Das Totenlied: Kagami no Tsukimono [It Begins]

[Kinokokao]

Loren approached the young lady with the owl on her shoulder -- what truly extravagant fashion accessory, and the Minskyavan prince was always one to appreciate extravagance when he saw it. Loren made a flourish of a bow in greeting, both managing to be magnanimous and teasing with the over formality of the gesture.

"My darling, what a delightful creature!" he exclaimed, holding his hand close as he gestured toward the bird -- he didn't want to get near, 'lest the beast be tempted to bite. "Truly magnificent. Does it do any tricks?"

[zamisk]

Ezek had stepped outside after a while, as the person he thought had been in the corner hadn't responded. He heard some lady yelling at someone who was going into the Dark tower. It's about time! he thought, smiling a little. He ran back to his hotel room, as fast as he dared. He grabbed his bag and hurriedly donned his armor. He then jogged back to where he had last heard the person who was setting out. Luckily he hadn't gotten too far.

"Hey," he said calmly, "Wait up!"

(I'll edit this more once Drathi reposts, so he has the chance to talk to Trance there and whatnot.)

[Sampson]

Elleman, for one, felt somewhat caught in the middle of all this hooplah.

Sure, the tower and all of its unknown, possibly ground-breaking scientific knowledge appealed to him, but he would certainly like to live. Two people (and one blind, at that) probably wouldn't be able to do much to protect him.

He got up and walked back inside the City Hall. He figured he might as well stay with the largest group for the most potential protection.

[NessySchu]

"He can put people to sleep by hooting, if I want him to," Jetta offered. "That should be useful in battle. He also knows not to poop in the house," she added sarcastically. Who was this man? Out of all the people in the room Jetta might have chosen to befriend, he was not too high on the list. His fancy clothes and arrogant air made it obvious that he had led a very easy life thus far. But it was always possible that he possessed some skill that would make him a valuable ally in the Tower. Deciding to keep her options open, Jetta introduced herself. "This is Finnick, I'm Jetta. And you are...?"

[Kinokokao]

"I am Prince Loren Ellesmere, formerly of Minskyava, but please do just call me Loren, no need for superfluous formalities. It's a distinct pleasure to make your and Finnick's acquaintance. He sounds the utmost of useful," Loren said with sincerity.

He turned his gaze slightly, watching some of the adventurers leave. He thought for a moment about joining them, but reconsidered the foolishness of that and elected, instead, to stay with the majority. Proud as he may be and arrogant as he may seem, Loren had no illusions about his own capabilities and limitations. His particular strengths lay more in the area of holding together and inspiring a group., rather than a direct assault. Safety, and strength, lay in numbers.

"So, darling, what desires have led you to cast your lot amongst the daring and brave souls gathered here? Loren asked, turning his attention once more to the girl.

[ShiningDrake]

"Ah... I see." She thought about asking what sort of book she was looking for, but decided not to bother Ceres any more. Instead, she simply silently followed her around, not sure what else to do. She still felt in the way, however...

When Mayor Grantise spoke again, Mina didn't say anything, but her discouragement was visible. So there's no way back...? Then, she had another thought. So... Could the ones that went in before still be alive?
That was a rather encouraging idea, and she truly hoped that it was the case for at least some. She had no response to anything else that was said however.

She continued to follow, still remaining silent, when Ceres went to speak to the woman who had just arrived. She didn't want to bother this new person, but Ceres obviously wanted her to stay close, so...

When Mina saw Ceres take a book out and start reading it, Mina thought that would be a good idea as well... She sat down on the floor, and took a surprisingly large tome out of her gap. She actually hadn't read this one yet, it had been a gift from the high priest for her to use during the journey.

It was actually quite fascinating on both an intellectual and entertainment level. It was a book on many sorts of creatures, both ones known to exist, and ones only rumored, with information on relevant mythology, interpretations of eyewitness accounts, and for many that had been confirmed, studies on their biology, behaviors, and relations to their habitat.

Due to the sheer amount of information contained within it, it was large enough that she would not have been able to carry it for any long period of time if it were not for her dimensional abilities. In fact, she could barely lift it, and if she had read it in a library, she would have required assistance returning it to the shelf... However, it seemed as if it might be something rather useful to have.

She was only several pages in (Which was actually quite impressive given the amount of time she'd spent, considering that the book had larges pages and was written in small print) when she realized that Ceres was speaking. She didn't actually catch much of what had been said, not enough to understand what Ceres was speaking of, but when Ceres left, beckoning to follow, she returned her book to the gap, and did so.

Mina ran after Ceres, and then heard her say not to go into the tower alone. Wait... That man there, had actually been about to do that? That didn't seem the best course of action... The place was certainly quite dangerous, and to go in alone was probably suicide, even if the fate of those who had gone in previously was unknown.

[Illuminage]

[NessySchu]

"Nice to meet you too, Loren" Jetta said. He seemed fairly nice, if a bit flamboyant. She decided to stick with him for a bit, since Ezek seemed to have vanished and she didn't feel like meeting more new people.

At Loren's question, Jetta sighed. Not wanting to answer this question was what had made Ezek leave, so she decided to just bite the bullet and tell him. "Well, I'm actually hoping to find either my mother, my grandmother, or both in the tower, and rescue them. My mother left when I was a baby, and I thought she was dead until my father gave me her journal a year ago and I found out she actually went off in search of my grandmother, who had gone into the tower years ago. I'm hoping they're still alive."

After getting all of that out, Jetta heaved a sigh of relief. That was easier than I thought it would be, she thought. "What about you, Loren? What brings you here?" Jetta asked.

[Kinokokao]

"What a noble ambition!" Loren's tone walked the tense border being sincere and condescending -- a side-effect of his rather flamboyant, almost-flirting way of speaking, but not generated from any genuine negativity on his part. He did truly admire the girl for her pluck and noble goal. "Let it be known that, as of this moment, I do swear my assistance to you, Jetta."

"My own reasons for being here are not so altruistic, I'm afraid. I'm here because I have nowhere else to be."

Not quite the most clear of answers, and most definitely a dodge of any serious revelations about his motives, but if Loren remained committed to any significant principle is was not to take things too seriously.

[NessySchu]

"Thank you," Jetta said. "I appreciate it." She was not quite so quick to trust, but this Loren character was growing on her. She was somewhat confused by his non-answer to her question, but she shrugged it off. She hadn't wanted to tell her story, either, so she couldn't hold it against him. "So, do you think we'll get moving any time soon?"

[Kinokokao]

"Well, some of our supposed companions have already ventured off to seek their fortune within the Dead Tower," Loren said, gesturing toward the door. As he did so, his eyes dragged over the wall and corner hugging denizens.

"Which hardly seems fair, considering I have yet to even be introduced to many of the collected explorers. And, present company excluded, I must admit the few I have met were frightfully rude about it," he frowned, clearly puzzled as to why anyone could ever find fault with his gallant attempts at polite conversation.

[Drathi]

"I'm walking slow enough for you to catch up, aren't I?" he asked. "As for these vials... It would be foolish to think that. I grew up in the mountains. Making stuff out of resources is what I do best." He did not turn to speak to her. He looked up at the tower. "Half an hour. For a place we know nothing about, we should not waste time with precautions. We should face what is inside and get it over with. That is how long I will wait." He looked up at Dead Tower and then down to the ground. Indeed, he was but one person trying to scale a perilous tower. However, he did intend to wait for the others, once he got inside. He planned to scout out some of the tower for the group. It would save time.

[NessySchu]

"Plus, it's kind of stupid and arrogant of them to think they'll be able to make it alone in there. But if they think they're too good for us, we really don't need them," Jetta pointed out. She didn't want to seem cruel, but it was the honest truth.

In response to Loren's puzzlement, Jetta said mildly, "Well, no offence, but you do come on rather strong at first, and it's a little bit difficult to take you seriously in those clothes. But truth be told, you're really quite nice," she told him. "I'm sure they'll warm up to you eventually."

[Kinokokao]

[NessySchu]

Jetta barely caught the look of hurt on Loren's face, and immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, that was a bit harsh," she quickly apologized. "Your clothes are quite lovely, and I see that you are indeed prepared for what lies ahead. Probably more so than I am, as a matter of fact. I haven't had much practice in battle before. This is the first set of armor I've ever owned, and I purchased it only today. Hopefully I won't be too much of a detriment to the team." Jetta sighed and stroked Finnick's feathers, as she tended to do whenever she was in need of reassurance.