To Rob A Thief

[Chani {♥}]

The last few days had been very exciting, if nothing else, for a gnome named Nefwyn Berrenwocket. Three days ago, she had acquired a manuscript containing the blueprints for an airship. What more could a tinkerer such as herself had asked for? It was all written in an older version of Gnomish and the handwriting was a bit shoddy, the pages were a bit worn. But she was merely lucky that it still existed, let alone that it was the slightest bit legible at its venerable age. And what's more is that it was something so intensely marvelous as an airship!

If you asked her, she thought she had handled the situation quite well. She hadn't fainted or had a stroke once she realized the knowledge that she held in her hands, she hadn't even screamed in joy or anything of the sort. She had simply hummed all the way to Cressa with the manuscript hidden away in her rucksack. Well, not all the way to Cressa...

She had been stopped by a group of bandits two days after her discovery and was mugged alongside the Great River. They had easily removed the rucksack and locket from her and she probably would have been left alone aside from a couple bruises if she hadn't been so persistent in getting those things back. She had fought tooth and nail, as they say, but without her magical whip it was a fairly one-sided battle; five human bandits fully armed against a single unarmed gnome with no knowledge of any magic but the healing sort. Her red panda, Miracle, had tried to get involved in the fight as well but had easily been tossed aside. She had been thrown into a tree, knocking her unconscious as her master continued fighting.

Though she had lasted quite longer than the bandits had expected her to, she was soon losing far too much blood to last long. They threw her into the river as her red panda was regaining consciousness. It ran alongside the river, making distressed sounds as Nefwyn began to heal herself. She used the last of her energy to speak to her animal in such a way it would understand, saying, "Miracle! Leave me. Follow the bandits to their hideout and return to me at the two hills we slept in between last night. I will find you." She had waited a moment, feeling the energy seep from her and the reluctance of her friend to leave her. "Do it!" And then, everything went black.

Poor, poor Nefwyn. She hadn't even had a chance to study the blueprints for fear that someone would come across her while she was engrossed in the manuscript, discover what it was, and mug her just as the bandits had. Though it was a peaceful, sunny day with only the occasional cool breeze coming off the river's water, it was still a wonder the Nefwyn had stayed afloat in her state of unconsciousness for over an hour now, rushing along the river and stuck in a swim that she hadn't wished to take. Her wounds had healed over with fresh skin (though it was sensitive to the touch and would be for a few days), but underneath they were still healing, still using Nefwyn's energy.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

It was about this time; when the sun was well into its race across the sky and the waters were calm and lazy, when a small boat appeared carried by the currents of the Great River, the man (for lack of a better word) standing at the prow seeming rather tense and uncomfortable as he glared at the horizon. As they moved the sun broke across the river, sending brilliant bands of gold scattering across its surface and into Vyncent Schwarz's eyes, making him squint ever-so-slightly before averting his gaze. He looked tired and was undoubtedly irritable; he didn't want to be here again, how had he gotten here again?

He had also come to the conclusion that, especially very recently in his life, water seemed to have developed an affinity for him. No, not just an affinity, an obsession. A hateful, lustful, dangerous obsession. In particular the waters of the Great River, which he just couldn't seem to shake off, as hard as he tried. And water was wet. Cold and wet and everywhere. A light sigh escaped his lips as the breeze made his crimson coat flare up behind him, and he adjusted his grip on the hilt of that beloved sword, his Amor.

"Evelyn, the next time I say that we should use the Great River as a last resort, I'd like you to slap me. Hard." he murmured over his shoulder in his velvet voice, to the shapeshifter who he was pretty sure would be playing with the mechanisms of the little vessel at this moment, unintentionally trying to drown them. He and Evelyn had been travelling together for a while now; he wouldn't be able to tell you just how long, but it was time enough that his last memory of being on the river was faint. And she had become the rare constant in his life for the time being, his confidant, companion, whatever you wanted to call it. But it was enough that he could talk to her as his equal. Hell, he'd have to with the things they'd been through lately.

Yes, the last few days had certainly been hectic, especially with that changeling, Will, departing from them amongst the rest of the chaos that stampeded after them on a regular basis. But Vyncent didn't feel like thinking about that. He wrinkled his nose as he looked down at the waters rushing around them, trying to decide whether it was safe to go back onto land or not... no, they weren't far away enough, not yet. He had been about to turn to the shapeshifter again when it, or rather, she, caught his eye.

What the hell was that?

The boat was just trundling past the floating figure of Nefwyn when he'd spotted her, Vyncent moving slowly to the side of the vessel to observe. "A dead gnome. How odd." Tactful, wasn't he? Then he scowled; she didn't smell dead.

"An unconscious, somehow undrowned gnome. That's even more odd. Want to play fishing for gnomes, Evelyn?"

[Angel ♥]

The shapeshifter was, of course, still with Vyncent, having taken to being one of the baddies rather naturally. Fear was intoxicating, and no matter where they went they were always regarded with an air of fear and suspicion. She didn't even mind the fact that they were really unable to stay in one place for very long or search for any other human contact.; she had never been a social creature so the demon was more than enough to keep her company. She had often been overwhealmed when Will was with them, finding it increasingly difficult to deal with two people at once. One person was fine, with one person it was a direct conversation, but with two other people poor little Evvie had never really been able to grasp the concept of turns in a conversation.

"Why would I slap you when I can maul you a little...that would be much more fun?"

Vyncent was right, she was laid on her stomach on the deck of the little boat, playing with the mechanics of the engine, which was now switched off seeing as the current was strong enough to carry them along. Psht, Vyncent knew her all too well, she would have to try and surprise him some time soon. Her fingertips were coated in a thin layer of oil, Evelyn admiring the rainbow of colours which seaped out over the surface of the water as she dipped her fingertips into it, leaving a light trail of oil floating on the surface of the river. Well, she had to find some way to amuse herself seeing as Vyncent seemed to be caught up in his thinking again. Silly demon, he thought too much. He should be careful, one day he would think too much and his hair would burst into flames.

"Fishing?" She asked, sitting up as he spoke, tilting her head to the side before rising to her feet to pad over to where the demon was stood, her emerald gaze falling upon the gnome. "She's only a little person...I don't want to be around another kid." She wrinkled her nose up a little at the thought, shaking her head a little. No, she didn't seem to realise what gnomes were. If someone was small then they had to be a child, right?

"Alright then, let's play fishing. Tiger's fish...?" She asked, shrugging a little as she removed her coat and droppse it to the ground, kicking her boots off and tucking her jingling bracelets into Vyncent's pocket, so that if he lost them he would have to buy her some more. She took a step closer to the edge of the boatr gracefully, before diving into the cool water gracefully, her clothes dropping into a pile where she had been stood, in her savage and beautiful tigress form before she even hit the water.

The water was pleasantly cool as it rippled through her thick hair, head bobbing up above the water as she swam over to where the gnome was with powerful swipes from those large paws of hers, tail drifting through the water lazily behind her.

The gnome was lucky because Evelyn was in a gentle mood, carefully biting the back of her collar before turning to paddle her way back over to Vyncent to offer the gnome up to him rather proudly, growling lightly as if to ask what her prize was because she had won.

[Chani {♥}]

ooc;; Don't suppose we could have Flick make his entrance by having the boat's motor mess up? He'd almost surely want to help! xD

bic;; Nefwyn remained unconscious as she was dragged onto the boat, by a tiger, nonetheless. It was probably a good thing that she did, because, despite her absolute love for animals, it's uncertain how she would react to being in the clutches of a large tiger after her recent dangers. A dark purple tunic that split just under her belt, a light purple skirt, white knee-high socks, and brown leather boots; all soaked and rather cold in comparison to the sunlight spilling down upon her now. Of course, she couldn't necessarily feel any of this... not hanging above the floor of a boat, not the tug of her sleeveless top of her tunic around her shoulder-blades where she was held in the jaws of a tiger, not the cool water dripping off of her as her body recovered its warmth, not the tingling sensation as her wounds finished their healing. The only thing she might have felt in that state was that her energy was slowing being restored to her. In fact, she could have even woke up at that instant with a good shake.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

((Ohh, methinks that is an excellent idea! ...And Vynce will almost certainly blame Evelyn for the motor's... death. XDD))

Vyncent found himself moving automatically out of the way as Nefwyn and Evelyn sort of... splashed back on board - he would not get any water on him, not if he could help it. It wasn't as though being on the Great River again had put him in a good mood, but getting soaked at the same time might just shove him over the edge. Eventually he moved forwards to pluck the gnome from the jaws of the tiger, setting her down on the deck of the little boat and nodding to Evelyn in gratitude. Not that he'd need to - she seemed to enjoy the dip in the river even if it was to 'play fetch'.

His hand moved again to rest on the hilt of his sword as he glanced over the gnome, tilting his head in curiosity. Why in the hell would a gnome be carried down the river, unconscious to say the least? Hmm. Not wanting to get wet, despite the fact that Evelyn would probably thunder back on board in her tiger form like a swamp, he nudged Nefwyn with the tip of his boot. If she didn't wake up, well, they could always throw her back overboard couldn't they? This would probably be the case as well if she screamed, recognised them (they weren't exactly subtle in their path of destruction) or rocked the boat. Of course, the demon didn't realise he was looking at a tinkerer in Lost Technology; not yet, anyway.

[Angel ♥]

(It probably was Evvie who killed the motor! xD)

Evelyn easily gave her catch up to Vyncent, as if the gnome had been a present for him all along. She scrambled back up onto the boat gracelessly, her weight causing the boat to dip to one side for a second before straightening out as she flopped onto the deck. The demon really shouldn't have sent her into the water, as much as she had enjoyed her little dip it meant that (a) she had just rocked the boat and (b) she was dripping water everywhere; and it was pretty obvious that she was going to shake any time now and sent a spray of water shooting through the hair in every direction, which the demon wouldn't like at all.

Evelyn sort of did a little shake before looking up at Vyncent with pure innocence in her eyes, fur plastered to her body and dripping steadily, as if she were seeing if he would tell her off for shaking herself dry, tail flicking out impatiently. Silly Vyncent, if he didn't want to get wet then why had he sent her into the water? He knew how clumsy and careless she could be. Silly demon.

Nefwyn recieved a curious little growl from the tiger as she stepped toward her, nudging her with her nose, as if to make her wake up, thinking for a second before roaring into her ear viciously. That never failed to wake someone up...and if had been pretty hilarious when she had done that to Vyncent.

[Chani {♥}]

ooc;; I just realized that it would be a really bad idea for her to wake up. That'd ruin Flick's entrance, because Neffi would characteristically fix the boat herself. Er... we'll use the fact that she doesn't have her tools. Either that, or I'd have to make her pass out again, and that's just boring.

bic;; Nefwyn had slept through the nudge of Vyncent's boot, the wet nose rubbing up against her did nothing either, as she was already soaked. But the roar woke her up, rather abruptly, instantaneously.
Her eyelids opened wide immediately, revealing bright blue eyes. She sat straight up and looked into the mouth of the roaring tiger that was Evelyn and poor Nefwyn's face turned rather pale. She hopped to her feet, reaching for the whip around her waist, but then remembered that it, too, had been taken by the bandits. Immediately she noticed Vyncent and leaped behind him, quite a jump for someone her size.

"Call off your tiger, sir!" she said in a trembling voice. "I fear that it's hungry." She blinked out from around Vyncent's legs, watching Evelyn with frightened eyes.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

((Umm... how about the boat breaks AS Flick makes his entrance? Then they can like... argue over who gets to fix the boat. XDD And Vynce and Evvie will be like... EH? Also... I love Nefwyn already <3))

Even Vyncent seemed to wince a little as Evelyn roared; oh, that had been one eventful morning. It may have been hilarious for the shapeshifter, but the vivid memory of him chasing her all the way to the next village brandishing his sword and screaming obscenities was something that hadn't quite faded into the background yet. He also shot her a warning glare when she almost shook water all over the boat; he'd nearly toppled overboard when she'd thundered back onto the deck, he didn't need a soaking today thank you very much. "Thank you for deafening us all." he commented dryly to the shifter, running a hand through his hair.

His expression was quite priceless as Nefwyn awoke and darted behind his legs, a mixture of bewilderment and slight annoyance on his face as he glanced down at the gnome. He was so surprised he even forgot his sarcasm for a second, only muttering, "It's a she, actually."

Of course then he realised exactly what he was doing, a light scowl on his face. He looked as though he might like to put her in front of him again, but he'd probably end up in the river then and nobody would like that. So instead he looked over at Evelyn, raising his eyebrows as if to tell her she might like to return to her human form when she was done almost sinking the boat.

[Angel ♥]

Evelyn bared her teeth to Vynce, almost as if in a playful grin as she watched his expression after she had rawred, mischief in her eyes. She snapped her jaw at him in response to his comment, as if to tell him that it was quite alright and that she rather enjoyed deafening him. Being noisy was fun, and we all know how easily Evelyn is amused.

She did, however, seem less than amused as the gnome hide behind the demon's legs, almost seeming to arch her eyebrow at her as she tilted her head in confusion. She wasn't that scary, was she? Hmmm, maybe she was. The poor little gnome had probably never seen a creature like her before, nevermind been woken up so abruptly like this before. Nefwyn also received a rather irritated growl as she referred to her as an 'it'. No, that wasn't very nice...Evelyn was quite obviously a she.

She turned to stalk back over to her clothes, shifting into a little mouse before her human form grew into her clothes, Evelyn pouting at Vyncent. "I'm still all wet, you're just a meanie." She told him before looking to the gnome. "And I am a she. You should be nice to me, I fished you out of the river." She nodded to her, shaking her violently to shake some of the water from her hair.

[Chani {♥}]

Nefwyn watched as Evelyn transformed first into a mouse and then into a human.

Ooh, how interesting! Not an animal at all; a shapeshifter, she thought silently. She'd met a couple before, but they weren't so common that Nefwyn would have considered that when she woke to a tiger's open mouth. She was in a sorry mental state as it was.

"Ah, I apologize, ma'am," Nefwyn said, nodding to her. "I did not know you were a shapeshifter, and I didn't really have time to ponder your gender. I thank you for bringing me aboard your boat." According to Gnomish etiquette, she should have curtsied here, but she was much more comfortable with handshakes, and so she stepped out from behind Vyncent and offered her hand first to the demon, as he was closest. "I'm Serendipity, hailing from Fallic. And what might I call you?"

[Vyncent Schwarz]

Vyncent was rather taken aback at being offered a handshake from the Gnome - the woman Gnome nonetheless, but he had to admit it was good to see at least someone with manners. This was disregarding the fact that people didn't usually want a formal introduction when a) they already knew who you were and b) you were usually destroying their town/pulling a temper tantrum of some kind. Either way, the demon shook her hand in a secure grip, his always ice-cold hands a contrast to the fire that lurked beneath, coarsing through his veins.

"I am Vyncent." he nodded a little, "And think nothing of it, really. It's not as though I'm incapable of good deeds, I just prefer to stay far from them whenever I can." he gave that debonair smirk - well, this was certainly turning out to be a better day than he had expected, when they'd first set out on the river.

"What were you doing in the river in the first place?" He shouldn't really need to ask; he could practically smell the healing magic around her it was that clear. Probably mugged, he supposed, either that or taking a fall into the river hurt a lot more than it looked.

[Angel ♥]

Evelyn was rather pleased by how Nefwyn spoke to her, never having been spoken to in such a poliet way. Most people just snapped orders or insults at her...and Vyncent had been the first person that had even spoken to her as an equal, but the gnome had spoken to her as if she respected her. Wow...that had actually left Evvie feeling pretty bemused, watching the little person with her head tilted to the side, a curious look in her eyes. Well, she liked this little person, even though she had a general dislike for little people and/or children, Nefwyn seemed pretty alright.

"Swimming was fun." The shifter nodded as she pushed her hand back through her hair, sinking down to sit on the damp deck as she smiled cheerfully. "I'm Evvie by the way. Why are you so small? Are you like...a child or something? Are you like Will...you look older than Will did..." She commented, not seeming to realise how rude she was being, in her mind it was all just innocent curiosity.

[FLICK]

ooc;; Sorry to interrupt - but will the boat malfunction before or after my first post with Flick?

[Chani {♥}]

ooc;; Either way works, Flick dear. You can use an introduction post, perhaps explain why he's here, what mood he's in, etc. and then just wait for the boat to malfunction before your second post, if you want. It all works for InkChi&me! And INK! Something tells me you gave Nefwyn's likes/dislikes a good look before you had Evelyn make her comment! Damn your curiosity! Now everyone is going to... like... hate Nefwyn...

bic;; Nefwyn had nodded at Vyncent, and was beginning to say something about his comment on "good deeds", when Evelyn introduced herself. If one had been watching Nefwyn at this moment, they would have noticed that her eye twitched as the word "small" passed through Evelyn's lips. She inhaled deeply without exhaling, as if she was about to...

"SMALL?!" ...scream. "CHILD?! I'm a Gnome! Did I not just say that I hail from Fallic? An island belonging to GNOMES! What horrible deductive reasoning you must have!" Her arms flailed about while she ranted, her face reddened. "I'm thirty-eight years old and exactly the right height! There's nothing SMALL about me!" (Well, that could at least be said of her mouth.) "Why, if I had my whip, I'd...!" The boat was rocking rather fervently at this point. "I'd... well, whip you! I'm not SMALL, by any means!" She was half-tempted to leap at Evelyn, but had regained her senses before (which was rather a good thing; she didn't want to end up in the river again, did she?) Her yelling could probably be heard for a good distance and it seemed to have taken a good deal of energy from her, especially since her wounds were still healing. She plopped down on her bottom and caught her breath.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

((Au contraire, Chani. I ADORE her even more now!! And yus Flick, go ahead and post your intro whenever you feel it's appropriate (actually now would be a good time, I'd like to see what Flick thinks of Nefwyn's oh-so-faint screamings, teehee) =D))

Vyncent had to wince again as the Gnome in front of him screamed, a light smile on his pale face. Though you could practically see his muscles tense, and that little glint in his eyes couldn't mean anything too good. She was shouting, nay, screaming... on a small boat, which was now rocking in a way he didn't like. And she was less than a metre in front of him. Oh dear. A light growl bubbled up from his throat, and he was about to swipe for her and dump her right back in the river... when she sat down.

If anything could have confused the demon more in a small space of time, he'd have liked to have met it and shaken its hand. He'd gone from pleasantly amused, even a little curious, to irritated and then puzzled in what, three minutes? It was the sheer speed of the events that had probably saved Nefwyn's life - the demon didn't have TIME to really get angry and throw her back into the water. He ended up staring down at her quite stupidly, before glancing up to Evelyn again. "I think perhaps you owe her an apology, before one of you ends up in the river." he murmured, purposely much more softly than he usually would have, as if to emphasise that QUIET was good, and she shouldn't shout at him again.