Screw it, I love how her face turned out so here's a preview of the character that's currently trying to weasel herself into my head. Soulknife rogue drow (or maybe only part drow?) lass who has the hardest side-eye from here to Waterdeep, wearing some colored glasses and a wide brimmed hat to protect from the sun.
Gonna need some more tweaking before I'm content with how she looks (need a new outfit, may or may not keep/change the glasses, maybe give her a different haircut or at least bangs?). She also needs a name but we'll get there.
Also definitely gonna start doing the "sketch on paper, color digitally" technique more often.
"Do you ever get tired of stealing? Does it ever make you feel bad?"
Verena's eyes turned toward to the boy, brows raised at the sudden question interrupting her thought process. He was new, a recent runaway from the orphanage that had been recruited to pick pockets and act as a distraction, but she had to give him credit, he had come into the room as silent as a mouse.
A corner of her lips twitched up, and she pointed the quill she held in his direction. "If you pick your targets wisely, then no. We do not pick pockets of beggars on the street, do we? No. Not worth our time, and they're worse off than we are. We go for those who think of themselves too highly, the ones who tout just how righteous and good they are, when it is all just a front to swindle more money out of the common folk. Remind yourself of that, and everything will be worth it."
It was not all a lie, though their work was a bit more nuanced than that. But all the other facets of their guild would be revealed to the kid in time, should he remain with them for the long haul.
39. accursed
"Is it a curse?"
"Emil!"
The trio was trying to speak in whispers, huddled in the corner of their sleeping quarters and hoping that they would not be noticed by either the other students that were already asleep or the older monks who were making their nightly rounds outside. But Merrec's hissed outburst caused all three of them to freeze and look around them, waiting until they were sure no one else had woken up before they went back to their conversation.
"Sorry..." Emil said, wincing, his voice even quieter than before. "I just... I wanna know! This sounds like one of those old stories my Pa used to tell me about!"
Oriana's face was buried in her hands, already regretting this attempt at trying to open up to the two now that they knew about her "gift". But at least this was... well, somewhat better than she feared. "No, I... We don't think it is. Cassio—the cleric from the temple I told you about—he thinks it has something to do with the gods? It's... a long story."
"We have time," Merrec said, leaning back against the wall and finally grinning. The grin quickly faded, though, as recalling something. "If you're okay with it, of course."
The aasimar stared at the floorboard below them for a few seconds longer, before taking a very deep breath, trying to hold her head up high, then let it out in one long, quiet sigh. "Okay. I think... I think I can tell you part of it. But if this does sound like a curse, please, please do not tell anyone else."
🎨 for Verena. 🔥 for Ledo. 🏆 for Treasure Planet Maudi
[mini oc memory snippets]
🎨 — A nostalgic memory — Verena
Fwip!
"Shit!"
Verena could not help but chuckle at the timing. A violet blade of psychic energy was now stuck in the doorway inches away from the face of the man that just walked in, who shot the drow a very pronounced frown as the blade faded away. "That wasn't intentional, I promise," she said, leaning forward from where she was previously lounging.
"Liar," the man responded, grumbling, before crossing the room to sit at the table next to her, laying out a spread of parchment across the surface, what seemed to be a selection of letters and dossiers. Curious, Verena rose from the chair and came to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder as he tried to organize the pages. A few seconds of silence passed before he finally paused, then huffed lightly before answering her unasked question, "It's information on some key targets we are being asked to infiltrate. Or rather, that they are asking you to infiltrate."
The drow's eyebrows shot up, and she stepped around to his side for a better look. "Really, now? I thought the big boss wanted me to keep a low profile, considering I only just started some of the bigger jobs. Did she have some kind of change of heart?"
"Something like that," he responded, pushing one of the pages aside. "We can only pick one, but we have the pick of the lot before we have to pass the rest on to the others. But if we play our hand well..." He finally smiled, a corner of his lips tugging upward. "We might start to make a name for ourselves around here."
🔥 — An angry memory — Ledo
It could have been a very nice, quiet evening. The setting sun was creating a wonderful array of colors above the town and the temperature was just right as crickets came out to sing. But even as Nuzur tried to enjoy the evening, winding down from the day's work, the sound of hammering at the forge beside his house was hard to ignore. The half-orc grunted, briefly staring down at the bottle he had just started, before standing up and slowly walking in the direction of the noise.
"Ledo," he called out between hammer swings, leaning against the entrance to the covered area, "You know sunset usually means we are finished working, right? Not starting again."
The tiefling did not answer him at first, only sparing him a glance over her shoulder before she continued hammering away for a moment longer. Nuzur knew this look, and waited, arms crossed, for her to finish and put the piece back into the forge itself "I wanted to finish something," she half-mumbled while the metal was heating back up, her hand reaching up to pull on the bellows. "Had no time to earlier."
"And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
"No."
Nuzur did not respond, letting the moment stretch out a few seconds longer. He knew what she was working on, and his gaze briefly settled on the tiny draconic homunculus watching from the rafters above. She had only started working for him a couple of months prior after wandering into town, but at this point he could read her mood well enough. Normally, she would start explaining things to him, regardless of if he had asked, and the little creature would be right up in the forge to lend a hand as well under normal circumstances. Something was off.
"Alright, talk." Nuzur took a few steps further in, finding a stool to sit on. "You're either pissed about something, or one of the pieces you worked on earlier came out wrong. Either way, I want to know."
At the mention of something coming out wrong, Ledo almost opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again. Instead, she frowned at Nuzur's unyielding stare before turning back toward the forge. "Nothing came out wrong. This is a personal thing. I... I guess I am just pissed." She yanked the metal out again, placing it back on the anvil to continue her hammering with renewed vigor. "That piece of shit at the tavern again. I just wanted to eat a meal but he was already drunk and had to make a comment about me again. Accused me of being a thief this time, tried to claim I had taken Drache from someone else despite the fact I have said on multiple occasions that I made him myself years ago and—"
She stopped hammering suddenly, realizing a bit too late that she had gone too far and the metal was now thinner than she needed it to be.. With an infernal curse, she threw the metal into the water beside the forge, crossing her arms while the steam rose from it. Ledo turned to finally look at Nuzur with a tired look, though her jaw still seemed clenched.
"He shouted that I should go back to Twalan. I know I should have ignored him, but I yelled back. Said that I would if I could so I would not have to listen to him, but in a... less-polite way." She took a deep breath, trying to keep a straight face. "And I know that you are going to say you understand. I do not doubt that. But dammit, it's frustrating! I had rank! I earned the respect of those around me in Twalan. Only for me to end up here, in a place where it feels like I have to fight for basic decency, just because—"
It was at this point that Drache seemingly could not take watching from the rafters anymore as his master's voice was rising in volume, and he glided down to perch on her, clicking and nudging her cheek. Ledo groaned in acceptance as she reached up to pet him, head turning down as she tried to calm down again.
Nuzur, strangely enough, couldn't help but grin a bit at the display, pointing to Drache. "I think if anyone else doubts that you made that little one, they ought to see how in tune he is with you. But you know, I think the last thing you need is to be in here working while your mind is wandering. Did you finish your meal at the tavern?"
"No, not really." Ledo replied softly. "I left before I got angrier. I didn't want people thinking you had hired someone who could not control their temper."
"Ah, then you need to eat. Come, I think I still have enough left to share. The old ladies down the road still comment to me that you need more meat on your bones anyway, so I can't let you skip meals just because someone wants to be an ass."
🏆 — A proud memory — TP AU Maudi
"Easy on the angle there. You sure you've got it?"
"Aye, taking it slow."
It had been some time since Maudi had actually driven a solar longboat, but she was more than happy to re-learn it now that they were in need of extra hands around the ship. They were supposed to be focusing on the creatures they were commissioned to study, but she had to admit that some days, doing things like steering the boats and helping them track things down were becoming much, much more interesting. It was at least a little less dull.
Two of the other passengers in the longboat - the other astrobiologist, and one of the younger crew members - were watching the jungle around them as they passed through the trees, wary of any movement that might be out there. The younger boy was noticeably nervous at this point.
"Are you sure you know where we're going? I don't think the captain wants us out here after dark, and we have no camp supp—"
"Relax lad," came a rougher voice from the floor of the boat. One of the senior officers had accompanied them, and he was the reason they were already going back. He had been unfortunately stung by one of the creatures in the jungle, one that they had not identified, so rather than risk the reaction getting worse by lingering, Maudi and her own colleague had made the call to cut their studies short. But even now, the initial bad reaction the officer was having seemed to be improving. Though he could barely keep his head up, he could at least look up at the boy to reassure him. "I've worked with Maudi before. She learned how to navigate from the best. You'd do well to trust her, because I do. Now stop whimpering and keep an eye out for more of those blasted bugs."
Though she kept her own eyes ahead and purposely did not look at the boy's reaction, a corner of Maudi's lips came up in a proud, silent smile at the reassurance. She knew it was not just for him, but also an encouragement for her. She would have to make sure to thank him once they were all safely on the ship.
A purposely quick sketch of the new drow rogue stuck in my head. She has a name now: Verena. Debating if she just goes by "V" or something else normally though
