Bittersweet Candy Bowl

Delilah takes another bite of her pie a bit cautiously, now wondering if it will randomly blow up on her as well, giggling a little at the jester before she can’t take it anymore, puts down her cake, and pulls out a hankerchief to help him clean his face.

Here, let me help you… *she says, the ominous building forgotten for the moment*

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered,” Carter pulled out a rather large handkerchief of his own from his knapsack and took a deep breathe before covering his whole face with it. He rubbed the napkin repeatedly, but then froze. his hands left the handkerchief, but it did not follow. A muffled yelp came out of Carter as he desperately tries to pull the handkerchief off of his face in vain.

Grabs the handkerchief off Carter’s face.

“Perhaps that was part of the act, still, one could suffocate easily under these conditions”

She giggles again, shaking her head at the act as the jester gets the thing “stuck” to his face, struggling, and laughs all the louder when McCardell walks over and simply plucks the thing off, whatever adhesion it had apparently lost when he touched it. She claps a little at the deadpan assassin.

(Shut it, McCardell. )

(DUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu uuhh… That handkerchief is a trick handkerchief that can only be removed in a certain way that only Carter and the king know… Would you mind editing your post?)

(EDIT: Ah, screw it, the point is taken.)

Carter sighed and wiped the last of the blueberry off his face, smiling at how entertained Delilah was.

“Ah-hah!” He shouted in his head. “I can help after all!”

He stares blankly at the giggling dancer then back to the Jester, then hands the handkerchief back and sits back down.

“Humor…”

(anyways I’ve lost the painting drive tonight so I’m off to sleep. Uh.l.. auto… I dunno, be silent and distant?….”

The dancer shakes her head, smiling brightly.

You’re right Carter. We shouldn’t let things get us down. What sort of dancer would I bet if I went around moping?

She looks out across the hills once more, but her mood is a bit spoiled by the black building in the distance.

Well, one on an adventure I suppose. This is what I wanted, after all… to see what it was like for Lord Makar, Dave, and Albert… Well, maybe I’ll do my part to make them smile at least a little tonight.

She slowly finishes off her cake, a bit lost in her own thoughts.

Would you like to help me keep everyone safe tonight? I have a way… its not something I have used more than three times before, and you could be a big help by dancing with me.

She gets out some long strips of cloth from her bag.

“Wow, really!” Carter jumped at the idea. “I want to help everyone!” He seemed very enthusiastic, grabbing for the cloth Delilah pulled out.

(Going auto-mode now. Carter will now take direct orders from Delilah as his first priority. Otherwise, his old script stands.)

After a short discussion with the jester involving a lot of gesturing and posing on the part of Delilah, as well as some attempts at imitating some of the poses by Carter. After some time atop the hill with the jester and the assassin, her boyfriend climbs the hill in order to speak with her. She talks with him, tugging on his hand and smiling, and begins to draw him in as well, teaching him what he needs to know.

Eventually she nods in satisfaction, beaming. The dancer walks down the far side of the hill, disappearing from sight, before Carter and Albert go down the hill near the camp. Albert points towards the camp, then thrusts his fist into the air before the pair slowly skip down towards it. As they approach the camp, Delilah jumps out of the bushes, grasps the jester by one hand, and begins to dance around with him as Albert advances before them. Soon they break apart and flank Albert, Delilah skipping past her boyfriend, turning around and waving and curtsying to him as she backs away from him, keeping pace with him as he waves back, before the warrior waves to the jester, who makes a breaking motion over his knee before skipping along in front.

Delilah spins around slowly as the group make their way through the edge of camp, dancing near other folk, giving a few quick instructions on what they need to do, forming a line and dance-kicking their way along the edge of the camp. Albert, meanwhile, appears almost as if he has encountered a wall that Amy would have conjured, pushing his hands out palm-first, then making an odd square gesture a few times with his arms crooked, before the trio of jester, warrior, and dancer make the symbol repeatedly. They then go over to the front of the assembled line of dancers and get them to do the same thing, before tossing up the long cloth strands around a short, somewhat thin tree towards the center of camp. She, Carter, and Albert begin to go around the pole, doing a complicated weave pattern, each holding two strips of cloth due to not having the opportunity to train anyone else in how to do this particular part of it as they weave in and out around each other, dance-skipping around it.

Once the pole is well-wrapped, Albert and Delilah go back to clapping and making the odd square gesture again as Carter crawls between people’s legs, before Albert starts springing up and down making that gesture as Delilah and the jester tumble and spin around him, before finally they stop all of a sudden, as if on cue.

There. That should keep us safe for the evening.

The dancer, though sore from her earlier exertions and her face still smarting a bit from the heat of the bombs earlier, smiles brightly, the powerful but long warding dance completed.

(Ok, I got 16 votes, which is pretty much most players.

75% voted for eliminating the random aspects. 25% voted against.

Therefore, deaths and other events will be decided by me, and cards will be disregarded for the rest of the game.)

As they arrived back at camp, Sunday got to work trying to make Makar as comfortable as possible. She made him a bed and gave him some water, hoping that he had not advanced so far that he wouldn’t be able to satiate his thirst by regular means still. “You rest… I’m going to do everything in my power to help you…” She looked over at Lieselotte. “I trust you to watch over him while I find the cure…”

Her eyes were slightly dulled as she said this. But her words spoke truth. She knew that the vampire would protect Makar. With her very life if needed. She stood up and moved over to where the rest of her things were. There were several books and scrolls in her things that might help, along with the materials that Lily had, she sat down and began cross referencing everything she had available to her.

There was much information on the various methods of healing different kinds of curses, including ways to dispel the undead curse that infected corpses and reanimated them as mindless slaves. All little bit’s and pieces that helped give her more knowledge on the subject, giving her ideas on what to do exactly. As she rummaged through the books, she found a small black book in Lily’s possessions. “Vampiric lore?” It was a tome that talked of the history and nature of the vampires curse. They were creatures who had lost their life, but kept walking. Who had lost their mind, but kept thinking. They were soulless beings, unable to be accepted into any after life, as they had nothing to take there, and so they were cursed to walk the lands for all eternity.

She studied and studied, until finally a connection snapped into place in her head. “I know how to cure him…” She looked over from where she had sat the last hour or so to see the panting Makar, and the very concerned lady Lieselotte by his side. She frowned slightly, but knew that she had to do this. It was her duty as a white mage to heal the sick. Her duty as a princess to see her lands protected by the best, and her duty as a woman to see her one true love survive this ordeal.

She stood from where she sat and made her way over to where Delilah was resting her tired body. “Delilah… Can you tell me something?” Her eyes were glossed over and her voice flat. It seemed she was bothered by something. Something that sapped her of her ability to be sad. To be happy. To be anything other than just… Being…

Delilah looks up at the young woman tiredly, but upon seeing the dead expression on her face, rises immediately in concern and gives her a hug.

Yes, you can. Anything.

She looks her in the eyes, smiling warmly.

I may not be able to tell you the answer, but I will try my best. What is it?

Sometime… many years ago…

WHY!? Why did they have to kill her like that!?

She is kneeling in front of a tree, deep in the forest, repeteadly slamming her fists against it, with her hands bleeding.

They showed no compassion… they knew my father had just died! They knew we had no money! Did he want us to starve instead!? The king hated us… even though…

She stops hitting the tree, and starts crying.

Having cried for what seemed hours, she stands, now calmer than before.

I’m hungry…

She turns her head in every direction, attempting to find something that might seem edible, and she spots some fruit up in a tree. She jumps trying to reach it, but her attempt is futile, as the fruit is very high up the tree. She realizes the tree must be climbed, and so she does. Upon reaching the top, she extends her hand to grab the fruit, but loses balance and falls… hitting her head and passing out.

“If… If Albert were in life threatening danger… If you knew you were the only one who could save him… But the cost would be something heavy… Something dear to you, that you could never get back… Would you do it?” Her eyes never left her friend. She seemed almost lost. In a trance. Like she was only sort of there…

Bites her lip, trembling a little.

I… don’t know.

She looks away for a moment, then feels guilty for doing so and returns the princess’s gauge.

I would like to say I would do anything for him… but… I’m not sure that I have that kind of courage. Risk… today I ran out to try and protect Lord Makar, and I got burned for it. Had I thought about it, I’m not sure I would have, but it was a gut reaction.

But if I had to chop off my foot to save Albert’s life? Honestly, I think I’d be too terrified to do it.

She looks a little guilty, then rubs your arm sympathetically.

Why? What are you thinking of?

She looks concerned.

You aren’t going to transfer his curse to yourself, are you?

Sunday didn’t react to her question. A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she wiped it away before it could stain her cheeks once more. “No more…” She whispered, barely audible, the sort of whisper you hear, but are unsure if you heard right. “We’ve only known each other since this trip began… But you are the first true friend I’ve had you know? I mean… I’ve always had Lily… But she’s more like my grandmother… The others I’ve known? They just treat me as the princess. And I accepted that… But you… You didn’t…” A soft smile forms on her lips as her expression softens finally. “Thank you Delilah. Thank you for being a friend.”

Sometime… many years ago…

Thump!

Who is there?

She turns around to look at the source of the noise.

Wait… what is that I see over there?

The old woman notices a young girl lying on the ground. She is rapidly losing blood due to the wounds on her hands and her head.

What a shame… to find such a nice young girl dead in a place like this.

She draws near and lifts the body to take it away, but notices the body moving slightly… she is breathing.

She is… still alive..? Perfect… hehehe…

Delilah hugs the princess tight, stroking the back of her head with her hand.

Don’t worry. When we get back to the kingdom, I’m sure we’ll keep seeing each other. Albert won’t take up all my time, after all.

She nuzzles at Sunday.

We just have to make it all back okay. I’m sure you’ll figure out some way to make Lord Makar well again.

The dancer squeezes her friend around the shoulders.

You know… it may have been dangerous, and Lady Lieselotte called you a fool for it…

…but what you did when you saved Lord Makar today was very brave. It may not have been the best thing to do, but it worked out in the end. Just be more careful, okay? I’m sure Lord Makar would feel terrible if you got hurt.

Reaches up with a hand to rub your cheek.

If you need my help… tell me. Though… *she looks over at Albert for a moment* He and I may take a walk. But when I get back, I will do what I can for you. Or if you need me to do something now?

She smiles at you, a kind of melancholy but encouraging one.

Sunday returns her smile, also slightly solemn as she hugs her friend back tightly. “Thank you for your kind words… It means a lot to me…” She holds Delila’s hands tightly as she smiles. “You will always be welcome in the castle Delilah. Any time you want, you can come by.” She gives a slightly cheerful giggle.

“Now go be with your knight. I will need you for the spell to cure Makar. But I have to get a few things in order first. I’ll call you when it’s time.” She released the dancer and waved goodbye as she let her go off to talk with her love. ‘I hope you two can be happy together for the rest of your very long lives…’

Sometime… many years ago…

…and he killed her… he had no mercy at all…

Reinhild places her cup of tea on the table and breaks up in tears. The old lady walks over to her and tries to comfort her.

…we were all a family… I don’t understand why he never liked us…

Standing behind Reinhild… the woman grins slightly after listening to her words.

Delilah smiles back at the princess, nodding her head and squeezing her hands.

I’m glad to see you smile! I was worried with that expression on your face earlier that you really were going to have to become a vampire or something.

She laughs, but a little nervously, unable to hide her discomfort.

You are a good person, Sunday. I know how hard it must have been that night when you let me go off to see “Lord Makar”… but you did it because you thought it was the right thing to do. Don’t ever forget that kindness is the greatest virtue.

You may not be the same as Lord Makar or Albert… but you are a brave warrior in your own way. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

She waves back to the princess encouragingly as Sunday skittered off to collect her things, then walked over to sit next to Albert and lean her head against his chest.

I’m worried about them, Albert… *she murmurs quietly*

With Delilah having been informed of her part to play, and their discussion now complete, Sunday turned back to the camp to go and see the next person she had to talk to before things would be ready.

(( Ok. Sunday needs to talk to Lily, Lieselotte & Makar. Whoever is on first, just post that Sunday has approached you, and we’ll get the next step under way. I’m pulling an all nighter to make this work, so don’t let me down people! I WILL auto play your asses if I have to ))

((My posts may still be delayed but I’ll do what I can))

She looks up to the princess as she approaches. She had been tending to Makar this whole time, she did her best to hide her grief.

Have you found something Sunday? I’ve heard his mutterings of his thrist for blood starting, we need to act soon…

Delilah snuggles in close to her boyfriend, hugging him tightly.

She said she’ll need me for this ritual of hers. I don’t know what it is, but… I need to be here for her.

Sitting there watching the royal move from the comfort of her boyfriend’s arm, she murmurs to him.

It scares me that Reinhild is just a few miles away from here. It makes me nervous, worried about what will come tommorrow…

She squeezes her fingers into his fur, her claws pressing lightly against his flesh. He can feel her trembling against him.

I’m scared some of us won’t see tommorrow night, around a campfire like this… I don’t want to think about losing anyone…

The dancer leans up next to the warrior’s ear, whispering something only he can hear into it, before giving it a light nibble, grabbing his hand and leading him out of camp on their walk around the hill, blushing in the moonlight.

(I am out. I am up way too late already.

Chances are I’m going to be needed for autoplay. Sunday and Albert are both free to autoplay her; she will defer to Albert in most things, but about this ritual, it is Sunday who is in charge. Carter is free to autoplay her too a bit when they’re journeying.

As far as combat goes, certain events will harden her somewhat here; she will not cower today, and will stand and dance, though she will still tend towards the back and try to hang around the bigger men for protection, especially Albert.

Hope to catch you before this becomes too necessary, though.)

Sunday nods solemnly as the vampire asks of the cure. “I have found a cure yes… It will be difficult, and take a few people working together. But before this night is through, lord Makar will once more be a healthy human being.” She pulled out a small knife from her bag and handed it to Lieselotte. “Among the other ingredients, we need some of your own royal vampiric blood. Not much… Just enough to sprinkle over the other spell regents.”

She sits a moment and looks at Makar with a thousand yard stare. “Do you love him?” She looked at the Vampire. “Please. Don’t dodge the question. Just answer me truthfully. I need to know.” Her eyes were serious. It would be slightly off putting to see her like this. So far from the young girl who first set out on this journey.

She looked down to Makar, she held herself tight. It was an unusual sight to behold, the Royal Vampire in such a vulnerable state as her voice shook with unease.

In my entire lifespan I have only befriended one person. I have only put my needs after one person. I have only fought alongside, traveled with, and willingly protected one person. There is one person, who I could never in my life chase away or truly run away from. Princess, I will spill all my blood now if I need to.If that isn’t…

She pauses, uncomfortable for having to disclose so much to a women she had not only barely known, but had insulted hours before. Looking up from Makar to Sunday, she manages to force out her words.

I do love him. I truly do, and I would do anything it takes to save him.

She takes the knife and makes a cut in the palm of her hand.

Take all you need.

Sunday listens to her words, watching her closely, looking for any hint of any lie. There were none. She honestly loved Makar more than even life itself. “Thank you my lady… It fills my heart with warmpth and joy to know that.” She smiled genuinely. No sarcasum. No thinly veiled threat. No falsehoods. She was being completely genuine. She takes a small vial and let’s the blood drip into it until it is full. It wasn’t much, but the gesture was grand.

Her hand very carefully reached out and so gently closed Lieselotte’s hand, being sure not to startle her, nor intrude on her personal space too suddenly. Respecting the woman’s boundaries enough to almost ask permission with her gaze. “I have seen monsters that my father has slain… I have heard tales of beasts and abominations that rip the countryside in two…” She paused and closed her eyes softly. “But you lady Lieselotte. You are not a monster. You are a grand woman, who deserves great respect and admiration. And whenever you are in the lands of my father’s kingdom, you will be treated as such.” She opened her eyes once more, a gentle and kind smile adorning her face that seemed to radiate the feeling that everything would be alright.

She takes a step back, shocked by the Princess’s words. She smiles a sliver, it becomes obvious how grateful she is. The kind smile gives her hope for the outcome of the situation, and her confidence begins to return to her.

Thank you Sunday. Thank you for proving me wrong, and seeing that I am something other then a monster. It gives me hope to the future of both your kind and mine. Far too few understand how alike our kinds truly are. No matter the outcome today, it is good to know I have gained a friend.

She stares at the Princess, her eyes displaying her gratitude tenfold the of her words.

Sunday nods quietly, not wishing to harm the bond she had just formed by pushing her boundaries with a hug. As a final gesture of good faith, she removes a small ring from her hand and places it in Lieselotte’s uninjured palm. It bares the royal crest upon it. “Any who see this ring will know that you are a friend of the kingdom. May it help keep my promise to you” She performs a slight curtsy towards the vampiress, showing her respect, before preparing to go find the next person she needs to consult. “Be ready to help move Makar once I have finished making the arrangements. I will handle the rest.” She smiled at the woman one final time and made her way off to find the next person.

(( Again, either Lily or Makar can post having Sunday walk up to them. Whoever get’s on first. Anyone else is free to interact with Sunday until then, but her attention will go to either Lily or Makar once they post. ))

She stares down at the ring with the royal crest on it. She clutches it tight as she watches Sunday walk off to find the others, and quietly whispers to herself.

Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.

She opens her hand again and looks it over again before she puts it on, admiring the beauty of he crest before returning to the Lord once more.

Curious as to how the progress on Lord Makar was going, he left the watch post and arrived just after Princess Sunday left. Noticing Lady Lieselotte seeming less distant than before.

Looks like your in a better mood today. I take it there is some good news for once?

Dave approaches the wandering Princess Sunday with a worried and concerned look on his face.

Sunday, is Makar going to be cured of his ailment? Is there anything I can do to help?

Sunday is interrupted as she moves through the camp by the concerned looking barbarian. The princess recognized him as an occasional colleague of Makar’s, and a friend to Delilah. She seemed somewhat solemn again, but nodded. “He will be cured before daybreak. I am preparing the ritual as we speak. As for what you might do to help… Just promise me that you will use the opportunity to fight alongside Makar and help bring Reinhild to justice.”

She places a gentle hand on the large man’s shoulder and smiles a little weakly. “And look after Delilah for me. She’s a wonderful girl who doesn’t deserve all the pain and suffering she has had to endure… Nor that which she will likely go through before this quest is done…”

Sunday may have discovered a way to reverse the infection. I have all my trust in her now, and her confidence makes me believe I have not made a mistake in doing this.

She wipes sweat from Makar’s paling forehead.

An expression of relief shines off of the barbarians face.

Thank you princess!

You are far too hard on yourself. Even though you might not think you are of any use, believe me when I say we would not have been able to make it this far without you and your talents. Any man would be lucky to have you as his own, and don’t worry about Delilah, I won’t let anything happen to her.

He gives her a reassuring smile.

(No time to read everything right now, what did I miss? Also, I’ll be gone for most of the day due to work -_-)

“Are those fangs?” Carter asked Lucy after observing Makar’s newly gained teeth. “That wasn’t there when I last checked…”

Simply nods.

That’s good to hear, I hope it works…I’m no where near as skilled in the art of healing as the Princess, but I’ll stick around just in case…

I just hope Reinhild doesn’t send any more surprises our way…

(Sorry Icarus, but due to work I don’t have time to explain that right now.)

She glances up to Carter then back to Makar. She bites her lip as she pulls his lip to reveal slowly enlarging fangs.
It would seem they are Carter, this means time is running very short.
Please hurry Sunday, I don’t know how much longer we have until he is turned.

Albert walks back from the trees, leaving Delilah behind, blushing enough to cover his whole face and has a large grin on his face, despite knowing what has happened today, and even giggling a little to himself. He does soon enough remember that something has happened though and decides to talk to Princess Sunday to see how things are going with Makar.
So how’s is Makar feeling now?
I’m hoping he will start to at least feel better soon, even if he has to stay the way he is.
Is there anything I could do to help

(Also, it seems I missed a lot. However, I have read through Lieselotte and Sunday’s bonding moment. Great job guys; “tl;dr” was meaningless during that part. It was publish-worthy!)

(( @Sir Icarus Basically, we made it back to camp, Sunday has found a way to cure Makar, though it hasn’t been announced, and she is going around making the preparations for the ritual that will give him back his humanity. She’s had a heart to heart with Delilah, who’s had some exposition with Carter, McCardenal & Albert… And she’s patched things up with Lieselotte, and they have a mutual respect now. And until Makar & Lilly come on (or until I get sick of waiting and Autoplay them), Sunday is free to talk while she makes preparations. ))

The princess smiles warmly at the large barbarian. “Thank you Dave. You are a very big hearted man.” She gives him a reassuring hug, letting him know that she is alright, and then continues to make preparations for the ritual.

As she moves away from David, Albert approaches her. She looks up at him and notices the blush, suppressing a chuckle. “Makar is…” She looks over to see the serious expression on Lieselotte’s face. “Deteriorating… But this cure will work. He WILL be back to normal.” ‘It will work… It has to…’

Delilah takes a few more minutes than Albert, coming back to camp looking a bit dishevelled, but rather happy. She stops to smooth her skirt out at least three times, and she, like her boyfriend, is red from chin to ears, her tail swishing slowly behind her as she comes back and sits down, trying to avoid people’s gaze, her arms crossed across her chest. While that building still looms omnious in the distance, it seems that her thoughts are not on that at the moment as she shoots a few glances at her partner talking to Sunday. They had spoken about the ritual a little, among other things…

“You look funny,” Carter continued his awkward statements by confronting Delilah about her red face.

If Delilah could blush more, she would. As is, she just ducks her head with a mysterious smile on her face.

Sorry about that Carter. I was feeling really worried, but Albert…

She smiles over at the cat as he continues to converse with Sunday.

I won’t have any regrets.

Listening to her tone Albert begins to think the Princess is more then just worried and knows he should ask her about it
Is there something wrong?
Theres a difference between where someone is important enough to care about and when someone is importnant enough to do something drastic y’know.

((Pics or AlbertxDelilah didn’t happen :3))

(It would make the NSFW thread very happy, it hasn’t been getting much love recently)

With her leg burn wrapped she walks around the other gathered adventuers waiting for the next move. walking up behind Carter and remaining silent, just stares