towerofanimus | I do what I must... No hard feelings mon. [Open]

Characters: Xue'Kol and All the victims
Setting: All around the Tower during the halloween event!
Format: Prose or Action is a-okay!
Summary: Xue sets out to do what a rogue does best, steal. (Assassinations may occur if things go wrong!)
Warnings: Violence, Language.

The first few days of candy collecting had been a breeze for the agile trolless. In fact, she had managed to avoid much of everything as she went along in the cloak of the shadows and simply took whatever candy she wanted without even having to engage everyone. She had been relaxed, no stress whatsoever. Even the female version of the undignified costume that had latched itself to her , reminding her of more sour memories of her world hadn't been cumbersome at all... Having nothing to protect her chest and all, even then it had been actually pretty fun...

This week however, it seemed that just like most things in this tower, it wouldn't be as easy as the previous days. Candy was much more scarcer and she had been hearing death cries all over the place... It seemed that the stakes had gone up and it was time to get in the right mind set. With blades at her back and stalking the shadows, Xue would do whatever she had to in order to gain candy and keep her candy from being taken. She'd usually try to simply sap someone unconscious and take what she needed, but she knew that some wouldn't be keen on losing their life treats and she was ready to take them out or flee if need be.

Live to fight another day as they say, but she wouldn't extend that courtesy to her opponents...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ken didn't have a costume, but he had picked up a few pieces of candy during the earlier days of collecting -- mostly because he was a kid, and kids liked candy. As the days passed, though, it became increasingly clear that for whatever reason, people were turning mean.

They really wanted this stuff, and Ken thought of simply handing his over to the nearest victim, but what if someone cornered him later? He'd have nothing to bargain with.

So instead he took to carrying his spear around with him, careful to be on the lookout for the less scrupulous denizens of the Tower.

Someone else had gotten into the rogue's sights but... he was just a kid was he not? Sure, she had run across enough 'kids' in her lifetime to not underestimate based on looks but...

This place really didn't hold back did it? Everyone was fair game as far as these experiments came to. However, he didn't seem to be straining like the rest and was that a costume or just his usual clothing?

She'd have to investigate further, she was certain she could handle herself against anything that might pop up surprisingly so she simply stalked over to his spot and came out of the shadows as if she had just appeared there, crossing her arms under her chest and looking at him curiously.

"Joo part of da game or jus' a bystander mon?"

Ken looked up and up and up -- Xue was tall, goddammit. "Game? Uh, I'm not really here to play any games. I'm just..."

Well, she didn't seem hostile or bitey. Maybe he should just ask. "...do you know why everyone here's so... strange?" He couldn't quite figure out the right way to convey the feeling of offness about the people he'd run into on the way here, even factoring in the presence of elves and things all over the place.

Poor thing wasn't even aware of the current experiment being played, surely he had been exposed to it however considering what he had asked, or at least that's what she thought.

She squatted to his level and let out a small sigh as she looked at him. "Ya know how da owners of dis place be doin' all sorts of bad tings to us now an' den right? Well, dis time dey be makin' some of us dress funny like dis," she pointed at herself before continuing.

"An' we gotta be collectin' da candy, like da ones ya hold in yer hands in order ta survive... Dat might be why joo might have encountered some people bein' not nice to joo."

He'd kind of figured as much, but it was nice to have confirmation on that. Also, he was secretly grateful he didn't have to crane his neck just to look at her face because ow.

"To survive? What are they going to do to you if you don't collect the candy?" Blow up rooms? Withhold food?

Xue shrugged, "Don't know mon, I haven't seen wat be happenin' just yet but... A few of da ones dat were around before disappeared, an' I be even hearin' dat da costumes dey be wearin' came ta life and are doin' not very kind tings if ya know wat I mean."

"I... guess that would explain a lot."

He didn't know exactly what she meant, no, but all the same, it sounded like she needed the candy more than he did. And she was the first person here to really explain things to him. Ken held out a small hand, fingers curled over candy pieces he'd collected, and waited for her to hold out her own hand to accept it.

Xue blinked a few times and a warm smile spread on her lips. She extended her own hand over and laughed a little,

"Yer a good kid joo know dat? But joo should really try to go to a safe location, maybe da dormitories or sumtin' while all dis be goin' down... It seems it'll only get worse."

He smiled a little wryly as he gave her the candy. "I guess I should, huh? I thought it'd be a good idea to look around the tower, since there aren't too many blocked-off areas right now. But I usually do this kind of thing with a couple of people with me."

And it was, after all, dangerous to explore towers full of monsters all on one's lonesome. "I'm Ken, by the way. Thank you for the warning."

Xue took the candy and bowed her head, "Thanks kid, yer alright."

At the mention of the others however, she wondered if they had been cursed or chosen if you would, for this test... Hopefully he didn't find them in a worse off state due to all of this.

"Ken huh? I'm Xue'kol, you can call me just Xue if joo be likin'" she said with a playful wink.

"Well, I try to be," he said, with a slightly more confident smile this time. "Xue-san, then. So... I know you think I should head down to the dorms and all, but... will you be all right by yourself? If everyone's looking for those candies, won't it be dangerous to move around alone?"

Secretly, he also wanted to ask if the ears and stuff were real, but he'd already run into one of the elves, so he figured they probably were. This whole situation was beyond bizarre.

"I'll be alright lil' mon. Bein' a rogue has it's benefits yanno? I tend ta keep hidden unless I am sure I be safe or can be havin' da upper hand." She winked at him confidently.

Ken nodded. "Okay. But... here, you can hold onto this just in case."

He rummaged around in his pockets, producing a strange-looking doll. It looked vaguely like a person, but whoever had made it was obviously not overly-concerned with realism. "It's a Homunculus. It might come in handy. You never know."

Xue looked at him curiously as he brought the item out. She was no stranger to ju-ju, voodoo, magic and what have you, but to think that this might be the same case coming from the youngin catches her by surprise.

"So dis ju-ju do something useful den? How do I use it?" she was at the very least going the give him the benefit of the doubt as he had been kind to her.

"It takes the hit for you if you get hit by a Hama or Mudo skill," he explained, hoping she'd know what he was talking about.

"They're really great to have if you're caught off guard. Although it only works once. And you don't have to do anything -- it'll act on its own. It's... kind of like a lucky charm, I guess."

While she didn't know what a Hama or a Mudo skill was, she knew guard items all too well and smiled. "Well dang kiddo, you sure be knowin' how ta be gettin' into a girl's heart huh?" she chuckled and smiled.

"Dat be a nice lucky charm den, thankies cutie~"

To his own surprise, Ken blushed a little (which was really weird for him, because Xue didn't even seem to be human). "Uh, no problem. A-anyway, I should probably get going. Good luck, Xue-san!"

He gave her a little wave as he turned to leave.

"Take care kiddo," Xue replied with a wave of her own as she turned and sauntered off until she vanished from sight once more.

If all the encounters she had from now on were like this, she wouldn't have to put anyone down then.

I do what I must... No hard feelings mon. [Open]

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