Gates of Hell Soul Bar

Page 4, Post 78

B Rank Free Form

Gates of Hell Soul Bar

Talonia was certainly the right place for a freelance person. While Temperance more than had a home with Elysium and still intended to serve it-- she was pretty busy with many things now. With the aid of certain magic, she could cross countries pretty easily. Out of all the places where she could truly let herself relax and not be on guard outside of Elysium and the Black Cat Lounge, was Talonia. Though she had concerns despite the fact she was a guild wizard-- technically, she was welcomed. Most people in the guildless town often were of a darker mindset for interactions. The town was a hot bed of vice, from arenas for bets-- to black markets. She had wondered why her friend Agil never bothered to set up shop in this town.

That would be a question to ask him when she next visited the lounge.

For now, she choose to relax and recover here in this different change of scenery. The Soul Bar was an infamous bar similar to her style. Classy yet gothic, teeming with drinks, good times, information and possible jobs worth taking on. Or capers to plot in her case.

She had ordered a drink, she thought to try. She was still waiting on it, while the bar was full of other people. She sat there lazily, her thoughts wandering and just trying to relax. Meanwhile, she felt the presence of her friend-- Hex below her. She felt her fur brush against her leg as she hid around her presence. Hex, her faithful companion-- an exceed cat who became her witchy familiar and who loved the role of it. The two were inseperable.

As Temperance wandered, looking for capers to plot and adventure, she needed some time to rest as well. She hoped the drinks here were somewhat close to what she had in the black Cat lounge-- but doubtful. This was Talonya. what it lacked in quality, it made up for in opportunities...

right now, she was just trying to keep to herself while the bar grew more crowded and rowdier...

WC:  353

When Maddox first arrived in Talonia she did not expect to become engaged in a very upsetting game of keep-away right outside the seediest bar in town.

She had come to this city for business opportunity’s only. Well, for her line of business opportunities, which usually meant taking business (or items and lives, she wasn’t picky even if she preferred stealing beautiful items) from others. This had a tendency of being of the illegal nature thus the need to… lower her drinking standards a bit to scout jobs and contacts in places she tended to not want to frequent. Places that unironically often called themselves dens or pubs. Ugh. Thankfully Talonia’s underworld had a bit of class in the name of the The Soul Bar, a place with a theme after her own heart. Unfortunately, the area was still seedy, thus the trouble she encountered outside the bar in the forms of three drunk mages wandering the streets.

Some would argue that Maddox started it, by ignoring their hollering by the way of raising her crow mask in the air pointedly. The burliest of the men escalated it to unreasonable standards by using his magic to nullify the spells Maddox had on it and rip it off her head. One arm was covering the monstrosity that was her face while the other was attempting to grab her mask while the men threw it around while still covering a portion of her face. Maddox was almost beyond fury and white-hot shame mixed in with a good amount of embarrassment. Which she vocalized. “You dare! Give Maddox back their mask you filthy ingrates!! Give, give, give, give, GIVE MADDOX! BACK. THEIR. MASK! You're going to regret this moment once you're puking your teeth upon the pavement!! Stop it right now you dirty drunks!! Maddox will get you for this! Mark our words we are going to hurt you so much it will make a circumcision feel like clipping your fingernails! CEASE AND DESIST YOU DIRTY SCHOUNDRELS!” Maddox hollered with her deep voice. Honestly, by this point, Maddox was ready to pull out one of her guns and shoot them in the kneecaps. Or maybe aim a little higher… But she didn’t want trouble with the law, which she would get if she shot someone in the middle of a road. Even if they were harassing her. Also, she reallydidn't want to show her face.

WC: 388

The bar was roudy, but Selina was lucky enough that no one really bothered her. Sure, she got a few whistles or leers once in a while being an attractive witch, but she knew how to take care of herself. The perks of growing up in a clan of bad-ass lady witches who tamed demons. As she was about to try and enjoy the sub-par drink-- she heard a racket nearby. From where she was 'napping' Hex's ears went up as she heard the distress of a strained woman's cry.

Being a little bit quicker to act, Hex jolted up from her hiding place behind Temperance's robes and sprinted across the bar, darting and avoiding feet, chairs and other obstacles with grace. When she arrived, the cat saw the robed woman with her face covered-- her entire body naturally due to her attire and the men trying to play 'keep-away' with the medical mask. A tackless activity and one that the cat knew was stupid.

A soft growl escaped her as she spotted the man with the mask among the others. It was then a wicked glint in her eye showed. With a loud meow-- she dashed across him. It was so quick, he didn't notice the small 'glimmer' of magic that came off the cat as she crossed his path.

"Wh-hey?! What was that--?" the man gasped. Suddenly as he took a step back-- he tripped over a nearby chair. In that simple reaction, he tumbled and caused the chair behind him to knock into a nearby table, which became wobbly and the leg supporting it break.

Hex's little trick was nothing short of 'bad luck', as she could jinx people around her if she wished. It caused short but terrible cases of bad luck that often proved a hindrance to those she wished harm on.

The fallen table sent food falling across the food, making the men who were there angry. "Why you son of a --" the other man punched the man who tripped, and soon a bigger bar fight broke out. The punch knocked the mask out of his hand, and allowed the stranger woman to be able to recover it.

The racket soon grew by t he time Temperance got there-- realizing Hex's own handiwork as sh e couldn't see the black cat among the sudden mob of brawlers. "Oh brother... Hex always has to make a scene at times."

"Mreow..." Hex meowed from the woman's foot. Though unable to see her face, she just was there to be a supportive face as the cat with the black witch's hat looked up at her lovingly while chaos erupted with the men who had been harassing her.

By the time the stranger would see Temperance, she would give a gentle wave of greeting to her, indicating her involvement as well.

WC: 475

Due to the fact Maddox was shielding her face, she didn't have much awareness of her surroundings. It was hard to both hide your skin with only two arms, try to grab one's mask, kick stupid men in the groins and try to see at the same time. It really didn't' help that some of these men seemed to be mages if pathetically weak ones. But the humiliation of losing to such pathetic creatures burned. She was oh so tempted to do more than kick them when...

There was complete chaos, and in its midst, all Maddox could see was a flash of black and violet. Through her arms, Maddox could see the man who had her mask trip, causing destruction and anger. Soon the men were far too busy defending themselves against angry patron to both Maddox and her mask any longer, leaving the woman to stand there in mild bafflement. The cat, because now that it wasn't moving she could see it was an odd black and white cat, looked suspiciously pleased with itself as it watched the man with her mask get punched, sending the item conveniently flying toward her.

Maddox quickly snatched the mask out of the air and turned around to reapply the magic that kept it attached to her face, then breathed a sigh of relief. He had her mask back and she was pretty sure nobody saw her hideous face. As the relief flooded her Maddox felt movement by her feet and looked down to find the odd-looking cat at her feet, looking at her with big supportive eyes. Maddox immediately relaxed and knelt to pet the cat, if it allowed petting. "Oh, what a good kitty cat you are, such a clever and beautiful kitty cat, so strong and brave. Maddox thanks this good kitty and owes you a debt. Such a wonderful kitty." Maddox coo's at the cat. She figured based on how it acted it was somehow responsible for these events, thus her saviour.

Sensing someone approaching Maddox looks up to see. a very beautiful woman indeed. But it was the kind of beauty in humans Maddox was actually fond of, a dark and dangerous beauty. Though at the moment the woman looked more friendly than anything, giving Maddox a cheerful wave and a smile. The cat also seemed friendly with the woman, so Maddox assumed they were together. Getting up slowly as to not disturb the kitty, Maddox brushes off her coat a bit before bowing deeply like a gentleman to the woman. "Maddox assumes you are the good kitty's companion? If so Maddox thanks you both and would like to repay your kindness." She says as she finished her bow. Looking over to the brawling men her body shows visible distaste. "Such a shame beautiful men are hard to find, unlike beautiful beings like yourself. Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere a bit more... tasteful?" She finishes with an open gesture, trying to portray friendliness through body language since her expression is hidden.

WC: 507

Hex looked up, as the woman had put back on the mask-- Though unsure what was under it. Neither Hex or Temperance for that matter could see who was behind it, nor were they about to pry into it. It was there for a reason other than anything else at times. however, that didn't matter as Hex could tell it was at least a woman and that she was being harassed-- which was why she got involved. The cat looked up, curious by the 'bird-beak' mask the woman wore unaware of the historical reference to a plague mask. One would have been scared as such a person wearing it would reach down, but Hex didn't hesitate. A soft, pleasing meow escaped Hex as she was petted, and purred despite the bar brawl that erupted a few meters away from them.

As she finished petting under Hex's chin and the cat saw Temperance, the cat gave a soft meow. "Salmon would make us even, mreow." she said softly, and then took off to sit beside Temperance.

Temperance, or rather Selina-- smiled as the masked person approached them. Despite the intimidating appearance, Temperance didn't hesitate as she seen much, much worse especially from demons. "Eh, beauty isn't an issue for me. Its personality that tends to draw me in half of the time... Hi. Name's Temperance," she introduced with a grin. "The witchy kitty who warmed up to you is Hex."

"Mreeeoww! Charrrrmed!" Hex replied happily while a chair flew overhead.

Agreeing with Maddox to find someplace a bitt quieter and out of the way of the growing fight. Without further word, Temperance turned for the exit, expecting the masked stranger to follow.

The only tasteful place was the place Temperance couldn't go. That and it was just better to have privacy rather than just another establishment where people could harass a mask-wearing person and a known witch. So the next best thing was a nearby park out of the way near a canal that ran water from the nearby waterfall. In the shade, they hid at least out of sight from major people.

"Not exactly tasteful, but we can talk here," Temperance said calmly as she leaned against a tree, her arms folded butt not in defense but the need for comfort. Nearby, Hex was close as the cat took the moment to collect herself as she licked her 'paws' and groomed her ears lightly as she listened. "Hope you are okay. Some people are just idiots wanting a good laugh. Tackless. But I digress. What brings you to this little corner of Purgatorio?" she commented with a hint of sarcasm, referring to the town as Purgatory. It was a 'middle ground' than anything else.

WC: 455

Maddox almost found herself squealing when the cat talks, it had such a beautiful voice! But anyway, Maddox was slightly surprised that the other woman didn’t seem to be put off by the Requip mage’s appearance, as many are when first confronted with her masked face. The witch would probably be more than put off if she saw Maddox’s unmasked face though, the idea making Maddox doubly relieved it was not revealed. Or maybe not, this woman seemed like the type with one hell of a poker face.

Temperance. What an odd name. She probably didn’t mean abstaining from drinking alcohol in its interpretation, but where else would Maddox have heard that word from…? Ah. Tarot. Interesting… Balance, patience, and moderation, was it? Admittedly Maddox was no expert in divination, but she had looked up tarot since the cards tended to have beautiful art, and since she memorized everything, she experienced… Well, maybe something to ask about later.

But that, the way she held herself, her outfit and magical companion obviously meant Maddox was talking to a fellow mage. How embarrassing, to have been at the mercy of a lesser mage only to be saved by a better. She was no damsel in distress. Covering up her still lingering embarrassment, Maddox bowed again. “Maddox is delighted to meet the esteemed mage Temperance and her Exceed Companion, Hex. We shall all have a flaky salmon dish in honour of our meeting! Yes, beauty comes in all forms, both physical and metaphorical! It takes a certain skill so see it in all… But it is worth it for Maddox to see the most untarnished beauty. Oh hohoho!” Maddox laughs with the back of her hand upwards against her face, talking as she walked alongside the two. “Oh, but excuse Maddox, did we misunderstand the clever kitty Hex’s race? Is this one not an Exceed? Our apologies if so. We would owe you an extra slab of salmon!” The masked woman apologizes with a hand over her heart and a short bow toward Hex. Privately she was hoping to lead into a reveal about Temperance being a Dragon Slayer if it was true since folklore has it that Exceed often followed such masters… though as folklore is a less than reliable source of information, that may be an inaccurate statement.

The place Temperance led Maddox was much more tasteful than their place of meeting, thus the woman was pleased. Also, out of the way enough for a private conversation, yet not so out of the way Maddox was wary of walking into a trap. Smart woman, this Temperance, if it was done on purpose. Maddox did resist the urge to shift uncomfortably at the reminder of her embarrassment, the movement too much like a child’s. Instead, she did another ‘Oh hohoho!’ laugh at the other woman’s description of Talonia. “Ah yes, between the middens of crimes darkness, and the bright sword of justice comes to this grey town of mist. Strange how both hell, a place supposedly of the bright fire yet within the dark depths of the earth, and heaven, a place in the dark sky yet supposedly filled with light, has purgatory in between, a place of grey mist yet with no stated location. But if it’s the place in between those two, would it not be the surface of Earthland? Maybe that means we are all simply dead souls awaiting judgement, oh hohohoho!” Does Maddox pose philosophical questions to every new person she meets? Maybe, maybe not, but she did it to Temperance. “But I digress myself. I am an amateur art appraiser and critic here to look at what Talonia has to offer in terms of beauty. What do a beautiful mage and her swift companion have in store in this purgatory of a town?” Maddox asks the duo, since for her, ‘appraising art’ was often, but not always, a term for ‘checking it’s beauty and value before I steal it’.

WC: 663

Though her words were praised and elegant, they were masked with the oddity of her tone of voice, her laugh and the constant use of her name in the possessive tense. Hex had no issue with the mysteriously dressed woman, but still found it strange as the two talked. Hex softly turned to Temperance with an odd look on her face. "Is it a bad sign that she is referring to herself in the third-person?" Hex meowed sarcastically to the witch.

Temperance restrained herself from laughing too much-- more at her cat's comments than Maddox's use of words. "Now, now, Hex," Temperance commented, still respecting the mysterious woman. "We met stranger folks than this, haven't we? And to answer your question-- yes she is an Exceed. "

Her words were more poetry than conversation but Temperance took the time to properly listen and try t o interpret. "Keeping an ear to the ground in case something interesting pops up. You may not think it, but places like those pits are gold mines for finding new heists to commit, if you know what i mean," Temperance said as she smirked at the masked woman. "That and sometimes the change in atmosphere is appreciated. You need to broaden your horizons sometimes."

Hex gave an agreeable meow as she flicked her tail about.

So, what's your story Maddox? I don't suppose your a fellow thief or witch yourself? What brings you here ?" Temperance asked her with a friendly smile.

Though nearby, unaware to Temperance-- from before in that tavern, a few people had recognized her and her cat. They would soon arrive, with the interest to cause trouble for her.

WC: 279

Oh boo, no mention of being a Dragon Slayer. Oh well, Maddox always made it a bit of a game to figure out another mages magic before they used it, or got the other mage to mention it without directly asking. Temperance could still be a dragon slayer, but what type? Usually, mages tended to style themselves after their magic, but this woman had a general ‘dark mysterious magus’ look to her. Maybe a Darkness or Shadow Dragon Slayer? That would be bad for some of Maddox’s abilities if she had to fight the woman, but thankfully most of her attack magic was neutral magic. Or maybe something to do with Tarot, going by her name (or, more likely, alias)? Card magic was rather common but creative in mages, or maybe summoning magic?

Drawn away from her thoughts Maddox ignored Hex’s comments. If she replied to every comment about her unique self, every conversation would be about her! Which would be very nice, but not good for information gathering. Wait. Did she say heists to commit? Was Maddox talking to a fellow thief?! The woman almost squealed in glee; Temperance had understood her code! And she was a witch, a practiser of the dark arts? Oh, Maddox liked this woman.

Letting out a very gleeful ‘oh hohoho’ laugh Maddox says. “Why the mistress is just as clever as the kitty! Yes darling, while Maddox is an actual art appraiser, we often use it to establish what jobs we want to take. Down the road, of course, it would be silly to steal things we just appraised! It’s hard to get clients to trust Maddox with our… eccentricities so we must find our own marks. Talonia is also known for its decent fences, right my dear?” She finishes, bending down to scratch Hex under the chin. “And while we area mage and great appreciator of the dark arts, love your outfit, by the way, this one is no witch. Let’s just say Maddox often finds a practical use for some of the pretties they steal…” Technically with her great-something grandmother being a goddess of darkness Maddox did inherit an inborn ability to control the element, but she mostly just used it as a conduit for her Requip magic. “We have to say it’s lovely to meet another thief AND appreciator of the dark arts, simply beautiful! Fortune and fate are on our side tonight darling. Tell me, what’s your modus operandi? Ours is all that is beautiful, which technically means everything, oh hohoho! But more specifically Maddox tends to go for either art, jewels, or magical items we find fabulous. And what role does Hex play? An utterly invaluable one I’m sure.” She says, now scratching Hex’s ears.

WC: 458

This was a pleasant surprise for Temperance as she learned Maddox was also a thief as well. She smiled at this, and Hex's ears perked up from out of her witch's hat. The cat didn't hesitate as the masked woman reached down to pet Hex, who purred at her despite the crack on the way she talked.

Further, She further praised Temperance as both a thief and a witch. It was extremely flattering to Temperance and while she wasn't usually swayed by flattery, she did sense the sincerity behind the lady's words. "Oh, you're putting me on. I mean though I am an infamous thief I will admit. But I'm sorry, my what? Modus operandi?" she asked.

Hex and Temperance exchanged some glances, unsure how this would progress. However, it was then that Hex's ears shot up in alert. A soft 'mrk' escaped her as she turned around, alarmed by another presence.

The sound of footsteps soon could be heard on the cobblestone pathway as they turned around.

"Well, well... look what we have here? " a rough voice spoke.

Out from the shadows appeared three men, two of them rough looking-- clearly like seasoned mercenaries. The other a bit more fairer, possibly another mage. All of them however, looked menacing at the group. It wasn't hard to tell one thing-- they were similar faces from the tavern where they had been in a short while ago.

While seeming to radiate trouble, Temperance urged to dismiss them. "Sorry, boys. If it's about a date-- it will have to wait," she chimed in whimsically, paying no mind to them.

A snort came from the cat, restraining from laughter.

"Hold it! No one said anything about a date. We got business with you, WITCH!" the other one said and pointed at her rudely.

It was then one of them produced something-- not a weapon or something along those lines-- but a piece of paper. They rolled it out in front of them to reveal a 'wanted' poster, showing a slightly-obscured picture of a certain black-haired woman, standing atop of a rooftop holding a hand full of tarot cards. A fifteen thousand jewel reward was written on it and it had her title as "Temperance" written on it.

"Well, what do you say to this, lady?" the mage behind them said, indicating her as the person in the poster.

Temperance leaned over briefly and then 'pffft' at the gesture of the wanted poster. "fifteen-thousand jewel reward? Oh my god... Someone is seriously underestimating me. Really? I'm worth so much more than that." she declared with a roll of her eyes. "So, let me get this straight. You three losers want to corner a couple of women for a cheap reward? Talk about tackless."

The men were quickly growing flustered at Temperance's laid back attitude, even though confronted by three strong-looking enemies. "We are bounty hunters, after all," the first one, a rugged man with a short beard and muscular build said as he drew a sword. "So come quietly. I would hate to fight a woman, but money's money you know. A guy has to eat."

"Okay-- now you just went from cute to kind of sad, really..." Temperance added, adding another blow to the mens' ego.

WC: 546

“Your habit’s of working darling. Or in this case, what you like to steal best!” Maddox chirps. She hoped the two wouldn’t have similar goals as she did. It would be a shame to have to fight such an interesting being over one of her beauties…

But before the conversation could continue, they were rudely interrupted. Maddox was ashamed to say that she didn’t even see the men approach, though she did turn around to look at Hex’s adorable sound of alarm. Maddox’s shoulders tensed in surprise and annoyance. More ghastly men to ruin their evening? What was their luck? Also, dammit, Maddox hated regular fights. She worked best when she had the element of surprise. The only good thing about this situation that it was definitely dark out and shadows splayed all over the place. Maybe if she used her darkness abilities and the Shadow Thief’s Amulet, she could distract them so they could get away-.

Any and all plans of action left Maddox’s thoughts as the Requip mage’s head whipped over to look at Temperance in pure surprise over her snarky replies to the men. Either this woman was one hell of an actor, very confident in herself, or actually not concerned about the situation in the least.

Then they unrolled the wanted poster. But because they were just about to gush over their mutual thievery, this did not surprise Maddox in the least. Despite her best interest not to, the mage knew she too would probably get a bounty one day. The real surprise was Temperance’s reaction to it. Maddox was good at reading people. Or, at least she thought she was. People communicated in 45% body language, 45% tone of voice, and 10% words. That’s how you could really get the tells from them, focusing on reading certain quirks in body language, mostly facial expressions, and tone. And twice now, Temperance showed no fear or even worry in her voice and body. She seemed to truly believe her words. And, ok, fifteen thousand jewels wasn’t the biggest amount Maddox had seen on a wanted poster, it was still enough to say that Temperance was impressive. Much more impressive than Maddox first assumed. And the woman was unimpressed by the amount!

Then finally, at Temperance’s last words, Maddox let out a choking laugh that she tried and failed to cover up with a cough. It simply turned into slightly hysterical giggles. Finally, the attention turned to her. The men, already cowed by the witch’s words, looked for a new target. “What’s so funny, freak?” One of the thugs sneered. “You better shut that mouth of yours before I rip off that creepy mask and make you.”

Well, that was rude. And admittedly bothered Maddox more than it usually would because of the incident earlier. Now, Maddox could at least admit to herself that she wasn’t a very strong mage all things considered. She relied on sneak attacks and phycological warfare the most. And unlike what Temperance thought, these men would probably be a challenge for Maddox even if she had the advantage.

That didn’t stop the repuip made from splaying her arms wide, causing black mist forms into her hands, forming the twin guns Fear and Pain. Then pointing Fear at the man to shoot him in the kneecap. It technically didn’t do much damage, but the shock and the area she shot at caused the thug to yell out in shock and curl on the ground in pain. The well-dressed man scowled at the thug, muttering a small ‘idiot’, while the other bounty hunter yelled at Maddox “What the hell man?! Listen, we're just doing our jobs, so stay out of the way and you won’t get hurt!”

“Doing your job is all well and good darling, but you don’t have to be so rude about it,” Maddox says, a bit of a pout in her voice attempting to hide the lingering anger.

The well-dressed man sighed and after helping the thug up, he turned toward Maddox with open hands. “Sir, I don’t think you understand the situation here. We are legal bounty hunters chasing after a criminal. While I can overlook this incident, my colleague was rude to you, anything more would be aiding and abetting a criminal. Which, might I add, is illegal. So, I encourage you to turn around and leave this dirty bitch and her rat to us. You're probably paying to much for her company anyway.” He said, smile polite and charming. But his words just made Maddox lock up in anger. How dare he….? This woman and cat were Maddox saviours, some two-bit mage had no right to degrade such beauty!! With the speed that only the night could give her Maddox lifted up Fear and Pain and shouted “Punishment!” Casting a spell that simply caused two bullets of magical darkness to shoot at the man.

WC:817
TWC: 2,833

The events soon were escalating and from behind Temperance's hands, she had already had a card between her fingers ready to toss and get the party started. But Maddox was quick to act as she produced darkness of her own and created twin guns. The shots fired flew right for the enemy and caused a vicious impact with one, knocking him clear across the clearing.

Temperance was surprised by her initiation and quick witt. Guess she could take care of herself when she wanted to.

A surprised meow escaped Hex as she saw her shoot. "Mreow! She's a bad ass!" she said playfully.

Joining the fight herself, Temperance didn't hesitate to toss in some cards to the reacting enemies' feet-- the ace of Swords cards. "As you ruffians say-- Dance," Temperance said with a snap of her fingers.

The cards she tossed suddenly ignited with sparks, causing discharges of lightning from each 'sword' card she had laid at their feet. The result caused them to to hop and jump as the electricity zapped them legs up.

As this caused them to back up, Temperance strode beside Maddox, her guns in hand as she held her cards, looking like a pair of femmefatales from an action movie. "Not bad. You may have some potential in Elysium if you're interested," she said as she grinned at the now defending bounty hunterrs. "Till then, let's Dance boys!"

TBC: 238

WC:5176