardyn waving a hand. There is only a bend in the pressure of the air, a buzzing, a feeling like one's ears may pop. A shift, and suddenly, to everyone around, she will appear to be as Ardyn stated. A beggar.]

There. Now, go eavesdrop like only a beggar can.

[lahaine]

[ An unassuming beggar woman, not nearly as stylish as Jeanne would have hoped, but then again what did she expect. Casting him a scowl, even while shrouded in this glamour magic, she would set off to position herself in a way that that dictated meek. Though such a quality was never in her skillset, or even her vocabulary.

Hobbling towards the crowd, she blended into the landscape, keeping her eyes and ears open, while trying to hard to keep her mouth shut. One wrong move from someone, and this "old hag" might just "accidentally" start burning things down. ]

[daemonized]

[Fortunately there is no reason for this "old hag" to give into her pyromaniac tendencies. If she deems to draw near the women who were gossiping just minutes before, she will manage to pick up some mutterings about something or other-- something about "Wyver" again.

Hang around for a bit longer, and they'll be whispering something about this sickness, the explosion, having happened there as well. Or so rumor would have it.]

[lahaine]

[ Boring, boring, nothing of note... She would find herself leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her bust as she eavesdropped on the world around her. Eyes were narrowed, but keenly aware of those in the area and what they were doing.

Speaking of which, those two nimrods from before seemed to be at it again, prompting Jeanne to amble in their direction to get a closer listen. It seemed they were talking about Wyver. Hopefully they had more than that, lest she light a fire under their ass... ]

[daemonized]

[She's going to be bored to tears, unfortunately. They talk a bit about Wyver, wondering what the state of the city must be like if they did suffer through a similar attack. But beyond that? It's just the normal gossip between two chattering people.

Meanwhile, Ardyn waits patiently for her to a) either return or b) to see smoke billowing up from where she wandered off to, setting things ablaze.]

[lahaine]

[ Bored to tears was an understatement. She had half a mind to blow the whole block up - lest that actually prove to be entertaining. However, she knew that by doing so she would lose all hope of acquiring any sort of information, and possibly dispelling this irksome glamour.

Instead, she would haughtily amble back towards the man, her expression alerting him to her demeanor as she approached. ] It didn't work. [ That was a rather broad statement. ]

[daemonized]

[And with that comes a skeptical look.]

Meaning...?

[lahaine]

[ A roll of her eyes. Was he this stupid? ]

Meaning they didn't talk about much of anything interesting. [ A beat. ] Much...of anything, that is.

They did mention Wyver, the explosion, the sickness, how it has struck Wyver. Rumors mostly, I think...

[ That was what she could remember as relevant. ]

[daemonized]

Wyver as well?

[A rumor may be a rumor, and it may also be something that amounts to nothing. But Ardyn stores this little tidbit in the back of his mind, and isn't so quick to call it a failure unlike her.]

Interesting. You've gleaned some information. You should be proud of yourself. And see? No bloodshed required.

[A wave of his hand and the glamour disperses. She's back to normal now, for all to see her as she really is.]

[lahaine]

[ He has a point, but she couldn't say she wanted to make a habit out of playing dress up and listening to people. A soft, ] Tch. [ From her lips at his words. ]

Christ, sounds to me like someone has a plan to destroy everything. Hmph, disgusting.

[daemonized]

So seems to be the case.

[Not that Ardyn seems terribly bothered by this revelation. Where she radiates annoyance, he only seems as flippant as ever.]

But for what reason, I wonder? Those who seek to destroy the lives of many must be motivated by something very poignant.

[lahaine]

[ An impish grin. ] Vengeance. [ She could talk about hatred all day, she seemed to possibly understand why someone would want to obliterate everything. ]

Wrath. Hatred. Spite. Hahahaha! Perhaps they are merely playing God and realized that those brought here, mankind, were never worthy to begin with.

[ The bitterness in her tone made it seem like this, or something like this, was extremely personal. ] Disgusting. If it is something like that, I would have to burn them alive.