Clarice has returned to Derphy! What will she do next?

Home Again

*** Lok joined #elona-dw 
20:41 Lok **Previously, on Elona-DW! 
20:42 Lok Clarice is staring out the window of her carriage with sad 

eyes...wondering if her beloved will be alright. 
20:42  *** Lok is now known as Clarice 
20:42 NickServ Welcome to Lunarnet IRC, Clarice! Here on Lunarnet IRC, we 

provide services to enable the registration of nicknames and channels! For 

details, type /msg NickServ help and /msg ChanServ help. 
20:42 Clarice Clarice	Their goodbye was so...sad. 
20:42 Clarice Finally...he had confessed his love to her. 
20:42 Clarice She should have been celebrating. 
20:42 Clarice 	But...what with this new situation... 
20:42 Clarice Everything was...not exactly well-timed. 
20:42 Clarice And now, here she was...on her way home. 
20:43 Clarice 	...Alone. 
20:43 Clarice ---- 
20:43 Clarice The streets of Derphy. 
20:43 Clarice She never thought she'd feel so at home. 
20:44 Clarice Suddenly, she wasn't looking at a disease ridden, thief infested, 

wretched mess of a town anymore. 
20:45 Clarice Suddenly, she was looking at her home. 
20:45 Clarice As she passes by the denizens of Derphy, she sees how full of 

life it is. There aren't many other places with this...well, let's say 

'variety' of people. 
20:49 Clarice Yes. She was home now. If only she had someone to share this 

feeling with... 
20:49 Clarice  /Oh wow! Derphy! It's been ages! I dare say it's gotten a little 

cleaner since I left, but honestly it's pretty hard to tell./ 
20:50 Clarice Although, technically, she /isn't/ alone, not with that woman's 

voice in her head. 
20:50 Clarice It'd be nice if the woman could help carry her luggage. The 

carriage driver would have helped, but he didn't want to stay long in a place 

like...well...Derphy. 
20:53 Clarice Although, at the very least, the woman makes for interesting 

company. 
20:54 Clarice On the other hand, if it weren't for that woman, she probably 

would be with Hawk right now... 
20:54 Clarice Both Hawk and this mystery woman insisted that she go on home. 
20:54 Clarice Even now, her words echo loudly in her mind... 
20:55 Clarice '...You're simply too weak...' 
20:55  Clarice sighs. 
20:55 Clarice But again...at the very least...she is home. 
20:56   Clarice opens the Brothel entrance doors. 
20:56 Clarice She picks up her luggage, and walks inside. 
20:56   *** Rocket is now known as Stefan 
20:57 Clarice  /Wow!/ The woman exclaims. /What a neat place you got here!/ 
20:57  Stefan grins and says, "Back so soon Swan? I thought for sure you and 

the boss would have taken a lil vacation time." 
20:58  Clarice smiles. It's so great to see a friendly face. 
20:58 Stefan He starts counting some coins and mutters, "Guess I lost that 

bet.." 
20:59  Clarice brings her luggage over to the counter, places it on the floor, 

and takes a seat. 
20:59 Stefan "I can help you with those bags you know, ya just have to ask." 
21:00 Clarice "Vacation? Hardly! Only now do I feel anywhere close to relaxed. 

I realize it's only been a day, but I'm really glad to see you Stefan!" 
21:00 Clarice  /Ohoho! So am I! Mmm, mm, mm! If I had the chance to be alive 

again..." 
21:01 Stefan (hehe Stefan is pretty smexy) 
21:02 Stefan His eyes light up, "You missed lil ole me? Really? Oh Swan you are 

such a doll!" 
21:03 Clarice  /Wait...is he gay?/ 
21:03  Clarice can't help but blush a little. 
21:04 Clarice "Why thank you...I think. Stefan, may I have a glass of water? 

It's been a long trip home." 
21:05 Stefan "Of course sweetheart, and I'll call Wolf down to help with your 

bags." He pours he a glass and asks, "Ice or no?' 
21:06  Clarice smiles. "Oh...please, don't trouble him. I'm strong enough to 

carry my own luggage, really. Oh, and ice please." 
21:07 Stefan She can hear the soft clink of the ice against the glass, "Oh it's 

no trouble, really it's just an excuse for me to see that hunk work his 

muscles." He winks, "Wolf iin action is a sight to behold, you ought to watch." 
21:08  Clarice forces a smile. 
21:08 Clarice She knows very well what Wolf looks like in action. 
21:09 Clarice Although...this /could/ be an opportunity for her to ask if Wolf 

would have her for class tomorrow. 
21:10 Clarice  /Aw dammit, he /is/ gay! I never did have a good gaydar.../ 
21:10 Stefan "Speaking of hunks..where's our beloved Bloody Hawk?" 
21:11 Clarice "Oh! Uh...he still has...business with his father. It was nice to 

meet the family, but now I think they needed...just...father son time I think. 

For...business..? I'm not sure." 
21:11 Clarice  /So vague, it just might work!/ 
21:12 Clarice Vague indeed. 
21:12 Clarice If she knows Hawk well enough, it's safe to say he wouldn't want 

to worry his guild with details of an assassin on his tail and whatnot... 
21:12 Clarice Then again, would they be used to it by now? 
21:12 Clarice It's hard to tell when your boyfriend's line of work is of 

the...shadowy nature. 
21:13  Stefan raises an eyebrow, "That sounds fishy hon, but as long as he's 

alive I won't question it. He likes his privacy at times." 
21:13 Clarice Although...even if they /are/ used to it, Hawk made it sound like 

this was no ordinary assassin. 
21:13 Clarice If this assassin is enough to worry Hawk...well... 
21:14  Clarice takes her glass and starts drinking her water. 
21:14 Clarice "Ah...refreshing!" She smiles. 
21:15 Stefan Something occurs to him, "Wait...did he send you back...alone?" 
21:15 Clarice Yes...? 
21:15 Clarice No...? 
21:15 Clarice Maybe so...? 
21:15 Clarice What would be the safest way to go about answering this? 
21:16 Clarice "I...insisted on it." 
21:17 Clarice She quickly adds, "Like you said...he needed some privacy. 

Also...his father proved...troublesome." 
21:17  Stefan frowns, "I'm sure you did, but unless you /bailed/ on him he'd 

never agree to that. The man is overprotective to a fault..he's lost people he 

loved before you know.." 
21:19  Clarice 's eyes widen. Hawk has had prior relationships...is that what 

Stefan is talking about? 
21:19 Clarice "...Lost? What do you mean?" 
21:20  Stefan gives her a wide eyed look, "He didn't tell you about her? 

Oh...well shit." 
21:20 Clarice Her? Rey? Dove? 
21:21 Clarice Or is this...a different kind of loss? 
21:21  Clarice awkwardly sips  from her glass of water. 
21:23  Stefan sighs, "I'm not sure I should be telling you this at all...it 

might be best if you ask him..but a long time ago..well..someone close to him 

was killed." 
21:24  Clarice looks downcast. "Oh...I see..." 
21:25  Stefan puts an arm on her shoulder, "Don't feel sad Swan, just 

understand that it's part of why he's so protective of you." 
21:26  Clarice smiles weakly. She finishes her glass of water and reflects on 

her to-do list now that she's back at home. 
21:27 Clarice  /Hey! Claire? Probably not the best time but, could I have a 

tour of Derphy? Or, a tour of the Brothel at least?/ 
21:27 Clarice A tour? 
21:27 Clarice Well...she doesn't see why not. She needs to go to a few places 

anyways...would that be sufficient enough? 
21:28 Clarice First things first though, she needs to unpack her luggage. 
21:29 Clarice  /I know it's a random thing to ask. I've...actually been around 

Derphy in someone else's head for a while recently. Didn't really visit that 

many places though...and it was usually too dark to see much." 
21:29 Clarice  /What can I say? I get bored easily./ 
21:30  Clarice smiles at Stefan. "Thank you for the glass of water Stefan. I'd 

rather not wait here and trouble Wolf, so I think I'll go carry my luggage to 

my room now." 
21:30 Clarice Although, she should probably see Wolf later anyways. 
21:31 Stefan "If you insist." He pauses, "And hey I'm always here if you need a 

listening ear." 
21:31  Clarice smiles. "Thank you...I appreciate that." 
21:32  Clarice carries her luggage upstairs to Dove's room, and starts 

unpacking her things. 
21:32 Clarice  /Wowzers! Faaaaan-cee! This room is fit for a princess! Must be 

nice, having a sugar daddy eh?/ 
21:32 Clarice Sugar Daddy? 
21:32 Clarice  /...Nevermind./ 
21:33 Clarice As she unpacks her things, the woman in her head continues to 

prattle on.  
21:35 Clarice  /Oh I wish I had a room like this in my school days...the West 

wing dormitories were so...well...stuffy. Actually, that's not fair, the rooms 

had plenty of space...just not enough space for /me/, know what I mean?/  
21:35 Clarice No, she really doesn't know what you mean. 
21:36 Clarice  /But...that was me. Beatrice the bookworm! Always surrounding 

herself with texts, scrolls, and miscellaneous witchcraft...It got so messy 

once, I couldn't see my bed!/ 
21:36 Clarice Beatrice? 
21:36 Clarice So /that's/ her name! 
21:38 Clarice  /Oops! Should I have said that? Oh well, no reason to hide my 

name. Beatrice Sullivan, at your service Clarice!/ 
21:38 Clarice As Clarice unpacks, something piques Beatrice's interest. 
21:38 Clarice  /Oh! What's /that/? / 
21:39  Clarice stops. In her hand, she's holding the dress she's been working 

on. 
21:39 Clarice  /Oh! It's that dress you were working on in the carriage! It's 

almost finished, right?/ 
21:39 Clarice The ride back to Derphy was quite long, so yes, Clarice had time 

to kill. 
21:40 Clarice She made quite a bit of progress on her tunic, as the ride home 

was surprisingly smooth and not too bumpy. 
21:40 Clarice ...Maybe she should just stay in her room and finish it...? 
21:41 Clarice  /You definitely should finish it now! It'll look great! Everyone 

will shower you with compliments! Hee hee/ 
21:41 Clarice But what about the tour? 
21:42 Clarice  /Derphy will still be there when you're done, c'mon girl, finish 

your dress! I don't mind, it's fascinating watching you at work!/ 
21:42  Clarice smiles. She misses Hawk dearly but...it's actually quite nice to 

have a friendly voice in her head. 
21:42 Clarice Does that sound crazy? 
21:42 Clarice It sure sounds crazy.  
21:42  Clarice is worried that she's crazy. 
21:43 Clarice After she finishes unpacking her things, she takes out the sewing 

kit, her dress, and her fabrics, and begins the finishing touches. 
22:06 Clarice It started out as a dress, but after the changes she made, it now 

looks more like a simple tunic with a cloak attached to it. 
22:07 Clarice Though it's more reasonable for the cloak to be a separate piece, 

She figured she'd like it better if it was a one-piece set. 
22:07 Clarice The innards of the cloak have many pockets, though she doubts 

she'll have much use for them. 
22:08 Clarice She's more of a mage than a thief, but at least with this, she 

won't stand out as much. 
22:08 Clarice Wearing a bustle in the middle of Derphy kind of makes her 

feel...weird sometimes. 
22:10 Clarice The skirt reaches past her knees a little bit, just enough for 

her to move around freely. 
22:11 Clarice The tunic is blue, and the cloak is white. 
22:12 Clarice She changes clothes in front of the mirror, and takes a good look 

at herself. 
22:12 Clarice The lady in her head does a little wolf whistle. 
22:12 Clarice Beatrice is impressed. 
22:13 Clarice  /Nice! Very guild-chic! Good selection of colors, very nice 

look, and above all, very practical!/ 
22:13 Clarice She would have included a hood, but she wanted people to be able 

to see her hair. Nothing wrong with a little vanity. 
22:14 Clarice She does a twirl, and the cape flutters about. 
22:14  Clarice grins widely as she admires herself in the mirror. 
22:14 Clarice Finally...she made her own dress! 
22:14 Clarice Probably not quite the dress her father envisioned, but 

nevertheless, she couldn't be more proud at the moment. 
22:15 Clarice A warm feeling envelopes her heart as she remembers the days she 

and her father worked on her first dress... 
22:15 Clarice Side by side...smiling as they sew stitch by stitch. 
22:16 Clarice Which reminds her! It's been a while since she's visited her 

dearly departed dad. 
22:16 Clarice That'd be a good excuse to show off her new look to the world! 
22:17  Clarice smile turns into a frown. 
22:17 Clarice ...If this were any other town, she'd feel a lot safer doing 

that. 
22:18 Clarice Either way, it's high time she visited her father's grave. 
22:19  Clarice takes another quick look at herself, gives herself an approving 

nod, smiles, picks up her parasol rapier, and heads downstairs. 
22:19 Clarice It feels weird...walking around in these new clothes. 
22:19 Clarice She's not even wearing her signature silk hat. 
22:19 Clarice Right now she feels...like a new person. 
22:20  Stefan whistles, "Looking sharp Swan!" 
22:20  Clarice giggles, and strikes a pose! 
22:20 Clarice If only Hawk were here to see this. 
22:21 Clarice Be a shame if she got her new clothes dirty...she should probably 

brush up on her enchantment spells. 
22:21 Stefan He gives her a smile and a wink, "You look like a proper thief 

now." 
22:21 Clarice  /I agree!/ 
22:22  Clarice smiles. "Thank you Stefan! I figured it was time to wear 

something more...practical." 
22:22 Clarice Technically, a proper thief would not have chosen these colors. 
22:22 Clarice But again, nothing wrong with a little vanity. 
22:22 Clarice She looks good in blue and white. 
22:24 Stefan Clarice feels a dark aura behind her, "What do I see~ here?" Says 

an oh too smooth voice that sends chills down her spine. 
22:24 Clarice Ah yes... 
22:24 Clarice Owl Eye. 
22:25 Clarice Surprisingly enough, after the stunt Deshal pulled, she's glad 

Owl Eye is here to appreciate her work, even if he /is/ a total creep. 
22:25 Clarice  /Oh my...who's /this/ dreamboat?/ 
22:25 Clarice Is...she joking? 
22:26  Clarice turns around and faces Owl Eye. She actually has a genuine 

smile. She curtsies.  
22:26 Clarice "Hello Owl Eye! How are you this fine day?" 
His orange eye leer happily at her, "Fan-fucking-tastic! I got laid." He leans in closer, "And me appetite is /still/ whet." 
22:28 Stefan leers* 
22:29 Clarice Still, she smiles. 
22:29 Clarice Not even Owl Eye can ruin her mood right now. 
22:29 Clarice Sure, Hawk is gone, but he won't be for long. 
22:30 Clarice When he comes back...and he always does...he'll see a new an improved Clarice, with new apparel to boot! 
22:30 Clarice On that note, maybe some time away from Hawk is actually what she needs right now.  
22:30 Clarice As horrible as that sounds, now Clarice has enough free time to focus on her a bit more. 
22:30 Clarice Hawk wouldn't want her to worry and wallow in fear 
22:31 Stefan He pouts somewhat dramatically, "Ain't ya even a lil curious to hear who'd fuck a monster like me?" 
22:32 Stefan Clarice can feel the darkness surrounding him probing into her, looking for...something..can he sense Beatrice?  
22:33 Clarice  /I dunno about the other ladies, but if I wasn't a ghost, /I'd/ tap that! Hey...wait a second...uh oh, is he probing me?/ 
22:33 Clarice "Give yourself a little more credit Owl Eye, O 
22:34 Clarice "Give yourself a little more credit Owl Eye, I still think you can be a decent person. But yes, I am rather curious as to who you had relations with, as improper as that might be." 
22:34  *** Stefan is now known as OwlEye 
22:35  OwlEye gives you a toothy grin, "Guess. Who's the biggest slut ya know?" 
22:36  Clarice frowns. "Now that's just improper." 
22:36  OwlEye snorts, "I don't care just guess!" 
22:38  Clarice sighs. 
22:39 Clarice Might as well /try/ to play along... 
22:39 Clarice ...But...for some reason, no one pops up in her head. 
22:39  Clarice shrugs. 
22:39 Clarice "Someone we /both/...know?" 
22:40 OwlEye "Ughhh yer sooo boring sometimes, course tis someone we both know." 
22:40 OwlEye He rolls his single eye. 
22:40 Clarice "Is it...Rey?" 
22:40 Clarice Now that's just unfair. 
22:40 Clarice She barely knows the girl. 
22:41 OwlEye "Rey? Who the fuck is that?" Apparently he doesn't know Sparrow's real name. 
22:42 Clarice Thing is, Rey is the only woman she knows that broke someone's heart other than... 
22:42 Clarice ...No... 
22:42  Clarice cocks her head a little. "...D...Dove...?" 
22:43  OwlEye smile widens, "Yup, miss lovely Dovely needed a lil help mov'n on." 
22:44  Clarice 's mouth is agape. 
22:44 Clarice Sleeping with Owl Eye is one thing...she can't really judge anyone for that. 
22:44 Clarice But... 
22:44 Clarice "..Isn't...Dove still...you know...?" 
22:45  OwlEye nods. "Sooo?" 
22:45  Clarice nods awkwardly. "I...see..." 
22:45 Clarice The old Clarice would've just yelled improper a few times. 
22:45 Clarice But she's not going to judge. Nope nope nope. 
22:46 Clarice Dove must have had her reasons. 
22:46  OwlEye seems amused by her attempts to not react, he decides to push her further, "Wanna know how I got her to agree?" 
22:46  Clarice winces a little. "Maybe I should hear it from her first?" 
22:47 OwlEye He huffs, and reaches for her hand, "But my way of tellin' is much more fun! I can show you what I did!" 
22:48  Clarice retracts her hand a little and looks over her shoulder at Stefan. 
22:49 Clarice "I'm...not sure that's necessary. Besides...it'll give me something to talk to her about when I see her. I did just come back after all..." 
22:49 OwlEye Stefan is glaring, and only says, "He can't hurt you Clarice unless you allow him." 
22:50  OwlEye curls his lips into a snarl, his fangs gleaming, "I want to tell you." 
22:51 Clarice  /Don't worry dear, I won't let him hurt you. Besides, I'm quite curious myself!/ 
22:51  Clarice sighs. "Very well then." She gives him a sharp look. "But please...if there's anything I might find offensive, please try to choose your words carefully? For my sake at least?" 
22:52 Clarice She quickly adds, "Not that I automatically think you did something inappropriate, it's just...you're making me feel somewhat...uncomfortable right now." 
22:53  OwlEye licks his lips and takes Clarice's hand, "Am I now?" He croons in a flawless imitation of Hawk's voice. 
22:54  Clarice frowns as she retracts her hand once more. "See, /that's/ the improper behavior I'm talking about." 
22:54 Clarice Didn't know Owl Eye could do that...with his voice... 
22:54 Clarice Quite interesting indeed. 
22:55 Clarice  /It's a vampire thing my dear./ 
22:55  OwlEye frowns hen says in his normal screechy voice, "You didn't even see the best part. You have to look into my eye for that." 
22:55 OwlEye then* 
22:58 Clarice "Going a bit off topic now, are we?" 
23:00  OwlEye leans in close enough for a kiss, "Oh Swan...I can't help but ta think /improper/ thoughts around you." 
23:00  Clarice pushes his forehead away with her finger. 
23:01 Clarice "One more chance to tell me Owl Eye. As much as I enjoy your company, I have errands to run." 
23:02 OwlEye He playfully nips at her finger, just barely missing. She can feel his hot breath, "I wanna show, not tell. I'm not borin'." 
23:04 Clarice What could he possibly... 
23:04 Clarice ...Wait a second. 
23:04 Clarice Vampires...can imitate voices...and Owl Eye keeps insisting to look into his eyes? 
23:05 Clarice  /Oh, you didn't know? As long as you're touching him, you will see or hear that of which you desire the most! Creatures of the Undead are so fascinating aren't they? You know, I wrote a paper on an evolutionary theory of how Vampires came to be, and.../ 
23:06 Clarice What? 
23:07 Clarice So does that mean Owl Eye did this to Dove...? 
23:08 Clarice "I...better go..." 
23:08  Clarice starts heading towards the door. 
23:08  OwlEye laughs, "If ya ever miss him..I'm always willing beautiful." 
23:09 Clarice A cold chill runs down her spine as she hears this. 
23:10 Clarice  /Leaving already? That's a shame, I wanted to get to know him better. Then again, he almost got to know /me/ better...can't have that can we? Still, must be nice having a vampiric Mage in your guild. I'm sure he has his uses.../ 
23:10 Clarice Beatrice growls. 
23:10 Clarice  /...and then some./ 
23:10 OwlEye With a chuckle he adds, "And I'd love ta meet yer new friend Clarice." 
23:11  Clarice 's hair turns black. 
23:11 Clarice A shadow envelopes the entire room. 
23:12 Clarice Time appears frozen for all but Clarice and Owl Eye. 
23:12  OwlEye almost squeals in delight. 
23:12   Clarice looks over her shoulder with a devilish grin. "I suppose." 
23:12 Clarice -SCENE-