Franklyn gave Drekar a nod. "I usually lower the settings for weaker creatures. Turned them up to max just now for you, though." He appreciated the Dragonkin offering the tidbit of advice.
The big guy left, and Franklyn turned back to the other big guy, currently fascinated with the disc.
In Rhiv's hand, the disc hummed for a moment and, despite the big man's carefulness, activated anyway. It's legs popped open, and it began skittering over Rhiv's arm, looking for wounds. The whole time, there was a little bit of a mind present, but it was completely focused on its task, leaving no time for conversation.
When no wound was found, the disc seemed almost annoyed, as if irritated it had been awoken for nothing, and quickly returned to Rhiv's palm, where it closed back up and went back to sleep.
Franklyn smiled as Rhiv handed it back to him. "I did indeed make it, and they didn't let me so much as… well. The guards don't really know I have this, or what it does. Just looks like scrap metal to them. Most of my stuff is designed that way, to keep from getting detected."
…….
Rixtus was always more aware of his surroundings than others down in the tunnels. Being a cave gnome meant he was born to this, so it was easy for him.
As such, he noticed the sounds of someone coming down the tunnel before Carter or Raiki. He stared at the rock wall ahead of them, looking straight through it and around the bend. There was a worker there, a Dragonkin he didn't know.
"Hey there, come on out and talk to us. No guards here."
Franklyn smiled as Rhiv handed it back to him. "I did indeed make it, and they didn't let me so much as… well. The guards don't really know I have this, or what it does. Just looks like scrap metal to them. Most of my stuff is designed that way, to keep from getting detected."
"Aye. Smart."
He stole a glance at his arm where the little thing had gone crawling. The feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant, but the bristling hair on his arm begged to differ. Rhiv shifted his cloak, and the hood flopped lazily behind him. There weren't open sleeves, more elbow-deep pockets lining the inside. He wasn't much of an inventor, certainly not one of Franklyn's caliber, but he could create little odds and ends of his own.
"Use ta whittle in m'spare time," He said, tamping down some of the growl in his voice. From his pocket, he produced a palm-sized sculpture of some long, hog-nosed beast sitting neatly on its haunches and gazing curiously up at the ceiling with narrow, gleaming eyes. Rhiv set it in Franklyn's free hand, and the older man's gruff exterior slipped away briefly as some amity lit up his face.
"Madit frum m'old pick's 'andle. Guards gave'm a right bualadh when they's found out. Still gotthe scars, mm."
The thought reminded Rhival'lur that he should've been working. Working the mines, working the infirmary, working anything. He paced about as he talked, drawing a few sick and weary glances from the recovering patients. Rhiv could walk and talk in tandem – he could hang onto this just a little longer.
"Is jus' the firs' one ah've made. Still whittle some now'anthen, buh the guards'r bit smarter than they's were. Least mine are."
Rixtus stared at the rock wall ahead of them, looking straight through it and around the bend. There was a worker there, a Dragonkin he didn't know.
"Hey there, come on out and talk to us. No guards here."
Raiki turns as Rixtus calls out the Dragonkin, waving hello as he notices them. "Heya. I'm Raiki."
Rixtus stared at the rock wall ahead of them, looking straight through it and around the bend. There was a worker there, a Dragonkin he didn't know.
"Hey there, come on out and talk to us. No guards here."
Drekar blinks as he rounds the corner, shaken out of his head. He was surprised that the gnome had noticed him, though only slightly so. It made some amount of sense. Gnomes were notoriously hard to deceive, even if one wasn't intentionally trying to do so.
He notes the other(s) in the group as well, but he didn't know how to talk to them.
He nods at the gnome.
"Apologies. Didn' realize I was mufflin my steps like tha'. I tend t' hide in these tunnels to avoid people. Name's Drekar. Dragonkin from way yonder west, a refugee who's taken up residence up 'ere in the mountains. Been 'ere for a while, but I stay outta the camp mostly; I sleep down in the caves," he tells the gnome before holding his hand out awkwardly for the man to shake.
The thought reminded Rhival'lur that he should've been working. Working the mines, working the infirmary, working anything. He paced about as he talked, drawing a few sick and weary glances from the recovering patients. Rhiv could walk and talk in tandem – he could hang onto this just a little longer.
"Is jus' the firs' one ah've made. Still whittle some now'anthen, buh the guards'r bit smarter than they's were. Least mine are."
Franklyn smiled upat Rhiv. "Thank you. I do my best."
He watched as the big guy pulled out what looked like a totem of some kind, a well made animal figurine. He handled it gently, turning it over in his hands and studying it. It wasn't a creature he knew.
His smile faded a bit as Rhiv described the reaction to his whittling, and he responded with an empathetic nod. "They can be brutal over seemingly nothing." He handed the carving back to Rhiv.
"Guards see what they want to see. It's… something I try to take advantage of." Franklyn knew Rhival'lur by reputation. The quiet man was thought a little odd by the guards, and they'd been extra cruel to him as a result. "But don't let them stop you."
……………….
Drekar nods at the gnome.
"Apologies. Didn' realize I was mufflin my steps like tha'. I tend t' hide in these tunnels to avoid people. Name's Drekar. Dragonkin from way yonder west, a refugee who's taken up residence up 'ere in the mountains. Been 'ere for a while, but I stay outta the camp mostly; I sleep down in the caves," he tells the gnome before holding his hand out awkwardly for the man to shake.
Rixtus shook Drekar's hand, though it was akin to a child shaking a giant's paw. "Rixtus. I've seen you around. Mines are big enough and tunnels long enough you may not have seen me before though." The refugee story was a common one, unfortunately. Many folks came from places worse than the Queen's Mines, and some came without realizing how bad things were here.
Either way, once they got here, they were press-ganged into the mines and stuck working for the Crown. Rixtus hoped that for Drekar, this was somehow an improvement.
"Where ya headed? This tunnel back to camp has a couple of pretty surly guards posted at the checkpoint. They'll be in the moods to cause trouble, and one of them is a Lobano." The huge wolfmen were almost universally feared, though Drekar was big and strong enough, he might be able to handle it. Still, getting into a serious fight with a guard was never a good idea. "I was just taking these two around through one of the other tunnels, if you'd like to join us- if that's your destination, of course."
Drekar nods slightly.
"Quite possibly," he replies.
At the gnomes last words, the Dragonkin's eyes glint slightly.
"Lobano, you say? Did he have a decently well made sword and a nasty scar on his righ' cheek?" the Dragonkin inquires.
Despite his tendency to avoid conflict, there was one man that he would always seek out to fight, and that was one of the few Lobano guards in the mines.
A nasty looking man with a nastier attitude, the guard was on Drekar's hitlist for one reason and one reason alone. An insult to his family's honor. It was common knowledge that if one wanted to live life with their bones in the same places as before, you never insulted a Dragonkins honor or their family's honor.
And Drekars intentions were being made clear just through the way the normally placid Dragonkin rogue was now holding himself. He fully intended to start a brawl with the guard.
And very little could stop him.
Rixtus knew immediately who Drekar meant. "Ah, Dhibo. I'm guessing you've got a grudge to settle with him, huh?" He watched the Dragonkin's reaction, nodding slowly. "Well, this one isn't him. Some new guy with a glaive of some sort. I mean, you're welcome to pick a fight with another one if you want, just let us get put of this tunnel before you cause trouble."
The Dragonkin seems to settle down a bit.
"Alrigh'. I have no interes' in conflic' beyond wit' Dhibo. The other guards are no' my problem," Drekar sighs.
He starts walking with the group, near the back, staying mostly out of the conversations playing out, but listening in despite this.
Rixtus nodded. He looked Drekar over, thinking the Dragonkin would be a good ally to have. "If, uh… if you're looking for him to maybe have an unfortunate accident one day… I might be able to help."
Drekar blinks at Rixtus and then gives the slightest hint of a smile.
"Maybe after we ge' ou' of this hellhole," he replies. Though the Dragonkin didn't need the help, he understood that the guard was widely disliked by most, not just him - he wouldn't deny others the chance at the man for his own goals.
He pats the gnome on the shoulder and then falls silent once more.
His smile faded a bit as Rhiv described the reaction to his whittling, and he responded with an empathetic nod. "They can be brutal over seemingly nothing." He handed the carving back to Rhiv.
"Guards see what they want to see. It's… something I try to take advantage of." Franklyn knew Rhival'lur by reputation. The quiet man was thought a little odd by the guards, and they'd been extra cruel to him as a result. "But don't let them stop you."
"Aye. Mighty nice ayouse sayin' that, Frank…" No, it was way too early for nicknames. "…lyn. Ah try not to take it too personal – half of thems ain't too terrible. Relatively, ah'least."
Rhival'lur sighed, returning the whittled figurine to his pocket.
"Speakin' of," he added a bit grimly, "Ah'm s'posed to be onna shift t'night. Y'appen to know what th'time is?"
Name: Derek
Age: Looks about 19. Actually like 38.
Gender/Pronouns: Male, he/him
Orientation: Demisexual
Species: Fire spirit
Appearance: Dark Crimson hair that is just long enough to fall into his eyes and tends to randomly catch fire, deep orange eyes, tan skin, 5'5".
Wardrobe: think of D&D rogue class
Personality: He likes to ruin things, like surprises. The kind of person to steal the last puzzle piece so that you can never complete the puzzle.
Skills: He uses his fire to weaken the ice in the caves and keep areas warm when needed.
Power(s)?: Fire manipulation, gives off an abnormal amount of heat, cannot use fire manipulation to much as it is part of his life source, gets weaker in colder areas. Cannot swim and fears water. Ages half as fast as humans
Backstory: He ran away from home and lived on the streets, causing problems, he signed up to work as soon as he could. He often gets his age confused and has to prove that he is not as young as he looks.
Theme song(s)?: “Hurt”
Other?: The kind of person to start a full out brawl and leave before he gets hit once.
Rhival'lur sighed, returning the whittled figurine to his pocket.
"Speakin' of," he added a bit grimly, "Ah'm s'posed to be onna shift t'night. Y'appen to know what th'time is?"
Franklyn smiled. "You're a decent guy, Rhival'lur."
His face fell again when Rhiv mentioned the night shift. It was notoriously more dangerous than the day shifts. "It's roughly half an hour before sunset. I checked a bit ago."
Drekar blinks at Rixtus and then gives the slightest hint of a smile.
"Maybe after we ge' ou' of this hellhole," he replies. Though the Dragonkin didn't need the help, he understood that the guard was widely disliked by most, not just him - he wouldn't deny others the chance at the man for his own goals.
He pats the gnome on the shoulder and then falls silent once more.
Raiki watches the interaction quietly, not bothering to interject. It seems the dragonkin has a extreme grudge with one of the guards…Interesting. And the gnome seemed to be offering to help kill that guard. Lots of very trustworthy people here, Raiki thinks with a mental chuckle. They didn't seem entirely bad, just with plenty of capacity for vengence.
(So… Imma just say carter walked off, as I kinda got lost in that interaction.)
(OK. If you're having that much trouble following the conversations tho, this might not be the rp for you :/ we got a lot of characters)
(Hi so I was in the psych hospital and was unable to use my phone becos like. Suicide attempts an shizz so I’m gonna say I can’t take rping right now but if anyone wants to take my characters they can, otherwise you can figure a way to write them out idk it’s whatever. Sorry dudes.)
(Bro. Dont Apologize. Focus on fixing yourself. We'll handle this)
(Thanks for getting it lmao and stay cool my pal)
(thumbs up)
(I'll take on your characters in case you ever return)
His face fell again when Rhiv mentioned the night shift. It was notoriously more dangerous than the day shifts. "It's roughly half an hour before sunset. I checked a bit ago."
"Ah. Shite."
Rhival'lur blanched a bit at his own language.
"Sorry, lad. Jus' irks my anam is all."
He cracked his neck and his back, and he rolled his shoulders. A dull ache of dread settled in the pit of his stomach, echoing like the peals of the belltowers back home. And then another pang of guilty rage rippled through him at the memory.
"S'awful for the psyche, bein' 'ere. Least I'm not 'alf sleep like I am inna mornin's." He was grumbling to nobody in particular, freting over a few herb jars on a shelf. He'd organized them a few minutes ago, but his hands were fidgety now.
(sorry for going radio silent for so long- bad week)
(you're fine- pretty quiet in here. Sorry it's been a rough week)
Name: Alex
Age: 18
Gender/Pronouns: He/Him
Orientation: Nobody knows.
Species: Supposedly human. (Actually made of darkness.)
Appearance: Basically a character with pitch black skin and one eye
Wardrobe: Wears a coat and boots.
Personality: Actually quite nice.
Skills: Very flexible.
Power(s)?: Can vanish into shadows.
Backstory: He just woke up one day in the real world…
Theme song(s)?: Choose whatever.
Other?: He is supposed to be based off Cyclops.Iso, but more human-looking, and less powerful.
(His power is a bit OP or the setting, likely need to tone it down a bit- give him serious weaknesses, or make the power more like a high stealth, know what I mean?)
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