<div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">…eesh, you guys really left me behind. X) Sorry about that, I’ll try to catch up with this post!</div></div></div><br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>"As I was saying earlier," Brady explains as she leads her party, "Crew is a psicrystal, a collection of psychic reverberations condensed into a physical form. In other words, he's made out of thoughts- my thoughts, and my personality. It's the same principle as a familiar, only in reverse- instead of finding another creature and imprinting my mind onto it, I used part of my mind to grow my own creature!"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>In the moments the group first left the chamber, Alexei found himself trotting close behind Brady as she explained the origin of her familiar. The wolf had always been fascinated with the mystical and arcane, finding even books on the subject an alluring step out of the ordinary. And now he could not only hear about such a thing but see it first-hand? It was much more than he had expected to receive upon reaching Lakehaven in the first place.<br/><br/>“So Crew is a physical manifestation of your very psyche?” he repeated, placing a finger on his chin. “It must be something, having a companion that quite literally knows of your deepest drives and motives. Not only that, he’d be a very good record of your growth as a person, almost like a mirror of you through time and space… fascinating…”<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>Turning towards Alexei, he gives the stoic wolf a playful slap on the thigh with his tails to get his attention "What do you think, hrm?"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Haven been lost in thought, the wolf was devoid of the context in which Kahmori spoke, so upon turning to face the kitsune he soon found himself at a loss for words. A blank stare and a raised eyebrow were all he could manage as he watched the large manly fox… suddenly act not very manly at all. It quickly evolved into a puzzle Alexei simply couldn’t figure out. He had been such a stud before… hell, even<span style="font-style: italic">moments</span>before. Is this some secret kink of his? Or maybe he just went insane… and on such short notice too…<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>"....Me...in Bikini-mail...Mmmm...."</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Ohhhhhh….<br/><br/>Of course, he was making a joke about dressing up Vendra. He should’ve known. A wide grin split his lips as he placed his fingers on his temple and shook his head gently. He had no idea how the kitsune managed to make a full-blown act out of everything that came from his imagination, yet he had to admit it really brightened up the time they spent together. He hoped the kitsune could take the remaining aspects of the mission more seriously, but for now the wolf moved to appreciate his humor for what it was.<br/><br/>“I’d be inclined to agree with Miss Xali,” he remarked jocularly, crossing his arms. “It doesn’t sound like something you’d want to wear out into the battlefield. But who knows? With moves like that, maybe you’ll dazzle the enemy into submission!”<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">At the armory</span><br/><br/>Upon trailing his companions into the armory, Alexei couldn’t help but be impressed with what he saw. The wolf clan sure knew how to stockpile for a war, if nothing else. All around him, shelves filled with goods stretched high overhead, almost overshadowing the piles of clothes and racks of weapons nearby. He wasn’t used to having everything he needed in one place, so it took him a moment to take it all in.<br/><br/>Waving Brady goodbye as she left to see Sura, the wolf decided to follow Kahmori around as he pondered what he needed. Unlike the kitsune, the lupine already had most of the exploration and battling gear he needed, many of them relics of his travels he had for years already. The finely-crafted duom had been in his possession for as long as he could remember. His chainmail, made of fine elven mithril, was purchased from an eccentric collector roughly three years ago. His bow had been granted as a gift by a catfolk archer he had worked for a year and three-quarters before. Many of his possessions were a part of his history, haven built up with him over his time alone, and as such he was quite hard-pressed to replace them with anything else.<br/><br/>However, that wasn’t to say he didn’t need anything at all. Unfortunately, dealing with the undead meant they would be able to… err, “catch” their meals as they travelled, so rations would have to be called for. Also, some medicine would be useful if they’d be unlucky enough to contract something from the reanimated. There was also the matter of travelling in the crypt to deal with as well. It was a lot to manage, but it wasn’t anything too daunting to the wolf.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>A few trail rations (consisting of dried meats...he avoids the green foods like the plague)…</div></blockquote><br/><br/>As Alexei began to rummage through the packs of dried and preserved foods, he couldn’t help but notice the kitsune’s pickiness when selecting his rations. Although it was perfectly understandable, he could help but find it somewhat amusing. “What’s the matter, don’t have a taste for the healthy stuff?” he joked, waving a pressed veggie-bar before Kahmori’s nose. However, after looking over the bar himself, a grimace spread over his face as he tossed it away like some garbage he had been forced to touch. “Neither do I,” he conceded, instead helping himself to some jerky and nuts.<br/><br/>Moving on, he trotted slowly alongside the shelves, examining their contents before picking off what he needed. Antivenom could be useful, along with some oil for his lantern and maybe even to throw if it was called for. As for clothing, he saw little reason to change anything he wore on his upper body, but some changes of leggings would be useful. Picking out a few pairs of black trousers, he measured them against his leg before eventually slinging his pick over his arm. Speaking of being clean, maybe he could use...<br/><br/>Eventually, with a list of goods that ended up much longer that he anticipated, the wolf finally finished a loop around the whole armory, ending up back at the small pile of trail rations. Slipping off his pack, he undid its straps quickly but took some time to think through organization. Unlike Kahmori, the contents of Alexei’s backpack were arranged with almost meticulous detail, each item tucked neatly again the next and placed for the ease of use. With the same amount of care, the wolf tucked in his new possessions methodically, and after a few minutes his backpack bulged ever-so-slightly more than before.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>"Alright guys, Sura's ready. Everyone got their gear together?"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>“Just about!” he replied, giving the shelves one last scan. A few more mundane odds and ends fell into the wolf’s grasp, and before long he had redone the buckles on his pack and looped it over his shoulders. Trailing the lizardgirl once again, the lupine couldn’t help but wonder what Sura would be like. “Bold”, Helix said. They would just have to see…<br/><br/><br/>Edit!<br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Oops, almost forgot to note what Alexei just got. X)<br/><br/>Antivenom x2<br/>Oil flask x3<br/>Trail rations x8<br/>Blanket, winter<br/>Chalk x2<br/>Bar of soap<br/>Clothing<br/>Paper sheet x2</div></div></div>