The Twins

Part 1

It's The Slums, outside one of the better known bordello dives, and just a while to go until sunset. This is the place, and this is the time, where it was decided that the intrepid and the gender-distressed have decided to meet to commence the pursuit of a solution to The Curse.

Lenneth casts a quick glance towards the enterance to the bordello and then crosses her arms over her chest while shifting from one foot to the other. "Well at least it's not likely she'll get lost on the way here. But I have mixed feelings about passing on a message to a priestess that basically amounts to 'meet us at the whor-uh... place of ill repute'."

Moiraine says, "I'm engaged to a Sky Captain kupo, I'm also a moogle," Moiraine steps out of an alleyway, tipping back her cylindical hat and looking up at the boys, "People really don't blink an eye, besides its not like i'm the High Priest of Alexander a;ll holier then though and boring. I do go outside and kupo-po kuupop from time to time you know.""

Mordecai stands quietly, looking up at the bordello up ahead, studying it with a careful eye... Glancing at Lenneth then though, he starts to nod, become he's distracted by Moiraine's arrival. Quirking a smile at her comments, he bows lightly and greets her with a simple, "Priestress." Before he turns back to Len, "This place is supposedly clean... As in, I haven't heard of any bad guys running things behind the scenes... They also check weapons. I'll be a minute." And with that, the older man quickly steps away to head into a nearby alley, first looking around to make sure no one's paying him too much mind. And he's gone for about a minute after that... Soon returning, walking back while he re-buttons his coat. The man obviously having stashed his weapons somewhere, for easy retrieval incase they have to flee back outside, "Well, after you, ladies."

Lenneth straightens and looks over towards Moiraine before he chuckles, "Kupo kuupop hmm? That sounds like it might get you in alot of trouble." Not that Len actually knows what's meant by the words. "Thanks for meeting us though.." She pauses and blinks after Mordecai, hand lifting before a smirk follows, "ehn, well guess we're going in there anyways might as well." A hand drops to the hilt of her sword before she looks at Moiraine, "so they say that they have a fortune teller here, that's who were going to go see. Maybe they'll be able to help us out. Shall we?"

Moiraine tilts her head, "Last I checked helkping the misfortunate and homeless and in need in the slums was not a crime kupo" she smiles softly at Lenneth and turns to regard Mordecai, "I see... well I hope we do not need weapons, I have no offensive skills at all kupo. I am a High Priestess." She inclines her head and moves toward the door. "Well lets go on with this"

Mordecai looks between the two, and nods, grinning briefly at them, "Ready when you two are." He rumbles, before he looks at Moiraine and shrugs a bit, "I doubt we'll get in any trouble just yet... Like I said, this place should be safe. But when Len got the curse, we were dealing with some gang issues, and I never deal with gangs without a weapon at hand... But it might not come up anymore anyway." And with that, he starts to idly move towards the whorehouse's entrance.

Lenneth tilts her head towards Moiraine and then with a snerk she follows after the older man. "Riiiight.. one of these days I'll need to learn moogle perhaps." She slips into the bordello then and takes a quick look around before approaching one of the people working there. "Scuse me, we were hoping to get in to see your fortune teller."

Moiraine flaps her wings so she can take off and look at the people, blue robes swirling around her legs, her sandy coloured fur and wings making her stand out more then most. She lands again and smiles warmly at the person Lenneth is talking to, "We would appreciate it muchly kupo."

Inside the Bordello's door is a beefy bouncer-type, shirtless, very buff, and rather tattoo'd, stationed in a roomy foyer area, a bare hint of music coming from beyond the door on the opposite side of the room. The bouncer gives a polite greeting with a rather thugish accent, and looks neither welcoming nor threatening. Just mostly indifferent. He makes the expected request to check all weapons, looking Lenneth and Mordecai up and down, though, interestingly, leaving the priestess completely alone and, figuratively, unmolested. Once weapons are checked and stowed securely in the Bouncer's evidently able care, the group is allowed into the Bordello proper, and the music here is louder than might have originally been guessed. It's fairly busy, crowded but not packed, and barely-dressed ladies (and a handful of barely-dressed adonis-men) wander amongst the crowd, or occupy laps, or are in various other states that one might expect to see in a place such as this. No sex in the open, though; there's a strict rule to take it to rooms, evidently.

Mordecai quietly lets himself be searched... And obviously turns out not to be carrying anything weapon-wise. Afterwards, he just goes to stand behind Lenneth and the priestess, letting them get all the pleasantries out of the way while he busies himself with looking around. Letting his pale gaze wander over the bordello's interior with a poker faced expression, not letting anyone read anything off him, yet also taking in all the important details. Such as likely exits.

Lenneth hands over the sword, after all it'd be odd if everyone was weaponless right? Then she moves inside and takes a look around before looking back over her shoulder. "Something tells me that he's not the one to ask. I guess.." A quick look to you both, "we should find the hostess. Let's try hrmm... the bar?" A quick nod towards where a bartender would typically be found. After all in a place like this booze usually flows pretty freely.

Moiraine bobs a polite nod of her head to the bouncer type and glides inside, she sighs as she looks around at the barely clad men and woman but holds back any comment, just murmurring to Lenneth, "YThat would be best dear kupo, lets find this fortune teller"

Mordecai nods at Len and Moiraine both, and then follows them over to wherever they want to go, still idly looking around as he does so and seemingly not bothered by the sight of scantily clad 'professionals'.

The barkeep the group approaches, who is quite the showman, tossing around bottles and drink mixers like juggling batons and bearing a striking resemblance to a younger Tom Cruise, points to a far corner of the main room (while no less than three objects are IN THE AIR), opposite the bar and piano, where there's a woman dressed in more than most of the women present, wearing a hooded violet robe and sitting at a table covered with a crimson cloth.

"Impressive show.. and thank you." A few gil are placed on the bar, more for the info than the display, and then Lenneth gives you both a nod and starts to cross the room. Granted she glances here and there briefly, but upon reaching the cloaked figure the girl's attention locks in place. "Scuse me.. I understand your a fortune teller? We are in need of your services."

Moiraine smiles at the barman and then follows Lenneth, the moogle doesn't have much to add just curtseying politely to the fortune teller, it never does to be rude to people who might be gifted with the sight.

Mordecai arches his brow a bit at the barman's juggling skill, though doesn't seem more impressed than that. Instead he just turns back around when Lenneth heads for the woman, following silently, and like Moiraine, not having much to add- Letting Len take charge in situations like this. He does however take the time to study the hooded figure some.

The cloaked woman's face is hidden beneath the shadow of her violet cowl, head bowed as the group approaches. As Lenneth speaks, however, the cowled head raises, enough to reveal the bottom half of a rather youthful face bearing a wide smile. The voice is an equal to the youthful appearance, bright and cheerful, "Like, suah, that's what people call me. Have a seat, honey, and, like, tell Lan-Lan what's on ya mind."

Lenneth takes a seat after a brief glance to her friends then back to the woman. "Well.. I've been cursed and everything I've found about how to remove the curse tells me to find the Twins. Gemini.. Can you help us?" To her credit Len doesn't try to look under the cowl, but it's pretty certain she's curious from the brief glances she keeps giving.

Moiraine flaps her wings and glances at the hooded lady, looking at Lan-Lan, she settles into a chair and removes her hat in respect and kupo-pos, "What do you see Miss Lan-Lan, can you aid our friend her to find a way out of this curse, a way in which we can help her kupo?" Her wings flutter and hger pom pulses with a cerulean light as she looks into the cowl, eyes focussing on the unseen eyes of the seer.

The fortune teller, Lan-Lan, listens to Lenneth, her smile widening slightly, "Oh, yeah, the Quo-Feng... Been, like, a long time since I've seen it worn." The shadows of the hood are pierced as Lan-Lan opens her eyes, which, despite the shadows under the cowl, are visible, a shimmering cerulean blue, the fortune teller's gaze moving from Lenneth to Moiraine, "I see, like, a whole buncha things, Madame Priestess. Many of them irrelevant to most people, usually. As for whether I can aid, well... Suah, suppose I can, sweety. A bit, anyway." She turns her gaze back to Lenneth, "So, the old biddy let you walk out with that bauble, eh? Wonder what she's playin' at... But, like, anyway, that's no matter. Y'looking for Gemini, then. Got more of a head start than those before ya, I'll give you that."

Lenneth looks towards Moiraine for a moment and she smiles in thanks before looking back to Lan-Lan. Her brows lift and then a quick look is given the bracelet before exhaling, "at least we're on the right track.. and yea.. she also gave me a book that pointed me to Gemini as the one.. ones who have the clues to fixing it." Rubbing lightly at her neck then Len thinks on what's said before nodding, "how do we find them?"

Moiraine frowns at something and kupos "Miss Lan-Lan.... what will happen to Len here if we do not kupo-po, remove that bracelet in time? From what I have heard their life is threatened by this... this cursed thing" she frowns at the bracelet then looks back up at the fortune teller.

Mordecai stands quietly as Lenneth and Moiraine talk with Lan-Lan... Though his poker faced, serious expression is broken up a bit by mild curiousity as he listens to what is all being said. At the mention of the 'old biddy' though, he nods, and speaks up once there's a break in the conversation, "I was there... The woman gave me what appears to be the grip of a dagger. I've yet to deduce its purpose, however. It doesn't seem to have as... Obvious effects as the bracelet?"

Lan-Lan cocks her head slightly at Lenneth, "Oh-ho, she gave you a book, eh? Well, that's, like, somethin', at least." Her smile widens once more, "And no, yer not lookin' for, like, people with clues, honey. You're lookin' for the creators." She looks to Moiraine again, smile turning to a slight frown, then back to Lenneth again, "Sounds, like, totally serious." Mord draws her attention, and her grin returns, eyes closing briefly before opening again, "Oh-ho, yeah... You'll have fun with that, mistah, once you, like, figure it out."

Lenneth looks at Moiraine and then sighs, "well.. the previous wearers are all dead, though don't know the circumstances of their deaths. Could've been totally natural.. right? ERm... maybe?" A quick look towards Lan-Lan then Mord causes her brow to rise up before finally she looks towards the fortune teller again. "I see.. well that will be interesting. Can... no will you tell us where to locate them?"

Moiraine kupos softly and falls quiet, waiting and listening patiently, she doesn't want to upset the woman before she tells them anything else. She is along to help as neccessary but for now the woman is being helpful, eventually as she finishes talking to Mordecai she pipes back up agai. "What... would it cost us to hve you give us direction, a direction toward these creators that we seek kupo? I can sense you have... some powers, something.... or is such help free?"

Mordecai frowns a bit at the answer about the dagger... But he also just nods some after, not pressing the issue as he's learned that sometimes this whole mystical crap has to just run its course... Glancing at Lenneth then, he briefly reaches out to touch her shoulder reassuringly, "You won't die, girl. We'll figure out how to remove that blasted thing soon enough... Even if I'm gonna have to stab some bad things with my magic dagger."

Lan-Lan hmms and ponders, "What, ya think the others, like, died from the Quo-Feng? Nah, not unless they were idiots. I think one guy killed himself, but that was his own doin'. The others, old age mostly. Mistah there is right: That little thing won't kill ya or nothin'." She grins a little, "Just make yer life a bit of a livin hell fer a while. Yer mileage may, like, vary. Still, if you're lookin' ta get free of it, it's probably, like, puttin' tha screws to ya in some way." She brings her hands up atop the table, folding them, "Ah, now we're to brass tax... My help. This ain't a fortune tellin', so my normal fees, like, don't apply. Will my help cost ya? Sure it will. But not in coin." She winks at Moiraine, "And yeah, I got, like, "some powahs"." She raises one of her hands, "As for what it'll cost, well... First, let's see, like, what you're made of..." And the table, Lan-Lan, and the entire Bordello, evaporate like so much mist in the wind, leaving you all in darkness, formless and without boundary, save for the level surface beneath your feet.

Lenneth smiles at Mordecai before she nods to Moiraine, "a good question..." But that's about all that she gets out as she turns to Lan-Lan and prepares to respond just as the lights go out. Blinking Len looks around quickly before frowning, "well.. umm..." And suddenly her voice is lifted, "helloooooooo? Hello?? Lan-Lan? What /is/ all this??"

Moiraine says, "Well..." The moogle looks around in the darkness then shakes her head, her pom starting to glow with a faint bioluminescence, "This is not what I was expecting kupo-po!" she frowns and stands up, testing the surface beneath her feet, "I think lkike Lan-Lan said... this is a test of some kind in lieu of payment ""

Mordecai blinks once... And his first impulse is to slip into a defensive fighting stance, expecting trouble, though before he can fully do so, he checks himself and tries to relax once more, shaking his fists loose. Letting out a quiet annoyed rumble, he steps close to the other two, and then starts looking around... Staring into the surrounding darkness, and quietly stating, "And this is why I don't like leaving my weapons."

There's no response to Lenneth's call for an explanation. There's not even an echo. Just the inky blackness. It's not darkness, though; everyone can still see everyone else just fine, though it's as if by the light of a lantern at night, not counting any illumination Moiraine's pom gives off. It's just a few monents, however, before things become visible in the blackness again, the shroud lifting to reveal... a forest. A particularly dark and forbidding forest, like out of a fairy tale. To one side is a pole, like a lamp post, with a lit lantern hanging from it's curved top, about eight feet off the ground. Mist floats in patches along the ground, and the group stands on a small road; behind the road stretches into mist-covered fields, while ahead, the road passes into an opening in the tree line just twenty feet away, quickly swallowed by the dark under the canopy. The sky above is dark, scattered with low fast-moving clouds and a large full moon that spends most of it's time partially hidden. And, perhaps most interestingly of all... Everyone who surrendered or stashed weapons before entering the Bordello will find all their weapons in their proper places, having, at some point, been somehow returned to their respective owners.

Lenneth frowns, not realizing that her weapon is back yet, and turns back and forth quickly before the slapping of the weapon against their side causes her to look down. "Well.. that's conveniant at least.." Sighing then the noblewoman murmurs, "but we cannot just stay here.. I'd say we make for the break in the threes up ahead. It's dark, but thanks to Moiraine's light hopefully we'll be able to see our way forward?"

Moiraine tilts her head as the light slowly inceases, smoothing out her robes and kupos and frowns, she flaps hwer wings and takes off and tocuhes a tree, feeling, trying to see what she can learn from nature all around them.

Mordecai peers at the surrounding forest, his expression suddenly a bit grim... And then he blinks once as he feels some familiar weight below his coat. Quietly proceeding to unbutton it, he's surprised to find the shoulder harness firmly strapped across his torso, which he previously discarded... A large caliber sixgun holstered below each armpit, while a larger holster at his side holds his sawed-off lever action shotgun... And he's even carrying that dagger hilt on his belt. He actually looks slightly relieved then, and without hesitation, he drags that shotgun out of its holster, racking the lever once as he takes it into hand with obvious familiarity. The man looking back up at the forest then, "Let's get this over with."

Moiraine kupos and pipes up "This... this is not Ivalice kupo=po!" she flies a bit higher, hovering over the heads of the humans, "This is... this is like Ivalice before the folly I think kupo-po... the mist, it is just.. water vapour, the land it is... at peace kupo-po!"

Lenneth looks at Mordecai and he grins for a few moments before giving him a nod, "right lets do... what?" He looks at Moiraine suddenly while blinking a bit, "not Ivalice? But how is that possible." He looks around then up at the sky before looking at Moiraine again, "is it the spirit realms instead perhaps.. or.. or.. do you think we somehow got sent back in time?" A worried note carrying in his voice over that one.

As the group heads past the lanternpost, a breeze comes up from behind, briefly stirring the patchy mist about their feet and rattling the forest's branches ever so faintly. And as they step over the threshold of the tree line, in the distance behind the group, a long, lone howl rises up, followed by another, and then by more.

Lenneth takes a few steps and then she stills and lifts her head a little while looking around. "That... that's not good. I think we should move. Now. A pack of lobos would challenge the best of hunters." She motions up the road having really no better idea than this.

Moiraine grabs the lantern post with one paw, wings still beating, she shivers as the mist flows through and around them and then pauses and kupos. "Well i was going to suggest it could be some sort of illusion, some sort of kupo-po mind trick and we are still in the Boudoir kupo-po... but... even visions can be deadly kupo!" She looks back then flies onward, "Lets keep moving and see where this leads kupo"

Mordecai starts moving forward towards the forest, his eyes scanning this way and that, and the barrel of his scattergun following suit... At the howling though, he pauses, looking over his shoulder with a frown. He's quick to act then however, motioning at Moiraine and telling her, "Keep flying, miss... Try to stay out of their reach if they catch up. And Len, here, a sword won't do you much good." The man dipping a hand to yank free one of his revolvers, and handing it to Lenneth, "Remember, just like we practised... Now, we better keep going." And with that, he urges everyone on, staying at the back himself with his shotgun.

The howls trail off after a moment... Off in the mist-shrouded distance of the fields, still miles distant but visible to keen eyes, a line of large shapes cut through the low-lying mists, moving swiftly towards the forest, flitting shadows amidst the occasionally moon-lit grey. They distant shapes move with purpose as the group hurries with a bit more urgency along the small forest road, and to eyes that know what to look for, that purpose is clear: The hunt is on.

Part 2

Lenneth accepts the revolver while nodding and offering a brief smile to the older gent. She shifts the weight in her hand before she starts to jog ahead, frowning a bit while commenting, "this won't do us much good... they'll be on us in a short bit. Should we find someplace to stand our ground?"

Moiraine nods to Mordecai, "I shall endeavour to remain in the air Master Mordecai, Miss Lenneth kupo... but we must remember this is... some form of test. We should be alert for anything untoward or out of place, like this lamp-post" she pats it "In the middle of the woods as it is."

Mordecai pauses for a moment to gaze across those fields... Keen eyes soon spotting the loping shapes that are heading straight for them. He flexes his hands upon his shotgun for a moment in response, as if ensuring himself of the weapon's comforting presence, before he speaks up in response, "We could stand our ground here... In the open, we'll be able to see every direction of attack... But I have a feeling the one that's giving us this test wants us to go into the forest." He glances at Lenneth then, "It's your adventure, kid. Time to make a decision."

The view of the fields is lost to Lenneth as she jogs ahead a bit, though still visible to the other two. The shapes cutting through the tall field grasses are coming fast, but even so, it'll be a few minutes before they reach the edge of the forest. The howls of the beasts continue to sound every few seconds, getting gradually louder as the creatures cover ground.

"May be my adventure, but I'm open to ideas.." Lenneth shoots back before nodding to Moiraine's statement. Slowing she turns to peer down the road at the oncoming pack, or attempt to at least, before exhaling. "How many come?" The question asked of Mordecai before she glances towards Moiraine, "can you use magic to give us light to see by perchance? They'll smell us no matter what."

Moiraine flaps her wings and lets go of the lamppost, flying up to perch on top of it and pulls her pom down between her paws, "Light I can do Miss Lenneth kupo, just give me a moment" She starts to concentrate, summoning up the brightest light she can manage to pull off with a soft string of muttered kupo-pos

Mordecai gives a brief, devil-may-cry grin to Lenneth, "I guess the idea is to make a stand." Glancing up at Moiraine then and nodding at her as she provides the light. Staring back across the field then, he frowns a bit as he attempts a quick headcount, before commenting, "Hard to tell... Looks like five, but I'm hearing more. Close to ten, I'd say." He then motions at Lenneth, "Get close to me. Back to back."

As preparations are made, the beasts draw closer through the fields, now less than a minute out. And, finally, one of the beasts slips into view, still several hundred yards away as it slips from the grasses bordering the road. With a clear, if distant, view, the creature is clearly large, perhaps twice the size of a Lobo, but similarly built. It moves like a running shadow, and just as black as one; indeed, it seems to almost be made of shadow, leaving trails of it behind as it lopes along. More of the creatures emerge from the grasses to join the first on the road, forming a double-column of six before yet another joins them at the head of the pack, this one slightly larger than the others, and bearing a crest of white flame down the back of it's neck and between it's shoulders.

Lenneth nods to Mordecai while moving back in to press her back up against his. A glance is given upto Moiraine and a smile follows before she murmurs, "thanks.." Tilting her head towards Mordecai then there's a little bit of a frown before the girl looks towards the lobos emerging from the darkness and the size of them. "This... could be bad actually.." She doesn't shoot yet but does take aim at the one with the white flame crest, taking that as the alpha.

Moiraine kupos and frowns down at the glowing leader and sighs "Well kupo-po, this isn't what I was expecting for a hunt to banish your curse Lenneth dear." she raises her hands, preparing her own magic and frowning down at them. "Do we fight or try and talk first?"

Mordecai, ready as he looks, actually... Kinda smirks for a moment as the shadowy beasts emerge close by, as if some private thought amuses him. He doesn't look at the others anymore, just expecting them to have his back just as he has theirs, and instead focusing his gaze on the pack, and the Alpha in particular... Though he doesn't lose sight of their flanks either, knowing that some predators like to send pack members around to ambush their prey while they're distracted. His shotgun at the ready, he just quietly mutters, "Come on, you bastards..."

The pack continues to approach quickly along the road, and as the group of them clear the edge of the tall grasses just a hundred yards distant, onto the relatively clear ground that leads up the rise to the forest edge, they spread out, shifting from a column to a loose wedge phalanx, not slowing in the least as they race up the rise, Alpha in the middle and three to each side! 70 yards, 50 yards, 30 yards... 15! The creatures don't slow; It's a charge, and the Alpha, the only one still on the road itself, is heading straight for the group!

Lenneth tilts his head towards Moiraine's question and she considers before clearing her throat, "if you understand this.. go on your own way.. we don't need to do this.." She waits, waits for any sign of a slowing of the charge before biting her lip and shaking her head a little. "don't think we have a choice." At 15 yards Len shoots, but with the intent to frighten and warn rather than hurt.. shooting just over the leaders head.

Moiraine says, "Well kupo-po that's that then!" she watches as Lenneth shoots at the leader wolf's head, she just waits and watches, once they are underneath her however then it will be time for a fist punching moogle cannon ball to the head but until then accumulating her strength, powering herself up fore when/if she has to attack."

Mordecai is too focused on the charge to see Lenneth fire a warning shot... Only thing he sees is the bullet missing. 'Luckily', his own intent is quite lethal! And at just below the 15 yard mark, he swiftly slips into an instinctive shooting stance as that shotgun of his snaps up, and he fires a blast of concentrated buckshot straight at the Alpha's center mass! Simply riding the following recoil, and letting his hand be a blur as he works the lever, ejecting an empty shell which still trails some residual energy from the magicite, and already tracking the next target right after. Simply remarking to Lenneth, "Your training!"

The shot over the Alpha's head gets no flinch, though, close as it is, the creature's eyes, the right a burning amber and the left a vibrant green, glowing in the shadows that cloak it, seem to narrow slightly. The shot that Mordecai fires, however, gets a more definite reaction as it almost seems to anticipate the impact of the older man's shot by ducking it's head down and to one side, with a little weave that leaves it to take the buckshot in the shoulder, where it sends out a spray of shadow bits that evaporate into the air before they hit the ground, and cause the Alpha to stumble! The creature is able to keep it's feet, though, it's momentum carrying it back into it's lope with only a little loss of speed, and a couple steps later, just five yards away, the Alpha leaps and... sails over the group's heads, clearing Moiraine by inches, close enough that it's shadow-cloaked tail tags her glowing pom! The contact seems to leave no ill effects, despite the shadow-stuff trailing from the tail, except to cause the pom to bob a bit. Landing behind the group, the Alpha continues it's race down the road, while the three to each flank dive full-speed into the treeline, disappearing into the gloom, causing less noise than creatures that size moving at that speed might be expected to make amongst the trees, though another round of howls makes that inconsequential.

"Warning shot," Lenneth responds to Mordecai just after he fires. The trigger is pulled and she's about to launch off another shot, noticing the black, when the wolf... leaps. Looking around then Len ehs and glances up at Moiraine then at Mordecai as they all just run past, "if they're not hunting us.. Uh shall we go see what they're hunting?"

Moiraine looks up and gapes and kupos, eyes following the leaping alpha. She jumps off the lamp post and flutters down, robe sswirling "Oh now that is just showing off kupo-po! Yes shall we do as Miss Lenneth says and see what they are about?"

Mordecai was all set to fire another shot, this time into the beast's head... But instead he blinks as he stares past the barrel, watching the wolves go past without causing them any harm. Slowly lowering his weapon then, he turns around to stare after them... Before glancing at both his companions, and stating almost a tad sheepishly, "Now I feel kind of bad."

Less than a minute after passing the group, more howls emerge from the forest, accompanied by something else, something that might indicate something more sinister afoot: Screams. The screams of what sounds to be young girls, in fact. The creatures can't be more than a hundred yards into the forest, as the time between passing the group and the screams is about the same as the time it took the creatures to cover the open ground between the group and the fields.

Lenneth tilts her head a little before shaking it. "Actually... don't feel bad.." is all the girl says as she takes off running into the forest, motioning for the both of you to follow. Lenneth takes off at a sprint, though she's sure she won't be catching up, as she zones in on the worrisome screams. "Looks like we know what their prey was now.. let's hurry!"

Moiraine flaps her wings and flies after Lenneth, pom-pom glowing to light their path as she flies above the girls head, swooping through the air to try and catch up with the racing pack and the screams. "Oh kupo-po"

Mordecai's expression turns stern and grim once more as he hears the screams, but he makes no comment, just taking off after Lenneth instead, matching the sprint. Though as he runs, he finds the time to pluck a fresh shot shell from his harness to top off his gun with, replacing the one fired, obviously wanting to arrive to witness the drama fully prepared.

On the race towards the screams, other noises are heard. Crashes of something large and wooden being broken, a few more screams, though these of older people and of pain rather than fright, growls and barks from the creatures themselves, and the beginnings of chaos. Past a bend in the road stands a freshly-wrecked covered wagon, on its side, a couple large and unfamiliar draft animals dead in the wagon's yokes. A couple other bodies are about, a woman and an older man past Mordecai's age, having been swiftly killed. Past the wagon is a roadside clearing, where the creatures have gathered... Four of the creatures have surrounded a middle-age man who's armed himself with a simple staff, harassing the poor fellow as they circle him, while the other three creatures, including the Alpha, have surrounded three girls near a large tree stump some distance away from the man, who seems quite anxious over the situation overall. The first screams were theirs, it seems, and a couple of them cry out for the surrounded man, evidently their father.

Lenneth takes in the carnage in quickly before frowning and beginning to run towards the girls. She slows to a stop long enough to take aim at one of the lobos and fire. While the shot is still running out the swordsm-err woman starts to run once again while letting out a woop and a yell, trying to scare the beasts off, "Get away from them!"

Moiraine blinks at what she sees and veers off toward the girls, "Help the gentleman kupo, I'll try and do something for the ladies" She veers up and over the pack intending to land in the middle of the group and do what she can to help the girls.

Mordecai is quick to act as soon as the scene is revealed before him... The man lowering his shotgun and keeping it in one hand, while the other reaches up to yank free his remaining revolver from his shoulder holster, perhaps not wanting to risk hitting the man with stray buckshot. Veering towards said man as Lenneth and Moiraine go to help the girls, running up behind the beasts surrounding the hapless bastard, and once close, letting loose a high-grain .45 slug towards the back of one of the monster's heads.

The creatures don't react to the group's arrival, which is perhaps fortunate. One creature near the girls takes Lenneth's shot with a yelp, stumbling and falling half-way down before pushing itself back up to it's feet and turning to face her, the other and the Alpha remaining focused on the girls as Moiraine joins them, though the demeanor of the two is at odds: The Alpha almost stoic and still while the other growls and snarls, hunched and seeming ready to pounce at any moment. The creature that faces Lenneth acts similarly, growling and snarling at her, and though having been wounded, shows no signs of it save for some blood on the grass beneath it, the wound itself unable to be seen due to the shadows cloaking the beast. As for the four surrounding the man with the staff, they show just as little reaction to Mordecai. Until one of them falls to Mordecai's bullet, that is, the beast so shot falling like a sack of grain, the shadows around it dissipating to reveal something that looks vaguely like a lobo, but only just, the creature wolf-like and covered in shaggy greyish-brown fur, and with paws the size of large dinner plates, the dead beast, for those lore-minded, matching the description of a creature out of legends past that was once referred to as a Warg. The death of it's fellow causes the other three around the beleagered man to react with uncanny coordination, all heads of the remaining three there swivelling in unison to stare at Mordecai, the creatures going utterly silent.

Lenneth continues moving forward, and then shifts a little trying to circle around the snarling lobo to place herself between the girls and the monsters. "No more warnings.. get out of here and leave them alone!" Another fire is shot off, this one, though, aimed at the alpha again since he's the one that would likely be keeping the others there and under control..

Moiraine flaps her wings then turns and folds them back and plunges fists first at the head of the alpha. She's been prepared to get hands on for awhile now, she locks both hands together and swings with all her weight at the head of the alpha wolf, intending to make it stop and back off from the girls. "This is all most peculiar!"

Mordecai only takes a moment to take in the fallen beast's appearance... More focused on the three remaining ones instead as they all turn their head towards him, the slightly eery display being met with a raise of the man's brow... Followed by the almost stoic raising his his revolver to level it straight at one of the other creature's muzzles, and promptly pulling the trigger again.

The shadowed warg facing Lenneth doesn't make any more to actually intercept Lenneth or prevent her from joining the three terrified girls, instead circling and pacing her until, once she's joined the girls, it is back in the spot it held before Lenneth arrived. The Alpha remains stoicly silent, though, simply standing still, though it does look up at Moiraine as she prepares to strike, glowing eyes narrowing slightly much the same way they did when Lenneth fired the warning shot earlier. And it doesn't even attempt to dodge Moiraine's blow, taking the hit squarely, and rocked a bit by it, head forced down and made to half-step to the side to avoid falling. And there it stays for a few seconds before the head slowly lifts again, that glowing odd-eyed stare returning to Moiraine and it straightens it's posture again. Yes, peculiar indeed, how this one acts. On Mordecai's side, the eerie coordination passes, and as the older man levels his revolver at another of the beasts, the armed father takes his own chance, swinging his staff at another with a yell. The yell seems to snap the beasts out of whatever circumstantial hive-mind they were possessed of, one yelping as it's struck by the staff, a second pouncing at the armed peasant with a vicious snarl, and the third, facing Mordecai's revolver, drives itself to one side, quick enough to avoid dying, but not quick enough to avoid being hit as a spray of shadow erupts from it's flank!

Part 3

Lenneth's eyes remain on the warg facing her as she slips into a protective position over the girls behind her. Rather than expect an answer from the wargs thoug she turns her head slightly to speak over her shoulder at the frightened females. "Why are they attacking you.. if it was a hunt they would've gone after us first. What did you do to earn this emnity?"

Moiraine flaps back and blinks, "Kupo.... well that is... don't just ignore me kupo-po!" she kicks out at the creature in front of them, growling angrily with a kupo, "Back off!"

As soon as the one Warg jumps towards the man, Mordecai reacts to hopefully help avoid the father's face being gnawed off. His boot snapping out to kick towards the head of the Warg he just shot at to distract it, even as he lunges forward to snap up his shotgun again, jamming it towards the leaping beast and pulling the trigger to send out a compact blast of buckshot. Growling back at the beasts before him as he does so, trying to convey the message he's not to be fucked with.

The Alpha remains still, eyes watching Moiraine, and moving a step back with a strange level of calm to avoid the moogle's kick, a start contrast to the snarling and snapping of the other two that hem in the three young girls and their erstwhile protectors. Mordecai's kick connects, rocking it's victim off it's feet with a yelp, while the swarm of buckshot from his shotgun strikes true. But inertia is a terrible mistress, and though the shotgun packs a punch, it's not enough to push the leaping warg's mass off-target enough to spare the father from collision. It's not a clean tackle, by any means, but it's enough to topple the father, though the man escapes the fate of being pinned by an angry shadow-clad beast. The warg struck by the father's staff, however, picks up the slack, and while the victim of Mordecai's shotgun tumbles to the ground just a few feet away, the other takes retribution for the lash of the father's staff just seconds before, falling upon the father, who gives a short, abrupt scream of fear and pain. A scream matched by the three girls, who are too preoccupied by witnessing this to answer Lenneth's question.

Lenneth twitches a little bit as the girls squeal in responce and she mutters quietly, "yea this isn't going anywhere good.." A look is cast towards the alpha that Moiraine's harrying before she mutters again, trying to think clearly while keeping her gun trained on the worgs. "Moiraine swap with me. I'm gonna help them." Len wait for a moment before moving away from the girls to go and try to pull the worg off of the father, gun kept ready but still she's not not shooting kill as it's clear there's something further going on than a simple worg attack.

Moiraine points a finger at the Alpha "Just.. call them off kupo, I can see your smart... why are you attacking!" She backs off toward the girls, looking back at them., "You know children, stop screaming and give me some kupo-po information"

Mordecai growls again as the other Warg jumps onto the father, and with another lunge he kicks towards that one next, sending a heavy boot towards its flank to get it off, noticing Lenneth approach from the corners of his eyes in the meantime. Knowing he's still in the thick of it, that shotgun is smoothly spun around in his hand, the move working the lever to load a fresh round for whatever target comes up next. Also still holding the revolver in his other hand, as such being able to cover both his flanks.

The kick from Mordecai knocks the warg off of the father, but the damage has been done, and the man is mortally wounded, his life flowing from his savaged neck. The first beast that Mordecai had kicked has regained it's feet by the time the second is sent prone, while the third, which took the shotgun blast and is clearly mortally wounded itself, struggles on the ground not far away, attempting to regain it's feet and finding it's efforts thwarted by the fact that it's hind legs seem not to work any more. But the beast either can't tell, or doesn't care, as it continues it's futile attempts. As Lenneth moves off to join Mordecai, the Alpha and the last two beasts that surround Moiraine and the three girls seem to pay the woman no mind, with the exception of a brief snap in her direction from one of the two seemingly maddened shadow-clad beasts that comes nowhere close to connecting, more a gesture than an actual attack. Once Lenneth is past, though, the two snarling beasts edge just a bit closer to Moiraine and the three girls, while the Alpha remains where it is, watching Moiraine, at least mostly. The girls, at Moiraine's scolding, seem to jump, and the differences between the three call themselves to light. Though clearly triplets by similarity in feature and age, they are not identical. All long-haired, they seem of markedly different temperaments: One bears a mane of fiery red hair and bright blue eyes, with a disposition as bold as her hair, fiery and showing a brave front despite her fear. The second girl is blond with gentle eyes of chocolate brown, seeming timid and seeking shelter in the arms of the third girl, who is of raven-black hair and vivid green eyes, and who looks on the encounter with ill-concealed anger amidst her fear. In dress, they wear clothes of near-identical cut, long-skirted and tight-bodiced dresses, varying only in color, the red-head wearing a dress that matches her hair, the blond wearing a dress of ivory white, and the raven-haired girl wearing a dress of deep violet.

The red-head is the first to speak up in answer to Moiraine's question, "We dun' know! They jus' came outta nowheres and set to us like a pack o' demons from tha dark!"

Lenneth doesn't get too far away when she notices that they're closing in on the girls and moogle a bit more. Len sends a quick look towards Mordecai and takes note of the mortally wounded man before shaking her head and edging back around close again while a brow lifts at the snapping. "Back off you lot.." She stares at the alpha though, locking eyes though commenting to the girls, "and what business were you about before this. Be truthful with me. They ran past us and came straight for you lot. Were you hunting them or setting traps and snares?"

Moiraine says, "Yes kupom you must have been doing somnething, we are no match for these creatures but they ignored us to come for you kupo-po.. .what about your father? Places you have been?" she stars at the Alpha and frowns, "I won't mmove and let you have them kupo, in the name of Mog either answer me or leave kupo-po.""

Mordecai isn't part of the conversation, still dealing with atleast two belligerent beasts... Aiming a weapon at each of them, he tries to hold them at bay, sending them the hard, cold looks of a fellow predator. He's well aware of the nearby, dying man in the meantime... But his expression doesn't yet betray any concern, there being nothing he can do just yet, and having to deal with the creatures infront of him first.

The wargs facing Mordecai snarl menacingly, starting to slowly circle him as they ignore the dying father, the third near the grizzled man continuing it's struggles seemingly in defiance of the reality of it's own situation. Meanwhile, the Alpha seems to almost shoot Moiraine a dirty look, or such is the impression it gives, while the other two that menace the girls and their protectors seem to give no indication that they even notice the moogle's voice, let alone the words she speaks, continuing their snapping and snarling in much the same manner as might be seen in a pack of starving, or perhaps rabid, dogs. The redhead is once again the one to answer, "We's gypsies, lady, all we do is travel! Came outta Comford a few days ago, an' Beckingham a week afore that! We dunno what they want wit us, I swear, an' ain't never even seen likes of 'em before, let alone hunted for 'em!"

"Nothing to be done then.." Lenneth takes a few steps backwards and then glances at Moiraine and then Mordecai, "back off... I'm done with negotiations, if they don't back down then we'll have no choice, this'll be the last chance for them to turn and go." She turns the gun on the alpha and murmurs in a quieter voice, "you three.. back away slowly. No running or they'll chase."

Moiraine kupos and puts herself back in front of the girls and the wargs, moving with them, obeynig Lenneth's suggestion with a kupo-po. "Well this is certainly going odly so far."

Mordecai stands his ground even as the two circle him... And without a single waver, his two guns truck them dead on as he slowly turns himself to keep them in view, both barrels kept pointed straight at the creatures heads. He finally speaks then, adressing the two in his low, rumbly, gravelly voice, "You heard her... Get out of here, or die."

The Alpha turns it's attention from Moiraine to Lenneth as she issues her final demand, and it's mismatched eyes narrow, and it seems to start to struggle in place. The wargs circling Mordecai don't seem to register the man's words at all, watching him with unwavering feral gazes. The girls nod in unison at Lenneth's instructions, and start to slowly back away, but the two snarling shadow-clad wargs that watch the girls, snapping and snarling, keep pace, step for step, attention focused almost to the exclusion of all other things, which causes the girls to whimper in fear to varying degrees, as afforded by their demeanors. And all the while, the Alpha continues to struggle in place in the most peculiar way, almost as if trying -not- to move, and shaking it's head sharply as it trying to dislodge something. Suddenly, the Alpha rears, as if to pounce, but instead of pouncing, it comes strait down, though not on it's forepaws, front legs folding as it slams it's head into the soft grass-covered earth, gouging furrows through the dirt with it's muzzle as it trying to scrub something free. And something does come free, the Alpha scraping the shadows that cloak it from it's muzzle, the shadows acting almost alive as tendrils torn free wriggle before dissipating. The muzzle revealed, a patch of shadow cleared from one side, is silver-tipped gray, and the jaws part, a basso rumble issuing from the beast in, surprisingly enough, words, though it seems a struggle as the shadows attempt to cover the muzzle once again, as if trying to keep it closed, "Mmmy brrthrs... dnnnnt l'stnn tmmmee... nny lonnngrr... Frree thmmm... frrrmm thsss trrrmnnt... Thh rrrleesss... fff'dethh..." And that's all that is managed before the shadows bind the Alpha's muzzle again, and it returns to it's original standing position.

Lenneth's eyes widen for a moment as the struggle commences and then narrow once again. A nod is given to the alpha as the girl murmurs with a scowl, "then we will do so.." No longer holding back Len takes aim on one of the two keeping pace with the backpeddling triplets and she fires while lowering her other hand to release her swordclasp so that she can swap weapons easily.

Moiraine says, "Oh well kupo-po... that;.... this is new!" she leaps forward at one of the snapping creatures, aiming to chin the bastard properly. "Kupo down you go doggy!""

Mordecai doesn't look towards the alpha as he speaks... Keeping his eye on the two circling him. But he does indeed hear the words, followed by Lenneth's vow, Moiraine's exclamation, and a sudden gunshot. Taking this as his cue then, Mordecai's eyes narrow some... Before he promptly pulls the triggers on both his guns. Sending a shotgun blast at one, and a fat .45 bullet at the other. The latter, due to the likelyhood of less damage done to it from the revolver, quickly being rounded on afterwards to receive one of those kicks as well.

And everything seems to happen at once. Lenneth's shot sends one of the pace-keeping shadowed warg to the ground, the other jolted to action as it snarls and pounces towards Moiraine and the three girls even as the moogle intercepts, the shot to the chin halting it's flight and sending it reeling to the grass. On Mordecai's end, Lenneth's shot sets the two wargs he faces into motion as well, the shotgun blast ending one as it prepares to pounce while the man's pistol spins the other with a yelp, that one righting itself for a charge just in time for the man's kick to connect with it's head with a vicious and meaty crack, the beast falling in it's tracks in a boneless heap. Just a matter of seconds and a heap of good fortune, and the tally stands at three more beasts dead, shadows already melting from them, and two left injured, one immobile and one dazed, and the Alpha standing stock-still, quivering as if fighting to move, or perhaps fighting against something that seeks to move it against it's will. The sudden outburst of violence and noise earns screams from the girls, as well, surprised shrieks sounding into the night as they drop to their knees and huddle together as if to protect themselves from the end of creation.

Lenneth looks at the alpha and then moves forward quickly, gun at the ready still.. having seen the shadow muzzle before the shadows took control again, the girl seems to have gotten a crazy idea in mind. The gun is, if she can get in close enough, positioned beneath the worg's head while the other hand tries to pull off the shadow as one would a muzzle from a dog. And if it snaps or it doesn't work she'll humanely put it out of it's misery.

Moiraine watches the warg she intercepted then kupos as she puts more effort into making sure the creature doesn't reach the screaming girls, "Kupo-po! Stop you beast!"

Mordecai should have about three shots left in his revolver... And after he sends te two that were circling around him to their doom, he wastes no time as he walks towards the one he injured earlier, with the useless hind legs... No expression on his face as he simply aims his sixgun and pulls the trigger to put one in its head. Afterwards, he can finally focus on the ones menacing the others... And with another cocking spin of his shotgun, he quickly heads towards the ones near Moiraine, letting Lenneth try and attempt whatever her plan might be with the Alpha.

The warg recovering from Moiraine's blows is quickly dispatched as the moogle sets about finishing what she started, the shadows melting from the body that's left behind, same as the others. With Mordecai putting the other injured beast out of it's misery, all that's left is the Alpha. But as Lenneth approaches it, something unexpected: The shadows cloaking the beast seem to simply dissolve, like mist blown by the wind, leaving behind the Alpha in his true form: A massive silver-gray animal of almost regal ferociousness, with a white blaze down it's back, it's mismatched eyes now clear and no longer glowing with unnatural light. And with the shadows goes whatever action they were attempting to force him to, the sudden release of resistance sending the creature stumbling back a few steps before he can stop himself, eventually tripping over his own large paws and falling heavily onto his side, where the Alpha seems to take a moment to rest.

Lenneth blinks and looks over at Mordecai and then at Moiraine and the triplets, her brows lifting up, before she looks back at the remaining worg and approaches a few steps closer tentatively. "Why... no matter. Are you alright, err can you still talk?"

Moiraine watches the Alpha and kupos then turns to the girls, "It is ok now, come on children calm yourselves kupo=po" she moves to try and ressure the girls

Mordecai blinks a moment as he watches the shadow retreat from the Alpha, and the great beast promptly falling over... Before he glances over at Moiraine, nodding as she moves to take care of the girls. Calmly, he starts reloading both his guns then, pulling shells from his harness, in the meantime approach Lenneth and the fallen Alpha, rumbling, "I wonder what all that was about."

The girls start to slowly calm under Moiraine's reassurances, though it seems a slow road at the moment, with the blond being the worse off, sobbing near-hysterically while the redhead starts getting into a seemingly practiced role of guardian, adding that to the moogle's reassurances, and the raven-haired girl seeming almost to cannibalize her own fear and redirect it as she glares daggers at the fallen Alpha Warg, mostly with undisguised hatred and anger, though her expression also carries an undertone of something not immediately identifiable. The Alpha, meanwhile, doesn't immediately answer Lenneth in any noticeable way, taking time to catch it's breath. After a few moments, though, it starts to stand again, lifting his bulk and climbing to his feet before going himself a big full-body shake. That done, his mismatched eyes turn first to Lenneth, then to the three girls, then back to Lenneth. Another moment is taken by the Alpha to look at each of the other six fallen wargs before it seems to sigh, basso voice rumbling again, "Such a shame... Such vile sorcery."

Lenneth kneels down beside the worg and looks around before shaking her head a bit, "we had no way of knowing. I have seen shadow beasts before, I'm sorry." She looks over at the girls before exhaling as she notices the look on the one's face. "You will have an enemy there.. better to go rather than linger. Tell us before you do though.. how did that curse come on you and where does this road lead?"

Moiraine kupos and frowns at that odd undertone and the inidentifiable look, "Are you ladies ok kupo? Anyone harmed kuupo-po?" She looks around worriedly at the rest of the forest then over toward the rest of her party. "We should notlinger here if there is sorcery being used"

Mordecai finishes re-loading his guns as he stands next to Lenneth and the Alpha, listening to their conversation. Slipping both weapons back into their holsters then, he just crosses his arms, waiting for what happens next. Though he also glances over his shoulder at Moiraine, and nods in agreement, before looking over the girls to see what state they're in.

The Alpha snorts lightly at Lenneth's notion about the raven-haired girl, rumbling a response down to the kneeling woman, "Such hath been her choice... Apologize not, it was no fault of thine, and t'was a mercy given by thee." A glance at the road, and the Alpha continues, "I know not how I and mine fell under the spell, but we were naught but tools tasked to a purpose, and abandoned when of no further use. And the road, along it lay the settlement Comford, a sun's swift run from here." The girls, calming each in their own way, answer Moiraine's question, each in turn, the redhead with a brassy "I'm Ok!", the blond with a soft and hesitant "I- I am unharmed, thank you, miss...", and the raven-haired with a short and very abrupt and ill-tempered "No, I'm fine."

Lenneth frowns as a suspicion sneaks into her mind and she strokes her chin while glancing towards Mordecai and Moiraine. Nodding to the Alpha then she rises up. "Then I'll let you go then... be safe." She looks at her friends then, murmuring, "let's see to their father and the worgs then get them to the village..."

Moiraine frowns up at the girls and kupos "I am glad you are doing ok ladies kupo-po" She is eyeing the ill temptered girl strangely however "Now come kupo, stay with me and we'll go rejoin your father. Be calm all of you"

Mordecai glances at the dead father as he's mentioned... And sighs a bit. Looking at Lenneth and Moiraine then, he motions a bit, "Take the girls... I'll take care of the father. They don't need to see him yet." He states quietly, before he starts moving towards the dead man, looking slightly grim at the task ahead of preparing the corpse for either transport or burial.

The girls are at least obedient, following Moiraine's instructions without complaint and sticking very close to one-another as they each process recent events in their own unique ways, even as Mordecai moves off to begin his grim work. The Alpha gives Lenneth and her group one more look, then turns, rumbling back at Lenneth, "Thou shalt need well-wishes more than I, I suspect. I am, after all, some bit larger than thee, and less likely to be molested." A touch of wry humor? Perhaps. "In this dark wood, though, thine enemies may be difficult to find... Be wary." And with no further word, the Alpha launches into a run, quickly disappearing from view as he dives into the treeline, headed away from the road and the way he and his brothers originally came.

Part 4

Lenneth's brow perks a little bit and there's a faint smile in responce to the Alpha. "I suppose you are right.." she murmurs as he departs swiftly. After cleaning her blade she sheaths it and looks at the cart then the girls and Moiraine, letting Mordecai see to the fallen man. "Other predators will come now that the scent of blood is in the air and sounds of conflict have faded. Come, gather your things so that we can head to the Comford. Bring only what you can carry."

Mordecai waits for the others to distract the girls, and perhaps start leading them away, before he finishes up the task at hand... The man taking a moment to search inside the overturned wagon for a blanket or other large piece of cloth, and then using the same to carefully wrap the dead father within... Hovering over the wrapped up body for a second then, the older gunfighter quietly mutters a few words... Before he exerts himself to carry the body back to the wagon, and place it within. Doing his best to lock the wagon afterwards, he soon wanders back over towards Lenneth, taking her aside for a moment, and rumbling, "We'll leave the body here, for now. I suggest we find a village of sorts, and remember the way, so they can send someone to retrieve it later."

The girls don't gather much, the trio seeming not to want to go to the wagon for anything, and so they gather with Lenneth with only the clothes on their backs and whatever they happen to already be carrying, which isn't much. The red-head has an arm around the blond's shoulders, trying to calm the blond's quiet crying, while the black-haired girl gives the other two a look of distaste, addressing the red-head, "Coddling her again, Rache?" The red-head looks up from the blond to scowl back, "Don't start again, Sam, now ain't tha time..." An old disagreement, it seems, old enough that one simple exchange is all they seem to need to hash it out again. The girls are otherwise obedient, though, gathered with Lenneth and Moiraine after no more than a minute or two. (re)

Lenneth watches what Mordecai is doing and murmurs, "ooor not.." just as the girls refuse to go. Nodding then to them she looks between the sisters before motioning towards the road, "lets get going then before other things decide to take notice of us." A quick glance is given Moiraine then as she tilts her head, "would you mind scouting ahead? Your wings will enable you to travel faster I think."

Mordecai glances at everyone for a moment... And even gives a bit of a reassuring smile towards the blonde girl, noticing she seems to be the most scared one, before he idly nudges Lenneth ahead of him, rumbling, "Walk with the girls, I'll watch our back." And promptly reaching down to smoothly pull out his shotgun once more, making sure it has a round chambered before falling back to take up the rear.

Moiraine looks at the girls and tilts her head and kupos, she nods to Lenneth, "Of course Lenneth dear, you stay with the girls kupo-po." she flaps up and starts out ahead, flying slowly forward watching the woodlands.

And things proceed quietly as the group gets going. The road, though far from straight, stays clear for several miles, both ahead and behind. With the trees overhanging the road most of the time, there's not much in the way of light, though a full moon climbing higher into the sky allows some light to filter down as time goes on. Mist starts to gather on the ground as the night turns cooler, as well, mostly curling among the trees alongside the road, though a few whisps drift across the road under the lightest of breezes from time to time. As for the girls, they follow along after Lenneth, the redhead and the blond walking side by side, the later having calmed, while the black-haired girl trails a few steps behind the other two, the trio's demeanor somber, to varying degrees.

Lenneth looks around warily as they continue down the dark road.. her eyes probing into the dark trees, but just as often she holds back to keep a good eye on the girls as well.. occasionally to ask one or another how they're holding up, if they're alright and the other typical questions one might ask someone who's been through a stressful situation.

Mordecai keeps a keen eye and ear on his surroundings as they walk, still staying at the back of the group to be the first one to meet any threat that comes from behind or the sides, his lever-action scattergun at the ready. The mist swirling around his feet mildly bothers him, but he keeps his expression impassive for the sake of the young girls in the middle... Every so often glancing their way to see how they're holding up, "How far is this town?" He rumbles out then, suddenly.

Moiraine looks up at the moon and tugs her robes about herself, she glances back at the three girls and frowns at the black-haired child, there is something about her that bugs her. Flapping her wings she flies higher, "Lets wait here, let me fly above the canopy and look, see if I can see any lights." She turns and flies upward, the light from her pom-pom going out so she can see through the darkness above the trees and search for any lights.

The questions from Lenneth get what could be considered typical responses, the red-head being the most talkative of the three, and good at putting up a brave front for the benefit of the other two (mostly the timid blond, as the black-haired girl seems to look on the red-head's bravado with a hint of weary disdain). Mordecai's question gets a look back from the black-haired girl, scowling faintly at him as she gives him a clipped "Dunno. Few hours by wagon." This gets the black-haired girl a sharp look back from the red-head, "Sam! Mind ya manners, would ya?" The black-haired girl, Sam evidently, hmph's and crosses her arms, "Mind your own business, Rache." Up ahead of Moiraine, the mist is beginning to thicken more towards fog, the filtered moonlight making the mist seem to glow. Up above the canopy, things are clearer. It's difficult to see the road's path, with the trees at least partially covering it most of the way, but in the distance, just a few miles as the crow flies, the forest opens onto fields, with the lights of a sleeping village just a mile or so beyond that.

Lenneth frowns a little as the mist thickens and then she murmurs, "I'd suggest we pull in tighter so we don't lose one another in the fog.." She glances at the girls then motions them closer for a moment before looking up and waiting for Moiraine to give them something more of a better idea how long til they reach their destination.

Mordecai gives the black haired one a look... Though it doesn't actually seem to be an offended one. Even seeming a tad amused, though offering no comment otherwise, just nodding in response. He looks up then at Moiraine, waiting for her to come down again and tell what she saw, and in the meantime taking a couple steps closer to Lenneth at her suggestion.

Moiraine flutters back down and kupos "I can see the village, it is out beyond this forest, a few miles. But this fog is coming in thick, I think we should stick together and make extra sure of the path kupo-po" she flicks her pom-pom and starts to move forward slowly again.

The girls follow Lenneth's and Moiraine's suggestion, gathering in closer even as the fog rolls slowly along, overtaking the group just moments later, visibility gradually dropping, though the hindrance is mitigated by the fact that the twisting road blocks lines of sight longer than some several dozen yards at most. And as Moiraine, scouting ahead as she is, rounds the next turn in the road, there's something different awaiting. Not another stretch of road, though that -is- there as might be expected, but someone standing in the road, right in the middle, about half-way to the next turn. An armored figure, it seems, though something about the way the armor fits it seems... wrong. No shield, but a broadsword hangs loosely from one gauntleted hand, and the figure has an altogether haggard and ragged look about it. If the figure notices Moiraine, it gives no indication of it.

Moiraine pulls up short when she spots that strange figure, she moves a bit closer, willing the light glowing around her pom-pom to brighten, not that it helps against the roiling fog much. "LEnneth.. Mordecai kupo!" she calls back, "Ladies stay were you are..." she motions for the others to join her, pointing toward the knightly looking figure. "Hello?" She calls out toward it.

Lenneth sends a quick look at Mordecai when he notes the urgency in Moiraine's voice. Motioning also for the girls to stay back she starts forward and pauses once beside the moogle. "What... that.. doesn't really look.." She notes the loosely gripped hand. As the Moiraine calls out Len's hand goes to her swordbelt, preparing to draw out the blade held there. "Stand and answer, friend."

Mordecai arches his brow at the tone of the Moogle's voice... But quickly complies, stepping forward to meet the potential threat together with the others, positioning himself next to Lenneth. His shotgun held at his side for now, he silently studies the figure before them... Trying to make out details, and watching out for any wrong move, even as the other two speak out towards it.

The armored figure responds slowly to Moiraine's call, helmeted head lifting, the figure's face hidden behind the helmet's armored visor. Through the slit in the visor, however, two eyes, shining and flickering like blue flame, even casting off whisps of smoke-like blue light, stare in the direction of Moiraine and the rest. There's no answer to the challenge from Moiraine and Lenneth for an uncomfortably long moment, but the armored figure eventually makes some sort of reply, in a voice that's like the moaning whisper of wind through trees, "Whoooo... mussst... Iii... kiiiill...?" Such a voice is clearly not normal; it's not even of the living, in fact! And who it's directing this question to us unclear. As for the trio of girls, they do stay back, taking refuge behind a tree to the side of the road, though they do peek around their chosen cover to watch. (Don't pose yet.)

Moiraine perks her ears and kupos, she brings her paws up, "It's the shadows" she shouts jumping back behing the two big people, "Mordey fire! Shoot it down kupo-po! It's the shadow thing that attacked the girls."

Lenneth's eyes go wide as Moiraine realizes before them. The sword is drawn out swiftly, the metal causing a *shing* to be heard while she frowns. 'Mordy' is given a quick look before Len straightens, "I don't know what you want, but try to harm us or the girls and we'll leave you no quarter.

Mordecai isn't a man of words, really... He's a man of violence, and always has been. His shotgun comes up in an instant, the figure sighted, the large bore pointed its way, while the slack is taken out of the trigger, Mordecai's finger taking it up just towards its limit- Not firing just yet, as he's halted by Lenneth's attempt at warning the figure off, but at the same time having brough the weapon close enough to the edge to be able and fire a solid blast of buckshot right away if needed.

The 'knight', for the armor is the plate typical of such men, doesn't respond to Lenneth's demand, just standing for a moment. But that only lasts so long, and whether it receives an answer to it's question from somewhere, or simply makes up it's own mind, the grip on the broadsword's hilt tightens, and the sword comes up as the knight takes it's first slightly ponderous step towards the group.

Moiraine blinks and kupo-pos "Oh foopbar kupos!" she shakes her head and backs up a step, "My skills aren't going to be much use against armoured knights kupo!" Shje calls out "Kill yourself! Go on you big stupid shadow kill yourslelf." She turns and hurries back to the girls to cover them just in case.

That step forward is all the reason Mordecai needs... His finger simply pulling back all the way in response, his weapon kicking in his hands as he sends a blast of that buckshot straight towards the approaching Knight. The grizzled gunfighter starting to step forward even as he throws the lever to ready a fresh shell, the spent one tumbling away behind him, trailing magical residue, fully intent on just empyting the weapon into this bastard and doing as much damage as possible. His expression grim, lit up by the shot.

The gunshot gets a tri-fold shriek from the trio of girls, and the impact of it rocks the knight back a step. But the knight rights itself immediately, the buckshot having put it's scattering of holes in the knight's chestplate, but the knight showing no ill effects aside from that as it retakes that first ponderous step.

Moiraine says, "Stay calm girls kupo-po" She says to them all, p[lacing herself before them, "Mordey it's not alive kupo-po! You can't shoot it! Anyone know any light spells?""

Lenneth scowls and glances at Mordecai, "how do you kill what's already dead? Looks like whatever is pursuing us.. them.. whichever.. found a better vehicle this time." Len moves to the side and then darts in, making a quick slash towards the hand holding the weapon, hoping ot at least disarm it. "No magic... but.. but your Mog's priestess. Maybe he'll listen if you cry out for help!"

Mordecai keeps walking forward, and keeps shooting... Throwing the lever each time, ejecting a spent shell, and hitting the undead shadow knight with the full brunt of the shotgun... But it's really just designed to slow the entity down, buying whoever time to throw a spell or the like in... As well as buying himself time, it seems, as the man growls out, "We can both play the shadow game." Even as sudden trails of black, shadowy smoke suddenly start swirling around Mordecai's form... Growing steadily in intensity, tendrils of it wrapping themselves around him, while he stares down the knight with cold, pale eyes.

And slow the knight down it does, each shot packing it's punch and preventing the knight from making any progress past that first step, more often than not setting the knight back from that step again and again. The armor is showing the punishment, though, more and more holes riddling it. Lenneth's glancing strike, between Mordecai's shots, to the knights sword hand doesn't do a whole lot of actual damage, the armored gauntlet serving it's purpose, but the knight's grip, not as tight as a living man's, has it's price, and the shock is enough to make the sword slip from the knight's grasp, the blade falling to the ground at it's feet. This causes the knight pause, and it seems to look down at the sword before substituting it's attempts to advance with attempts to pick the weapon up, which is made more difficult that it would normally be due to Mordecai's shotgun. Still, the knight seems to excell at keeping it's balance, even in an awkward posture, as none of the shotgun blasts take it from it's feet completely.

Moiraine dances from paw to paw and looks around the forest then decides to concentrate on her pom, she prays to it, trying to direct its illumination at the night. Shadows can be chased away by light right?

Well what she wanted happened anyways. That it wasn't her blade that disarmed the knight doesn't matter. As Mordecai's visage changes into that of his other nature Len uses the shadow knight's attempt to rearm itself as an opportunity to attempt to shove it over from the side.

Mordecai's shotgun runs empty... And it's simply discarded right after, dropped to the dirt roadway to be picked up later. Empty handed now, he suddenly picks up speed... In fact charging right for the Knight, even as those swirls of shadow around him suddenly coil inward. Wrapping themselves fully around the man, and starting to take solid shape... A long, black coat suddenly flowing behind him as he moves, and a wide-brimmed hand exploding out to cover his features in darkness, while the dull glint of armored metal shows up on both hands and feet... But most obvious of all, some of that shadowy smoke randomly flashes from black to crimson, settling around his neck into the shape of a trailing, red shawl. And such transformed, Mordecai, now going under a different name, the name of the scourge of Emberstrand's underworld, the infamous Animus... He charges right into the Knight, a hollow sounding growl escaping, and studded, armored fists snapping out.

Lenneth's attempt to shove the knight over doesn't meet with much success, though the knight diverts it's attempt to retake it's weapon by instead attempting to grab onto Lenneth with one large, gauntleted hand in order to fling her away! Mordecai's, or rather Animus', charge meets with more success, having more momentum behind it, and the knight is finally off it's feet after a solid impact! The knight doesn't go far, the armor giving it quite a bit of weight, but such is life, and the knight starts clambering back up to it's feet afterwards. Moiraine's prayers also seem to be doing something, the light from her pom growing brighter than what her pom should be able to produce as the seconds tick away; there's even the occasional faint tinkling of a bell from somewhere. The light illuminates the scene more and more, revealing the knights armor to be more damaged than originally assumed, showing rents and dents from battles long before this one spread throughout the armor's plates and chainmail.

Moiraine peers at the armour and hops from paw to paw and kupos "I don't know what else to do, I can hardly pynch the silly thing kupo-po! Mordecai can you do something lupo?"

Lenneth twists out of the way when the knight makes a grab for her and then goes down thanks to Animus' attack. She looks over at him and grins, before realizing that it suddenly is getting darker after it had surprisingly got brighter. Len looks over at Moiraine then before she waves her hands quickly, "keep doing that, keep praying.. the light it's gotta be good right?"

Animus's entire focus is on the Knight now... Keeping up his attack even after the knight goes down from his bull rush, and starting to engage it with a quick succession of punches to the face plate after it starts clambering back up. Animus fighting like a bare knuckle boxer as he throws a quick succession of jabs and hooks and straight punches, trying to keep the creature occupied with those combinations and perhaps even hurt it as the others figure out a definate way to put it down.

The knight continues to attempt to regain it's feet, though the punishment Animus dishes out keeps it off balance enough that it can never completely get there. The blows damage the armor more and more, even if they don't seem to actually hurt the knight any, and behind the group one of the girls, probably Rache, can be heard, "Yeah! YEAH! Left, jab, yeah!" Followed by a softer sour mutter, likely from Sam, "Oh geeze..."

Moiraine stops moving and nods and closes her eyes and starts to chant softly, "May Mog guide our paths, may his light follow us and show us the route he wishes us to walk. With the grace of Famfrit to our side may we ever and always find the path of progress as is best. With Arx above to guide the skies and shelter us may we be delivered from this darkness, may his light and the light of the one who is my true lord and father protect us and show us what must be in this dark place.

Lenneth looks down then grabs the knight's weapon and turns hurling it out into the forest rather than wait for it to grab and use it in responce to Animus' attacks. Len looks over at the girls and smirks for a brief moment before looking at Moiraine and nodding in responce as she starts to pray.

Animus keeps up his relentless assault, smashing his armed knuckles into the knight's helmet with swift, powerful strikes, even starting to growl a bit by now with each punch as he really puts everything he's got into them... Simply just keeping the bastard busy while Moiraine finishes her prayer and hopefully calls in some divine help.

As Moiraine resumes praying, the light once again swells and increases, ramping up faster this time around until Moiraine's pom shines like a magnesium flare! And as the light grows, dark clouds roll in with unnatural speed from all directions in the night sky above, swirling towards a point nearly directly overhead. Animus' blows do indeed keep the knight occupied, as well, the armored figure unable to do much of anything useful or productive, relatively speaking, under the rain of blows, even as it seems to notice Lenneth tossing it's sword to the trees given how it reaches out towards her and the blade as if it would forestall her actions. Suddenly, the light from Moiraine's pom streaks into the clouded sky, the brief flicker around her revealing a larger moogle-like form for a split second, and the sensation for Moiraine much like a sudden head-rush. That's all the warning Animus gets that something is happening as, almost immediately after, a shaft of pure-white light spears down from the clouds like a super-powered spotlight, slamming down on the knight with almost physical force, like being next to a lightning strike except without the noise or deadly sky-bound electricity. The knight shudders under the light's glare, finally regaining it's feet fully and reaching skyward as the shadows that writhe under the armor begin to melt away, leaving behind just the armor and the skeleton within it, which both fall to the ground a moment later, like a puppet with it's strings cut, as the shaft of light fades to nothing. And as if the light were the harbinger of weather, the clouds immediately let fall a drizzling rain that quickly soaks the scene.

In the calm after the fading of the light, and under the sound of the rain, another faint sound can be heard coming from behind the group, perhaps all the more noticeable in the sudden silence after the noise of conflict. And it sounds, for all the world, like someone is being... strangled?

Moiraine blinks as her pom-pom flares and for a briefest of minutes she sees what she thinks might be Lord Mog.... followed by the blinding attack from the heavens above! She stares, that's never happened to her before! She's no summoner but she guesses being High Priestess of Emberstrand has its perks... then she hears the noise from behind and spins around to check on the girls. "What the..."

Lenneth lifts a hand to try and shield her eyes from the light before letting out something of an amazed gasp... Afterwards though the silence descends and Len looks around before blinking and turning around to run over to the girls quickly.

Animus has pretty fast reflexes luckily... The Esper looking up just in time to see the incoming beam of light, and promptly throwing himself out of the way with all the force he can muster! Landing somewhere in the bushes at the side of the road with a heavy crash and rustle. As everything settles back down afterwards, he shows himself to be uninjured, luckily, as he climbs out... His 'face' simply a black shadow below the brim of his hat, with only a pair of red pinpricks for eyes staring out... Both of them swiveling towards the strange sound, and narrowing.

The girls are there, as expected. The redhead, Rache, is in front, staring and still rather awed by the scene just witnessed, the defeat of the undead knight. Behind Rache are the other two girls, though the sight of them is perhaps the last thing anyone would expect: The black-haired girl, Sam, atop the blond, hair dark hanging in wet strands and looking rather crazed as the blond struggles beneath her, gasping for breath and fighting against Sam's grip as the Sam seems intent on squeezing the life from the blond by way of her hands savagely gripping the blond's throat. Rache, seeing everyone turn towards her, and becoming aware of the sounds behind her as well now, is the last to turn, gasping at the sight and giving a short shriek, followed by "Reese!! Sam, what're ya doin'?!"

Moiraine yeeeps and runs forward, tackling Sam, trying to grapple the black haired girl off of the blonde "What the devil do you think you are doing kupo-po! Let her go!"

Lenneth stares for a brief moment and then she breaks into a run as she rushes forward and quiet unceremoniously grabs the dark haired girl by her hair with one hand and the other is placed on her shoulder as he starts to help Moiraine pulling her off her back. "Enough...Mordecai get the blond one.." And with that Len growls, "What is the meaning of this?"

Animus rushes forward together with the others... And even as he does so, his strange, shadowy outfit starts seeping off, smoke trailing away behind him and once more starting to reveal the human beneath. Almost looking normal again as he grabs the blonde girl that was getting strangled, and pulls her a good distance away from the black haired one that's being handled by the others, peering at said girl for a moment, before he starts inspecting the victim's neck.

Sam is knocked from Reese by Moiraine's tackle, the blond scrambling too her feet with a sob and starting to race off into the trees like a bolting rabbit before Mordecai grabs her, even as Sam fights and wriggles herself in the combined grip of Moiraine and Lenneth, the black-haired girl looking almost demented with wide eyes and strands of wet hair hanging in her face, almost screaming, "Lemme go, dammit! It should be MINE! They don't deserve it, they don't have any IDEA what they could do with it!!" Which explains exactly nothing, for the most part. Rache just stares at Sam for a moment as the dark-haired girl rants, before looking at her pleadingly, "But Sam! We're fated, all three of us! Momma -told- us so!!" Meanwhile, the blond in Mordecai's grip struggles to run away, terrified, and starting to fight him in her quest to flee, making his inspection of her neck difficult, at best; still, bruises from the attempted strangling are already forming, noticeable even with her lack of cooperation.

Moiraine shakes her wings and glowers at the black haired girl and kupos "Stop struggling or i'll do to you whatr I did to your shadow creature!" Its a stab in the dark but its a guess. She looks at the girls and kupos, "I think you three had better start telling us just what is going on between you three kupo-po or in Mog's name I'll turn you all over my knee and spank you..." She looks at Rache as she says this, she seems to be the only one who is all together right now.

Lenneth lets go of Sam's hair and grabs her by the upper arms while pulling her back and she nods to the Moogle's demand before growling, "Twice we have been put into danger and I'm thinking that it's because of you three. Now no more lies. What fate are you all talking about and what should be yours?"

Mordecai grips the blonde girl, keeping her against him, as he rumbles out, "Stop fighting me, girl. You're fine." In the meantime peering over at the others as they deal with Sam, equally curious as to what's really going on.

Rache looks from Sam to Lenneth, "I, I don't know it all! Momma knew, but she nevah told us all of it, kept sayin' "When yer oldah, when yer oldah"! I dunno what it's all really about!!" To which Sam, no longer struggling against Lenneth and Moiraine, laughs darkly, "Oh, yes, she didn't want to tell us, not yet... But I found her book. I read it. "Fate, Hope, and Death", it said... "Harbingers of their causes, doomed to suffer as their destiny dictates", it said... Well, I don't want to DIE!! Fated? You and -her- are fated, Rachael; I'm DOOMED!" Sam grins darkly, voice grim, "But not if I kill you both, and take your fated power for my own. Guess I should have started with you instead of Teressa; after all, she's the easy one." Rache opens her mouth to reply, but a sudden surge of power from Sam interrupts her, shadows, like those seen on at the last two fights, erupting from her; seems Moiraine's guess was right about who was responsible. The force of the shadows is enough to push Moiraine and Lenneth away from her, the dark-haired girl immediately flinging a hand out to the forest, shadows leaping from her hand and into the trees like a whip, and drawing the knight's discardes broadsword through the air towards her! Rache pounces on Sam, however, and the sword doesn't make it all the way there, falling to the muddy road as the two girls get into a proper muddy catfight! The blond, Teressa, meanwhile, doesn't pay Mordecai's words any mind, though the flying sword gives her pause before she struggles again, and with more vigor, kicking at Mordecai's shins and other things, ripping herself free of the man's grip, aided by the rain and leaving behind a sleeve of her dress as she bolts towards the fallen sword, scooping it up on her way towards the other two girls, dragging it behind her since she can't properly lift it! The catfighting pair struggle, until Sam throws Rache off with a vicious blow to the gut, leaving the redhead breathless as the dark-haired girl stands, panting for breath and with murder in her eyes as she stalks the fallen sister. It's like slow motion, everyone acting at once: Lenneth and Moiraine yelling out as they try to get up and get to the fighting sisters before one kills the other, Mordecai trying to chase after the Teressa to catch her and take the sword away, Teressa coming up fast behind Sam, and Sam about to fall upon Rachael once more with violence. But Sam pauses, the racing steps behind her causing her to turn... And there's Teressa, turning herself into a spin with a tight grip on the sword's hilt; she may not be able to truly lift it, but it seems she's smart enough to know that she can get momentum and inertia to do the work for her, and as she spins, the sword lifts into the air, and a very surprised looking Sam finds her head flying. And everyone skids to a halt in horror. Teressa stumbles past, tripping and falling atop Rachael as the sword slips from her grip and sails once more into the trees, and as for Sam... There's no blood. Misty black shadows rift like smoe from the severed neck, and the body stumbles a few steps from the sword's blow, but doesn't fall. Instead, amazingly, after a moment, the body stumbles it's way blindly towards it's head, and Sam's expression turns from shock at having been beheaded to bemusement, then to dark anger as the body finally collects her head. And, head in hand, Sam wordlessly runs off into the depths of the forest, leaving the other two sisters sobbing in the rainy mud, having seen none of that. And, as the three adventurers watch, aghast, the surroundings seem to fade until they are in that featureless blackness again, someone speaking from behind them, a familiar brooklyn-ish bubbly voice, "Well, quite tha adventiah you all had, I'd say..."

Part 5

Mordecai was already running after Sam, weapons out, ready to do what has to be done and gun her down right then and there, his expression set in grim determination... But instead of the trees rushing past him as he moves, he soon finds himself surrounded by that blackness again, and he comes to a halt... Blinking at first, then frowning hard as he seems to remember, and looks around at the sound of the familiar voice, trying to find the others.

Moiraine was half moving toward the girls, paws up as if to reach out for them and then everyting changes and she is back where they started. She looks around for the source of that voice and kupos "What... was that?"

Lenneth stares after the head carrying body, at a complete loss and then she shakes her head and starts to turn towards Moiraine as Mordecai runs past her. Though as everything fades to black Len straightens and puts hand to her sword while scowling. "It was... something.. That I'll agree, but release us.. or at least them since I drug them along." Len spins this way and that, trying to peer through the black shroud obscuring their view while attempting to locate the source of that familiar voice.

"That?", the voice says in answer to Moiraine's question, "Oh, that was nuthin' more, or less, than fate. Plain and simple." And out of the blackness 'behind' the group two figures emerge, one wearing a familiar violet cloak, the other wearing dusky rust-colored cloak of matching cut. The hoods are raised, but the shimmering cerulean blue eyes and impish smile of Lan-Lan identifies at least one of the pair. Lan-Lan tsks and shakes her head, "Aw, can't release any of yah yet, sugah, you ain't gotten wha'chya came for, and I can't send -them- back without sendin' -you- back too. So, tell me, what did ya think of ya little detour, eh?"

A dangerous look ever so briefly crosses Mordecai's face at Lan-Lan's words, before he forces his expression into some form of neutrality... Wandering over to stand near Lenneth as Moiraine as he quietly holsters his weapons again, and he studies the cloaked figures before them. And after a moment of thought, he shrugs his broad shoulders, and rumbles out in his gruff baritone, "What was the point?"

Moiraine says, "That was... not something I have ever experienced before, let alone heard about kupo!" She shakes out her robes and looks at the cloaked figures and kupos "I have learnt something new at least even if I do not fully yunderstand""

Lenneth's brow lifts and then she grows contemplative and a quick look is cast towards Mordecai then Moiraine. For a few long moments the young woman shakes her head, "too many ways to see it. If they were The Fates then I could contemplate that they were my fate and that something was trying to steal it from me, which turned out to be the culmination of fate which is death so.. kind of self destructive there. Umm.. but the easiest seems to be that sometimes you have to protect your fate and that even then you also have to let it go... but nothing can change it. Which is all very confusing and depressing both."

Lan-lan chuckles, though there's a weariness mixed in with the amusement, giving Mordecai a wry smile, "Yeah, that's tha million-gilder question, ain't it, Justicar?" In unison, both cloaked women reach up to pull their hoods back; from beneath the violet hood spills fiery tresses in wild curls, and from beneath the rust-colored hood spills a long curtain of pale blond, the second woman's eyes opening to reveal warm chocolate brown. In feature, the women could be twins, but their features are familiar, having been seen only moments before, but years younger, and the blond smiles knowingly at Moiraine's words, replying in a soft, well-educated voice, "Understanding will come, in time. But you will have to work at it." Lan-Lan nods to Lenneth, "Yeah, there's some truth in lookin' at it that way, suah. But ya trip was fate for a numbah o'reasons, an' if ya learned somethin' besides, so much tha bettah. See, you all had ta be there. There was just no way around it."

Mordecai snorts ever so lightly at the title bestowed to him, but otherwise keeps silent in response, not pretending to understand what's going on even as he eyes the older versions of the two girls as they reveal themselves, and listens to Lenneth's attempt at making sense of all this. Glancing at both his companions again then, he just shrugs some, and then speaks up again, "Fate or not, what's next?"

Moiraine inclines her head "All things come to understanding in time kupo, you just have to be patient and wait and learn and pay attention kupo. So tell me... was that the truth? Is your sister still out there or are there othger things involved?"

Lenneth looks at Mordecai then back and she opens her mouth before closing once again, "well... ah... I.." Pausing Len reaches up and scratches lightly behind an ear. "I didn't see that one coming," she admits then before looking towards Moiraine as she questions them.

Lan-Lan giggles somewhat at Lenneth's reaction as the blond, Teressa, answers Moiraine, "It was all true. You were all there. And without you, we would not be here today. Our sister still roams. She found her destiny before she was due, but has since... grown into it, shall we say. Her destiny was simply a bit more literal, or a bit less depending on your perspective, than she thought it to be. Whether there are other things involved, I do not know." Lan-Lan, or Rachael, picks up after Teressa stops, "As for what's next, well, that's tha easy part." She holds a hand out to Lenneth, "C'mere, sweety. I think it's time ya got that bauble off ya arm, right?"

Mordecai just shakes his head a little bit, seemingly still not sure what all this has to do with their original quest... But he rumbles out anyway, "You're welcome, girl." Before he glances at Lenneth, and nods at them to go ahead. The man standing back to see what happens next.

Moiraine says, "Well dear kupo... I am glad we were all able to be there and to help you kupo-po... I am a bit confused I shall admit but Lord Mog saw fit to respond to my prayer against the darkness so I know what we did must have been true and noble kupo!""

Lenneth hums about their sister, but decides not to pursue that line as the removal of the curse is so close. She looks down at the bracelet for a moment then up before walking forward. "You know, I want it off and for it to be at an end, but I can't say part of me won't miss it.." She shakes her head then erms and points at herself, "since I'm currently a girl when you remove this I'll revert back to being a boy again, right?"

Teressa accepts Mordecai's acknowledgement with a bow of her head, and Rachael chuckles, nodding to Moiraine, "I'd be surprised if ya weren't a bit confused, deah. It's one hell of a tangle, lemme tell ya." The twins then turn to Lenneth as she steps up, Teressa giving the cursed woman a smile, "All things must end, Ka'Len, and this is no different. But the end of one thing..." Teressa trails off, the sentence picked up by Rachael almost immediately, "Is tha beginnin' of anothah. And yeah, sweety, you'll be fine, once we're done." The redhead holds out one hand, "Now, hand me tha bracelet, please."

Mordecai continues to watch silently... And he's atleast a bit curious as to what's going to happen next, waiting for Lenneth to approach and get this all over with.

Moiraine smiles at Teressa, "Well Miss kupo, I am glad you are willing to help Ka'Len take that bracelet off kupo-po and everything is always connected as you say. All things are interlocked together in the end and lead from one to the next kupo. Or so we are taught."

Lenneth releases the clasp and pulls the bracelet with the ying yang symbol off before handing it on over to Rachael as she asks for it. A brief look is cast over her shoulder at Mordecai and Moiraine before she looks back to the sisters once again.

Rachael nods in agreement with Moiraine's statement, adding with a smile, "Well, only natural that we help. We made tha thing, aftah all." Accepting the bracelet, she clasps one side of it, holding it out as Teressa clasps the other side, then the two women each take one of Lenneth's hands, Teressa telling Lenneth, "Now, brace yourself." Rachael adds, "Yeah, this might be... uncomf'table." With no further warning, power surges through Lenneth like high voltage through a completed circuit, the sudden flow creating a stiff wind that radiates out from the trio as they are surrounded by a blinding halo of light!

Lenneth being hit by that power is the last thing Mordecai sees, as he has to bring up his hand soon after to shield himself from that blinding light, grunting even as the wind buffets into him, whipping his clothes around. And he instinctively braces himself then, hoping everything will be fine again after everything is said and done.

Moiraine throws her hands up at the flash, catching her pom-pom and turning to shield it, she doesn't want a backlash of energy ice-cream headache thank you very much! "Oh Mog kupo...."

As Len's hands are taken the youth looks back and forth for a brief moment. A nod comes and there's a brief stiffening of limbs as they visibly brace themselves. However as the wind starts to buffet, causing Len's hair to break free of the velvet ribbon it's usually tied back in, and the halo of light blinds everyone, even causing the one at the epicenter to close their eyes, a strange sort of sound emerges from Len. Half scream, half yell erupts from Len's throat.. one sound distinctly male and the other female.

The roar of wind, the blinding light, and Lenneth's strange screams last for... Well, it feels like eternity and mere seconds all at once, a vertigo of conflicting senses akin to standing on the edge of a very high cliff and looking down to have the sensation of falling and of not falling all at once. Then, all at once, everything is still and quiet, the wind has stopped, the light is gone, and all is silent. Teressa and Rachael still stand, each holding Ka'Len, now a man again, by the hand, while, in their other hands, each holds one half of a broken bracelet. But one thing is different in comparison to before, and that is the body of the naked woman floating just above the trio's linked hands, the very mirror image of Ka'Len himself.

Mordecai's first instinct when he hears those screams is to rush in and break them apart... But that is only instinct, and he quickly suppresses it, staying in place instead, still shielding his eyes from the light, and bracing himself against the odd feeling that the nearby unleashing of power forces on him. But then, as it all suddenly stops, the man slowly drops his hand... Opening his pale eyes and looking around with a mix of mild confusion, and curiousity. His gaze soon falling upon the scene before him... And his brow arching at the floating, female version of Ka'Len.

Moiraine lifts her head, peeking over at Len, she sits up "Oh Ka...." she trails off staring up at the woman floating above their heads "Ah I did wonder what wold happen to her... she does exist now kupo"

The cry was lost somewhere in the roaring wind and as suddenly as it all began the young man is left swaying in place.. his features drawn as if he's had every ounce of energy taken out of him.. and given there's now a female who looks remarkably like himself standing there, well that's no great surprised. The exhausted young man can barelly keep on his feet, but he manages and looks up, blinking for a moment before starting to release the twins hands so he can catch the naked girl, despite the fact that if he had to he'd probably crumple to the ground with her just now.

Teressa and Rachael give a nod of satisfaction, in unison, before Rachael throws up her hands unexpectedly, "It's a GIRL! Congratulations!" After which Teressa, completely deadpan, smacks Rachael on the back of the head, getting a small "Ow." from the redhead. Rubbing the back of her head, Rachael smiles at Ka'Len, "All done, sweety." Teressa looks at the floating woman, then, as an afterthought, "Someone might want to get something to cover her with. She's a bit, well... unclothed." Rachael follows that by adding, to Ka'Len, "A few days' rest, and both of ya'll be fine." The girl, for her part, just floats serenely, sleeping peacefully.

Mordecai quickly steps forward to catch both Ka'Len and Lenneth if he must, the man looking a bit confused, but atleast not letting it stop him from acting. And at Teressa's comment, he simply nods, working at shrugging off his coat to put it around the newly created girl. At which point he suddenly speaks up again, shaking his head a bit as he looks at the two women, "... I'm not sure this solved anything, at all, but thank you?" His voice gruff as usual, and sounding fairly unsure about all this, as he takes a moment to peer at the two Len's. Probably wondering what's gonna happen next.

Moiraine lookjs around and kupos "Well I haven't got anything to cover the lady with kupo-po, just.. me and my clothes won't fit. Ka'Len give the lass your coat already kupo-po"

Ka'Len lets Mordecai take Lenneth and he smiles weakly, but stays on his feet for now. "Maybe.. there'll be alot to think about and work out, but..." He looks at Mordecai and smiles crookedly, "one set of problems for potential others.." Smiling at Moiraine then as he lets himself fall onto his lap. "Lenneth, her name's Lenneth." Though admittedly the /other/ twins are given a bit of a smirk.

Rachael smiles as Ka'Len remains standing, nodding to herself in evident approval over him managing it despite that he can barely hold himself up, while Teressa smiles at Mordecai, "Solve? My dear man, all we aimed to do was remove the curse, which we did. All that energy had to go -somewhere-." Rachael smiles at Ka'Len, "Like we said, end a' one thing, beginnin' of anothah. How ya explain it to ya mothah that ya suddenly went from an only child ta havin' a twin sistah, well... Good luck."

Mordecai takes care to wrap up the sleeping Lenneth, before taking a moment to see if Ka'Len is doing alright, noting how tired the lad seems to be. Also shrugging at the two women in response to them, he offers no other comment about the matter, not being a man of many words obviously, prefering to figure all this out later on. He simply waits to see what happens now.

Moiraine says, "Well Mordecai, this makes your relationship with Ka'Len a bit more interesting kupo-po... " she places a paw on the sleeping LEnneth's arm and smiles "Welcome Lenneth, ti-var-da mondra Mog, tik tik kupo da Famfrit bo so kupo ta la nee Ark so Kupo-po!" she speaks a quiet blessing, the sort used to welcome new born mogs and bows to the Twins. "YThank you for your help in this Rachael, Teressa,""

Ka'Len blows out a breath and then murmurs, "Father won't care as long as I'm back to just me again. Likely he'll try to marry her off," there's a little frown as he looks at Mordecai's bundle and then shakes his head, "and mother will be happy that she finally has a real girl to dress up." Len pushes himself up and bows his head to Rachael and Teresa, "thank you though.. I'm sure we'll be able to sort things out." He looks at Moiraine then before snorting softly and smiling, "well you can say that again.."

Rachael smiles, "Well, that's that, then, all things accounted fah." Rachael and Teressa both step back, nodding to Moiraine as they are thanked, and Teressa nods to Ka'Len, "Perhaps it will be as you say. And I'm sure you will sort it out. I trust that, as her brother, you will help her see her -own- desires come to pass, whatever those may eventually be. Realize, though, that for the moment, you are both far closer than any siblings have ever been, as she knows all that you do up until this point. It is from -here- that she will grow to be her own person." Rachael nods, "Yeah, take good care of her. As for us, I doubt you'll see us again." Teressa folds her hands peacefully before her, while Rachael puts a hand on her hip and gives the group a saucy wink, the pair speaking in unison, almost with one voice, though their unique tones can still be picked out, "Gemini wishes you well, travellers!" And, in a blink, the adventurers, in addition to the girl in Mordecai's arms, find themselves suddenly in the alley behind the bordello, just out of view of a side street and any passers-by that might notice their sudden appearance out of nothingness.

Moiraine looks around as they re-appear in the street and kupos "Well.. Ka'Len that was an adevenmture and a half and we didn't even ave to leave the city... no pickingup weird bracelets any more kupo."

Ka'Len nods to the girls and he reaches up running hands through his hair for a few moments. He looks towards Moiraine then points at Mordecai, "he's got a strange pommel without a blade, so next time it's not my fault." He smiles a little then looks at Mordecai and Lenneth for a few moments, tilting his head before murmuring, "best to get her back to the orphanage for now and out of this dangerous place." The young man motions for Moiraine to join them as he starts staggering down the road.

... FIN ...

---

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