(https://i.imgur.com/Z1AMUTw.jpg)<br/><strong>Astrid Darkbane (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=298603.msg14610082#msg14610082)<br/>Theme - Castlevania (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVRJktHHiTM)<br/>Tag: Lucia, Kiyoni, Penny</strong><br/><hr/><br/>Astrid had half opened her mouth to respond to the priestess with a deadpan look.. before Kiyoni chimed in with her.. usual approach.<br/>She didn't mind Kiyoni sniffing about (after all, she was under strict -recommendations- to contact Astrid if she found any vampires, and Astrid valued the fox-shifters vigilance)<br/><br/>".. Do excuse her lack of dining manners by the by. Our group can be a little<em>extravagant</em>, but that's only because we are trained professionals. Sidenote: That soup is delicious. Could use a -touch- of garlic, but maybe that's just me." She looked at her companions. Just her then. There was the -active- foxgirl shifter scuttling about, Penny, who was best described by putting a bow on a set of fireworks and.. well, she hadn't known about the Inquisitor for that long, but Astrid felt that she was the type to fit -right in-, propably the moment she saw something to be inquisitorial about and revealed her wilder side. Now, Astrid thought herself normal, even if she was aware of people thinking herself obsessed over vampires. Personally, she thought that other people weren't obsessed enough.<br/><br/>At the fox-girls cheekyness she exhaled heavily and pulled out a little book and pencil. She drew a small line downwards in the book, then, looking up to the train-fox, nodded slowly, and drew another line, before slapping the book closed with an audible snapping noise. "The man that day was Moroi, born of the grave and, as for the vampire and the rice..." She secretly suspected Kiyoni admired her more than she deserved. She'd not come there to save slaves (Of course, she had done so, given the opportunity!) she'd met Kiyoni first and foremost because she'd been there to slay a vampire. She reminiscied briefly, giving Penny and her little sprite (that's what Astrid, not knowing about planar and natural lore insisted on calling the flighty thing in her head), all the opening in the world to talk before her.<br/><br/>Astrid exhaled slightly, and reacted to the gnomes vivid imagination by opening the book she'd just used for Kiyoni, flipping a few pages over.. and making one.. two.. and at a final glance towards the gnome, three markings in it. Astrid carefully closed her book again. It looked like an important notebook, leatherbound and exquisite, however, due to some of her prior companions shenanigans it had a stylistic painting of a naked bottom and a paddle on top of one side.<br/><br/>"Vampires do have blood, on some accounts, more than a usual human. What motivates their dark desires is utterly unknown to me, but if I were to make a guess, their Vis Vitae" She put it in a terminology that Penny appreciated. "And dark desires are closely linked indeed. Any vampire that is not starved to a point beyond were they don't actually care about fucking, only feeding, would be ...capable.<br/><br/>And yes. Yes, I did dispatch the Jiang-Shi that day. And yes, I now always carry a small bag of cooked rice on my person." She glanced over to Penny with an innocent expression, slooowly putting her notebook away, before crossing her arms. "Something that you will come to appreciate, the moment the next Jiang-Shi comes along." She nodded. She had understood Penny's joke, after all, Vampires on occasion used flesh golems, so she knew at least the general basics of these creations, but she didn't laugh along.<br/><br/>And then looked at the Ambassador, with an expression that could only be interpreted as disappointment. "Oh... no vampires at all? You could have missed one, they're sneaky...." She said, subtly focusing her abilities, her eyes lighting up slightly as she examined the Ambassador, after all, anyone that claimed there were no vampires to fret at all, could well be in league with the vampires!<em>Detect Undead on the Ambassador... cause could be a vampire in disguise!</em><br/><br/>"I guess it wouldn't hurt to check still..." She mumbled, poking at her dessert with a dejected expression, resting her head in her hand.<br/>That continued, untouched by the explosion. Her companions, at least those that knew her had seen that before. Astrid could be a very motivated and efficient leader. It was only contingent on one specific thing being at least a decent possibility somewhere in the future. Something starting with V and ending with e. Perhaps it'd be a good time to signal to the Ambassador to hint at the -possibility- of there being vampires present somewhere in Futanaria still...<br/><br/>Astrid continued to poke at her dessert as the train lost speed. "Well.. guess something's happening with the train. Penny, perhaps they need some fiering up and some of that, whatdidyacall it.. exothermic encouragement? Remember it had two E's... You could make it 'Exothermic-encouragement for the Engines' for the tripple E.." She mused, poke-poking at her pudding and failing at pretending to not be down-throdden about the vampire-news.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Even downthrodden, Astrid remained Vigilant against Vampires! Perception 23</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Super Frog rolled: 1d20, adding 13 to the total<br/>Comment: Astrid perception<br/>Result: 10,<br/>Total: 23<br/></div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">And decently ready for attacks! Initiative 13!</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Super Frog rolled: 1d20, adding 2 to the total<br/>Comment: Astrid initiative<br/>Result: 11,<br/>Total: 13</div></div>