Arcturus was quiet still, trying to keep the situation calm.
"She said she couldn't keep us, and she's saying we shouldn't leave because something will try to kill us. We're welcome to go, but we may die. She's not trying to keep us, Bane. Just warning us why we shouldn't go." He laughed softly. "And harboring criminals, dangerous people? That's us. You and me, Hellhound, as well as the kleptomaniac goblin, the girl with power prosthetics and the guy capable of pinning us all to the floor." His gaze intensified a bit. "We're the dangerous things in here, and she's not afraid of us. She's afraid For us."
He leaned forward. "Which is why I want to know what we're up against."
Leila tilts her head at Arcturus, bemused by his statements.
"I have the power to stop time itself, shatter reality on a whim. Of course I'm not afraid of you people. You couldn't even touch me." she laughs. Her tone was open and honest. She wasn't being arrogant, that much was obvious.
"Joth's Tale tells of a horror that came from the lowest pits of the Abyss, and how one lone human challenged that creature. He lost, of course. But that myth is a true story, and that thing is now after you people." she says softly.
Bane snorted, unhappy with his situation. Can you ever make him happy? Eventually. “But does that seem like—contradiction?” The hellhound never suffered through an English class in his life, so he knew next to nothing. “I just simply don’t understand. But I’m not going to leave. I don’t feel like getting murdered. I’m the one that’s supposed to be murdering, not getting murder.” Bane puffed his cheeks out, looking at Arcturus. With the click of his tongue, he tilted his head. “That’s what I said. We’re the dangerous criminals…” He trailed off, going silent. With a sigh and a quick 'whatever', the hellhound transformed into his wolf form. Some cracking of his bones could be heard, but you wouldn’t notice unless you looked over to see your friend replaced by a scruffy wolf. However, his wolf form was nearly the size of a pony with rugged black fur. His ears were flat against his head and looked annoyed. He did a big stretch and curled up against Arcturus, his tail laying over his muzzle. The hound's giant ears sprung forward, listening for any nearby danger.
(And Bane just turns into the groups pet lol)
Arcturus quirked one corner of his mouth, smiling just a tiny bit. "Yes, I was agreeing with you, Bane."
He finally broke his long gaze and looked over as Bane transformed, his eyebrows rising when Bane curled up next to him. He went back to watching Leila, just waiting for whatever came next.
One hand subconsciously ruffled through the fur behind Bane's big ears.
(Might get me killed but I must give the hellhound ear scritches)
(Lol, Leila is having the same thoughts.)
Leila sighs. "I don't expect you to undestand. All I expect is for you to believe that I'm being completely honest."
When she sees Bane shift and lay down, she har the almost overwhelming urge to pet Bane.
Her hand creeps towards the fur on Bane's back.
The library seemed to go on forever. Nix listened to the conversation with their large ears, and soon enough what the goblin thought of as mindless chatter soon became interesting to them. Finally, information that was actually useful. They turned back and crept up to to the others to listen. Sitting down, they began grooming their lion legs, combing their fingers through the fur and licking it.
Nix didn’t really think of themself as a dangerous criminal, they just liked other people’s stuff. But hey, they weren’t stupid. Leila’s words sounded strange to them, but hey, Leila was the most amazing humanoid Nix has ever met, and they didn’t have much else to go of.
(Hellhounds love being pet like any other dog lol)
Bane opened his sleepy eyes, lifting his head up slightly. His left ear flicked as Arcturus ruffled his fur. This big puppy generated a lot of heat, and I meant a lot of heat. He was basically a furnace. His hind leg started to thump when was given scritches behind the ears. He turned his head around and pressed his cold nose against Arcturus' arm, his tail wrapping around his flank. The hound started to lick his paws, which were in horrendous condition. He bit a loose fur with his teeth. Bane's teeth were large, especially his canines, but they fit his large jaws. The hellhound welcomed all the pets. All of them! >:3
(I dunno why, but I keep imagining Bane purring like a cat, XD )
Leila starts running her hand through the surprisingly soft fur on Bane's back, then buries her face in the big puppies fur, enjoying the vast ammount of heat the hellhound as generating.
(He chirps :D)
Bane stopped chewing on his paws, looking up at Leila. He stared her down for a good minute before licking her hand. Bane let out an excited chirp, his tail thumping against the library floor. Unfortunately for Leila, the scent of death clung to his fur. He was trying to sleep, but now all the attention has gotten him wound up. The pup wanted to play. He got to his paw, yipping rather loudly. A wolf the size of a pony probably wasn’t the best playmate. After all, he could destroy things without meaning to.
Arcturus continued lavishing attention on Bane's ears, until the hound stood up. He watched Bane wag playfully. Something in his head said "It's all fun and games till somebody gets hurt", but Arcturus was a Sindarin, a Silvan Elf. A chaotic, Woodland, accidentally magic-using imp.
So he sat there.
A little bit of chaos isn't gonna hurt us…
Bane started yipping louder, hopping around like the big puppy he is. He licked Arcturus on the face, whining at the elf that he wanted to play. Bane wasn’t exactly his same angsty grumpiness when he shifted. He was just dog. Hellhounds had a knack for playing, usually with dead body parts, like how dolphins play with the dead bodies of other fish. Their system might have been ridged and left no room for mistakes, but when a Hellhound was in their wolf form—playfulness. Except Bane started to tug at Arcturus satchel (I think he had one, correct me if not), his tail wagging from side to side. His wagging tail created a small breeze. The puppy growled when he found it difficult to play 'keep away' with the elf’s items.
(We should wait for Not Denki)
Sutechi looked over when he was mentioned by Arcturus, just listening to him talk as he thought about the situation he was in with the whole you could get murdered if he tried to leave.
He didn't think being murdered was all that bad.
No one would really miss him would they? He was father was probably disappointed in him, his mother was dead.
He didn't have any friends anyways.
What did he have to loose?
Well, besides his life.
He figured he would stay with the group for now.
He went over to bane, and went to pet him gently, before he moved to get up and grab Arcturus bag. He got up and moved away, deciding to watch.
Emerse was lost in thought.
(More of a pouch on his belt than a satchel, but the effect is the same either way)
Arcturus laughed as Bane tried to get at his pouch, only to be denied by the wards placed on it. Just as Nix hadn't been able to steal from it earlier, Bane couldn't get it away from him.
He did manage to pick Arcturus up completely off the ground. The horse-sized hound pulling at something on his belt pulled the Elf out of his seated position and left him dangling from Bane's mouth for a moment.
He managed to bite back the yelp that almost escaped him.
Arcturus had fought beasts much bigger than him. This was play, so no pain, but still.
The metal on his arms flowed to create small chains, which looped over Bane's back. He pulled himself up, using the leverage to get himself away from those huge jaws, and swung onto Bane's back. He, like most Elves, was super light, a featherweight to someone as strong as Bane. He was only up there a moment, before leaping clear across the room, the chains releasing and following him.
Arcturus spun in the air and landed facing Bane, crouched and grinning.
(Just started school today ✌️I hate it)
Bane sneezed, determination crossing the wolf’s face. He started to shake his head, trying to detach the pouch from Arcturus’ belt. And in turn, he shook the poor elf around. Bane had a strong jaw and, therefore, a strong hold. Whines came from his throat. His massive tail wagged, shaking his body along with it. His ears were constantly switching between perked and flattened. The puppy was rough when it came to playing—so one would watch out for those enormous teeth.
And when Arcturus looped chains around the hound's back? He growled, the heavy sound vibrating against his throat. But lucky for the elf, Bane opened his mouth to bite at the chains looped around him. He didn’t exactly like it. He didn’t like being restrained— even if it was slightly. With Arcturus now free from the hellhound, Bane tried to shake the elf off of him. He didn’t welcome being ridden like a horse. Trying to bite the elf, he was confused when the elf vanished. Then he look in front of him and knocked the elf over with his nose. Or at least tried his best. And laid down, head in the elf’s lap. Bane glanced over at Leila and Sutechi, waiting for more pats.
Arcturus had braced his feet, so Bane didn't quite knock him flat, but the weight of the hound's head landing in his lap pinned him. He managed to get into a comfortable enough position to sit there a while.
"So, Taeth. What made you set us free from the jail cell?"
( bump @imNOTdenki quick reminder :) )
He thought for a moment, a bit startled as he had been brought back from his thoight spiral back into the actual conversation.
"Huh..? Oh, i just was escaping myself before I saw you guys all in the cell and decided to help you out I guess. There's not really much to why, as it was just a happen to have time so I did."
He shrugged as he spoke, running a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh.
Arcturus nodded. "Much appreciated." He looked over at Nix. "Do you speak, friend? Haven't heard you say much." The goblin reminded him of some of the darker creatures he was constantly fending off in the forest, but he was determined to keep an open mind as he sat there with a Hellhound's head in his lap.
Leila removes herself from the vicinity of Bane and Arcturus when they start playing and looks at Taeth.
"You freed them? No offense, but you're bone and string." she replies.
He rolled his eyes at Leilas comment about what he looked like.
"Yeah well I don't have to have a ton of muscule to know how to pick a lock and sneak in and out of a prison." He spoke, looking away from Leila as he spoke. He scratched at the stitches on his neck.
Arcturus called over, "He did get us out quicker than chewing the bars or kicking down the door, or trying to convince Sardoth to let us out."
Bane yawned from the indistinct conversation chittering around him. The hound turned to lay on his side, letting out a huff. He booped Arcturus’ hand with his nose, trying to get the elf’s attention. The hound closed his eyes, falling asleep in Arcturus’ lap and instantly become a furnace. The young hound had enough of the squabbling.
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