what is your name? what is your quest?

[adelphoi]

Who: alisaie (adelphoi) & a whole bunch of youse guys
What: january catch-all! COME GETCHUR QUESTS.
When: all month
Where: errywhar
Warning(s): ??? idiots probably, also violence probably, will update if necessary



[ prompts will come in the comments below!! ]

Comments

blinded with science; CLOSED to team members

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie wishes she could say she were not a vengeful girl. and when it comes down to it, when measured against her other, more prominent traits, no, she really isn't particularly spiteful, but still when an opportunity arises to screw over evras, you had better believe that she's right there and ready to roll. anything that would potentially lead to his comeuppance is an opportunity worth seizing, most especially if it means crippling or halting the development of such terrible weapons.

nope, she's definitely not salty..

at any rate, it certainly helps that she had spent so much time in this building while she lived in olympia. unsurprisingly to everyone, alisaie was a tryhard overachiever, and she tended to work late into the night, so she's quite familiar with its corridors and passageways. still, she'll elect for a more subtle approach. it's entirely possible that she will be recognized by other employees, or by evras himself, considering how closely she worked with him, and given the fact that she'd openly worn an obvious wyver ribbon at the gala..

.. yeah, far better to keep her head down. so it's nightfall before they move out, entering through a side door with a faulty lock - it seems in all the mayhem, they've yet to replace it, a gamble she had been betting on. when the door swings open she breathes a sigh of relief, and turns toward her stalwart comrades, speaking low and soft. ]

The archives are not far from here, and this time of night the halls should be quiet, but let us keep eyes and ears open and mouths shut nonetheless.

[ she's definitely not naming any names here prompto argentum ]

ZOINKS

[punshots]

[ Prompto may not have as personal of a grudge as Alisaie does, but boy, does he have a grudge. It takes a lot to make him mad, truly mad in a way that gets underneath his skin and makes his blood boil, but Evras has done it. Orchestrating something like the manufacturing of that plague...it's inexcusable, and Prompto watched too many people he cares about suffer because of it.

It's totally revenge, bitches. ]

Got it. Silent as the grave. [ ... ] Let's not take that too literally.

[ And okay, he knows that was mostly said at him so HE'S SHUTTING UP NOW, and he mimes zipping up his lips and throwing away the key. He can be stealthy when it matters!! ]

[verflair]

[ Somebody write this down. This is the day X’rhun Tia is not wearing red.

Well, okay, he’s not wearing much red, since the rapier and crystal at his hips are still the color of his chosen school of magic, but the rest of him is dressed quite plainly, if only so he doesn’t garner too much attention should someone glimpse his way.

Mostly he’s here to insure the safety of his young charges, but he will admit to a personal desire to dig up the Institute’s dirty secrets. That disease caused a lot of suffering, and even mentions of it still strike a personal chord.

Currently, his ears are perked up, swiveling every which way as he tries to keep an ear out for voices or approaching footsteps.

Softly, ]

Do please choose your words better next time, Prompto.

[crosspear]

[Gaius is usually content with his position as a member of the Royal Guard, but he's particularly thankful for it now. Thanks to his work, he has plenty of dark clothes to wear. He's dressed from head to toe, jacket, shirt, pants, shoes...all in black. The only thing with him that wasn't black was his hawk, Zeo, who now rests outside, watching. Waiting.

He's not here for revenge himself. There are good reasons for it, sure, but his primary goal here is to assist his friends as much as possible. He's quiet as can be, feeling the wind, reading the air. A floor above, he can sense movement. A few rooms over, something small scurrying. Nothing to worry about yet. The elements in the air? Balanced.

He pats Prompto on the shoulder.]

I understand what you were trying to say. [But moving on immediately:] There's nothing stirring the air unexpectedly. We won't be running into a crowd tonight unless we're unlucky.

ALISAIE/PROMPTO ft. a creepo face

[punshots]

So...what sort of things should we be lookin' for?

[ She is the former Institute employee, after all, and she'll know better than any of them what might be noteworthy. Prompto is hoping for something a little more...exciting than looking through books and files. What else have they been cooking up in this lab? Not that he wants to find something terrible. Just...something useful. And maybe kind of exciting. This is basically like real-life Agents Quicksilver and Ivy, okay? Let him have this.

All the same, he can't help but glance over his shoulder ever few moments to make sure no one is behind them. It wouldn't do to get caught now, when they've come so far. ]

[adelphoi]

Well..

[ she says, through a soft exhale. the archives may not be enormous, but they are big enough, and packed with all sorts of things - tokens and relics, thick files and manuscripts, preserved things.. gods, what she wouldn't give to have an entire week to pick over this place, but that is not a luxury they can afford, at last. their time is short. ]

Most things should be dated, and we are looking for recent studies. New developments. Things regarding the attack, and what weaponry or intelligence they may be working on.

[punshots]

Got it.

[ Prompto pointedly does not go looking for any files, even if they may indeed have some useful information in them. No, instead he looks for objects, for noteworthy items that may be clues to something larger. "Key items", if you will.

He starts to pick through a box that appears to be filled with pieces of twisted metal. Nothing remarkable so far, nothing identifiable. ]

We sure this isn't just where someone left their garbage?

preaching in a material world (gem hunting 2.0!); OPEN

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie is not necessarily greedy or materialistic, but she had been born into financial privilege that she had absolutely taken for granted before arriving on el nysa. since the day she was born she has never particularly wanted for anything, and even after defying her father's wishes in traveling to eorzea, he had not cut off his childrens' access to the family's notably deep coffers. anything she had needed, within reason, she had been able to acquire. that is not necessarily the case any longer.

and that is fine. alisaie does not mind having to work for her gil; it certainly offers a sense of self-satisfaction, even if the time it takes her to acquire it cuts into the time she would rather spend researching el nysa, and the storm.

nevertheless, complaints don't put food on the table, and odd jobs like this are perfect to break the monotony of your usual nine-to-five job.

so here she is, stripped down to her smallclothes at the edge of a lagoon, stretching her limbs in preparation for the dive. it's getting a bit chilly for swimming these days, so.. best to enjoy what time she has left to enjoy it. ]

You needn't worry, the water's enchantment is not permanent.

[ pay no mind to her impish grin.. ]

[notwagging]

[ warily, he eyes the water. he eyes Alisaie. already he's starting to see a pattern: where there's an unnecessary bath, there is also an Elezen. one who is very smart, who could easily take advantage of innocent and precocious doggos? and this is why he's... sticking a toe into the water, the cold making him immediately pull his foot back and recoil into a sitting position, legs crossed.

OH AND THAT SMILE ISN'T EARNING HER ANY MORE TRUST, so sneaky! sneaky. ]

What do you meant, enchantment.

[ his tail is still and curled behind him. ]

[adelphoi]

[ even innocent and precious doggos need baths!! especially gross ones that love to roll around in filth..

but this isn't about baths, puppy, it's about money! from where she's treading water in the lagoon, alisaie breaks into a laugh when he recoils from the touch of the water. oh come now don't be such a guppy, keaton. ]

These waters can have some.. interesting effects. Nothing dangerous, I assure you.

[ doesn't it make you want to come in?? ]

[notwagging]

[ well... she's clearly alive and doesn't seem to be horribly disfigured by the water. that's a plus. biting his bottom lip, he quietly slips his boots and gloves off, once again dipping a toe into the water.

if the water could scream, it probably would.

he takes short breaths as he treads into the water, feet and ankles now completely submerged as he takes tiny steps. very meek ones. his tail stays as high as possible as he reaches the point of No Return, where his fur would easily get wet...

and he stops. ]

What kind of effects?

[ he's already basically halfway in and now he's asking. why? because he is a dingus. ]

[foolsvessel]

[ if you don't have swimwear, just use your underwear. minako made sure to bring in spares and she's stretching out, almost as if she's getting prepared to swim for a long time. well. she doesn't know how long she's going to be swimming for so it works.

raising an eyebrow, she tilts her head at alisaie. ]

What do you mean by that? [ it makes her a little nervous to go into the water now. so far, the water she's drank and bathed in have been fine. then again, they were from towns and in her own home so she didn't need to worry about unfiltered water.]

[adelphoi]

[ oh dear child, unfiltered is the last thing you need to worry about.. alisaie's mouth curves into a coy smile. ]

Ah, have you never visited these pools? The waters are enchanted.

[ she could be making this story up to be a menace, but fortunately, she doesn't have to. it's entirely true. alisaie doesn't seem terribly perturbed, however, she's already approaching the edge of the lagoon. ]

But 'tis nothing painful or permanent, you've nothing to worry about.

[foolsvessel]

[ her eyes widen and she glances at the water, now curious to see what sort of enchantments it has. ]

Woah... that's cool. [ and she knows that she can trust alisaie about this. so far, she's never done anything to prove herself to not be trustworthy.

stretching out a little, there's a faint grin spreading out on her lips. ] So what do you think we will find out here?

disturbing the dead (tales from the crypt); OPEN

[adelphoi]

[ now this is exciting.

traipsing through wyver and slaying sea serpents had certainly been entertaining, but it certainly can't compare to traversing a labyrinthine dungeon full or spirits and traps. maybe she shouldn't be so low-key excited about entering such a dangerous place and yet here we are..

she's not grinning, you're grinning.

with a deep breath, alisaie drums her long fingers against the hilt of her rapier, staring down the yawning stone corridor before her, the walls crawling with cobwebs, and waits for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. ]

Ready?

[punshots]

[ To be fair, he is grinning, too.

Because for as much as he might bemoan crawling into the depths of the earth to find gods-know-what inside these tombs, there is something markedly thrilling about it, especially at Alisaie's side. This is the sort of job to be undertaken with someone he trusts implicitly, and so he has far fewer jitters about what he might find in there than he ordinarily might be.

...That won't stop him from complaining, probably, but you can't win 'em all.

He's brought his, ahem, rapier as well, and he's ready to call a gun into his hand at a moment's notice. Combined with his obvious expert knowledge on booby traps, they're armed to the teeth and he only hesitates a moment longer before answering: ]

Ready.

[ would it be too gross if they held hands while walking through a booby-trapped deathmaze ]

[adelphoi]

[ .. yes. yes it would be. which is why alisaie is walking right ahead of him without taking his hand.

just kidding. well - not about the not taking his hand thing, because she doesn't take his hand, but about the too gross thing. the only reason she isn't weaving their fingers together is because she wants to keep both hands free to snag her rapier or grimoire should the need arise, and she wants to be quick on the draw. dank crypts aren't for cuddling, i'm afraid.

the only reason she isn't commenting on his """rapier""" is because i'm handwaving that she already has, many times. it's all but impossible for her to somehow not have seen it up until this point, considering he probably squealed and showed it off to her as soon as he possibly could.. ]

I wonder what sort of 'heirlooms' we are looking for. I wish they had been a bit more specific..

[ an heirloom can be.. well, almost anything, really. ]

[punshots]

[ crypts aren't for cuddling sounds like a mystery novel though, legit, and yes, somewhere off in handwaved thread land Alisaie has made her thoughts on the chicken knife quite clear. He adores it, of course, even if he's still a novice in wielding it. ]

Prooobably whatever's the hardest to get, behind the dungeon boss. [ What, he's genre-savvy. ] I bet we find some key items about halfway through that will make the rest of this easy-peasy, though.

[ Prompto glances down at the floor ahead of them. Don't step on the diamonds!!! ]

[quevalry]

[ i mean, lena wouldn't be herself if she isn't grinning. after all, who doesn't want to go into a spooky crypt? both her pistols in her hands, she's ready for whatever comes her way.

although, she will slide them into her holster because there's no need to swing them around just yet. she just wanted to look cool. ]

I should be asking you that. [ now lena's being cheeky. ] Let's get going!

[adelphoi]

[ yes lena, you looked very cool.. scouts honor..

but okay OKAY, they're off! this corridor is wholly unremarkable, but it's only a few paces before it splits off into a fork, both options are.. foreboding. the air is stale and both corridors are pitch dark.

with a frown, alisaie surveys their path, and lifts her crystal focus from her hip to provide some pale light. better than nothing. ]

Which way?

[circulets]

[ Look... He's definitely excited. Excited to venture into an old, historic location and likely find out some of the history here. So, he'll take a look around the dungeon as they enter it, inspecting all the detail that he could as his own eyes adjusted to the darkness around them. ]

Ready. ... But, something tells me that we're bot here for completely different reasons.

[adelphoi]

What makes you say that?

[ WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING, MIKLEO!! ]

DUR DURR at least it still fits....

[competing]

I'm just saying, [ says lance, for what is probably the fourth, unprompted time since they started this venture, ] it's technically a crypt, and it's technically robbing. So this totally makes us grave robbers!

[ even if, technically, they aren't stealing the bodies so much as what's... stashed away with them.

but as passionate as lance is about insisting upon this, he isn't nearly as pedantic as it seems, since all this is really to fill up the creepy silence with something, meaning his usual chatty behavior is tripled, and thus that much more obnoxious.

sorry about your life, alisaie. ]

well done...

[adelphoi]

[ why this.. why is she a magnet for these sorts of people?? does she have a sign on her back that she doesn't know about? ]

Mayhaps that is true, but we are stealing back what they had already stolen, so it is something of a righteous cause.

[ she's entirely calm, unlike this soft boy. maybe he will walk into a spiderweb like prompto did, she could only be so lucky. ]

Despite the fact that we shall be.. selling them for profit. No honor among thieves, and all that.

wildcard; COME AT ME

[adelphoi]

[ not interested in any of these prompts? slap up one of your own! alisaie lives in wyver currently, so if none of this month's quests catch your eye, i'm down for random market shenanigans, sparring, going out for foods - anything at all! ]