<span style="font-weight: bold">&lt;&lt;ALYSSA, CELAIRE&lt; DAGNYR, &amp; VANIKA&gt;&gt;</span><br/><br/>A patter of small feet approaches Dagnyr, followed by faint, nervous cough that seems unsure whether or not it wants his attention. At his feet is a middle-aged halfling man, clad in a stained bartender's apron over common clothes, who meets his eyes with some hesitation - and more than one uncertain glance at Vanika, whenever he thinks the demoness isn't paying attention.<br/><br/>"Begging your pardon, sirrah," the halfling says. "If you could spare a moment, there's some folk inside a mite scratched up..." he gestures to the interior of the ale tent, where most of the patrons still remained hunkered behind overturned tables, several of them with torn clothing and painful looking cuts. It's unclear what sort of creature gave the patrons their injuries, but a lump in the belly of a blonde laika woman gives a pretty good guess as to where the culprit went.<br/><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;">Since stealth-bunny hasn't posted in over a month or responded to PM, I'm going to assume she's MIA. Consider her character a background NPC until she returns.</div></div></div><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Alyssa wrote:</cite>"On behalf of the Prometan City Watch, I'd like to thank both of you for your assistance in defense of the city. If it's alright with you, I'd like to collect some information for the watch's investigation of the incident. If you could begin by giving me your names..."</div></blockquote><br/>"Aw, that was nuthin'. Anybody coulda done it!" Mina defers Alyssa's praise with a casual wave of her hand and a massive, cheerful grin. The second half of Alyssa's query sinks in a moment later, stirring her out of her 'hero' pose with a small jolt. "My name? Oh, uh, right! I'm..."<br/><br/>Mina pauses, fumbling a mouthful of words on her tongue as her alcohol soaked brain digs around for an answer. Mikka? Mila? Mimi? Close, but not quite... and why does the one lucid part of her brain keep saying 'Donny?' She knows<span style="font-style: italic">that's</span>not right.<br/><br/>"I'm... I'm kinda drunk," she finally manages. "D'you mind if I go lie down for a little while?" Without waiting for a response, she staggers back into the ale tent and manages a (mostly) controlled fall into an empty chair.<br/><br/>Mina picked a good time to make an exit: mere seconds after she excuses herself, her vacated spot is filled by the steel-shod boots of one Sergeant Yuki Ananda as she marches up to the ale tent, barking orders before she's even come to a full stop.<br/><br/>"Adjutant Niberos, start questioning witnesses! I want to know-"<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Alyssa wrote:</cite>"-the events leading up to the portal mishap. Did you observe any suspicious characters or unusual phenomena?"</div></blockquote><br/>The Sergeant falters, searching for new words to replace the ones borrowed by Alyssa's unexpectedly prescient response.  For someone used to recruits who need their heads knocked together to produce any kind of useful result, finding one who's actually a step<span style="font-style: italic">ahead</span>of her is jarring to say the least, especially after the other surprise today has hammered her with. At least this one is halfway pleasant.<br/><br/>"Y... yes, exactly," she finishes, a good deal less blustery than before. Her wind quickly recovers, however, as she turns to Dagnyr, ready to begin barking orders...<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Dangyr wrote:</cite>"Not perfect, but better than you were, that's for sure. Thanks for your assistance in defense of the city, miss."</div></blockquote><br/>... only to find herself late a second time.<br/><br/>As with Alyssa before him, the Sergeant finds her orders preempted by Dagnyr's sense of duty: the ever-imperturbable paladin is already hard at work spreading his goddess's gifts among the populace, and a small but growing crowd of citizens in various states are gathering to seek his aid, unconcerned by (or at least willing to ignore) the imposing winged creature he's taken as his first patient. It looks as if this corner of the square is well in good hands... but then, why this nagging sense of discomfort?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Probably indigestion,</span>she decides, and gives her armored midsection a pat, earning a satisfied *GLORP* from within. Well, no sense worrying about that- it'll pass in a few minutes, and there's work to be done in the meantime.<br/><br/>"Good work, both of you. Keep it up," Sergeant Ananda declares. With a swift nod of approval, she  turns and marches off to the next watchman's post, leaving Alyssa and Dagnyr to their respective lupine and demon subjects.<br/><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;">Three, two, one...</div></div></div><br/>Wait a minute... was that a werewolf? And a<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">DEMON?!?</span></span><br/><br/>Sergeant Ananda whirls and double-times it back to her subordinates, her face doing an incredible impression of... well, herself, really. There's very little in nature that can manage quite the same shade of red as a flustered officer. She plants herself in front of Alyssa and Dagnyr, and stands in fuming silence for several seconds, allowing her presence to sink in before she speaks... or maybe she's simply at a loss for words. It's hard to tell.<br/><br/>"Would one of you please tell me," she finally says, "what THOSE are" - an accusing finger wavers between Angel and Vanika - "and and why in the nine hells they're not in chains?!?"<br/><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">&lt;&lt;KAELEN &amp; LARYNN&gt;&gt;</span><br/><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;">If she makes a DC 10 Heal check (or uses her wand a couple more times), Larynn can tell that her spells aren't having much effect- restoring the archon to full health would take half her wand's charges. Finding someone with stronger healing magic would be a wise idea.</div></div></div><br/>Murmurs in a mixture of Pharadesen and Brilanian rise from behind Larynn as the vanara troop presses in, eager for a look at the mystery woman who landed on their new friend's kitchen. Fortunately for Larynn, Padma makes for an effective barrier to keep the curious monkeys out of her way while she works.<br/><br/>Healing the unconscious woman proves to be harder than it looks. The first tap of Larynn's wand prickles her hand with a backwash of positive energy as her spell struggles to find hold on her subject. The curative magic does finally seep in, slowly, but the effect is negligible at best: a few minor wounds erased, but no effect on the burned gash across her midsection.<br/><br/>Apparently, though, it's enough to make a difference- not long after Larynn's magic takes effect, the woman begins to stir, her eyelids fluttering for a moment, then opening.  Her cerulean eyes gradually focus on Larynn, and a weak smile appears on her lips. "<span style="color: #00BFFF">Gelert's daughter,</span>" she whispers. Her gaze continues upward, over Larynn's shoulder, to settle on Padma... and then, surprisingly, on Kaelen. "<span style="color: #40BF00">Son of Shesha,</span>*" she adds. "<span style="color: #40BF00">And Maruti. Have I... unh...</span>" Her query finishes with a whimper as she attempts to rise and fails, falling back onto the ruined table with one hand pressed to her stomach.<br/><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;">*Green text indicates speaking in Pharadesan.</div></div></div>