un: hok-shinn rising

[aprescoup]

( Throughout the commotion, thick, gravelly voice that seems to be stirring from the depths of inebriation: )

...ehhhhh? Y'all... mongreeeelllllls, rise'n'shine, ah? You woke up? Yeahhhh... been having the good swill, have you? Tried it? Old man Cheomsan gonna sort you out. You tell'im, tell'im Taksui sent you, ah? You, yours... your cat, your children... your old ma... you drink on the house. Ke-hahaa... old man better be happy we left'em teeth, yeah? And a house! We! Hok. Shinn. ( And again, with emphasis: ) Hoooooookkkkk. Shinnnnn. Thassme. Thassmy uncle. That's all of us. We're kings'ere, yah?

( Another moment, while he's waking up; the sound of a swig, drunk. ) Yeah... old man merchant said to look after you, because he knooooooows. Knows you want something done, yeah? You talk to us. You talk to me. We get it done. So I'm lookin' after you, little bros and sisters... got some of you squealing pigs in the village, didn't I? You're welcome. Next time, drink the house brew on your own. Stop fussing like a maid, first time your skirt's dragged up. You gonna like it.

Couple o'... suggestions. What we call it? Friendly advice, ah? Don't walk long in our forests at night. Spooky shit going on. Said... we! We! The Hok-shinn. We told'em others, better to cut every tree down, til the woods get back in order. 'Noooo, they're sacred.' Fuck's sake.

...nnnnnd two. Don't meddle with the fetters. You thirstin' for a bad woman? I know some hags. Don't go for them who'll rip your... maybe you like that, huh? Know a man, if you do. Make you some coin? All he's asking is, you cry when he's wanting you to.

( Sharper: ) But I'm hearin' you're more for other things. Big bad swords? Guns? Huh? Huh, you big and strong? Keh... you so big and so mighty, some of the pieces of shit got somethin' you can waste your time on. Always runnin'mouths with nonsense... now they're saying... they're saying: that thing they see in the barns and wells and whatever... the bitch's head with the serpent body. They say she's eaten children. Two babes. A toddler. Unhinged her mouth right up and gobble-gobble-gobble! Hahahhaha... you hear that shit? Can't make it up.

My honoured fucking father's putting up a reward. Gotta shut up the idiots somehow. Me, I'm thinkin'... what's the shrieking for? Two of the little squealers were girls! You be grateful they're dead, ah? But my father'll give you some good gold for'er head, if you catch it. Cause that's all she has!

...right. That's me. Taksui. Got a girl calling. Better things to... whatever. You need me, you get in touch.


( ooc: — if you can't justify your character drinking the elixir to gain their ancestral curse on their own, feel free to assume Taksui slipped it in their welcome feast meal.

— villagers are complaining of the same creature reported in the latest log: with the head of a beautiful woman, whose hair braids to form her snake-like body. 'She' slithers away once discovered.

— feel free to threadjack, make plans, find or protect the creature, etc. Ask any housekeeping questions here.

— Taksui will be answering sporadically. He is now available at the npc inbox. God help. )

Comments

un : dappled peals of the parted seas (voice)

[beitangmoran]

.... Did anyone actually understand any of this drivel?

[Someone please translate, he doesn't speak fuckboy fluently.]

un: absterge

[downswing]

( NO WAIT, let Lan Wangji deploy the full scale of his learning gleaned from accepting a million irate cultivator petitions. )


Forests and fetters best avoided.

The creature of the wells consumes children. Aid with her capture pleaded.

His clan and he are viril.

(voice)

[beitangmoran]

I will dispute the last point.

[downswing]

So claimed.

(voice)

[beitangmoran]

And precisely why I dispute it. The louder you need to claim it, the less reality it actually has.

perma-text, you know what you are getting into

[downswing]

Our liaisons remain pinnacles of merit.

(voice) why are you like this lan wangji (it's ok he gets it)

[beitangmoran]

Truly astounding.

This is almost making me miss Taravast. People who are drunk on their own self-conceit are so tiring.

[downswing]

And yet plain-faced.

[beitangmoran]

I have seen some news of this creature around... but whose children have reportedly been harmed?

I do not like rumors. If this happened, I want names and dates.

[downswing]

Death will leave remains and documentation.

[beitangmoran]

Which, you'll notice, we were hardly given. Then again, why should we expect anything?

[aprescoup]

You don't talk good, ah? You need learning? I'll school you.

[beitangmoran]

Hush, child, your Elders are speaking.

[aprescoup]

The hell? Ah? You came to me. You answered me. Now you don't pretend you're too, ah... hah... too good for me.

[beitangmoran]

I absolutely did not. I did not address you at any point.

And I don't believe there is any pretending necessary.

Now be a good boy and let the adults talk.

[aprescoup]

You talkin' down to me, ah? To me? I'mma mess you up, pretty boy.

[beitangmoran]

... You really are not very good at following instructions, boy. Who raised you?

[aprescoup]

Your fucking mother.

[beitangmoran]

My mother would have eaten you for breakfast and spit out your bones as an afterthought, child.

Can we skip the part where you inconsequentially attempt to insult me and fail miserably and have you run along? I thought you said you had better things to do?

audio. private.

[inferus]

Little of it is of import.

However, he poisoned those who exercised their free will to not take the elixir, which makes him no ally of the group.

audio. private.

[beitangmoran]

... Out of curiosity, how long have you been here?

[inferus]

I arrived shortly before the group entered Taravast. And you?

[beitangmoran]

I have been here since Sa-Hareth. I would say since the beginning, but we have been informed that there have been others before us; We are simply the beginning of the new strategy of 'not killing otherworlders on sight'.

[inferus]

I had heard that was the initial strategy - it seems a dangerous one given they do not know the powers of those who come through, the destruction that may be ravaged upon them, but it is like mortals to destroy what they fear. ( Instead of think about the strategy of it all, they're quick acting like that ) Unsurprising then the group is now being used as pawns regardless of the cost, but I do not intend to be controlled. ( not again. )

[beitangmoran]

And that is precisely why I would caution against regarding anyone here as an ally.

The only reason we are still alive is, presumably, because we are marginally less dangerous alive than dead. Should this change, our fate will not be kind.

[inferus]

I do not regard any of them as an ally. I suppose I should have worded my initial statement differently. The man is an enemy of the group if he has poisoned some of the group against their will.

I believe the only reason we are alive is because we are more useful alive than dead. We are more useful as pawns than otherwise.

[beitangmoran]

I don't know that I would call him an enemy either. That would require a bit more brain than I think he has. But not trusting anyone is a good baseline.

un: white pawn; video

[chosenbylight]

[Wow, this guy is... Pleasant.

Anduin is putting on his best Grin And Bear It face, because there are questions unanswered here, and he doesn't like it.]

This village is very quick to be suspicious of that which they do not understand. I don't wish to call these people liars, certainly not when the lives of children are in question, but all the same.

I do wonder whether there were witnesses to this act?

[aprescoup]

( Far too much laughter. ) I knooooooooooooooooow. I knooooooooow. Riiiight? The fuuuuuuuck. They comin'home stumbling down the roads, who knows how much they've been drinking, you tell me, you tell me, some head thing ate the kids? Just say you drowned'em, man! No one will blame you.

Wife opens her mouth, you just show her what's right. Gonna let a woman talk back at you?

[chosenbylight]

[Unfortunately, this is exactly along the lines of what Anduin is considering might be going on here...

(Is he really agreeing with this guy???)

He does his best not to wince. Time to play Diplomat.]

It seems that sometimes it is easier to pin the blame on something monstrous than admit to something monstrous oneself.

[aprescoup]

Yeaaahh? What you said, ah? Smart booooy. Smart, smart, smart, ah?

But they're yapping... running them mouths... so what're you gonna do? Waste people? Us? The Hok-Shinn? We got you for it. Just, ah... look busy, eh? A day or two, waste some time, spit in a well.. tell'em after, it's all good. Then you look real caring. And we look real caring.

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin frowns at some of the things that this...person is saying, but there are some things in there which catch his attention as well.]

You do not believe that she is responsible for these disappearances either.

[Then who is? The parents themselves, perhaps? Other villagers? Or maybe...]

[aprescoup]

I don't think no spirit's dragging in the new year or whispering babes to sleep either, you know, man?

voice. un: a civil serpent.

[inferus]

( So much of this talk would not stand in Hell- certainly not within Wrath's House. Gluttony may enjoy talk of such nature in his attempts to be more scandalous and more filthy, but Wrath has to remind himself it is not in the group's best interest to act as if this is Hell. It, unfortunately, isn't. )

I would wager if a maid is fussing at her skirt being dragged up, the problem lies in the one doing the dragging.

( It's the fact this man felt it pertinent to poison those who chose not to drink the elixir, which is further sign of how little he cares about other people's freewill. Given Wrath took a couple of days before deciding to drink, he could have been counted among those forced to take the elixir against their will. )

My own friendly advice would be to never poison the group again. ( He would like to find this serpent-woman for his own personal reasons, but he'll arrange that elsewhere. )

[aprescoup]

...'sgot you in, didn't it? What you're all meant to do! Ah? Who's forgetful'ere? Not me.

[inferus]

( Wrath believes his statement stands as is so he does not bother responding.

He has given ample warning now, and he will take action should this mortal's behavior deem it necessary. )