Pax - The Stone Cube ~ Chyril 27th, Early TT

[Luca di Fabro]

No movement at all. Not even the tiniest little bit of movement. Inside he sighed. Meh..was worth a shot. But..seriously...WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD TRY TO TAKE OUT A SWORD THAT HAS THE HILT STUCK IN A FREAKIN STONE!! IDIOTA!!

On the outside Luca was calm. "Mmmm...I'm...not...feeling it. It's not going to work." Of course the goal really had never been the sword itself. It was the dinner date. And that game had only just begun. He let go of the sword and stepped down, walking up to Ophelia. A grin appeared on his face. He had seen that she had really tried, had really given her best effort. And although he was totally ready to exploit that to still have her have dinner with him, it was something that he really appreciated. "Guess this one wasn't in the cards today, bella."

He turned to the cloaked man as he approached them. Luca bowed, being very conscious of the fact that he had to have looked like a fool. But he couldn't care less. "Thank you, thank you! We'll be here all week!" He said as he picked up the circlet. He shrugged at the man's last comment. "You know, willpower should not be underestimated. It can be a very powerful tool, signor."

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

OOC: I don't know about you, but I for one will be sure to make sure to read EVERYTHING more carefully, promise Guido! ::embarassed smile::

IC:

Ophelia anticipated him wrapping something around his hands, or some sort of protection, but as he tried to give a tug to the sword's long sharp edge her eyes narrowed and she gave a slight wince in preparation for what could be the yowl of pain coming from her new friend. Thus wasn't to come, as he gave a generous pull to the sword which didn't budge not even in the slightest. "Asking me to concentrate and believe..." She commented shaking her head, but she couldn't help the beginnings of giggling.

It only worsened as the cloaked man offered the coinage, followed by Luca's repartee. She burst into a peal of laugher, which she lessened by lifting a hand to cover her mouth in hopes of supressing the chortles. "Looks like no dinner for you!" Her bright blue eyes flicked over to the gleaming sword again her brow raising as she pushed off the rock and kicked at some dust on the ground, her smirk ever-present. "If you can figure a way to get me ontop of that stone cube I'll have dinner with you," she offered glancing back to the other monument.

[Luca di Fabro]

Luca rolled his eyes. Of course she started giggling and laughing the minute he stepped away from the sword. He couldn't suppress a smirk appearing on his own face as he thought about the whole thing. He gestured with his hand to Ophelia. "Ai ai, you're totally making fun of me! You just weren't believing enough bella!"

He turned to look at the smooth stone cube again. This chica wasn't making things easy for him. All this for some dinner! Back home they'd say I've gone pazzesco! His mind, however, had already started to think about her next challenge. Getting on top of that rock...it's too smooth to get any good grasp with her hands...Yet any help objects would attract the guards...mm... After a few flickers he came up with a plan that might just work...or he'd be having dinner in a cell tonight...

He ran his hand through his hair and nodded, the smirk still on his face. "Alright, bella. Let's do this. I'll get you on top of that rock. Let's go over there once more." He turned towards the cloaked man. "And you signor, if you want to have another laugh, I'd suggest you to come along."
As they walked towards the cube, Luca looked around for a ladder. There had to be some ladders around the town somewhere. He hoped there would be one close by so that he wouldn't have to walk up and down the town for it.

He walked over to the side of the cube with the least guards watching it. When they arrived, he turned to Ophelia and looked into her sparkling blue eyes. "Ok, here is what I want you to do. I need you to grab a small item out of your bag. But it has to be something that has at least some value, not just something worthless, and then give it to me." He chuckled. "I'm sure you have some of those items in there."

[Guido Cercatoro]

Luca was in luck. The fire that had destroyed the now ruined building had done some damage to the roof of the adjacent house. A tall ladder now stood against one corner of the house but there was no sign of the builders. Perhaps, they were having a lunch break or had other business to attend to? The only problem was that the ladder was right in the sights of the two soldiers who stood guarding the ruined building. They would inevitably see any attempt to move the ladder.

The cloaked man said nothing more, merely smiling as he accompanied the two conspirators to the side of the cube. It appeared he was intent on watching what transpired.

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

"I believed plenty, you weren't concentrating," she giggled as they walked.

Ophelia's feet padded along the ground with the rhythmic pounding of one used to making a good deal of noise and drawing attention to oneself. Ophy had never been shy, and she'd been raised around boys who took great pleasure in making as much sound as possible - particularly on the stairs in the family home. In youth it had been a game to see how much, and how different, of a noise one could make while descending those steps. Danneskjöld had been particularly pro at their little competition. He was able to reproduce sounds reminiscent of one falling down the steps, something which always caused their mother to call out with alarm as he was summoned down for dinner.

"Something of value to me or of value in general?" She asked genuinely interested. "Because you've got a coin in your hand, why not just go ahead and use that?" Ophelia shifted the weight of her guitar case on her shoulder. She hadn't taken her whole bag with her - only the instrument and some pocket change for picking up essentials. "Worth how much, anyway?" She gave him curious eyes wondering whether he was going to off with whatever she handed over to him.

Their robed companion was another matter entirely. She wasn't sure he meant them no harm. What if he was to out them as soon as they got in some trouble? It was all in good fun... atleast it was to Ophy. She could just imagine the faces of the guards when the two of them ended up on top of the cube. It would be one nether of a story!

[Luca di Fabro]

"Something of value to you, bella." He grinned as he looked straight into her eyes. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to it, you'll get it back." The getting it back part was the base of his whole plan, but if she would actually get the item back...well..that depended on how special the stone cube actually was. Seeing that Ophelia didn't seem to be thinking that the stone cube had any magical characteristics..everything should be fine.

Luca glanced at the ladder and the guards who had a clear view on it. He would have to move quickly once he had started the action. He would probably look completely insane, but that was one of the things that would help him in his big plan. And if it all failed..well, it would certainly be a whole lot of fun. The twinkle in his eyes was already visible as he was thinking about the whole thing. He looked back at Ophelia and held up his hand. "Doesn't have to be worth that much, just something that is of value to you and something which is not too heavy. Got any instruments with you that are a little smaller than the guitar? That would be perfetto."

[Guido Cercatoro]

The cloaked man folded his arms but remained silent. He had a wry look on his face as he continued to listen and observe....

[Guest]

On his wanderings through the town, Malocan found himself passing the stone cube that sat in the middle of the town. Naturally, his curiosity was piqued; a giant stone cube with no discernable purpose? Who wouldn't be intrigued! His interest only intensified as he noticed the sword sticking, blade-out, from one side of the cube. Perhaps there was a purpose for it after all - but whatever that might be was still a mystery.

He walked up to take a closer look, his sword still on his hip and his carry-sack and hand-held harp still swung over his shoulder. There were three people standing next to it - an olive-skinned man, a tall woman with blonde hair, and a person in a cloak - so he walked vaguely in their direction.

"Pretty impressive," Malocan said out loud in a tone that could be taken as either talking to himself or addressing the trio. "Impressive, but a little odd. Modern art, perhaps." He smiled with a glance in their direction, folding his arms as he came to a stop in front of the strange cube.

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

Ophelia crossed her arms and considered what she had on her of value. She'd left her bag back at the new house, and didn't even think to have her coin purse on her. The bard hadn't been anticipating buying anything. What she did have were her beads, though. Each had it's own meeting as it had been made by either her father or herself.

Her fingers deftly wrapped around a dread and slid off a thumb sized blue bead which was crystaline in composition. "Alright, here you go," she said as she dropped it in his open palm.

The newcomer distracted her as soon as the object left her hand. Bright eyes, the same color as the bead which rested in Luca's hand, traced over the body of the achadhiel. She laughed at Malocan's idea that it was art. "I think it was something other than an artist who made this."

[Guest]

Malocan's smile widened as the woman laughed, and his eyes danced with light-hearted merriment. "Perhaps so, good lady; I would say that I have never seen anything like it, but as this is my first journey outside the Citadel such an observation wouldn't carry much weight."

Malocan offered his hand with the same light-heartedness that his eye and smile possessed. "Malocan Triane, disciple of Illuminatus and travelling vanquisher of hardship and ne'er-do-wells." Despite having been warned of the dangers associated with revealing one's religion too openly in the Western Kingdom, Malocan was full of idealism and youthful energy and didn't pay the guard much heed.

[Luca di Fabro]

Great...a bead.....she could have given him anything, anything at all....well....anything not ROUND. He let out a small sigh. This plan was just getting more silly by the flicker. He hadn't always been as good as a planner as his mentor was, but one of Luca's strengths was his innovativeness. That usually kept him out of trouble. Usually

His original plan had been to throw one of Ophy's items on top of the cube, creating a reason for her to get up there if they attracted the attention of the guards. But since the bead was pretty round and the surface of the cube was amazingly smooth, it would probably roll off on one of the other sides. Yup...that plan wasn't gonna fly. Accidenti!

Fuck it..time for plan B. The Mouthie thought as he grinned at Ophelia. "Grazzi. That'll do just fine." He then greeted the newcomer with a nod. "'Sup man. I'm Luca, or Lucky, as some people call me." He turned to Ophelia again. "I'll be right back. Get ready to play along if necessary."

A smirk appeared on his face as he turned around and started walking towards the ladder. He let the bead slip into one of his pockets as he casually walked on, not giving any unusual attention to his surroundings. When he reached the ladder, he picked it up and turned around to walk straight back to the cube. If the guards would just be looking at him, he would continue to walk on, but if they gave him any sign that they were about to stop him, he would just give them a friendly nod and say: "Just need it to help out a lady, I'll bring it back in a burn." And then he would keep on walking.

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

If she had realized that his plan hinged on having a flatter objected Ophelia would have definately provided the roundest bead from amidst the tangle of her dreads and braids. As it were, the one she'd given had a sort of oblong-y oval quality that suggested it might stay put if tossed correctly.

He made a quick introduction to himself, suggested she pay attention, and then he was walking away. Ophy watched him go with a quizzical expression of growing interest. The beautiful blonde enjoyed games very much, and it seemed like Lucky was a playful sort of guy. It meant there was a good chance of them becoming fast friends. D`arcy was interesting for entirely different reasons - her culture. Luca, even though he was from a place she'd never been, had the feeling that he might understand her lighthearted behavior.

The bard, herself, didn't actually consider any of these things. Instead, she thought happy thoughts of enjoying his company as well as the hope that he could actually pull his little plan of. It was obvious from the grin she gave to Malocan at his introduction.

Malocan on the other hand, was an entirely different look from the Mouthie. He was almost pretty with his blonde hair and soft achadhiel features. She'd never seen a man who was quite as beautiful as him, nor with the softness of his hand which she shook with vigor. Her own fingers were covered with the callouses of her instruments and weapon training and maintained a strong grip on the newcomer's palm. "Hey, there. Ophelia," she responded with a smile. Being as tall as she is, the Trothgardian had to look down at the foreigner. "Bard, myself. No great dis-eye-pull or van-kishur."

It was her immediate assumption that the people of the Citadel probably had their own language, similar to that which Luca spoke, which would account for the funny words that the achadhiel spit out. For all she knew, a dis-eye-pull was some sort of butcher. As far as the van-kishur, she could only guess, but she didn't allow her lack of knowledge to show, instead her eyes sparkled with interest of meeting another new person whcih was only slowed by her distraction of watching Lucky.

[Guido Cercatoro]

Luca’s brazen approach to obtaining the ladder worked perfectly. Although he took the ladder from under the guard’s noses, they showed little interest, presumably assuming that he was one of the workmen. Within a few flickers, Luca had arrived back at the cube with the ladder. Of course, if he was to use the ladder to mount the cube in front of the guards, there was no guarantee that their disinterest would continue.

[Luca di Fabro]

The self satisfied grin on Luca's face was unmistakable. Fortunately, Luca made sure that it was only visible by Ophelia, Malocan and the cloaked guy. He was having a lot of fun with this totally crazy action. He looked around the square once more as he walked back, looking for the best spot to place the ladder, the spot where the fewest guards would have sight on what they were doing.

As he approached the group at the cube, he immediately came into action. "Alright, the next part has to be done a little fast. Malocan and me will hold the ladder firmly in place, as the cube probably won't give it any stability. Then you quickly climb up the ladder." He now looked at Ophelia, making her the center of his attention. The excitement was clearly visible in his face. "Now, as you climb up, just act normal until the guards start acting up. If any of m think that there's somethin going on and are giving us attention, start to act like you are really desperate. You've tossed one of the beads up on the cube as a silly joke and you thought it would roll off, but it didn't. Now you're climbing up to get it back."

Luca placed the ladder up against the cube, nudging Malocan to grab the other side of the ladder. "Come on, andiamo!

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

Any corrections on her vocabulary from Malocan were going to have to wait, as it took Luca pratically no time at all to return with the ladder. Confidence in his heist nearly dripped out of his pores as he leaned the tool against the stone cube.

Ophelia, for her part, was never one to take directions particularly well. That was mostly due to her inability to do without questioning why. Well, there was that and the fact that she was the one usually coming up with the ridiculous plans. With how quickly he was throwing it together, Luca was doing a good enough job by Ophy's book. That, combined with his contagious enthusiasm and she just couldn't help slamming a boot onto the bottom rung of the ladder as soon as it became an option.

Her initial stomp did it's best at securing the ladder in the soil (with or without Luca and/or Malocan to hold it in place) so that she could quickly ascend the steps until reaching the top. The blonde couldn't help giggling even as she climbed. If the group hadn't been discovered so far she'd keep her body as low as possible so as to prevent being spotted, if not, she was prepared to stand up straight and tall and as an announcement to their achievement.

Those bright blue eyes of hers, on the otherhand, glanced over the top-most surface of the cube with the interest of discovering if there actually was anything worthwhile as a prize to their game. If nothing else, it did provide a different view from up here.

[Guest]

Malocan grinned at Ophelia's mispronunciations; he forgot sometimes that not everyone had enjoyed as educated an upbringing as he had. Any light-hearted quip was stalled by Luca's prompt arrival with a ladder.

Malocan hadn't been present when the pair had hatched their plan to get on top of the cube, but he caught on pretty fast. Luca's enthusiasm was infectious; in a flash, Malocan was holding the ladder on the side opposite. He almost wasn't quick enough for Ophelia, who started climbing just as he was grasping the ladder.

As Ophelia climbed, Malocan called out quietly after her (so as not to alert anyone nearby), "Check the corners; I bet there'll be an artist's signature on one of them." Mirth tickled his words, but he made sure to keep a firm grip on the ladder.

[Guido Cercatoro]

The side of the cube opposite to where the guards were patrolling the ruined building offered the most obvious opportunity to scale the cube unnoticed. Indeed, apart from the rather persistent cloaked man, there were no other onlookers.

It was a simple task to lean the ladder against the side of the cube and the combined efforts of Luca and Malocan held it tightly as Ophelia climbed. No-one shouted out or appeared to notice anything as her head poked over the top of the cube to look out over its surface. The intrepid climber could see that the guards were engaged in talking to a man clad in workman’s clothing who appeared to have an annoyed look on his face. Fortunately, none of them was looking in the direction of the cube.

At first, the top of the cube appeared to be a smooth featureless surface, much like the side of the cube. However, from her stable vantage point, the singer could see that there was a slight depression in the surface in the middle of the cube. To investigate further, she would have to climb onto the top surface.

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

"Luca!" She whispered hoarsly. "There's something up here, get up here." Her palms pressed against the cool, smooth stone as she slid along it's surface. Ophy's general idea was to stay as low as she could, though she did peak and see the angry workman. Bet he wants to know what happened to his ladder... She giggled under her breath and continued to inch across the rock's top until reaching the center and the curious depression in the stone. Her fingers, calloused and worn, rubbed at the edge of the bowl to check at it's stability.

Weird... She thought to herself while investigating. Her heart, meanwhile, raced as though she were running. There was the chance she was looking at something right now that no one else had seen before. It was a discovery. It was her discovery. Well... hers and Luca's. She supposed she had to include Luca in it, since he had gotten the ladder and everything. I'm going to have to write a song about this block, really.

[Mara Zucaro]

Mara had spent the afternoon frittering away time in the markets of Pax. She hated just waiting around but if Vernon truly could lead her to Lasswen or Nyrellon then there was no point in searching herself. It would just be wasted effort. So she waited and finally found herself at the appointed place: the Stone Cube.

It really was a curious thing but Mara had her mind on more practical matters. She was scanning the area for Vernon. A human that tall shouldn't be hard to find.

[Luca di Fabro]

With the guards being out of sight for him and with Ophelia's enthusiasm, Luca had a wicked grin on his face as he stepped onto the ladder to follow her. He gave Malocan a look to check if he would be able to keep the ladder stable, but he figured that it would be stable enough with the weight pushing it down and Malocan holding it. He took the first steps quite quickly until he looked up and was staring at Ophelia's legs and her behind as she was about to crawl onto the cube. "I'm...right behind you.." He uttered as he was distracted for a few flickers. If it would have been possible his grin would have become even wider.

While he was waiting for Ophelia to crawl onto the surface, he looked around the surface to see what it was that attracted Ophelia's attention. He could feel his heart beating in his throat as he was preparing himself to follow her as soon as she had fully crawled onto the cube. "What are you seeing?"He said with a little too loud of a voice. He scraped his throat and continued with a softer tone. "What is it, Ophelia?"

[Guido Cercatoro]

Ophelia levered herself on to the top surface of the cube. The stone was slick and smooth but using her feet and hands she was able to slowly crawl to the centre. As she made her way, Luca reached the top of the ladder whilst Malocan continued to support it from below.

Luca had a marvellous view of Ophelia’s rear end. However, the aforementioned part of her anatomy blocked his line of sight and he would have to rely upon her to report whatever she found as a result of her exploration.

Reaching the centre, Ophelia discovered a shallow, circular depression in the surface of the stone. The depression appeared to have been carved into the surface and was made of the same stone as the rest of the cube. However, in the centre of the depression was a small, circular hole. It was around half the size of her wrist in diameter and burrowed downwards into the stone.

From her vantage point in the square, Mara had a good view of the events occurring at the cube. A few paces away, the cloaked individual continued to look upwards, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He darted a quick glance and brief smile at Mara. “It’s amazing what people will do for entertainment these days,” he muttered quietly.

A few flickers later, the familiar figure of Vernon emerged into the square. He caught sight of Mara and made his way over but his attention was drawn to the ladder propped against the cube. “What is going on here,” he inquired in a voice laced with concern as he reached the achadhiel.

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

Ophelia had the curiousity of a cat and the good sense of a toddler - that is to say, it wasn't always the best combination. As her fingers traced tentatively over the depression in the stone she couldn't help but marvel at it's smooth feel. She called over her shoulder: "It's like.. it's like a bowl sort of. Or a sink. There's a hole in the middle," she said as she did her best to scoot her butt out of his way. With a quieter voice (once he was close enough) she continued. "It's smooth like the rest of it, though. I wonder if anyone has seen this. I can't tell how far down it goes..."

The corn-silk haired girl placed her hands on both sides of the upper lip of her newly coined sink and looked into the hole. Perhaps if she were a smaller sort of creature - maybe an adhiel - she'd be able to fit her hand into it. It was tempting to try. Infact, a very bold finger reached out until it was just about to slide into to tunnel. It was then which she thought better of it - her first incling of fear about the interesting cube. You do so enjoy your fingers, Ophy.. you like them for playing instruments and for licking after a really good meal. Maybe that's not the best idea. She decided to stay on the safe side.

A bit of an idea hit her. One inspired out of Luca's original plans. Wedging her safe fingers into her hair she wound out a legth of hemp about as long as from her elbow to wrist which she affixed one of those oblong blue beads to. This she lowered into the waiting hole on the one marred surface of the cube with fixed interst as if it were a creature laying in wait for a tasty treat such as a glass bead. "It could be a hole to the center of the world. Do you think so?"

[Luca di Fabro]

Even though her behind was an amazing sight and he could look at it for a really long time before he would ever get bored, the enthusiasm in her voice and the idea of making a huge discovery were just a little bit more interesting at this flicker. Luca tried to look around Ophelia and was relieved when she finally moved. He let out a soft sigh as quickly crawled onto the cube, trying to stay as low as possible.

As he saw the first glimpse of the strange hole his eyes widened. He completely shared Ophelia's desire to put a finger in the hole. It was so tempting. Just..one finger...what would happen? What would happen if they closed off the hole?? As he saw the Trothgardian woman play with the beads in her hair and tying one to a strand of hemp, he grinned. Clever girl..

As she mentioned the hole to the center of the world idea, he arched a brow as he looked up at her. From the short time that he had known her, it really sounded like she was being serious. But..she couldn't be...the idea was completely crazy. Even for him. Or..was she?
He kept looking at her like that for a few flickers before answering. "No...I think it stops just a couple of markers from that..." He looked into his eyes with a widening smile on his face. He tried to resist, but couldn't help himself. His smile became bigger and he started laughing with his mouth closed, his breath leaving his nose in small bursts of air.

[Mara Zucaro]

"Yes I suppose it is." Mara answered the cloaked figure absently. Mara continued to watch the pair atop the cube idly while waiting for Vernon to show up. Mara was relieved when she finally caught sight of the woodsman. She was half convinced he wouldn't show. That relief swiftly turned to annoyance as the first words out of his mouth concerned the climbing pair.

"It would seem some people have gone rock climbing." Mara answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Why? Is it important? What is this block of stone anyway?"

[Guido Cercatoro]

Tracing her fingers over the depression, it was clear to Ophelia that the stone in the depression had an identical feel to the stone with which the rest of the cube was composed. Looking into the hole revealed nothing of interest. All that could be seen was a small circular shaft that rapidly vanished into the dark. There was no sign of any bottom to the hole.

Resisting the temptation to insert a beloved finger into the hole, the singer opted instead for lowering a bead. The plan worked well enough but with no obvious result other than to confirm that the depth of the hole was at least as long as the distance between her elbow and wrist. Nothing grabbed the bead or impeded its progress or affected it in any manner. When she extracted the bead she would, however, discover that the hemp was slightly damp.

Whilst Ophelia was engaged in her bead-lowering activities, Luca crawled across the surface and reached the centre. As the incongruity of the situation dawned on him, he smiled and tried to stifle a bout of laughter.

“Rock climbing,” repeated Vernon, his eyes fixed on Malocan, who still held the ladder. The genial woodsman appeared considerably disconcerted by what he was witnessing.

“The fools, they don’t know what they are playing with.” He addressed the remarks to himself, momentarily forgetting Mara’s presence. After a few flickers, he shook his head and spoke quietly to his companion.

“The cube is some ancient artefact of great power, perhaps even the key to what is happening in this town. I doubt that they can do anything to harm themselves but it is unwise to tempt fate….” Perhaps realising he had said more than intended, the tall man sighed. “Let us leave them to their games.”

“If you wish, I may take you to one of those you seek. We may go immediately, unless you prefer to join in with the climbing?”