[Open]: Manta manta manta

[onpaintofdeath]

Who: Maelle & You~
Status: Open Says Me
Where: ... yes.
What: August's Manta Board & Catch-All
Warnings: Just sass for now...

Let's Spill Some Ink

Manta Board: General: Picture of Dorina Gray

Yeah.. I'm not here to get a painting.

[ Before you say anything else about it. ]

Instead, I'll just be here to support you.

[ If anything goes wrong, she leaves unsaid. She smiles so kindly, even if the words maybe don't make too much sense, the grin of confidence is at least reassuring. She'll open the door of Dorina's studio and gesture for you to go in first. ]


Manta Board: General: Beneath the Ink

[ She kneels down before a black inky trail. ]

I think we're close.

What did they say they were drawn to again?

[ She remembers it wasn't so different from those moths before, right?

She stands looking around a bit. At least they're not in any immediate danger for the time being. ]


Manta Board: Corsairs: Graven Trinkets

[ She's not exactly one for treasure hunting but.. powerful artifacts just lying around out there? Someone should probably consider taking care of it. And, honestly, it would be nice to just go out and see more of this place. So for those reasons she's on a boat, and for those reasons so are you, or whatever your reasons might be.

She'll step over to wherever you're standing, hands behind her back as she leans a little in greeting. ]

They're saying we should be close now.

[ She looks out to the speck of wreckage on the horizon. That's probably what they've been looking for. ]

Think anything's even left?


Manta Board: Corsairs: Vestment Vendetta

[ This place seems... adequately suspicious. Vendors and hawkers crowd a thin alley with everything ready to pick up and go at a moment's notice. People walk by with whispers to buy or sell, someone might grab an arm or shoulder to grab attention.

And Maelle is wholly uncomfortable with it all. She slides around people, swift to get out of the way or keep some peddler off. She ducks and dodges, looking back to make sure she hasn't lost you in the crowd. She manages to step to the side, a little quieter in a smaller nook amid the haphazard stalls. ]

Are we sure the diving suits are here? It seems like a bunch of junk to me.

[ Honestly, Gestral "treasures" would probably be more valuable. ]


Wildcard:
PM, plurk or @ me on discord if you'd like to do something else~ Bounties especially! ♥

Comments

Beneath the Ink

[makoglow]

Negativity.

[ That's what they are drawn to. Cloud can have that in spades from time to time. So maybe it won't be too long before the creatures find them? Either way, he has his sword at the ready and his materia are equipped and ready to go. ]

[onpaintofdeath]

[ She looks far less prepared. No weapon in hand, no armor or anything battle-ready. Just a hand on her hip with opinions. ]

So.. what? Do we just start acting mad at each other?

[makoglow]

[ Start acting mad? That won't really work, will it? That wouldn't be genuine on his part? ]

Fake it to make it probably won't cut it. Do you have something that really makes you angry?

[ Cloud has a few of those. ]

[onpaintofdeath]

Liars.

[ She says it very simply. Although, it may not be anger per se, but it certainly works for negativity. ]

But.. I doubt that will be of much help here. What's something you hate?

graven trinkets

[coldjustice]

[ neve's small circle of connections had paid off for this one. she'd heard some rumors about a ship and powerful artifacts and had hopped on the first ship headed out in the right direction. she's in her armor today, ready for a fight, with one hand on her hip as she does her best to keep her balance.

as someone else steps over, she glances towards the new arrival, taking in what she can of the girl's demeanor and attire. ]

Not sure, but if there is, I'd like to find it. Too easy for that sort of power to fall into the wrong hands.

[ she doesn't trust mind control abilities with anyone. the best option for those is to safely destroy them. and on that note, best to find out if she'll be in opposition to her companion or not, well aware that the same question could be posed back to her. ]

Interested in getting your hands on them?

Re: graven trinkets

[onpaintofdeath]

[ She shrugs to the question, her demeanor nonchalant. With a simple, ]

Non, not really.

[ Nothing about her looks exactly ready for a fight. No armor on her, no weapon at her side. It's likely a wonder why this teenager is even going at all. ]

But if they are so powerful, I doubt we're the only ones looking for them.

[coldjustice]

[ she eyes the girl, wondering if they are both after the same thing, a way to keep these relics from falling into the hands of those who would use them against others, to harm. as for the girl's looks, neve had long ago stopped judging people by their looks. she's cautious of everyone until she gets to know them and even those who look less prepared for a fight have the potential to be the most deadly. most mages don't even wear anything beyond simple robes, after all. ]

Yeah. Someone else will be out here. There's no telling if they'll want to use those trinkets and I won't let them fall into the hands of someone who will use them on others. That sort of magic is not to be used freely.

[ activity on their ship seems to be picking up, which suggests to neve that they are indeed, closing in on the location of the wreckage. she gazes out over the water, keeping an eye out for any other ships in the area that might signal trouble for her. ]

Stay sharp. No idea what else might be out here.

[onpaintofdeath]

[ Her eyes follow Neve's as she too looks out, though her focus lies more on their destination than their surroundings. ]

So.. what do we do if they're already using it?

Vestment Vendetta

[crack_shots]

It's a good place to start.

[ Riju speaks from beneath hooded cloak and thin veil covering the lower half of her face. It allows her to blend in with the unsavory crowd, both the street hawkers and clientele alike. Her sheathed blades flash from beneath the hemline with every step, disappearing again in less than a second, a subtle warning to the crowd that might look to make a victim of them.

Maelle isn't wrong about the cheap, dusty baubles that line the streets. Dim lights flicker from behind closed doors and it's difficult to ascertain the sources of the hazy covering the street, giving the impression that they've arrived at twilight instead of full noon. ]

Everything you can see here is probably a front. We'll need to ask around.

[onpaintofdeath]

[ Maelle is entirely out of her element by comparison and now they're supposed to just talk to people? It didn't even occur to her to have a cloak or hood, she's walking about as she always does. Riju is vastly more prepared. ]

Right.

[ She hesitates, looking back to the crowded alleyway. ]

But what do we say?

[crack_shots]

[ Maelle's garb may actually prove to be the opening they need. Riju considers her for a moment and then smiles. She's got an idea. ]

Follow my lead.

[ A dozen more feet or so down the alley brings them to a few different stalls. Much of the same that's on the main street but quieter, fewer clients to eavesdrops. Riju selects the one on the left where an old seamstress works her nimble fingers over a silky black garment and barely lifts her head to acknowledge them.

Placing her hand on top of a scarf on display, she gestures for Maelle to take a look. ]

What about this one? You were looking for something just like it, right?

[onpaintofdeath]

What?

[ Oh. OH. ]

Yeah, actually, that's pretty close. But.. maybe a different color?

[ She's not the best liar, but she's trying. She can't help but glance at Riju as if to ask, 'am I doing it right?' ]

beneath the ink

[draganea]

The posting said negativity and magic, and to be careful to not be exposed to them for a while.

[Hmmmm.]

Let's keep following the trail. If we're lucky it could lead us to wherever they're coming from and not just the target.

[onpaintofdeath]

[ She nods, looking around while trying to absorb some of their surroundings for any larger signs. ]

Do you think something is creating these things?

[ Because she certainly thinks that. ]

[draganea]

Hard to say... This world is just full of surprises.

[She then suddenly pauses, her eyes narrowing as she reaches up to lightly finger a black stained leaf.]

But this feels fresh, so whatever it is, it hasn't been long since it passed through here.

[She then pushes away the branches to reveal more of that inky trail, indicating which way they should go.]

[onpaintofdeath]

[ She leans to take a look at the path that's been found. They truly must not be far now, then. ]

Should we really be following it though? Couldn't we just have it come to us?

[ She's honestly not sure what qualifies as "magic" but she'd certainly be willing to give it a try. ]

graven trinkets

[judoflipped]

[there's a hum of excitement that's going through him at the idea of going to pillage an actual pirate ship. even though pirates aren't really unheard of here, obviously... it's the first time he's actually been this close to doing something... pirate-y.

Percy grins as the girl steps up to him and speaks, looking over at her now.]

Dunno. But a shipwreck is gonna be pretty cool to explore anyway, you think?

[there's a beat, and then his expression turns thoughtful.]

And to make sure that all the dangerous stuff is taken out and put somewhere safe. We don't really need people running around with it.

[onpaintofdeath]

[ She seems less convinced this is going to be all rainbows and sunshine. ]

Yeah.. but what if someone already has it? We can't really be the only ones looking. Everyone must've heard about it by now.

[judoflipped]

[oh, he figures that it's not going to be all rainbows and sunshine. he's just hopeful it will be, for once. something simple has got to come his way one day.

right?

he leans away from the railing, still keeping his grip on it, and then brings himself forward again. he was already getting twitchy, as if his body was already preparing for a fight, even if he was being flippant about the whole thing.]

Don't know the answer to that one. I'm kind of a "plan on the fly" kind of guy, so I figure we could just investigate there and go from there -- hopefully no one tries to destroy the world in the meantime.

wildcard - also spoilers for clair obscur throughout

[musicien]

[It was strange to think that he was beginning to fall into some kind of rhythm, or rather some semblance of a routine, in this place. Routine was something that barely existed in his dictionary after the number of years he'd spent mostly on his own on the Continent. There was only so much routine one could do after the first few decades.

Bounties and the manta board definitely helped in that regard, seemingly different every other month. He'd mentioned one he was looking at to Maelle when he'd returned home one day, only to learn that she was interested in it as well. The gears slowly turned in his head, debating if he should interject in any way, but, ultimately, he decided against it.

Not long after, they hopped on the Corsair ship heading out to where Beautyfang Eel had been spotted. Verso hopped on the small boat being lent to them, waiting for Maelle to join him before he lowered it down onto the water.]

You sure you're up for this? [Last chance for her to back out, even if he already knew how she would respond.]

[onpaintofdeath]

Yeah, [ she says it almost laughing. What's got him so worried? It's not even an Axon. Maybe he's the one nervous and changing his mind. ]

are you? [ It's with a smile as she hops onto the boat. It just seems like a strange question to ask when they've both already decided to go. ]

[musicien]

What makes you think I'm not? [The slight lilt in his voice should be enough to convey that he's joking. He shouldn't be surprised of Maelle's own teasing, considering it comes second nature to her.

He lowers the boat once into the water, making adjustments to the sail before the set off. ]

Figured I should at least give you an out. Being on a boat this size is different from floating on Esquie.

dorina gray

[stillarhino]

[Honestly, Beat wasn't too interested in getting a painting either. Rather, he was interested in seeing how someone could do what was said on the manta listing. It sounded adjacent to how Player's in the Reaper's Game were able to see into each other souls, but there wasn't much of a visual aspect to it. That difference piqued his interest enough to at least check it out. And maybe he could pick up a thing or two for his own art in the long run.

But the girl's comment gives him pause, his brows moving high on his forehead.]

Support me? Whatchu gonna be supportin' me with? It's jus' a paintin', right?

[onpaintofdeath]

[ There's a shrug accompanied by the ongoing smile. ]

In case you don't like the painting, I guess.

[ Don't overthink it! ]

[stillarhino]

[He's not overthinking! If he needed support, he would've dragged his girlfriend or one of his friends rather than a stranger he bumped into.]

I ain't worried 'bout that, yo. Jus' came to see what this was all 'bout.